19400-19404
WELFARE AND INSTITUTIONS CODE
SECTION 19400-19404
19400. It is the purpose of this chapter to extend the opportunities for individuals with disabilities for employment through encouragement of local communities to develop rehabilitation programs and to provide the state with information concerning their effectiveness in providing employment and rehabilitation services to individuals with disabilities. 19401. The department may provide consultive services to organizations in the establishment and operation of community rehabilitation programs for individuals with disabilities. These consultive service shall include the bringing together of persons interested in the established community rehabilitation programs, surveying community needs, securing the cooperation of other community agencies, planning methods of financing, securing work contracts, establishing professional standards, and maintaining of appropriate records. 19402. The department may contract with qualified persons or firms for consultation in such technical fields as accounting, engineering and sales so that the directors and governing bodies of the community rehabilitation programs may be advised as to the desirability of any undertaking and the best methods of achieving their objectives. 19403. It is the intent of the Legislature to encourage state organizations, cities, counties, districts, and other political subdivisions to purchase products manufactured by and services provided by public or private nonprofit California corporations operating workshops serving individuals with disabilities whenever it is feasible to do so and the proximity of the public or private nonprofit California corporations operating workshops serving individuals with disabilities makes the purchases reasonably convenient and to provide equality of competitive advantage for organizations operating workshops for individuals with disabilities and organizations operating workshops for individuals who are blind. 19404. Any state agency, city or county, political subdivision, or district of this state may, without advertising or calling for bids, purchase materials and supplies manufactured and services provided by public or private nonprofit California corporations operating community rehabilitation programs serving persons with disabilities who have indicated an interest in supplying those goods and services and may, on an equitable basis apportion the business among the interested community rehabilitation programs, provided the goods or services meet the specifications and needs of the purchasing agency and are purchased at a fair market price, as determined by the appropriate state or local agency and provided that the public or private nonprofit California corporations comply with all of the following requirements: (a) (1) Contract work obtained under this section shall be performed by a labor force which is comprised primarily of persons with disabilities, as measured by the percentage of person-hours of direct labor devoted to the contract work. (2) For purposes of this paragraph, "primarily" means 75 percent or greater. (3) Agree to make those elections permitted of any nonprofit corporation under the federal Insurance Contributions Act and the California Unemployment Insurance Code in order to provide social security and unemployment and disability benefits for its employees commencing with its first contract or purchase order under this section and continuing thereafter. In the event that the nonprofit corporation ceases to provide those benefits, any existing contract or purchase order under this section with the corporation is terminated and no further contracts or purchase orders shall be awarded to that corporation for the period of two years after the corporation ceases to provide the benefits. For the purposes of this subdivision, a person with a disability shall be considered an employee when performing productive work. (4) Provide in its articles of incorporation that at least two of the directors of its board of directors shall be comprised of persons with disabilities or the parents, guardians, or conservators of individuals with disabilities. Directors who are also employees of the nonprofit corporation shall not participate in or be present at discussions of the board of directors concerned with labor-management contract negotiations. (5) Provide for disabled employees of the nonprofit corporation benefits and other employer-employee agreements substantially equal to those benefits and agreements entered into between each nonprofit corporation and the representatives designated by a majority of the employees. (6) Not commit any unfair labor practices as defined in Section 8 (a) of the National Labor Relations Act. (7) Abide by the provisions of the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act, the Walsh-Healy Public Contract Act, the Wagner O'Day Act, and the regulations of the State Division of Industrial Welfare. (b) For purposes of this section a "person with a disability" means any person, other than a person who is blind, who is so severely incapacitated by any physical or mental disability that he or she cannot currently engage in normal competitive employment because of the disability.