South Carolina SB 533: Subminimum Wage (2021-2022)
Enacted. Version date 5/23/22
“SC S 533: A Joint Resolution to prohibit the use of Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to pay subminimum wages to individuals with disabilities… to enact the “Employment First Initiative Act”… to encourage competitive integrated employment for individuals with disabilities, to create the South Carolina Employment First Oversight Commission, and to outline its duties and obligations…
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina: Employers, community rehabilitation programs, and hospital patient care workers at regional centers
SECTION 1. Employers, community rehabilitation programs, and hospital patient care workers at regional centers shall not use Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to pay disabled employees a subminimum wage. No individual with a disability may be paid less than the federal minimum wage.”
Enacted. Version date 3/24/22
The General Assembly finds and declares that it is the policy of the Commonwealth of Kentucky that competitive integrated employment shall be considered the first and primary option for persons with disabilities of working age who desire to become employed.
Kentucky SB 94: Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship Program (2022)
Enacted. Version date 3/29/22
“The General Assembly hereby establishes the Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship Program to ensure that all Kentuckians who have not yet earned a postsecondary degree have affordable access to an industry-recognized certificate, diploma, or associate of applied science degree and, for students with intellectual disabilities enrolled in comprehensive transition and postsecondary programs, affordable access to meaningful credentials to prepare for competitive integrated employment.”
“BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
SECTION 1. Chapter 78, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:
” § 78-__ Employment first; persons with disabilities. (a) Employment first shall be a policy of the State and the counties. Employment services are the first choice of services that are offered for persons with disabilities receiving assistance from publicly funded systems. State and county agencies shall ensure that employment first is effectively implemented in hiring practices and all programs and services administered or funded by the State and counties, including programs and services that help persons with disabilities obtain employment. All state and county agencies shall coordinate efforts and collaborate to ensure that programs, policies, procedures, and funding support competitive employment in an integrated setting for persons with disabilities. All state and county agencies, when feasible, may share data and information to track progress toward full implementation of this section.”
“Version date 5/13/22, Enacted
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:
Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Job Training Assistance and Support Services Pilot Program Act.
Section 5. Purpose. The purpose of the Job Training Assistance and Support Services Pilot Program is to address significant barriers to individuals participating in apprenticeships, including, but not limited to, lack of affordable and reliable transportation, lack of affordable and high-quality childcare, and other barriers that may prohibit a worker from retaining employment. The Pilot Program may provide barrier reduction funding for eligible individuals participating in registered apprenticeship, pre-apprenticeship, or work-based learning programs such as an internship, paid work experience, transitional jobs training, on-the-job training, or incumbent worker programs administered by the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity….
b) The assistance provided by the Pilot Program may include funds for transportation, child care, housing-related expenses, including, but not limited to, rent and utilities, transportation, child care, digital technology needs, education needs, mental health services, substance abuse services, income support, and work-related supplies that are not typically covered by programmatic supportive services.”
Illinois SB 2984: An Act concerning state government
“Version date 05/13/2022 – Enacted Entrepreneurship Assistance
Summary: Provides that the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity shall establish and support entrepreneurship assistance centers at career education agencies and not for profit corporations such as local development corporations, chambers of commerce, and community based business outreach centers, provides that the purpose of the centers shall be to train minority group members, women, individuals with a disability, dislocated workers, veterans, and youth entrepreneurs in the practice of entrepreneurship.”
Summary retrieved from National Council of State Legislatures (NCSL).
New Jersey SB 525: Pre-apprenticeship programs (2022)
Enacted, version date 8/5/22
“Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 6 of P.L.1993, c.268 (C.34:15E-6) is amended to read as follows:
C.34:15E-6 School-to-apprenticeship linkage program, establishment.
6. a. Each consortium which is awarded a grant from the partnership shall establish a pre-apprenticeship, or school-to-apprenticeship linkage program, for high school students, which shall include the development of the curriculum which will best prepare students to qualify for apprenticeships established under the grant, thus encouraging high school completion and increasing graduation rates…
(2) The workplace experience component of the student learner shall be regarded as a cooperative vocational experience subject to all applicable standards promulgated by the State Department of Education and the State Department of Labor and Workforce Development for cooperative vocational experiences, including requirements that work is under the direct supervision of a qualified person, and that the student learner be provided an individualized training plan outlining the tasks to be performed and the progression of learning experiences, and the safety instruction and occupational competencies to be learned; and
b. Each pre-apprenticeship, or school-to-apprenticeship, linkage program shall include counseling, recruitment, training in life skills, including communication, working in teams, and meeting employer expectations, training in needed basic math and literacy skills, including one-to-one tutoring, and supportive services, including child care for student learners who are parents and transportation assistance, and other services as are needed to maximize program participation by women, minority-group members, and individuals with disabilities, who are economically disadvantaged individuals, have barriers to employment, or both. The objectives of these services shall include increasing the success of women in nontraditional employment and encouraging greater academic achievement among at-risk and other students.”
Kansas HB 2703: An Act concerning employment (2022)
Enacted 4/18/22
“AN ACT concerning employment; relating to the employment security law; employment security fund; employer contribution rates; revising the definition of employment for conformity with federal law; making changes to the my reemployment plan program including making the program mandatory with specified exceptions; providing that the secretary of labor is to request that claimants create resumes in the Kansas works system and that the secretary of commerce shall provide assistance to claimants through Kansasworks and may require claimants to participate in reemployment services; providing claimants with additional time to respond; enacting the Kansas targeted employment act to facilitate employment of persons with developmental disabilities through a tax credit incentive for employers; amending K.S.A. 44-703, 44-710a and 44-775 and repealing the existing sections.”
Louisiana SB192: An Act relative to postsecondary education for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (2022)
Enacted, version date 06/18/22
“A.(1)(a) The Louisiana Postsecondary Inclusive Education Fund, referred to in this Section as the “fund”, is hereby created within the state treasury as a special fund for the purpose of funding an approved comprehensive inclusive postsecondary education program at each public postsecondary education institution in the state in order to provide pathways to postsecondary degree, certificate, and apprenticeship programs designed to increase independent living and employment opportunities for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities.”
Summary: Repeals specified section of the general laws which provides that the director of labor and training may approve of wages below the minimum wage for those persons whose earning capacity is impaired due to physical or mental disability.
