TITLE: Relating to wage requirements for community rehabilitation programs participating in the purchasing from people with disabilities program.

SUMMARY: Relating to wage requirements for community rehabilitation programs participating in the purchasing from people with disabilities program.

FULL TEXT:
AN ACT relating to wage requirements for community rehabilitation programs participating in the purchasing from people with disabilities program. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Chapter 122, Human Resources Code, is amended by adding Sections 122.0075 and 122.0076 to read as follows: Sec. 122.0075. INCREASE IN WAGES; PLAN. (a) This section applies to a community rehabilitation program that: (1) is participating in the program administered under this chapter; and (2) pays workers with disabilities employed by the program wages that are less than the federal minimum wage under Section 6, Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. Section 206). (b) The workforce commission shall assist a community rehabilitation program in developing a plan to increase the wages paid to its workers with disabilities to the federal minimum wage not later than September 1, 2019. (c) Each community rehabilitation program shall, to the maximum extent possible, ensure that each worker with a disability remains employed by the program after the program increases the wages paid to those employees in accordance with the plan developed under Subsection (b). (d) If a community rehabilitation program is unable to employ all workers with a disability after the program increases the wages paid to those employees to the federal minimum wage, the community rehabilitation program shall work with the workforce commission and any other governmental entity to seek for and obtain any job training that may be suitable for those former employees to find other employment that pays at least the federal minimum wage. (e) This section expires September 1, 2019. Sec. 122.0076. WAGE REQUIREMENTS. (a) A community rehabilitation program may not participate in the program administered under this chapter unless each worker with a disability employed by the program is paid at least the federal minimum wage under Section 6, Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. Section 206). (b) To the extent of a conflict between this section and Chapter 62, Labor Code, this section controls. SECTION 2. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b) of this section, this Act takes effect September 1, 2017.