By West S.B. No. 1239
75R3804 CLG-D
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to certain support services provided to a person with a
1-3 disability to assist the person in the workplace.
1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-5 SECTION 1. Chapter 656, Government Code, is amended by
1-6 adding Subchapter D to read as follows:
1-7 SUBCHAPTER D. TRAINING AND ASSISTANCE FOR
1-8 STATE EMPLOYEES WITH DISABILITIES
1-9 Sec. 656.061. DEFINITIONS. In this section:
1-10 (1) "Job coach" means a person who provides training
1-11 to a person with a disability in the skills necessary to perform a
1-12 job.
1-13 (2) "State agency" means:
1-14 (A) a department, commission, board, office, or
1-15 other agency that:
1-16 (i) is in the executive branch of state
1-17 government;
1-18 (ii) has authority that is not limited to
1-19 a geographical portion of this state; and
1-20 (iii) was created by the constitution or a
1-21 statute of this state; or
1-22 (B) a university system or an institution of
1-23 higher education as defined by Section 61.003, Education Code,
1-24 other than a public junior college.
2-1 Sec. 656.062. VOLUNTEER JOB COACHES FOR CERTAIN PERSONS WITH
2-2 DISABILITIES. (a) A state agency shall provide training to each
2-3 employee of the agency who in addition to the employee's regular
2-4 duties volunteers to be a job coach for a person with a disability
2-5 employed by the agency.
2-6 (b) A state employee who volunteers as a job coach is not
2-7 entitled to receive monetary compensation for the voluntary duties,
2-8 but is entitled to receive compensatory time from the agency.
2-9 Sec. 656.063. ADDITIONAL TRAINING SUPPORT SERVICES; JOB
2-10 COACHES. (a) A state agency that receives funds for supported
2-11 employment programs shall perform an assessment of the workplace
2-12 needs of each employee of the agency who receives supported
2-13 employment services.
2-14 (b) A state agency shall provide to an employee a job coach
2-15 if the needs assessment of the employee indicates that a job coach
2-16 would assist the employee in maintaining employment with the
2-17 agency.
2-18 (c) In this section, "supported employment services" means
2-19 support services provided to a person with a disability to assist
2-20 the person to compete more effectively in the workplace, including
2-21 vocational assessments, medical services, transportation, training,
2-22 and job coaching.
2-23 SECTION 2. Subchapter B, Chapter 403, Government Code, is
2-24 amended by adding Section 403.026 to read as follows:
2-25 Sec. 403.026. REIMBURSEMENT OF PRIVATE JOB COACHES UNDER
2-26 CERTAIN PROGRAMS. (a) The comptroller shall develop a uniform
2-27 system for the reimbursement of private job coaches under a
3-1 supported employment services program.
3-2 (b) In adopting rules under this section, the comptroller
3-3 shall:
3-4 (1) consult with and seek input from each appropriate
3-5 state agency that contracts with a private entity to provide job
3-6 coaches for a client of the agency;
3-7 (2) ensure that state employees who volunteer to be
3-8 job coaches are not reimbursed under the system; and
3-9 (3) ensure that the hourly rate of reimbursement for
3-10 the performance of a person's duties as job coach is equal to the
3-11 person's hourly rate of employment, but not to exceed $20.
3-12 (c) In this section:
3-13 (1) "Job coach" means a person who provides training
3-14 to a person with a disability in the skills necessary to perform a
3-15 job.
3-16 (2) "Supported employment services program" means a
3-17 state program in which support services are provided to a person
3-18 with a disability to assist the person to compete more effectively
3-19 in the workplace, including vocational assessments, medical
3-20 services, transportation, training, and job coaching.
3-21 SECTION 3. (a) The Sunset Advisory Commission and the
3-22 Health and Human Services Commission shall conduct a joint
3-23 comprehensive review and comparison of all employment programs in
3-24 this state for persons with disabilities to determine current
3-25 capacity in and resources available for those programs.
3-26 (b) The commissions shall submit a joint report to the
3-27 legislature stating the findings of their review under Subsection
4-1 (a) of this section not later than September 1, 1998.
4-2 SECTION 4. The importance of this legislation and the
4-3 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
4-4 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
4-5 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
4-6 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
4-7 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
4-8 passage, and it is so enacted.