Chief Patron: Vogel
State Employment Goal (language only)

Item 68 #1s

Language

Page 42, after line 11, insert:

"A.1. The Secretary of Administration, in collaboration with the Secretary of Commerce and Trade, with the assistance of all executive branch agencies, including their state departments and divisions, and subsidiaries shall promote and increase the employment of individuals with disabilities directly employed at all levels and occupations by the Commonwealth's agencies, departments, divisions, subsidiaries and through its state contracts, with the goal of increasing employment of disabled individuals within state government and through its state contracts by five percent within five years and/or by 2022. These requirements do not require the Commonwealth to create new positions or to change existing qualification standards for existing positions.

2. The Secretary of Administration, in collaboration with the Department of Human Resource Management, shall report the number of individuals with disabilities directly employed by the Commonwealth of Virginia, its agencies, departments, divisions and subsidiaries on an annual basis. The information shall be included in the Department of Human Resource Management's annual demographic report.  The report shall be in a format to be specified by the Secretary of Administration.  The Secretary of Administration shall make this format available no later than July 1, 2016.

3. The Secretary of Administration shall institute a reporting system to track the Commonwealth's progress in increasing the number of individuals with disabilities directly employed by its agencies, departments, divisions and subsidiaries.  A report on the Commonwealth's progress in meeting the five percent goal by 2022 shall be submitted to the Chairmen of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees by July 1 of each year.

4. In collaboration with the Secretary of Administration, in accordance with the objectives of promoting the increased hiring of individuals with disabilities directly employed at all levels and occupations by the Commonwealth's agencies, departments, divisions, subsidiaries and through its state contracts, the Secretary of Commerce and Trade, serving as the Chief Workforce Development Advisor, shall include appropriate stakeholders including the Virginia Association Supporting Employment First (vaAPSE), the Virginia Association of Community Rehabilitation Programs (vaACCSES) and other disability employment advocate representatives in the planning and ongoing implementation of Executive Order 46 to advance Virginians with disabilities in the Commonwealth's workforce.".