1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to workforce development; creating a pilot program for individuals with 
1.3 	autism spectrum disorders; appropriating money.
1.4 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.5 	Section 1. EMPLOYMENT SUPPORT AND INDEPENDENT LIVING 
1.6 	SERVICES FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH HIGH-FUNCTIONING AUTISM, 
1.7 	ASPERGER'S SYNDROME, NONVERBAL LEARNING DISORDERS, AND 
1.8 	PERVASIVE DEVELOPMENT DISORDER, NOT OTHERWISE SPECIFIED; 
1.9 	PILOT PROGRAM.
 1.10 		Subdivision 1.Definitions. (a) For the purposes of this section, the following terms 
1.11 	have the meanings given.
1.12 	(b) "Communication" means the ability to effectively give and receive information 
1.13 	through spoken words, writing, speaking, listening, or other means of communication, 
1.14 	including but not limited to nonverbal expressions, gestures, or other adaptive methods.
1.15 	(c) "Functional areas" means communication, interpersonal skills, mobility, self-care, 
1.16 	self-direction, preemployment skills, work tolerance, and independent living skills.
1.17 	(d) "Independent living assessment" means an active, performance-based skill 
1.18 	assessment in the functional areas of communication, interpersonal skills, mobility, 
1.19 	self-care, self-direction, preemployment skills, and independent living skills, that provides 
1.20 	an analysis of the individual's ability to independently achieve certain skills and which 
1.21 	is performed through direct observation.
1.22 	(e) "Interpersonal skills" means the ability to establish and maintain personal, 
1.23 	family, work, and community relationships.
2.1 	(f) "Mobility" means the physical and psychological ability to move about from 
2.2 	place to place, including travel to and from destinations in the community for activities 
2.3 	of daily living, training, or work.
2.4 	(g) "Natural supports" means the process of assisting an employer to expand its 
2.5 	capacity for training, supervising, and supporting workers with disabilities.
2.6 	(h) "Ongoing employment support services" means any of the following services:
2.7 	(1) facilitation of natural supports at the work site;
2.8 	(2) disability awareness training for the worker, the worker's employer, supervisor, 
2.9 	or coworkers;
2.10 	(3) services necessary to increase the worker's inclusion at the work site;
2.11 	(4) job skills training at the work site;
2.12 	(5) regular observation or supervision of the worker; 
2.13 	(6) coordination of support services; 
2.14 	(7) job-related safety training; 
2.15 	(8) job-related advocacy skills training to advance employment;
2.16 	(9) training in independent living skills and support including self-advocacy, money 
2.17 	management and organization, grooming and personal care, communication, interpersonal 
2.18 	skills, problem solving, orientation and mobility, and using public transportation or 
2.19 	driver's training;
2.20 	(10) follow-up services necessary to reinforce and stabilize employment, including 
2.21 	regular contact with the worker's employer, supervisor or coworkers, parents, family 
2.22 	members, advocates, legal representatives, other suitable professionals, and informed 
2.23 	advisors;
2.24 	(11) training in job seeking skills; and
2.25 	(12) internships or career planning to assist the individual's advancement in 
2.26 	meaningful employment.
2.27 	(i) "Preemployment skills" means the abilities and skills to successfully apply for, 
2.28 	secure, and maintain competitive employment.
2.29 	(j) "Self-care" means skills needed to manage one's self or living environment, 
2.30 	including but not limited to, money management, personal health care, personal hygiene, 
2.31 	and safety needs, including medication management.
2.32 	(k) "Self-direction" means the ability to plan, initiate, organize, or carry out 
2.33 	goal-directed activities or solve problems related to self-care, socialization, recreation, and 
2.34 	working independently.
2.35 	(l) "Severe impairment to employment" means limitations experienced by persons 
2.36 	diagnosed with high-functioning autism, Asperger's syndrome, nonverbal learning 
3.1 	disorders, or pervasive development disorder, not otherwise specified due to an extended 
3.2 	history of unemployment or underemployment; limited education, training, or job skills; 
3.3 	and physical, intellectual, or emotional characteristics that seriously impair the individual's 
3.4 	ability to obtain and retain permanent employment.
3.5 	(m) "Work tolerance" means the ability to effectively and efficiently perform jobs 
3.6 	with various levels of sensory and environmental components including scent, noise, 
3.7 	visual stimuli, physical space, and psychological demands.
3.8 		Subd. 2.Purpose. The purpose of the employment support services for individuals 
3.9 	with high-functioning autism, Asperger's syndrome, nonverbal learning disorders, and 
3.10 	pervasive development disorder, not otherwise specified program is to provide ongoing 
3.11 	employment supports and independent living services necessary to secure, maintain, and 
3.12 	advance in employment and to promote an individual's self-sufficiency and financial 
3.13 	independence.
3.14 		Subd. 3.Employment support plan and outcomes. An individual participating in 
3.15 	the program under this section must develop an employment support plan that includes:
3.16 	(1) employment goals;
3.17 	(2) ongoing support services;
3.18 	(3) program outcomes that focus on competitive employment in the community; and
3.19 	(4) ongoing independent living services and employment supports necessary for the 
3.20 	individual to secure, maintain, and advance in employment that best fits the individual's 
3.21 	strengths and career goals.
3.22 		Subd. 4.Appropriation. $68,000 is appropriated from the general fund in fiscal 
3.23 	year 2014 to the commissioner of employment and economic development for a grant 
3.24 	to Olmsted County for employment supports and independent living services to county 
3.25 	residents diagnosed with high-functioning autism, Asperger's syndrome, nonverbal 
3.26 	learning disorders, and pervasive development disorder, not otherwise specified, and for 
3.27 	education, outreach, and support services to area employers to encourage the hiring and 
3.28 	promotion of workers with high-functioning autism, Asperger's syndrome, nonverbal 
3.29 	learning disorders, and pervasive development disorder, not otherwise specified. This is 
3.30 	a onetime appropriation and is available until expended.