Kenneth P. Thompson Civic Justice Corps Act of 2020

I 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 8577 To provide grants for Civic Justice Corps programs for court-involved, previously incarcerated, and otherwise disadvantaged youth and young adults. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OCTOBER 9, 2020 Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ (for herself and Ms. MENG) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor A BILL To provide grants for Civic Justice Corps programs for court-involved, previously incarcerated, and otherwise dis- advantaged youth and young adults. 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 ‘‘Kenneth P. Thompson 4 Civic Justice Corps Act of 2020’’. 5 SEC. 2. PURPOSE. 6 The purpose of this Act is to develop, implement, and 7 expand educational and work experience opportunities for 8 court-involved, previously incarcerated, and otherwise dis- 9 advantaged youth and young adults through service and 10 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:05 Oct 31, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8577.IH H8577 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 8577 IH conservation corps and other community-based service or- 1 ganizations. 2 SEC. 3. CIVIC JUSTICE CORPS GRANTS. 3 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General shall award 4 grants to one or more national intermediaries to develop, 5 implement, and collect data from Civic Justice Corps pro- 6 grams administered by no fewer than ten local sub- 7 grantees in the geographic regions established under sub- 8 section (k)(2). 9 (b) APPLICATION.—A national intermediary that de- 10 sires a grant under this section shall submit an application 11 to the Secretary at such time and in such manner as the 12 Secretary may require, including, at a minimum that— 13 (1) contains such agreements, assurances, and 14 information, is in such form, and is submitted in 15 such manner, as the Attorney General shall by rule 16 require; 17 (2) includes a long-term strategy and detailed 18 implementation plan that reflects consultation with 19 community groups and appropriate community 20 stakeholders; 21 (3) explains the national intermediary’s inabil- 22 ity to address the need without Federal assistance; 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:05 Oct 31, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8577.IH H8577 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 8577 IH (4) identifies related governmental and commu- 1 nity initiatives which compliment, or will be coordi- 2 nated with, the proposal; 3 (5) identifies jurisdictions where the national 4 intermediary intends to supervise local subgrantees, 5 and includes a description of the local service pro- 6 viders and nonprofit organizations that have sub- 7 stantial or significant experience dealing with court- 8 involved, previously incarcerated, and otherwise dis- 9 advantaged youth; 10 (6) provides details on the intended methodolo- 11 gies employing scientifically based research methods, 12 to be used for data collection purposes for current 13 participants and postprogram participants; and 14 (7) subject to paragraph (8), an assurance that, 15 if the local subgrantee or national intermediary re- 16 ceives a grant, or a renewal of such grant under this 17 section, the local subgrantee or national inter- 18 mediary will develop a plan to secure other public or 19 private funding resources to ensure the continued 20 operation and maintenance of the program after 21 funds under such grant, or renewal, are no longer 22 available. 23 (8) The Secretary shall waive the requirement 24 under paragraph (7) for the local subgrantee or na- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:05 Oct 31, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8577.IH H8577 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 8577 IH tional intermediary if the local grantee or national 1 intermediary demonstrates that complying with such 2 requirement would create an undue burden that 3 would result in significant disruption of the Civic 4 Justice Corps program. 5 (9) For the purposes of an application under 6 this subsection, the term ‘‘scientifically based re- 7 search methods’’ means research methods that— 8 (A) apply rigorous, systematic, and objec- 9 tive procedures to obtain valid knowledge rel- 10 evant to court-involved, previously incarcerated, 11 and otherwise disadvantaged youth and young 12 adults; and 13 (B) rely on measurements or observational 14 methods that provide data across multiple 15 measurements and observations. 16 (c) PREFERENTIAL CONSIDERATION OF APPLICA- 17 TIONS.—From among the applications submitted by na- 18 tional intermediaries under subsection (b), the Secretary 19 shall provide preference on the basis of— 20 (1) the effectiveness of the data collection meth- 21 odologies submitted under subsection (b)(6); 22 (2) the assurances made under subsection 23 (b)(1); and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:05 Oct 31, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8577.IH H8577 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 8577 IH (3) relevant data specific to the local jurisdic- 1 tions where the national intermediary intends to 2 enter into partnership with local subgrantees, which 3 illustrate the need for a Civic Justice Corps pro- 4 gram, including— 5 (A) unemployment rates; 6 (B) poverty rates; 7 (C) crime rates; 8 (D) other factors as the Attorney General, 9 after consultation with appropriate agencies of 10 the Government, may identify, including aver- 11 age household income, labor force participation, 12 and educational attainment; and 13 (E) additional criteria as determined by 14 the Attorney General. 15 (d) GRANT AND SUBGRANT PERIODS.—Each grant 16 awarded to a national intermediary, and each subgrant 17 awarded to a local subgrantee, under this section shall be 18 for a period of 5 years. 19 (e) USE OF GRANT FUNDS.— 20 (1) IN GENERAL.—Each national intermediary 21 receiving a grant under this section shall make at 22 least ten subgrants to local subgrantees to carry out 23 Civil Justice Corps programs that implement the 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:05 Oct 31, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8577.IH H8577 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 8577 IH Civil Justice Corps Model described in section 4(1) 1 with the funds provided under such subgrant. 2 (2) RESERVATION.—Each national intermediary 3 receiving a grant under this section shall reserve— 4 (A) not less than 90 percent for subgrants 5 to local subgrantees; and 6 (B) not more than 10 percent for training 7 and technical assistance to, and data collection 8 from, such local subgrantees. 9 (f) USE OF SUBGRANTS.—An entity receiving a 10 subgrant under this section shall use the funds made 11 available through such subgrant to carry out a Civic Jus- 12 tice Corps program that implements the Civic Justice 13 Corps Model. Such program shall include the provision of 14 educational programming and support to participants, 15 which may include— 16 (1) basic instruction and remedial education; 17 (2) language instruction for individuals with 18 limited English proficiency; 19 (3) secondary education services and activities, 20 including dropout prevention, tutoring, and other ac- 21 tivities; 22 (4) preparation for and access to postsecondary 23 education opportunities, including counseling and as- 24 sistance with applying for student financial aid; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:05 Oct 31, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8577.IH H8577 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 8577 IH (5) work readiness training, which may in- 1 clude— 2 (A) development of basic skills, such as— 3 (i) arriving on time to work; 4 (ii) being prepared to work; 5 (iii) working independently; 6 (iv) working with others; 7 (v) working safely; and 8 (vi) demonstrating a commitment to 9 produce high-quality work; 10 (B) development of job-specific occupa- 11 tional skills and on-the-job training; and 12 (C) assessment of skills, career counseling, 13 and job search assistance; and 14 (6) development and monitoring of individual 15 education and career plans. 16 (g) RENEWAL OF GRANTS.— 17 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General may 18 renew a grant awarded under this Act with respect 19 to an eligible national intermediary if the national 20 intermediary— 21 (A) submits to the Attorney General an 22 application for renewal at such time, in such 23 manner, and containing such information as the 24 Secretary may require; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:05 Oct 31, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8577.IH H8577 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 8577 IH (B) demonstrates in such application that 1 grant funds made available to the national 2 intermediary were used in a manner required 3 under the most recently approved application 4 under this Act. A grant made under this part 5 may be renewed, without limitations on the du- 6 ration of such renewal, to provide additional 7 funds, if the Attorney General determines that 8 the funds made available to the recipient were 9 used in a manner required under an approved 10 application and if the recipient can demonstrate 11 significant progress in achieving the objectives 12 of the initial application. 13 (2) DURATION.—An initial renewal under this 14 subsection shall, at minimum, be for a period of 3 15 years. Any subsequent renewal provided thereafter 16 shall be for a period of 1 year. 17 (h) NO-COST EXTENSIONS.—Notwithstanding sub- 18 section (g), the Attorney General may extend a grant pe- 19 riod, without limitations as to the duration of such exten- 20 sion, to provide additional time to complete the objectives 21 of the initial grant award. 22 (i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:05 Oct 31, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8577.IH H8577 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 8577 IH (1) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be 1 appropriated to carry out this section $35,000,000 2 for each of the fiscal years 2020 through 2030. 3 (2) AVAILABILITY.—Funds authorized to be ap- 4 propriated under this section may remain available 5 until expended. 6 (j) SUPPLEMENT NOT SUPPLANT.—Grant funds re- 7 ceived under this Act shall be used to supplement and not 8 supplant other Federal funds for the population estab- 9 lished under section 2. 10 (k) GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF GRANTS.— 11 (1) IN GENERAL.—A national intermediary 12 shall select at least one local subgrantee located in 13 any of the geographic regions in paragraph (2). 14 (2) GEOGRAPHIC REGIONS.—A national inter- 15 mediary applying for a grant must provide a 16 subgrant to a local subgrantee in any one of the fol- 17 lowing geographic regions: 18 (A) Region I shall comprise the States of 19 Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New 20 Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. 21 (B) Region II shall comprise the States of 22 New Jersey and New York, and the Virgin Is- 23 lands of the United States and Puerto Rico. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:05 Oct 31, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8577.IH H8577 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 8577 IH (C) Region III shall comprise the District 1 of Columbia, and the States of Maryland, Penn- 2 sylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. 3 (D) Region IV shall comprise the States of 4 Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mis- 5 sissippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and 6 Tennessee. 7 (E) Region V shall comprise the States of 8 Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, 9 and Wisconsin. 10 (F) Region VI shall comprise the States of 11 Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, 12 and Texas. 13 (G) Region VII shall comprise the States 14 of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. 15 (H) Region VIII shall comprise the States 16 of Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South 17 Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. 18 (I) Region IX shall comprise American 19 Samoa, Guam, and the States of Arizona, Cali- 20 fornia, Hawaii, and Nevada. 21 (J) Region X shall comprise the States of 22 Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. 23 (3) MINIMUM NUMBER OF GRANTS IN EACH RE- 24 GION.—The Secretary shall award not less than one 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:05 Oct 31, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8577.IH H8577 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 8577 IH grant to any jurisdiction within each of the ten re- 1 gions specified under paragraph (2). 2 (4) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this 3 Act shall be construed to limit an individual State 4 or local jurisdiction within a State, from receiving 5 multiple grants, renewals, or no-cost extensions, 6 under this Act. 7 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 8 In this Act: 9 (1) CIVIC JUSTICE CORPS MODEL.—The term 10 ‘‘Civic Justice Corps Model’’ refers to programs 11 that— 12 (A) intentionally recruit and primarily en- 13 roll as participants in the program court-in- 14 volved, previously incarcerated, and otherwise 15 disadvantaged youth and young adults between 16 the ages of 16 and 25; 17 (B) provide such participants with edu- 18 cational programming and support designed to 19 lead to a high school diploma or its recognized 20 equivalent; 21 (C) provide such participants with assess- 22 ment, career planning, workforce readiness, and 23 service or work experience designed to lead to 24 unsubsidized employment, enrollment in post- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:05 Oct 31, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8577.IH H8577 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 8577 IH secondary education or an apprenticeship pro- 1 gram, the obtainment of an industry-recognized 2 credential, or some other type of career path- 3 way program, including military service; 4 (D) demonstrate relationships with local 5 criminal, juvenile justice, and other social serv- 6 ice agencies and provide a range of supportive 7 and transitional services to participants; 8 (E) engage participants in relevant, nec- 9 essary, and team-based community service 10 projects designed to instill life and jobs skills 11 and long-term civic engagement; 12 (F) demonstrate relationships with local 13 boards (as such term is defined in section 101 14 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 15 U.S.C. 2801)) and local employers and can pro- 16 vide participants with appropriate postprogram 17 placements; 18 (G) require participants to be enrolled in 19 the program for not less than 6 months, and 20 provide participants with at least 12 months of 21 postprogram support and services; and 22 (H) collect postprogram data for at least 23 the 12 months after such participants complete 24 the program. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:05 Oct 31, 2020 Jkt 0192 [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]