March 1, 2018 - EEOPD Taskforce Meeting Minutes

Questions to ask:

Set up a time with Maria and Tere in advance of next meeting to debrief and set expectations.
Lore Baker's nomination for board. What is the context and things you need from us? In contact with appointments director in the office.

Meeting Notes:

Welcome and introduction
1. Emily Bastedo is new to EEOPD
Motion to approve 9/7/2017 minutes passes
Updates from last meeting:
1. City of Chicago EEOPD committee, look for ways to collaborate, how can city internally improve access to employment, unlike state there is no exception for sheltered-workshops, not looking to go external, internal data collection goals, no number for employment %, goal is to meet nationally is for fed contractors 7%
  1. Lauren and Tere met with Commissioner on coordinating between state and city, including schools (not yet CPS) but post-secondary exploration with City Colleges
  2. Common pitch needed for employers
2. 2/6 Hearing:
  1. Senator Morrison avid ally + Mussman + good turnout + educational and informative
  2. 1st legislative hearing, goal to increase awareness and set the stage for asks
  3. Subject matter hearing with testimony from Self advocates, nonprofit CEO, employer
  4. Unvetted nonprofit CEO pro-controversial sheltered workshops
  5. Takeways: short term and long-term goals as legislation might be too difficult
  6. Tere will send thank you note to legislators, potentially attach information about programs
  7. Mussman reached out to Phil for meeting DCEO DRS ICDB DHS Special Disabilities Program at CMS, IR
    1. Overcome barriers with SDP, Mussman reached out to schedule meeting in early April, vets and SD list simultaneously, testing only available for a year for SD, working with DRS to be on SD list but only DRS registered people can be SD; internship opportunities
    2. Notes? Capturing to-dos?
      1. CMS and DCEO DRS look at pooling money for internships
      2. Barry's workgroup recommendations discussed? Not fully, because first meeting
    3. 25 people hired outside of union process, SD list competing on veterans list
    4. Agency must request to participate in SD list, might not know to ask, also actively choose not to participate, recommendation non starter to automatically include disability list
    5. Mussman focused on state agency and employees, esp CMS
  8. Bring all work and legislation, meetings consolidated under the umbrella of the taskforce
    1. Require state to "review & respond" to formal recommendation
    2. Bring IACC under taskforce, why IACC has been dormant (co-chairs DHS + ISBE) audit taskforce,
    3. Emily motivate DHS + ISBE
    4. Phil has 3 shell bills and will offer 1 for this purpose, work with Maria on language, put everything in shell bill to nudge state to take action
    5. Pick out budget neutral recommendations and move past "review and respond" in shell bill
    6. HFS CMS how to improve services rendered in budget-neutral way
    7. State agencies won't support or enact without gov support
    8. Language to bring into CMS compliance
    9. Barry out from under consent decrees which is aligned with state priorities and taskforce
    10. Phil, Kathy, Maria to meet while legislators on break
    11. Make a complete list of priorities with committee chairs, id within your workgroup recs what is leg opportunities
    12. Kathy will create 1 pagers for legislators
  9. Provider Workgroup:
    1. Extension of HBS settings rules to 2022 took wind out of sails
    2. Pennsylvania renewed waiver for exclusive community-based setting, no longer brick and mortar (group home, day camp), lots of negative constituent feedback
    3. Messaging coordination around sheltered workshops and shift conversation; gage community interest
    4. Community outreach for taskforce actions and log community concerns
    5. Bring in voices of families and broad stakeholders
  10. Employer workgroup:
    1. Bring providers and private employers together
    2. Increase membership of employer workgroup (Walgreens, Chamber of Commerce, Home Depot, Marianos)
    3. Need Gov help with technology, already connected with DoIT to set up portal and populated by providers, Lore's team has platform in place, potentially adding on to DCEO DES site (Tania connected) and enhance the pre-existing
    4. Draft email to Chamber and Manufacturers Association
    5. Letter from Gov office encouraging private employers and boards to forward email Maria draft
    6. Jack Lanvin from Chamber is huge advocate for POD, set up meeting with him
  11. Workforce Development
    1. CMS outreach failing, wanted Gov's authority to move forward
      1. State use contract amendment no-bid contracts require competitive integrated employment, BEP remove shelter workshops exception *requires legislation, reasonable accommodation in RUTAN hiring process
    2. Extreme pushback from constituents re: sheltered workshops - education on that side
    3. Businesses owned by people with disabilities is small pool and often don't match up with state needs
    4. Find out specifics of all state use contracts, no common form, cant tell if people without disabilities also employed, need more deep-dive data into this, how much it would cost to pay everyone minimum wage
    5. State Use Committee to bring on persons with disabilities board, Tania is lone representative
  12. Transitions: no report
  13. Legislative
    1. Can taskforce take a stand on legislation or only individual members?
    2. SB1453 (McCann & Morrison & Cullerton & Mussman): supported employment for state agencies
      1. Gov opinion?
    3. SB2468
    4. HB5080: tax breaks to employers who employ people with disabilities
      1. Unintended consequences may require disclosure of disabilities, sliding scale might open individual up to pressure from provider to work more hours, how long person must carry label of disabled
      2. Maria urges taskforce to be wary of putting up barriers because employers won't engage; distinction could be mental illness vs. disabilities
    5. SB3305 (Rose): amends Employment First Act, very ambiguous
    6. Able Account: people with disabilities to accrue savings, tax deferred, gain contributions through employment/family/community to keep benefits while raising money above $2K limit
      1. ID 4-5 aspects common problems families face and create information packets for outreach
3. Recruitment: Include Robert Ness UIC (higher ed, physical disability, business owner), Jennifer Steiner
  1. Access Living (Dawn-employment advocacy group),
  2. Need 2 mental health representation (provider/advocacy + disability)
  3. 2 employers - Tania's connection to WACO/Hope Handbook
  4. Parent or family
  5. Orientation