(20 ILCS 415/17b) Sec. 17b. Trainee program for persons with a disability. (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, on and after July 1, 2020, each State agency with 1,500 employees or more shall, and each executive branch constitutional officer may, offer at least one position per year to be filled by a person with a disability through an established trainee program. Agencies with fewer than 1,500 employees may also elect to participate in the program. The trainee position shall last for a period of at least 6 months and shall require the trainee to participate in the trainee program for at least 20 hours per week. The program shall be administered by the Department of Central Management Services. The Department of Central Management Services shall conduct an initial assessment of potential candidates, and the hiring agency or officer shall conduct a final assessment. Upon successful completion of the trainee program, the respective agency or officer shall certify completion of the trainee program, with final approval provided by the Department of Central Management Services. Individuals who successfully complete a trainee appointment under this Section are eligible for promotion to the target title without further examination. The Department of Central Management Services, in cooperation with the Employment and Economic Opportunity for Persons with Disabilities Task Force, may adopt rules to implement and administer the trainee program for persons with disabilities, including, but not limited to, establishing non-political selection criteria, implementing an assessment and interview process, if necessary, that accommodates persons with a disability, and linking trainee programs to targeted full-time position titles. (b) The Employment and Economic Opportunity for Persons with Disabilities Task Force shall prepare an annual report to be submitted to the Governor and the General Assembly that includes: (1) best practices for helping persons with a disability gain employment; (2) proposed rules for adoption by the Department of Central Management Services for the administration and implementation of the trainee program under this Section; (3) the number of agencies that participated in the trainee program under this Section in the previous calendar year; and (4) the number of individuals who participated in the trainee program who became full-time employees of the State at the conclusion of the trainee program. (c) For the purposes of this Section, "disability" has the meaning ascribed to that term in the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. "Disability" includes a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder by a medical professional. (Source: P.A. 103-108, eff. 6-27-23; 103-699, eff. 7-19-24.) |