| | | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: |
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| | | Sec. 1. 5 MRSA §1826-A, as corrected by RR 2001, c. 1, §9, is | | amended to read: |
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| | | §1826-A. Purpose and intent |
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| | | The Legislature finds that the goal of integrating disabled | | persons with disabilities into all aspects of community life is | | enhanced by providing expanded markets for products and services | | of work centers. The Legislature further believes that work | | centers provide a valuable means of transitional employment for | | the State's disabled population and for some, such as the most | | severely disabled persons, they may offer the only opportunities | | available for long-term, gainful employment. |
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| | | In order to assure continued opportunities for disabled | | persons with disabilities to obtain this employment through work | | centers, it is the intent of the Legislature to provide reliable | | and steady income and job opportunities to work centers. It is | | the purpose of this section and sections 1826-B to 1826-D to | | ensure that some portion of state purchases for commodities and | | services be available to work centers. |
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| | | Sec. 2. 5 MRSA §1826-B, sub-§1, as enacted by PL 1985, c. 359, §3, is | | repealed and the following enacted in its place: |
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| | | 1.__Persons with disabilities.__"Persons with disabilities" | | means individuals who have physical or mental impairments that | | substantially limit one or more major life activities, have a | | record of those impairments or are perceived to have those | | impairments. |
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| | | Sec. 3. 5 MRSA §1826-B, sub-§2, ¶C, as enacted by PL 1985, c. 359, §3, | | is amended to read: |
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| | | C. Employs during the fiscal year in commodity production | or service provision disabled persons with disabilities at a | | quota of not less than 66% of the total hours of direct | | labor on all production, whether or not government related; | | and |
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| | | Sec. 4. 5 MRSA §1826-B, sub-§2, ¶D, as amended by PL 1999, c. 543, §1, | | is further amended to read: |
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| | D. Has, or is part of, or demonstrates a formal relationship for | | support with an ongoing placement program that includes at least | | preadmission evaluation and annual review to determine each | | worker's capability for normal competitive employment and | | maintenance of liaison with the |
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