Bill Caption

Relating to the establishment of an employment-first policy and task force that promote opportunities for individuals with disabilities to earn a living wage with competitive employment.

Fiscal Notes

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated. No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated. School districts would be required to share information about education and training opportunities that aligned with employment-first policy; fiscal impact to school districts, if any, is not anticipated to be significant.

Bill Analysis

Summary: SB 1226 would establish the employment-first policy governed by the Texas Education Agency and the Texas Workforce Commission with the intent to help working-age individuals with disabilities who receive public benefits to understand the options available for competitive employment. In addition, this legislation would allow the executive director of the Health and Human Services Commission to establish an employment-first task force as a new task force or use an existing committee or task force to prepare an education and outreach process, provide policy recommendations for full implementation of the employment-first policy, and provide recommendations to the Legislative leadership on the results of the policy, all with the intent to prepare individuals with disabilities for successful competitive employment.

Analysis: SB 1226 would provide the state with a goal that services provided to individuals with disabilities should reach the objective of preparing these individuals for the workforce. This would help people with disabilities be more independent and more self-sufficient. We support SB 1226.