Increasing Employment of Adults With Disabilities

Impact dates

1. Aug 25, 2002

   Task Force termination (30 days after final report)

2. Jul 26, 2002

   Task Force final report (ADA 10th anniversary)

3. Jul 26, 2002

   BLS/Census disability employment measurement implementation

4. Nov 15, 1999

   Task Force second report to President

5. Nov 15, 1998

   Task Force first report to President; multiple agency reports due

Key directives

• Establish National Task Force on Employment of Adults with Disabilities with specified membership
• Secretary of Labor chairs Task Force; Chair of President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities is Vice Chair
• Task Force first report to President by November 15, 1998
• Task Force reports November 15, 1999, November 15, 2000, and final report July 26, 2002
• Task Force terminates 30 days after final report
• OPM, DOL, EEOC review federal personnel laws, regulations, and policies by November 15, 1998
• DOJ, DOL, Education, HHS report on welfare reform compliance by November 15, 1998
• Education, Labor, Commerce, HHS, SBA report on small business opportunities by November 15, 1998
• DOT, HUD report on work incentives and barrier removal by November 15, 1998
• DOJ, Education, Labor, EEOC, SSA report on ADA monetary benefits barriers by November 15, 1998
• BLS and Census Bureau design disability employment measurement method by Task Force termination date
• All non-Task Force executive agencies review programs and file reports by November 15, 1998

Who is ordered

• Secretary of Labor · Department of Labor
• Secretary of Education · Education
• Secretary of Veterans Affairs · Department of Veterans Affairs
• Secretary of Health and Human Services · Department of Health and Human Services
• Commissioner of Social Security · SSA
• Secretary of the Treasury · Treasury
• Secretary of Commerce · Commerce
• Secretary of Transportation · Department of Transportation
• Director of the Office of Personnel Management · OPM
• Administrator of the Small Business Administration · SBA
• Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission · EEOC
• Chairperson of the National Council on Disability · NCD
• Chair of the President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities
• Secretary of Housing and Urban Development · Department of Housing and Urban Development
• Attorney General · Department of Justice

Timeline

Risks & tensions

• Multiple agency reports due same date (November 15, 1998) may strain coordination capacity
• Several directives explicitly 'subject to availability of appropriations' creates funding uncertainty
• Task Force lacks direct enforcement authority; relies on voluntary agency cooperation
• Goal of employment parity with general population is aspirational without binding metrics
• Section 4 explicitly denies judicial enforceability, limiting accountability mechanisms
• Vague 'as appropriate' qualifiers in Sections 2 and 3 reduce mandatory obligation