ASSEMBLY HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 1016

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  MARCH 17, 2021

      The Assembly Human Services Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Assembly Bill No. 1016.

     As amended by the committee, this bill requires the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development to design and make available to the public a webpage with employment information related to persons with disabilities.

     The commissioner is required to design and promote the webpage as a “one-stop source” for accurate and reliable information to the public and employers in the State.  Prior to launching the webpage, the commissioner is required to rigorously test the webpage for accessibility.

     The webpage will: (1) provide information that complements and relates to any federal or State public awareness campaign hosting information aimed at the disability and employer communities, and the general public; (2) function as a repository and dissemination center for materials and effective practices; (3) include an email inquiry system to respond to online information queries; and (4) disseminate existing mainstream information and links to websites regarding employment and career pathways to facilitate knowledge of work and about the availability of mainstream employment systems.

      This bill was pre-filed for introduction in the 2020-2021 session pending technical review.  As reported, the bill includes the changes required by technical review, which has been performed.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS

      The committee amendments replace the term “individuals with disabilities” with “persons with disabilities” to maintain consistency with current statutory provisions, and to update the title and synopsis of the bill to reflect this change.