Florida Senate - 2015 CS for SB 848
By the Committee on Governmental Oversight and Accountability;
and Senator Richter
585-02126-15 2015848c1
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the employment of individuals with
3 disabilities; providing a short title; providing
4 legislative intent; providing a purpose; requiring
5 specified state agencies and organizations to develop
6 and implement an interagency cooperative agreement;
7 requiring the interagency cooperative agreement to
8 provide the roles, responsibilities, and objectives of
9 state agencies and organizations; providing an
10 effective date.
11
12 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
13
14 Section 1. (1) SHORT TITLE.—This act may be cited as the
15 “Employment First Act.”
16 (2) LEGISLATIVE INTENT.—The Legislature finds that
17 employment is the most direct and cost-effective means to assist
18 an individual in achieving independence and fulfillment;
19 however, individuals with disabilities are confronted by unique
20 barriers to employment which inhibit their opportunities to
21 compete fairly in the labor force. It is the intent of the
22 Legislature to provide a framework for a long-term commitment to
23 improving employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities
24 in this state through the implementation of the Employment First
25 Act.
26 (3) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the Employment First Act is to
27 prioritize employment of individuals with disabilities and to
28 change the employment system to better integrate individuals
29 with disabilities into the workforce. The Employment First Act
30 encourages a collaborative effort between state agencies and
31 organizations to achieve better employment outcomes for
32 individuals with disabilities.
33 (4) INTERAGENCY COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT.—The following state
34 agencies and organizations shall develop an interagency
35 cooperative agreement to implement the Employment First Act:
36 (a) The Division of Vocational Rehabilitation of the
37 Department of Education.
38 (b) The Division of Blind Services of the Department of
39 Education.
40 (c) The Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student
41 Services of the Department of Education.
42 (d) The Agency for Persons with Disabilities.
43 (e) The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Program of the
44 Department of Children and Families.
45 (f) The Department of Economic Opportunity.
46 (g) Workforce Florida, Inc.
47 (h) The Florida Developmental Disabilities Council.
48 (i) Florida Association of Rehabilitation Facilities.
49 (j) Other appropriate organizations.
50 (5) ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES.—The interagency cooperative
51 agreement shall outline the roles and responsibilities of the
52 state agencies and organizations identified in subsection (4).
53 The objectives of the interagency cooperative agreement must
54 include all of the following:
55 (a) Establishing a commitment by leadership of the state
56 agencies and organizations to maximize the resources and
57 coordination to improve employment outcomes for individuals with
58 disabilities who seek publicly funded services.
59 (b) Developing strategic goals and benchmarks to assist the
60 state agencies and organizations in the implementation of this
61 agreement.
62 (c) Identifying financing and contracting methods that will
63 help to prioritize employment for individuals with disabilities
64 by state agencies and organizations.
65 (d) Establishing training methods to better integrate
66 individuals with disabilities into the workforce.
67 (e) Ensuring collaborative efforts between multiple
68 agencies to achieve the purposes of this act.
69 (f) Promoting service innovations to better assist
70 individuals with disabilities in the workplace.
71 (g) Identifying accountability measures to ensure the
72 sustainability of this agreement.
73 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2015.