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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR Altamirano

DATE TYPED 03/2/05

HB

SHORT TITLE Employment of Persons with Disabilities

SB SJM 81

ANALYST Weber

APPROPRIATION

Appropriation Contained Estimated Additional Impact Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY05

FY06

FY05

FY06

NFI

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Governor’s Commission on Disability

CommDivision of Vocational Rehabilitation

Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Aging and Long Term Care Services (ALTCS)

Developmental Disabilities Planning Council

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Joint Memorial 81 (SJM 81) would direct the Executive Task Force on Disability Em-

ployment to develop policies, procedures and guidelines that state agencies can use to recruit,

hire retain and promote persons with disabilities for state government positions and to report the

policies and procedures to the “appropriate” interim Legislative committee prior to the second

session of the forty-seventh legislature. In addition, SJM 81 would instruct all state agencies to

implement the policies, procedures and guidelines developed by the Executive Task Force.

SJM 81 notes that Governor Richardson created the Interagency work group called the Executive

Task Force on Disability Employment to facilitate increased employment and that the agencies

represented in the task force have developed a proposal for increasing the employment of per-

sons with disabilities within state government. SJM 81 would empower the Task Force to de-

velop and implement policies, procedures and guidelines consistent with the “plan” that has been

developed by the Task Force

Senate Joint Memorial 81 -- Page 2

Significant Issues

Aging and Long Term Care contributes.

People with disabilities have had and continue to have the highest unemployment and under-

employment rate in the State and nationally, some 60-plus percent. This is a long-term issue that

will take time, understanding and re-tooling and re-designing the system to meet the needs of

people with disabilities and the employment sector. The education system will also come into

play as the need for a disability community that has been educated to the need to be employed

and been trained for significant employment will have to be developed and implemented.

There may continue to be utilization of the State programs that provide personal assistance and

health-related benefits to begin to break down the disincentives to employment, both by employ-

ers (outside of government) and people with disabilities. Private employers may initially need

‘incentives’ to recruit and hire people with disabilities.

MW/yr:lg