Youth Corps Act of 2021

I 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 854 To amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to provide for the establishment of Youth Corps programs and provide for wider dis- semination of the Youth Corps model. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FEBRUARY 4, 2021 Ms. WILSON of Florida introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor A BILL To amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to provide for the establishment of Youth Corps pro- grams and provide for wider dissemination of the Youth Corps model. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Youth Corps Act of 4 2021’’. 5 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 6 Congress finds the following: 7 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:45 Feb 28, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H854.IH H854 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 854 IH (1) Nationally, there are an estimated 1 5,500,000 youth, ages 16 through 24, out-of-school 2 and out-of-work, with an additional over 500,000 3 young people dropping out of school each year. At 4 present, the unemployment rate for youth ages 16 5 through 24 is approximately 17 percent. For youth 6 who are in low-income or minority communities, or 7 who have disabilities, this rate is significantly high- 8 er. 9 (2) Youth Service and Conservation Corps pro- 10 grams, descended from the Civilian Conservation 11 Corps of the 1930s, have been preparing disadvan- 12 taged and disconnected youth for careers in resource 13 conservation, environmental restoration, land man- 14 agement, building renovation and weatherization, 15 education, human services, health care, homeland se- 16 curity, and disaster relief for over 4 decades. To 17 date, nearly a million young people have found a 18 new start through a Youth Service and Conservation 19 Corps program. 20 (3) Today, over 125 Youth Service and Con- 21 servation Corps programs are being carried out in 22 50 States and the District of Columbia, and employ- 23 ing a research-driven strategy, called the Youth 24 Corps model, to reengage and provide educational 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:45 Feb 28, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H854.IH H854 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 854 IH and economic opportunity to around 30,000 young 1 people each year. These Corps members participate 2 in 13.5 million hours of community service annually. 3 (4) According to a recent study by the Corpora- 4 tion for National and Community Service, partici- 5 pating in service increases your likelihood of finding 6 employment by 27 percent. When limited to individ- 7 uals living in rural areas or without a high school di- 8 ploma, the increase in likelihood of gaining employ- 9 ment jumps to 55 percent and 51 percent, respec- 10 tively. 11 (5) Due to the many benefits and positive out- 12 comes, not only for program participants but also 13 for the communities in which they serve, the Youth 14 Corps model is a proven strategy for reengaging dis- 15 connected youth in education and the workforce, 16 while improving communities and the environment. 17 SEC. 3. YOUTH CORPS PROGRAMS. 18 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subtitle D of title I of the Work- 19 force Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3221 et 20 seq.) is amended by inserting after section 171 (29 U.S.C. 21 3226) the following new section: 22 ‘‘SEC. 171A. YOUTH CORPS PROGRAMS. 23 ‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to uti- 24 lize service, environmental stewardship, and the Youth 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:45 Feb 28, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H854.IH H854 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 854 IH Corps model to educate and train the next generation of 1 workers to enable them to find meaningful employment 2 in the economy of the 21st century, and instill in them 3 a sense of civic engagement and environmental steward- 4 ship. 5 ‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 6 ‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible en- 7 tity’ means a public or private nonprofit agency or 8 organization (including a consortium of such agen- 9 cies or organizations), including— 10 ‘‘(A) a community-based organization; 11 ‘‘(B) a faith-based organization; 12 ‘‘(C) a community action agency; 13 ‘‘(D) a community development corpora- 14 tion; 15 ‘‘(E) an entity carrying out activities under 16 this title, such as a local board; 17 ‘‘(F) an Indian tribe or other agency pri- 18 marily serving Indians; 19 ‘‘(G) a public or private institution of high- 20 er education; 21 ‘‘(H) a State or unit of general local gov- 22 ernment; or 23 ‘‘(I) a State or local youth service or con- 24 servation corps. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:45 Feb 28, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H854.IH H854 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 854 IH ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE YOUTH.—Notwithstanding sec- 1 tion 3, the term ‘eligible youth’ means an individual 2 eligible to participate in a Youth Corps program in 3 accordance with subsection (d). 4 ‘‘(3) INDIAN; INDIAN TRIBE.—The terms ‘In- 5 dian’ and ‘Indian tribe’ have the meanings given the 6 terms in section 166(b). 7 ‘‘(4) PARTICIPANT.—The term ‘participant’ in- 8 cludes a recipient of services under paragraph 9 (5)(F). 10 ‘‘(5) YOUTH CORPS MODEL.—The term ‘Youth 11 Corps model’ means a model for a youth education 12 and training program for which an eligible entity— 13 ‘‘(A) provides eligible youth with stipended 14 or paid work experience, and basic and tech- 15 nical skills training leading, at a minimum, to 16 an outcome consisting of— 17 ‘‘(i) enrollment in postsecondary edu- 18 cation or training; 19 ‘‘(ii) attainment of an industry-recog- 20 nized certification or credential; 21 ‘‘(iii) meaningful employment in the 22 economy of the 21st century; or 23 ‘‘(iv) military service; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:45 Feb 28, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H854.IH H854 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 854 IH ‘‘(B) provides eligible youth with opportu- 1 nities for educational advancement, including 2 the attainment of a secondary school diploma or 3 its recognized equivalent, or other State-recog- 4 nized credential; 5 ‘‘(C) engages eligible youth to work, in 6 teams or crews under the leadership of adult 7 mentors and trainers, on service and conserva- 8 tion projects designed to improve the commu- 9 nities in which the youth live and the environ- 10 ment; 11 ‘‘(D) works with youth- and family-serving 12 systems, such as child welfare and justice sys- 13 tems, to provide and coordinate supportive serv- 14 ices for education and training program partici- 15 pants; 16 ‘‘(E) works with program partners in the 17 local workforce investment system, institutions 18 of higher education, or other community-based 19 organizations to develop pathways to subse- 20 quent enrollment in education or training, at- 21 tainment of an industry-recognized certification 22 or credential, meaningful employment, or serv- 23 ice as described in subparagraph (A); and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:45 Feb 28, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H854.IH H854 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 854 IH ‘‘(F) provides 12 months of followup serv- 1 ices and tracking for the program graduates. 2 ‘‘(c) YOUTH CORPS GRANTS.— 3 ‘‘(1) AMOUNTS OF GRANTS.—The Secretary is 4 authorized to make grants to eligible entities for the 5 purpose of carrying out Youth Corps programs ap- 6 proved under this section. 7 ‘‘(2) TERM OF GRANTS.—The Secretary is au- 8 thorized to make the grants for terms of up to 3 9 years in length, and is authorized to renew the 10 grants. 11 ‘‘(3) ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES.—An entity that re- 12 ceives a grant under this subsection— 13 ‘‘(A) shall use the funds made available 14 through the grant to carry out a Youth Corps 15 program that utilizes the Youth Corps model to 16 provide to the participants, prior to graduation 17 from the program— 18 ‘‘(i) education, which may include— 19 ‘‘(I) basic instruction and reme- 20 dial education; 21 ‘‘(II) language instruction for in- 22 dividuals with limited English pro- 23 ficiency; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:45 Feb 28, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H854.IH H854 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 854 IH ‘‘(III) secondary education serv- 1 ices and activities, including dropout 2 prevention, tutoring, and other activi- 3 ties, that— 4 ‘‘(aa) are designed to lead to 5 the attainment of a secondary 6 school diploma or its recognized 7 equivalent, or other State-recog- 8 nized credential (including a cre- 9 dential for meeting recognized al- 10 ternative standards for individ- 11 uals with disabilities); and 12 ‘‘(bb) are delivered in con- 13 junction with project-based serv- 14 ice-learning to the maximum de- 15 gree practicable; and 16 ‘‘(IV) preparation for and access 17 to postsecondary education opportuni- 18 ties, including counseling and assist- 19 ance with applying for student finan- 20 cial aid; 21 ‘‘(ii) work readiness training, which 22 may include— 23 ‘‘(I) development of basic skills, 24 such as— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:45 Feb 28, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H854.IH H854 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 854 IH ‘‘(aa) arriving on time to 1 work; 2 ‘‘(bb) being prepared to 3 work; 4 ‘‘(cc) following directions; 5 ‘‘(dd) working independ- 6 ently; 7 ‘‘(ee) working with others; 8 ‘‘(ff) working safely; and 9 ‘‘(gg) demonstrating a com- 10 mitment to produce high-quality 11 work; 12 ‘‘(II) development of job-specific 13 occupational skills and on-the-job 14 training; 15 ‘‘(III) stipended or paid work ex- 16 perience that provides participants 17 with insights into the professional 18 work environment; 19 ‘‘(IV) activities designed to lead 20 to— 21 ‘‘(aa) the attainment of an 22 industry-recognized certification 23 or credential; or 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:45 Feb 28, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H854.IH H854 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 854 IH ‘‘(bb) meaningful employ- 1 ment in the economy of the 21st 2 century; 3 ‘‘(V) career counseling and job 4 search assistance; and 5 ‘‘(VI) provision of a job developer 6 to cultivate relationships with local 7 employers to hire program graduates; 8 ‘‘(iii) supportive services, which may 9 include— 10 ‘‘(I) needs-related payments; 11 ‘‘(II) health care, including men- 12 tal health care such as drug and alco- 13 hol abuse counseling; 14 ‘‘(III) child care; and 15 ‘‘(IV) transportation; 16 ‘‘(iv) provision of wages, stipends, or 17 benefits; 18 ‘‘(v) development and monitoring of 19 individual education and career plans; 20 ‘‘(vi) service and conservation 21 projects, designed to develop civic engage- 22 ment and environmental stewardship; 23 ‘‘(vii) supervision and training on 24 those projects; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:45 Feb 28, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H854.IH H854 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 854 IH ‘‘(viii) adult mentoring; 1 ‘‘(B) shall use the funds made available 2 through the grant, in carrying out the Youth 3 Corps program, to provide followup services and 4 tracking for program graduates; and 5 ‘‘(C) may use the funds made available 6 through the grant for— 7 ‘‘(i) ongoing training and technical as- 8 sistance that is related to the development, 9 implementation, and sustainability of the 10 program; and 11 ‘‘(ii) payment of administrative ex- 12 penses. 13 ‘‘(4) APPLICATION.— 14 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In order to be quali- 15 fied to receive a grant for a program under this 16 subsection, an eligible entity shall submit an ap- 17 plication at such time, in such manner, and 18 containing such information as the Secretary 19 may require. 20 ‘‘(B) MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS.—The Sec- 21 retary shall require that the application contain, 22 at a minimum— 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:45 Feb 28, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H854.IH H854 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 854 IH ‘‘(i) a request for the grant, specifying 1 the amount of the grant requested and the 2 proposed uses for the grant funds; 3 ‘‘(ii) a description of the applicant 4 and a statement of its qualifications, in- 5 cluding a description of the applicant’s— 6 ‘‘(I) past experience with youth 7 education and training programs; and 8 ‘‘(II) relationships with local 9 boards, one-stop operators and one- 10 stop partners, local labor organiza- 11 tions, entities carrying out registered 12 apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship 13 programs, employers, institutions of 14 higher education, and other commu- 15 nity-based organizations who are pro- 16 posed as members of the program 17 partnership; 18 ‘‘(iii) a description of the educational 19 and work readiness training activities (in- 20 cluding paid work opportunities), sec- 21 ondary education, preparation for and ac- 22 cess to postsecondary education and train- 23 ing opportunities, and other services that 24 will be provided to participants, and how 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:45 Feb 28, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H854.IH H854 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 13 •HR 854 IH those activities, opportunities, and services 1 will prepare eligible youth for an outcome 2 described in subsection (b)(5)(A), and in- 3 still in them a sense of civic engagement 4 and environmental stewardship; 5 ‘‘(iv) a description of the proposed 6 service and conservation projects to be un- 7 dertaken under the grant, how the project 8 activities will improve the affected commu- 9 nity or environment, and the anticipated 10 schedule for carrying out such activities; 11 ‘‘(v) a description of the manner in 12 which eligible youth will be recruited and 13 selected as participants, including a de- 14 scription of any coordination with local 15 boards, one-stop operators and one-stop 16 partners, community-based organizations, 17 faith-based organizations, State edu- 18 cational agencies (as defined in section 19 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary 20 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801)) 21 or local educational agencies (including 22 agencies of Indian tribes), public assistance 23 agencies, local courts, probation and parole 24 offices, the justice system, agencies serving 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:45 Feb 28, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H854.IH H854 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 14 •HR 854 IH homeless youth, foster care agencies, the 1 Armed Forces, and other appropriate pub- 2 [Text truncated for display. 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