Arkansas 2023-SB 443

Original Bill Text 

About The Bill:

• The Arkansas Employment First Act is a bill that will improve job opportunities for people with disabilities. 
• The bill recognizes that some disabled people face barriers when trying to find work and states that public policy should help remove these barriers.
  • It promotes good practices in areas like transitioning young people into work, getting employers involved, improving services, and providing training and support for disabled people. 
  • The bill also encourages businesses to use free-market principles to hire people with disabilities, which can benefit the economy and make it easier for employers to hire disabled people.
• This bill’s goal is to help people with disabilities find jobs and make sure that they have the same opportunities as everyone else. 
• The bill encourages different groups and organizations to work together to support disabled people.
• The bill would give disabled people more chances to do important work and go to college. 
• To carry out this bill, the Arkansas Office of Employment First will be created, along with the Employment First Business Partner Program. 
• The Office of Employment First will have an advisory committee consisting of 21 unpaid members, including self-advocates with disabilities, family members or guardians of disabled people, and representatives from different agencies. 
• This committee will play an important role in:
  •  Making agreements between different groups
  • Setting goals
  • Tracking the progress of disabled people in finding jobs
  •  Reporting the progress of Employment First practices to the Director of the Office of Employment First and the Secretary of the Department of Commerce.
    • Committee members may receive money for being on the committee.
  • The Employment First Business Partner Program is led by the Arkansas Office of Employment First.
    • To be a part of the Employment First Business Partner Program, businesses need to employ disabled people and pay them at least minimum wage ($11 per hour).
  • The Arkansas Office of Employment First reviews applications based on the number of disabled employees and the disabled employees’s length of employment.
    • Personal information about employees is not required from businesses.
    • Businesses suggested by the community are also considered.
    • Suggested businesses have 30 days to respond and either accept or decline the invitation to join the program.
    • When applying or being suggested by the community, businesses must provide information such as business name, location, and contact information.
  • Once chosen as a partner, businesses need to confirm that they are following the program’s rules once a year or they will lose their membership to the program.
    • Businesses can choose to end their membership at any time by telling the Office of Employment First.
  • The program will have a special logo for businesses to use, and the Arkansas Office of Employment First will create rules for its usage.
  • The program’s website, managed by the Division of Workforce Services, will provide information about participating businesses, updated requirements, application processes, and resources to support the employment of disabled people. 
  • A report on the program’s effectiveness, written by The Arkansas Office of Employment First, will be submitted to government officials by January 1, 2025.