Ten years after it was first pushed, Massachusetts legislation aimed at expanding employment for people with disabilities through state contracting is still stuck in House and Senate Ways and Means Committees.
Andrea Cook of WORK Inc. urged lawmakers to act now, arguing proposed federal policy changes and cuts are deepening uncertainty for people with disabilities and their families.
Cook challenged objections that businesses oppose mandates, saying employers already meet many requirements tied to other public priorities and that disability hiring should be treated no differently.
The appeal casts the bill as a test of whether Massachusetts will match its civil-rights and inclusion record with action as disability services face broader national pressure.