Hawaii-2011-SB125-Amended

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities need continuing education, evaluation, and services to obtain necessary employment skills. Current research indicates that many persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities are able to achieve an employment skill level that enables them to become self-sufficient, taxpaying contributors to the economy.

For example, the State of Washington has a state policy that encourages all persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities to find paid employment no matter how profound their disabilities. Accordingly, the Washington Department of Social and Health Services adopted a policy that all the activities it funded for working adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities under age sixty-two would be related to finding and keeping jobs.

An Internet article on November 15, 2009, on HRhero.com entitled, "Employing Developmentally Disabled Can Be a Win-Win", stated in pertinent part:

"Individuals with serious disabilities encounter many difficulties when attempting to enter the workforce. They may have physical or mental deficiencies that make it difficult, if not impossible, to become competitively employed."

The State Employment Leadership Network, a joint program of the National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services and the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts Boston launched in 2006, has a membership of eighteen states, including Hawaii. The State Employment Leadership Network is a cross-state cooperative venture of the state agencies that serve persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities and are committed to improving employment outcomes for adolescents and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The State Employment Leadership Network connects, collaborates, and creates cross-community support for the pressing employment‑related issues faced by state systems and at the federal level.

Presently, programs for training and education of persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities are administrative initiatives. However, the legislature finds that funding for these initiatives could be augmented by federal funding as part of a medicaid waiver, if the program is placed in statute.

The purpose of this Act is to enact an employment training and placement program to develop more effective employment systems for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and to require the department of human services to seek a medicaid waiver for funding of the program.

SECTION 2. Chapter 333E, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"§333E- Employment training and placement. (a) There is established an employment training and placement program for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities to be administered by the department of human services, in cooperation with the department of education and the department of health. The program's target population shall be working adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities between the ages of sixteen and sixty-five; provided that priority shall be given to youth in transition with intellectual and developmental disabilities between the ages of sixteen and twenty-two. The purpose of the program shall be to provide services to assist persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities in finding and keeping employment and to allow adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live outside of institutionalized care that would otherwise be funded by medicaid.

(b) Services under subsection (a) shall consist of support to individuals to maintain gainful employment. Key elements of these services include:

(1) Supports tailored to the needs, interests, and abilities of the individual;

(2) Supports to achieve and maintain integrated, gainful employment in the community;

(3) Skills assessments and job placement services; and

(4) Job development and coaching.

(c) For purposes of this section, the department of human services may use private service providers to furnish services.

(d) The department of human services shall seek a medicaid waiver to provide funding for services under this section. The employment training and placement program for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities shall be deemed a part of home- and community-based services waivers and targeted case management programs for special population groups, including services relating to the needs of special populations such as the elderly, individuals with mental illness, and individuals with physical and mental disabilities."

SECTION 3. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $ or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2011-2012 and the same sum or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2012-2013 for the employment training and placement program as matching state funding to federal funds received pursuant to a medicaid waiver for the employment training and placement program.

The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of human services for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 4. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 5. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2075.

THE SENATE	S.B. NO.	125
TWENTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE, 2011		S.D. 2
STATE OF HAWAII		H.D. 1