Expands the empire state apprenticeship tax credit to include additional credit for people with disabilities

◆ The sponsor's argument

Why Jessica Ramos says this is needed

Sustainable and dignified employment options are often harder to come by for people with disabilities, especially in a competitive job market. According to the Department of Labor, the unemployment rate among people with a disability is almost double that of people without a disability: 7.5% compared to 3.8% as of 2022. Such a disparity is worsened by discriminatory hiring practices and inadequate support for people with disabilities in the hiring process. However, this proposed expansion of the Empire State Apprenticeship Tax to include people with disabilities will provide an incentive for businesses to hire people with disabili- ties at a higher rate. Apprenticeship programs are a powerful resource for people with disabil- ities, as they are made to train apprentices in applicable skills for clear future careers. The combination of these learned skills and in-field experience allows people with disabilities to thrive among their counterparts and venture into fields that were not previously available. The already existing apprenticeship tax credit is a renowned success and deserved to be expanded to promote equity and inclusion in the state of New York.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.