Greene
Freshman State Rep. Robb Greene, R-Shelbyville, has made a big impact on people with disabilities, a state organization says.
The Indiana Association of Rehabilitation Facilities, Inc. recently presented Greene, who represents areas of central and southern Johnson County and Shelby County, with its Legislator of the Year Award for his work on a new law to help boost job opportunities for Hoosiers with disabilities, according a press release from Greene’s office.
Greene authored a bill during the session proposing an incentive for employers to hire more Hoosiers with physical or intellectual and developmental disabilities. Language from the bill was later inserted into another bill and passed into law.
“As a partner in the worthy effort to better support those living with disabilities, I’m honored by this recognition,” Greene said in a statement. “I look forward to working with INARF to continue our progress and helping more Hoosiers.”
With the new law, employers who receive a referral from a vocational rehabilitation services program for individuals with a disability and hire them are eligible to receive a tax credit. The amount is determined based on the employee’s tenure, starting at 30% of their wages and can increase up to 50% of their wages by the third year and going forward. These new tax credits apply to employers who hire a person with disabilities after Dec. 31, 2023, the law says.
INARF is an organization that advocates for those with disabilities across the state, serving nearly 50,000 Hoosiers annually and employing nearly 15,000. For nearly 50 years, the group has worked with government agencies to create a network of providers for anyone with physical or intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Katy Stafford-Cunningham, president and CEO of INARF said the new law is a great start to address the employment disparity for people with disabilities.
“Rep. Greene has traveled the state, listening to providers of services to people with disabilities in an effort to understand the complex industry and regulatory environment INARF members experience every day,” Stafford-Cunningham said. “More importantly, he has taken that knowledge and put it into action with legislation like HEA 1454, providing tangible results to advance the employment of people with disabilities, a traditionally underemployed population of our society, with only 37.3% of people with disabilities being represented in the national labor force.”
