SB464 Summary

• Establishes the Alabama Employment First Initiative Act, declaring competitive and integrated employment as the first option for working-age individuals with disabilities seeking employment through state programs and services.

• Defines "competitive employment" as full-time or part-time work in an integrated setting at or above minimum wage and customary wage levels paid to non-disabled workers performing the same or similar work.

• Requires all state agencies to coordinate and collaborate to ensure state programs, policies, procedures, and funding support competitive and integrated employment for individuals with disabilities, and to share data across systems to track progress.

• Designates the Alabama Department of Mental Health as the lead agency for coordinating the initiative among state agencies.

• Does not require any employer to give hiring preference to individuals with disabilities, and authorizes state agencies to adopt rules for implementation; becomes effective on the first day of the third month following passage and gubernatorial approval.