Connecting Youth to Jobs Act

I 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 3246 To award funds to States and local areas for subsidized employment programs for youth. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MAY 14, 2021 Mr. GARCI´A of Illinois (for himself, Ms. KAPTUR, Ms. LEE of California, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. POCAN, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Ms. BUSH, Ms. TLAIB, Ms. NORTON, Mr. EVANS, Mr. CARSON, Mr. TRONE, and Mr. KAHELE) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com- mittee on Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committee on Ag- riculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdic- tion of the committee concerned A BILL To award funds to States and local areas for subsidized employment programs for youth. 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 ‘‘Connecting Youth to 4 Jobs Act’’. 5 SEC. 2. PURPOSES. 6 The purposes of this Act are to— 7 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:34 Jun 15, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3246.IH H3246 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 3246 IH (1) offer employment to all young people who 1 seek it, especially those who have been historically 2 disadvantaged; 3 (2) create subsidized employment opportunities 4 for young people to address National, State, and 5 local priorities, such as infrastructure enhancement, 6 manufacturing, public works, community develop- 7 ment, and the arts; and 8 (3) support young people with services, includ- 9 ing housing, healthcare, transportation, child care, 10 and access to technology. 11 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 12 In this Act: 13 (1) QUALIFYING EMERGENCY.—The term 14 ‘‘qualifying emergency’’ means— 15 (A) a public health emergency declared by 16 the Secretary of Health and Human Services 17 pursuant to section 319 of the Public Health 18 Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247d); 19 (B) an event for which the President de- 20 clared a major disaster or an emergency under 21 section 401 or 501, respectively, of the Robert 22 T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency As- 23 sistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170 and 5191); or 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:34 Jun 15, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3246.IH H3246 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 3246 IH (C) a national emergency declared by the 1 President under section 201 of the National 2 Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.). 3 (2) ELIGIBLE YOUTH.—The term ‘‘eligible 4 youth’’ means an individual who is not younger than 5 age 14 and not older than age 24, without regard 6 to immigration status or past or current involvement 7 with the juvenile or criminal justice system. 8 (3) ESEA TERMS.—The terms ‘‘local edu- 9 cational agency’’ and ‘‘State educational agency’’ 10 have the meanings given the terms in section 8101 11 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 12 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 13 (4) HIGH-POVERTY AREA.—The term ‘‘high- 14 poverty area’’ means a census tract with a youth 15 poverty rate of at least 20 percent during the most 16 recent 5 consecutive years. 17 (5) HISTORICALLY HIGH YOUTH UNEMPLOY- 18 MENT LEVELS.—The term ‘‘historically high youth 19 unemployment levels’’ means any local area with a 20 youth unemployment rate of at least 10 percent, as 21 measured over the most recent decennial censuses, 22 or by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the most 23 recent 5-year period for which data are available. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:34 Jun 15, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3246.IH H3246 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 3246 IH (6) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 1 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 2 meaning given the term in section 101 of the Higher 3 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 4 (7) PUBLIC EDUCATION ENTITY.—The term 5 ‘‘public education entities’’ includes— 6 (A) a local educational agency; 7 (B) a State educational agency; or 8 (C) a public institution of higher edu- 9 cation. 10 (8) REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM.— 11 The term ‘‘registered apprenticeship programs’’ 12 means an apprenticeship program registered under 13 the Act of August 16, 1937 (commonly known as 14 the ‘‘National Apprenticeship Act’’; 50 Stat. 664, 15 chapter 663; 29 U.S.C. 50 et seq.), including any re- 16 quirement, standard, or rule promulgated under 17 such Act, as such requirement, standard, or rule was 18 in effect on December 30, 2019 (or successor re- 19 quirements, standards or rule). 20 (9) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 21 the Secretary of Labor. 22 (10) SUPPORTIVE SERVICES.—The term ‘‘sup- 23 portive services’’ means services such as transpor- 24 tation, child care, dependent care, housing, and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:34 Jun 15, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3246.IH H3246 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 3246 IH needs-related payments, that are necessary to enable 1 an individual to participate in activities authorized 2 under this Act. 3 (11) WORK-BASED LEARNING.—The term 4 ‘‘work-based learning’’ has the meaning given the 5 term in section 3 of the Carl D. Perkins Career and 6 Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2302), 7 except that such term includes work-based learning 8 in virtual settings. 9 (12) WIOA TERMS.—The terms ‘‘in-demand in- 10 dustry sector or occupation’’, ‘‘individual with a dis- 11 ability’’, ‘‘in-school youth’’ , ‘‘local area’’, ‘‘local 12 board’’, ‘‘out-of-school youth’’, ‘‘outlying area’’, 13 ‘‘poverty line’’, ‘‘recognized postsecondary creden- 14 tial’’, ‘‘State’’, ‘‘State board’’, and ‘‘unit of general 15 local government’’ have the meanings given the 16 terms in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and 17 Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102). 18 (13) YOUTH WITH A BARRIER TO EMPLOY- 19 MENT.—The term ‘‘youth with a barrier to employ- 20 ment’’ means an eligible youth who— 21 (A) is a homeless child or youth (as such 22 term is defined in section 725 of the McKinney- 23 Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 24 11434a)); 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:34 Jun 15, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3246.IH H3246 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 3246 IH (B) has been incarcerated or has past or 1 current involvement with the criminal or juve- 2 nile justice systems; 3 (C) is a current or former foster youth; 4 (D) is an individual with a disability; 5 (E) is pregnant or parenting; 6 (F) is a school dropout (as defined by 7 State law); 8 (G) is from a family with an income level 9 at or below 200 percent of the poverty line; or 10 (H) is a member of another young-adult 11 population, including racial groups, that is ex- 12 periencing disparate levels of youth disconnec- 13 tion, as defined by the local workforce develop- 14 ment board of the local area in which the youth 15 resides. 16 TITLE I—YOUTH PUBLIC 17 EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM 18 SEC. 101. FORMULA GRANTS TO STATES AND LOCAL AREAS. 19 (a) FUNDING ALLOTMENTS AND ALLOCATIONS.— 20 (1) STATE ALLOTMENTS.—To assist States and 21 outlying areas, and to enable States and outlying 22 areas to assist local areas, in carrying out subsidized 23 employment programs described in subsection (b) for 24 youth with a barrier to employment, from the funds 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:34 Jun 15, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3246.IH H3246 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 3246 IH appropriated under section 105(a), the Secretary of 1 Labor shall— 2 (A) make an allotment in accordance with 3 section 127(b)(1)(C)(ii) of the Workforce Inno- 4 vation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 5 3162(b)(1)(C)(ii)) to each State that meets the 6 requirements of section 102 or 103 of such Act 7 (29 U.S.C. 3112, 3113); and 8 (B) award a grant to each outlying area 9 that complies with the requirements of title I of 10 the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act 11 (29 U.S.C. 3101 et seq.) to carry out subsidized 12 youth employment programs for such youth. 13 (2) WITHIN STATE ALLOCATION.— 14 (A) STATEWIDE ACTIVITIES.—Each State 15 shall reserve 25 percent of the allotment re- 16 ceived under paragraph (1)(A) to carry out 17 statewide subsidized employment programs de- 18 scribed in subsection (b). 19 (B) ALLOCATIONS TO LOCAL AREAS.—A 20 Governor of a State that receives an allotment 21 under paragraph (1), in coordination with rel- 22 evant State and local stakeholders, shall use 23 any remaining amounts (after reserving funds 24 under subparagraph (A)), to allocate funds to 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:34 Jun 15, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3246.IH H3246 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 3246 IH local areas, as long as not less than 65 percent 1 of such remaining amount is allocated to— 2 (i) high-poverty local areas with the 3 highest youth unemployment rate com- 4 pared to other local areas in the State; and 5 (ii) local areas with historically high 6 levels of youth unemployment within the 7 State. 8 (b) USES OF FUNDS.— 9 (1) SUBSIDIZED EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMS.— 10 (A) IN GENERAL.—Funds allotted to 11 States for statewide programs, and funds allo- 12 cated to local areas under subsection (a), shall 13 be used to carry out subsidized employment 14 programs described in paragraph (3) that— 15 (i) lead to unsubsidized, full-time em- 16 ployment for youth with a barrier to em- 17 ployment in such State or local area; or 18 (ii) provide the necessary skills and 19 competency attainment of at least 1 recog- 20 nized postsecondary credential to further 21 the education or career of such youth. 22 (2) FUNDING DISTRIBUTION.—Of the funds al- 23 lotted to States, or allocated to local areas, as de- 24 scribed in paragraph (1) for a fiscal year: 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:34 Jun 15, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3246.IH H3246 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 3246 IH (A) Not less than 60 percent shall be used 1 for wages and employment benefits to individ- 2 uals employed in subsidized employment pro- 3 grams funded under this section. 4 (B) Not less than 30 percent for the first 5 fiscal year for which such funds are so allotted 6 or allocated, and not less than 20 percent for 7 each fiscal year thereafter, shall be used to pro- 8 vide career services described in section 9 134(c)(2) of the Workforce Innovation and Op- 10 portunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3174(c)(2)), training 11 services, or youth workforce investment activi- 12 ties. 13 (C) Any remaining funds may be used for 14 administrative and other allowable costs (such 15 as supplies, materials, equipment, and health 16 and safety resources) incurred by the State or 17 local area, as determined by the Secretary. 18 (3) CONDITIONS.—Except as otherwise deter- 19 mined by the Secretary, the following conditions 20 shall apply to each subsidized employment program 21 funded under this section: 22 (A) Each youth with a barrier to employ- 23 ment residing in the State or local area funding 24 such program shall be entitled to an oppor- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:34 Jun 15, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3246.IH H3246 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 3246 IH tunity to be employed by such program, and no 1 other individual shall be provided such oppor- 2 tunity. 3 (B) Each individual employed under such 4 program shall be paid a wage, which shall at 5 least be the highest of the following: 6 (i) $15 an hour. 7 (ii) The minimum wage under the ap- 8 plicable State or local minimum wage law. 9 (iii) The prevailing rates of pay for in- 10 dividuals employed in similar occupations 11 by the same employer. 12 (iv) The Federal minimum wage in ef- 13 fect under section 6(a)(1) of the Fair 14 Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 15 206(a)(1)). 16 (C) With respect to a wage determined 17 under subparagraph (B), the Secretary may 18 promulgate regulations to increase such wage 19 after consideration of industry, geographical re- 20 gion, skill requirements, and individual pro- 21 ficiency. 22 (D) An individual may self-attest to being 23 a youth with a barrier to employment, and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:34 Jun 15, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3246.IH H3246 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 3246 IH verification of such eligibility may occur after 1 the individual is employed under the program. 2 (E) Earnings from such program shall not 3 be regarded as income and shall not be re- 4 garded as a resource for the month of receipt 5 and the following 12 months, for purposes of 6 determining the eligibility of an individual (or 7 the individual’s spouse or family) for benefits or 8 assistance, or the amount or extent of benefits 9 or assistance, under any Federal program or 10 under any State or local program financed in 11 whole or in part with Federal funds. 12 (F) Such program shall coordinate with 13 the workforce systems and activities promoted 14 by the State or local board to connect youth 15 with a barrier to employment to educational or 16 career opportunities. 17 (G) Such program shall establish or ex- 18 pand diversity and inclusion opportunities and 19 collect disaggregated data on related efforts. 20 SEC. 102. COMPETITIVE GRANTS TO ELIGIBLE ENTITIES. 21 (a) IN GENERAL.—From the amounts appropriated 22 under section 105(b), the Secretary shall award grants, 23 on a competitive basis, to eligible entities for activities de- 24 scribed in subsection (d). 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:34 Jun 15, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3246.IH H3246 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 3246 IH (b) REQUIREMENTS ON USES OF FUNDS.—In award- 1 ing funds under this section the Secretary shall ensure the 2 following: 3 (1) DIRECT FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.—Not less 4 than 40 percent of such funds are used to provide 5 direct financial assistance to eligible youth to sup- 6 port such youth with financial needs with respect to 7 entering, remaining enrolled in, and completing a 8 subsidized employment program described in section 9 101(b) (including related costs of training, supplies, 10 food and nutrition, housing, transportation, child 11 care, mental health and substance abuse services, 12 payment of fines, or other targeted costs determined 13 allowable by the Secretary). 14 (2) IN-DEMAND INDUSTRY SECTORS OR OCCU- 15 PATIONS.—Not less than 40 percent of such funds 16 are used to connect eligible youth to employers for 17 in-demand industry sectors or occupations, work- 18 based learning opportunities, registered apprentice- 19 ship p [Text truncated for display. 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