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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the establishment of an employment-first policy and |
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task force that promote opportunities for individuals with |
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disabilities to earn a living wage with competitive employment. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Subchapter D, Chapter 117, Human Resources Code, |
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is amended by adding Section 117.075 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 117.075. EMPLOYMENT-FIRST POLICY AND TASK FORCE. (a) |
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The department shall adopt and implement an employment-first policy |
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stating that earning a living wage with competitive employment in |
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the general workforce is the first and preferred outcome of all |
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publicly funded services provided to working-age individuals with |
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disabilities. The policy must contain provisions that ensure: |
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(1) that individuals, particularly secondary and |
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postsecondary students, with disabilities understand the |
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importance of, and are given the opportunity to explore options |
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for, further training, including graduate and postgraduate |
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training, as a pathway to employment; |
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(2) the availability and accessibility of |
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individualized training and support in an individual's preferred |
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employment; |
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(3) the availability and accessibility of resources |
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necessary to enable an individual to understand the effect of |
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earned income on the individual's public benefits; and |
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(4) that competitive employment, while being the first |
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and preferred outcome, is not the only method of securing and |
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maintaining necessary health care and support for individuals with |
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disabilities. |
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(b) The department, in consultation with the executive |
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commissioner, shall establish an interagency employment-first task |
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force that will work to ensure that individuals with disabilities |
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are able to obtain competitive employment and are held to the same |
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employment standards, responsibilities, and expectations as any |
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other working-age adult. The department shall appoint as many |
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members to the task force as the department considers necessary to |
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complete the task force's purposes. |
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(c) The task force shall: |
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(1) design an education and outreach process targeted |
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at individuals with disabilities, families, agencies, and service |
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provider staff that is aimed at raising expectations of the success |
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of individuals with disabilities in integrated, individualized, |
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and competitive employment; |
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(2) develop recommendations for policy and procedure |
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changes that are necessary to allow the employment-first policy |
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described under Subsection (a) to be fully implemented; and |
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(3) produce a report to be provided to the department |
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and the executive commissioner that estimates the reduction in |
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publicly funded services that can be accomplished by implementation |
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of the employment-first policy described under Subsection (a). |
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SECTION 2. Not later than September 1, 2014, the Department |
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of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services shall adopt and implement |
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the employment-first policy and appoint the employment-first task |
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force described under Section 117.075, Human Resources Code, as |
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added by this Act. |
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SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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Act takes effect September 1, 2013. |