SB464 Alabama 2013 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Vivian Davis FiguresSenator

Democrat

Co-Sponsors

Linda Coleman-MadisonPriscilla DunnQuinton RossPhillip W. WilliamsWilliam “Bill” M. BeasleyPaul BussmanHarri Anne SmithJ.T. WaggonerTammy IronsMark Slade BlackwellBryan TaylorDel MarshHank SandersRodger SmithermanBill HightowerGerald H. AllenTrip PittmanJerry L. Fielding

Session

Regular Session 2013

Title

Individuals with disabilities, promotion of employment by state programs and services, Alabama Employment First Initiative Act

Summary

SB464 would require Alabama state programs to promote competitive, integrated employment for youth and adults with disabilities and make it the first option, with agencies coordinating across the state to support it.

What This Bill Does

SB464 establishes the Alabama Employment First Initiative Act to promote competitive, integrated employment for youth and adults with disabilities. It requires state programs and services to coordinate across agencies, align policies and funding, and authorizes rules to implement the act. The Alabama Department of Mental Health is designated as the lead agency, and data sharing is encouraged to track progress. The act makes clear that employers are not required to give preference to hiring people with disabilities.

Who It Affects

• Individuals with disabilities: intended beneficiaries, with the goal of obtaining competitive integrated employment in integrated community settings.
• State agencies (including the Alabama Department of Mental Health as the lead): required to coordinate, collaborate, share data where feasible, and adopt rules to implement the act.

Key Provisions

• Establishes the Alabama Employment First Initiative Act to promote competitive, integrated employment for individuals with disabilities.
• Defines competitive employment as work in the competitive labor market, paid at least minimum wage, and in an integrated setting with non-disabled coworkers to the same extent as others.
• Defines integrated setting as a community-based environment where people with and without disabilities interact similarly, excluding necessary services.
• Declares competitive and integrated employment as the first option for working-age individuals with disabilities and requires state programs to support this.
• Requires all state agencies to coordinate, collaborate, share information when feasible, and adopt rules to implement the act.
• Designates the Alabama Department of Mental Health as the lead coordinating agency.
• Specifies an effective date: the act takes effect on the first day of the third month after passage and approval or when it becomes law.
• States that nothing in the act requires or implies that employers must give hiring preference to people with disabilities.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 25, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Individuals with Disabilities