BILL NUMBER: S8747
SPONSOR: COONEY
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the state finance law, in relation to preferred source
status for entities that provide employment and services to certain
persons
 
PURPOSE:
This legislation would allow the commissioner of education to approve
qualified charitable non-profit making agencies that provide vocational
and rehabilitative training to formerly incarcerated persons to partic-
ipate in the preferred source program. The legislation also makes other
minor language changes to accommodate the modernization of preferred
source services.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section one amends subdivision 1 of section 162 of the state finance law
to add assembled or fulfilled to the tasks performed by preferred sourc-
es.
Sections two, three, three-a, four, four-a, and five amend section 162
of the state finance law to add formerly incarcerated persons, so that
qualified charitable non-profits that provide vocational and rehabilita-
tive training programs for formerly incarcerated may be approved by the
commissioner of education and participate in the preferred source
program.
Section six establishes the effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
People with disabilities are overrepresented at all stages of the crimi-
nal justice system, from jail and prison to probation and parole.
According to a February 2024 report by the Prison Population Initiative
individuals in the prison population with disabilities are 40% as
compared to 15% of the United States general population. For women those
incarcerated with disabilities rises to 50%. While cognitive disabili-
ties such as autism, Down syndrome, and learning disorders impact about
1/4 of incarcerated people, visual, hearing, and ambulatory disabilities
are not uncommon, and individuals with these disabilities are often
overlooked and subject to inhumane treatment.
This legislation would help the formerly incarcerated, many of whom
suffer from a disability, secure stabilizing employment opportunities.
NYSID has a network of service providers that provide vocational and
rehabilitative training to formerly incarcerated individuals. Allowing
access to the preferred source program would allow those individuals
employment opportunities at re-entry. NYSID could better capture indi-
viduals with disabilities through expansion of its service/catchment to
those who have been formerly incarcerated.
NYSID currently works with non-profits that serve both individuals with
disabilities and individuals that have been formerly incarcerated. Those
agencies include but are not limited to Second Chance Opportunities
(Albany), Osborne Associates (NYC), Good Will of NY (NYC), Good Will
Finger Lakes (Rochester), and Peter Young Housing Industries (Albany).
There are a host of other NFP's in the formerly incarcerated space that
could become members of NYSID.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2025: S.3257 Vetoed
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

Statutes affected:
S8747: 162 state finance law, 162(1) state finance law, 162(2) state finance law, 162(4) state finance law, 162(6) state finance law