Rep. Greene named Legislator of the Year for work to help Hoosiers with disabilities

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The Indiana Association of Rehabilitation Facilities, Inc. recently presented State Rep. Robb Greene (R-Shelbyville) with its Legislator of the Year Award for his work on a new law to help boost job opportunities for Hoosiers with disabilities.

During his freshman year as a state legislator, Greene crafted legislation that was later included in a new law offering an added incentive for employers to hire more Hoosiers with physical or intellectual and developmental disabilities.

"As a partner in the worthy effort to better support those living with disabilities, I'm honored by this recognition," Greene said. "I look forward to working with INARF to continue our progress and helping more Hoosiers."

Greene said 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 onward. These new tax credits will apply for those who hire a person with disabilities after Dec. 31, 2023.

“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," said Katy Stafford-Cunningham, president and CEO of INARF. "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. This is unacceptable and Rep. Greene’s bill addresses this disparity.”

INARF is an organization that advocates for those with disabilities across the state, serving nearly 50,000 Hoosiers annually and employing nearly 15,000. Over nearly half a century, the group has worked with government agencies to create a network of providers for anyone with physical or intellectual and developmental disabilities.

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