NEWS BRIEF: Bill seeks to reverse outdated employment law on disabled

Staff reports  |  An Easley Republican has prefiled a bill to adopt a measure that would reverse outdated laws that funnel South Carolina adults with intellectual disabilities into low-paying jobs, reporter Parker Milner wrote in this week’s issue of the Charleston City Paper.

S.C. Rep. Neal Collins, R-Easley, filed a bill three years ago to adopt so-called Employment First policies.  He prefiled the bill this week for consideration in the coming session.  

“Originally, we introduced the bill to encourage government agencies to consider hiring adults with disabilities,” said Collins, who explained that the bill doesn’t have hiring mandates, but would require a commission to regularly update the General Assembly on the employment status of South Carolina adults with disabilities. 

The state House of Representatives voted to create a study committee to evaluate the need for new employment policies in South Carolina. The committee’s May 2019 report found that South Carolina employers are struggling to fill positions, and Employment First policies could address industry needs by providing a framework that would help remove employment barriers for adults with intellectual disabilities.

The report found, “The first step is to adopt legislation that establishes that South Carolina is an Employment First state and establish a commission that can help guide us in the right direction.”  

Collins said he hoped for the bill to move forward this year. 

“Hopefully we’ll have some movement, but you never know in the legislative world,” he said. 

When lawmakers prepare to take up an Employment First proposal, they’ll find the numbers speak for themselves. Just 32.6 percent of the more than 700,000 South Carolina adults with intellectual disabilities are employed, one of the lowest rates in the country, according to the Employment First Study Committee Report conducted in May 2019. 

“We have the sixth-highest unemployment rates for people with disabilities, so there’s a lot of other states that are doing better than us,” said Sandy Jordan, director of employment programs for AbleSC, a nonprofit helping adults with disabilities live independently.  Read the full story.

Also in recent news:

S.C. among states challenging presidential election results.  S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson announced Wednesday the state is joining with 16 other Republican attorneys general in filing an amicus brief supporting a lawsuit attempting to challenge presidential election results in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The lawsuit claims those states ignored federal and state election laws, skewing the results toward President-elect Joe Biden. More: WLTX.  On Friday, The Post and Courier editorialized that Wilson was undermining the foundations of democracy by participating in the lawsuit.

S.C. lawmakers look at breaking up DHEC. The sprawling S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control — which regulates water usage, issues permits for hazardous sites, and is handling the coronavirus pandemic among its health responsibilities — could be broken up under a plan proposed Wednesday by state Senate President Harvey Peeler.  More: The State

State bill seeks to address gender, racial pay gaps.  A state bill backed by the Women’s Rights and Empowerment Network seeks to codify a level playing field in work pay among women and African Americans, who are paid at lower rates than white men for the same work, according to supporters.  More: WLTX

COVID-19 vaccine could be approved by Saturday.  An authorization of a COVID-19 vaccine by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration would be the beginning of a complex distribution plan that could last months, coordinated by health authorities, hospitals and pharmacies. The emergency approval could come as early as Saturday. Great Britain and Canada approved the vaccine earlier this week. Meanwhile, South Carolina health officials reported 1,883 new cases of the coronavirus Thursday alongside 12 additional confirmed deaths. Of 8,828 tests reported, 21.3 percent were confirmed positive.

Unemployment benefits set to expire for over 100,000 S.C. residents.  An initial wave of roughly 24,000 people losing financial aid by the end of thee this week is expected as part of the expiration of unemployment benefits for more than 100,000 by the end of the year. More: The Post and Courier.

State’s high court affirms decision against governor’s aid spending.  In a unanimous affirmation, the S.C. Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that spending $32 million in federal coronavirus relief to provide tuition grants for private schools is against the state’s constitution. It was the second time the court has rebuked the move. More

First Black U.S. House member commemorated in exhibit.  Joseph Rainey represented South Carolina in the U.S. House of Representatives in the 1870s. He was the body’s first Black member. This year marks the 150th year of Black representatives in the House, and Rainey has been commemorated in a congressional exhibit.  More: The Post and Courier.

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