S-1511               _______________________________________________

                                         SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL NO. 5330

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State of Washington                              50th Legislature                              1987 Regular Session

By Senate Committee on Commerce & Labor (originally sponsored by Senators Garrett, Johnson, Peterson, Tanner, Warnke, Williams and Kiskaddon; by request of Joint Select Committee on Disability Employment and Economic Participation)

Read first time 2/04/87.

AN ACT Relating to the establishment of a revolving fund to accommodate persons of disability in state employ; adding a new section to chapter 41.04 RCW; creating a new section; and making an appropriation.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.     The legislature recognizes that persons of disability have faced unfair discrimination in employment.  Equal opportunity for persons of disability often necessitate job site changes and equipment purchases.  It is the intent of the legislature to remove a potential barrier to employment of persons of disability by giving state agencies, including institutions of higher education, the ability to accommodate the job site and equipment needs of persons of disability without the delay of waiting for an appropriation from the legislature.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 41.04 RCW to read as follows:

          (1) The disability accommodation revolving fund is created in the custody of the state treasurer.  Disbursements from the fund shall be on authorization of the director of the department of personnel or the director's designee.  The fund is subject to the allotment procedure provided under chapter 43.88 RCW, but no appropriation is required for disbursements.  The fund shall be used exclusively by state agencies to accommodate the unanticipated job site or equipment needs of persons of disability in state employ.

          (2) The director of the department of personnel shall appoint an advisory review board to review and approve requests for disbursements from the disability accommodation revolving fund.  The review board shall establish application procedures, adopt criteria, and provide technical assistance to users of the fund.

          (3) Agencies that receive moneys from the disability accommodation revolving fund shall return to the fund the amount received from the fund by no later than the end of the first month of the following fiscal biennium.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.     The sum of two hundred thousand dollars is appropriated from the general fund to the disability accommodation revolving fund for the purposes of this act.