Oklahoma's State Use Program, a mechanism designed to funnel state contracts through nonprofits that employ people with disabilities, was the subject of a recent discussion led by Sen. Jo Anna Dossett and Rep. Ellyn Hefner. According to a report by the Oklahoma Senate, the two legislators, both Democrats, are pushing forward House Bill 1836 which aims to fine-tune the program's nonprofit participation requirements.
During the joint interim study held at the state Capitol, leaders from organizations such as A New Leaf, South Central Industries, and New View Oklahoma, who provide vital employment opportunities to the blind and disabled community lent their voices, sharing insights that speak to the heart of the nonprofit sector's impact on the state's economy and they participate as suppliers in the State Use Program alongside discussing labor and wage practices, as reported by the Oklahoma Senate.
The study, which also featured experts from both the state agency overseeing the State Use Program and a national authority on the subject, generated actionable ideas to push HB 1836 through the Senate, where it currently awaits attention from the Retirement and Government Resources Committee. "Oklahoma nonprofits employing blind and disabled individuals do a great service to our communities," Dossett said, acknowledging the dual benefit of product and service integration into the economy and empowerment for disabled individuals, as stated by the Oklahoma Senate.
Hefner echoed the sentiment, highlighting the workforce at the core of these nonprofits, "I look forward to HB 1836 advancing through the Senate in a way that benefits the laborers who are the bedrock of their participating nonprofit organizations and the State Use Program as a whole." The bill, which must still undergo the vetting process in its Senate committee and later on the Senate floor, reflects a legislative commitment to refining and enhancing the State Use Program's impact on a valuable, yet often marginalized, demographic, as per the Oklahoma Senate.
