Please, Albany, Make the Preferred Source Program Modernization Law Permanent
If you’re reading this, you’re one of the more knowledgeable and informed New Yorkers on government.
So quick: name a law that has statewide impact on an entire population of New Yorkers that’s been passed unanimously by the Senate and Assembly and then signed by the Governor.
Not many, right?
Well, we have one for you. It’s the law enacted in 2022 modernizing the state’s landmark program that has created tens of thousands of jobs for individuals with disabilities for over 50 years. The Preferred Source Program, or PSP, was formed in 1975 to allow people with disabilities to shed the ignominy of institutionalization for the dignity, independence and fulfillment of employment.
And it created New York State Industries for the Disabled as a non-profit to act as a conduit for contracts between employers – state and local government agencies and private entities – and the people with disabilities who would fill those jobs.
In 2022, Gov. Hochul and the Legislature enacted the first significant updates to the PSP since its inception and finally moved the program into the 21st Century. The modernization law opened the door to making the program compliant with Employment First principles. The changes removed outdated language and ensures that individuals with disabilities are engaging in competitive integrated employment opportunities.
But the modernization law will sunset this October. It needs to be made permanent because it works.
The Governor recognizes that. Last September, she issued Executive Order 40 committing New York to be an Employment First State and to increase Competitive Integrated Employment for New Yorkers with Disabilities. Her new Executive Budget proposes to eliminate the sunset and make the modernization law permanent.
On behalf of the thousands of New Yorkers with disabilities for whom the PSP has created jobs and the millions of dollars in economic impact those jobs have generated, we say thank you, Gov. Hochul. We not only fully support this permanent extension, we also need it.
We know and deeply respect the Legislature’s reluctance to include non-budgetary policy items in the final budget, particularly when they’re controversial and require further debate and discussion.
But the Preferred Source Modernization law is the opposite of controversial. It passed unanimously in 2022. Legislation making the modernization legislation permanent has been introduced by Assembly Member Chris Burdick (A783) and Senator Jessica Scarcella-Spanton (S2367). And it’s in Gov. Hochul’s budget proposal.
In addition, making the modernization law permanent has huge economic upsides for the state. The Rockefeller Institute estimates these jobs not only create savings in safety net programs but also generate $108 in new economic impact for every hour an individual with a disability is working on a NYSID contract.
By making these improvements permanent, instead of letting them sunset in October, the Assembly, Senate and Governor will be recognizing the critical contribution persons with disabilities make to life in our state. By making the law permanent, Albany will be saying ‘yes’ to jobs, ‘yes’ to our state’s future, and ‘yes’ to treating individuals with disabilities as fully integrated and valued members of our communities.
Making these important changes permanent will continue to allow persons with disabilities to make even greater contributions to our state and position New York among the nation’s leaders in fully integrating this population into our communities.
Maureen O’Brien is President and CEO of New York State Industries for the Disabled, Inc. (NYSID), a 501(c)(3) with the mission of “advancing employment and other opportunities for individuals with disabilities and qualified veterans.”
Patrick Bardsley chairs NYSID’s Board of Directors and is CEO of Spectrum Designs, a Long Island and Westchester-based non-profit custom apparel and promotional products business with a social mission to create meaningful and inclusive employment and vocational training opportunities for neurodiverse individuals.
