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A2464
ASSEMBLY, No. 2464
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman TENNILLE R. MCCOY
District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman Speight
SYNOPSIS
���� Requires DOLWD and DHS to conduct assessment of
community rehabilitation programs and community businesses.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative
Counsel.
��
An Act
concerning employment for persons with
disabilities and supplementing P.L.1955, c.64 (C.34:16-20 et seq.).
����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:
���� 1.��� The Legislature finds
and declares that:
���� a.���� New Jersey residents
with disabilities have a stake in choosing the type of employment that best
suits their needs. Each individual and, where applicable, that individual�s
family or caregiver, deserves the State�s support in maintaining that choice
and continuing to allow an array of services and employment options to be
provided that will best suit that individual.
���� b.��� New Jersey residents
with disabilities should not have to sacrifice their current employment or
otherwise be limited in their choice of future employment, whether or not
currently employed; and this is an issue of choice and freedom that we respect
and honor in New Jersey.
���� c.���� New Jersey residents
with disabilities deserve to have the same choice of where, how, and with whom
they work and spend their time as other New Jersey residents.
���� d.��� Employment offered by
community rehabilitation programs and community businesses such as work crews,
call centers, employment through contracts under the "Rehabilitation
Facilities Set-Aside Act," P.L.1991, c.147 (C.30:6-33 et al.), employment
through AbilityOne contracts, and other independent work assignments provide
New Jersey residents with disabilities the opportunity to meet new people, gain
new skills, and earn the respect, pride, and other ancillary human benefits
that come with earning a paycheck and making a contribution to society.
���� e.���� Section 705 of the federal
Workforce Innovation
and Opportunity
Act (WIOA) (29 U.S.C. s.705)� includes in the definition of �competitive
integrated employment� work that
is
performed on a full-time or part-time basis, including
self-employment;
that
is
at
a
location
where
the
employee
interacts with
other
persons
who
are
not
individuals
with
disabilities,
not including
supervisory
personnel
or
individuals
who
are
providing services
to
such
employee; to
the
same
extent
that
individuals
who are not individuals with disabilities and who are in
comparable positions interact with other persons;
and that, as appropriate, presents opportunities for advancement that are
similar to those for other employees who are not individuals with disabilities
and who have similar positions .
���� f.���� Section 721 of WIOA (29
U.S.C. s.721) also clearly gives the responsibility to determine if employment
meets the criteria of �competitive integrated employment� to the designated
State unit in the State.� The designated State units are the Division of
Vocational Rehabilitation Services in the Department of Labor and Workforce
Development and the Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired in the
Department of Human Services.
���� g.��� Accordingly, it is
altogether fitting and proper for the Legislature to establish a process for
assessing the employment opportunities afforded to individuals with
disabilities by community rehabilitation programs and community businesses.
���� 2.��� The Division of
Vocational Rehabilitation Services in the Department of Labor and Workforce
Development and the Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired in the Department
of Human Services shall conduct a case-by-case assessment of employment offered
by community rehabilitation programs and community businesses, including but
not limited to, work crews, call centers, employment through contracts under
the "Rehabilitation Facilities Set-Aside Act," P.L.1991, c.147
(C.30:6-33 et al.), employment through AbilityOne contracts, and other
independent work assignments for which an individual who has been found
eligible has applied for a position, to determine if the employment opportunity
meets the criteria for �competitive integrated employment� under the federal Workforce
Innovation
and Opportunity Act (29
U.S.C. s.705).� The division and the commission shall be prohibited from
disqualifying work programs from being considered �competitive integrated
employment� solely because the programs are provided through AbilityOne
contracts or contracts under the �Rehabilitation Facilities Set-Aside Act,�
P.L.1991, c.147 (C.30:6-33 et al.).
���� 3.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.
STATEMENT
���� This bill requires the
Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services in the Department of Labor and
Workforce Development and the Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired in
the Department of Human Services to conduct a case-by-case assessment of employment
offered by community rehabilitation programs and community businesses,
including but not limited to, work crews, call centers, employment through
contracts under the New Jersey Rehabilitation Facilities Set-Aside Act,
employment through AbilityOne contracts, and other independent work assignments
to determine if the employment opportunity meets the criteria for �competitive
integrated employment� under the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity
Act (WIOA).
���� The bill also prohibits the
division and the commission from disqualifying work programs from being
considered �competitive
integrated employment� solely
because the programs are provided through AbilityOne contracts or contracts
under the �Rehabilitation Facilities Set-Aside Act,� P.L.1991, c.147 (C.30:6-33
et al.).