Janelle Irwin Taylor
A bill aimed at enhancing employment opportunities for people with disabilities passed a committee hearing Tuesday opening the way for a framework to meet benchmarks for employment outcomes.
The Senate Committee on Governmental Oversight and Accountability introduced Senate Bill 7010, Individuals with Disabilities.
“Our goal is to make sure all Floridians have a pathway to employment and economic independence and state government should lead by example,” Senate President Andy Gardiner said. “This critical legislation incorporates the work of Governor Scott’s Commission on Jobs for Floridians with Disabilities and enhances many of the goals of his Employment First Executive Order.”
The legislation would create the Employment First Act that would require cooperative agreements between specified state agencies and organizations heralding a long-term commitment to improving employment outcomes for people with disabilities.
The bill would require each agency to establish goals ensuring full utilization of disabled employees, report progress yearly and develop agency-specific plans to promote employment opportunities for those individuals by Jan. 1, 2017.
The bill would also require coordination among the Department of Management Services and disability advocacy groups including the Agency for Persons with Disabilities, the Department of Education’s Divisions of Vocational Rehabilitation and Blind Services, the Department of Economic Opportunity and the Executive Office of the Governor.
The Department of Management Services would also be required to develop mandatory training programs for hiring managers and other human resources staff at agencies covered under the bill. That training would be geared to support employing individuals with and would help those HR leaders implement the plans developed as required in the bill.
The bill would also come with a small amount of funding to insure full-implementation if approved.
