Connecting Youth to Jobs Act

I 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 8689 To award funds to States and local areas for public, subsidized employment programs for youth. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OCTOBER 27, 2020 Ms. FUDGE (for herself and Ms. KAPTUR) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently deter- mined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned A BILL To award funds to States and local areas for public, 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. PURPOSE. 6 During periods which the national rate of youth un- 7 employment is above the full youth employment rate and 8 in excess of the overall national rate, as determined by 9 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:36 Dec 08, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8689.IH H8689 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 8689 IH the Bureau of Labor Statistics, or during a qualifying 1 emergency or economic recession (as determined by the 2 Chairman of the Federal Reserve), it is the purpose of 3 this Act to provide— 4 (1) youth public subsidized employment to as- 5 sist in State and local improvement activities, includ- 6 ing public works, the arts, and community develop- 7 ment; and 8 (2) additional and continual funding that is tar- 9 geted to high poverty areas with historically high 10 youth unemployment rates, particularly high minor- 11 ity youth unemployment rates, for the purpose of 12 creating such employment opportunities. 13 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 14 In this Act: 15 (1) QUALIFYING EMERGENCY.—The term 16 ‘‘qualifying emergency’’ means— 17 (A) a public health emergency declared by 18 the Secretary of Health and Human Services 19 pursuant to section 319 of the Public Health 20 Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247d); 21 (B) an event for which the President de- 22 clared a major disaster or an emergency under 23 section 401 or 501, respectively, of the Robert 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:36 Dec 08, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8689.IH H8689 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 8689 IH T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency As- 1 sistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170 and 5191); or 2 (C) a national emergency declared by the 3 President under section 201 of the National 4 Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.). 5 (2) ESEA TERMS.—The terms ‘‘local edu- 6 cational agency’’ and ‘‘State educational agency’’ 7 have the meanings given the terms in section 8101 8 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 9 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 10 (3) HIGH-POVERTY AREA.—The term ‘‘high- 11 poverty area’’ means a census tract with a youth 12 poverty rate of at least 20 percent during the most 13 recent 5 consecutive years. 14 (4) HISTORICALLY HIGH YOUTH UNEMPLOY- 15 MENT LEVELS.—The term ‘‘historically high youth 16 unemployment levels’’ means any local area with a 17 youth unemployment rate of at least 10 percent, as 18 measured over the most recent decennial censuses, 19 or by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the most 20 recent 5-year period for which data are available. 21 (5) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 22 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 23 meaning given the term in section 101 of the Higher 24 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:28 Nov 17, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8689.IH H8689 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 8689 IH (6) PUBLIC EDUCATION ENTITY.—The term 1 ‘‘public education entities’’ includes— 2 (A) a local educational agency; 3 (B) a State educational agency; or 4 (C) a public institution of higher edu- 5 cation. 6 (7) REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM.— 7 The term ‘‘registered apprenticeship programs’’ 8 means an apprenticeship program registered under 9 the Act of August 16, 1937 (commonly known as 10 the ‘‘National Apprenticeship Act’’; 50 Stat. 664, 11 chapter 663; 29 U.S.C. 50 et seq.), including any re- 12 quirement, standard, or rule promulgated under 13 such Act, as such requirement, standard, or rule was 14 in effect on December 30, 2019. 15 (8) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 16 the Secretary of Labor. 17 (9) WORK-BASED LEARNING.—The term ‘‘work- 18 based learning’’ as the meaning given in section 3 of 19 the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education 20 Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2302). 21 (10) WIOA TERMS.—The terms ‘‘in-demand in- 22 dustry sector or occupation’’, ‘‘individual with a bar- 23 rier to employment’’, ‘‘in-school youth’’, ‘‘local 24 area’’, ‘‘local board’’, ‘‘out-of-school youth’’, ‘‘out- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:28 Nov 17, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8689.IH H8689 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 8689 IH lying area’’, ‘‘recognized postsecondary credential’’, 1 ‘‘supportive services’’, ‘‘State’’, ‘‘State board’’, and 2 ‘‘unit of general local government’’ have the mean- 3 ings given the terms in section 3 of the Workforce 4 Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102). 5 TITLE I—YOUTH PUBLIC 6 EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM 7 SEC. 101. FORMULA GRANTS TO STATES AND LOCAL AREAS. 8 (a) FUNDING ALLOTMENTS AND ALLOCATIONS.— 9 (1) STATE ALLOTMENTS.—For each fiscal year 10 during a period described in section 2, to assist 11 States and outlying areas, and to enable States and 12 outlying areas to assist local areas, in carrying out 13 subsidized public employment programs described in 14 subsection (b) for eligible youth, from the funds ap- 15 propriated under section 103(1), the Secretary of 16 Labor shall— 17 (A) make an allotment in accordance with 18 section 127(b)(1)(C)(ii) of the Workforce Inno- 19 vation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 20 3162(b)(1)(C)(ii)) to each State that meets the 21 requirements of section 102 or 103 of such Act 22 (29 U.S.C. 3112, 3113); and 23 (B) award a grant to each outlying area 24 that complies with the requirements of title I of 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:58 Nov 18, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8689.IH H8689 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 8689 IH the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act 1 (29 U.S.C. 3101 et seq.) to carry out subsidized 2 youth public employment programs for eligible 3 individuals. 4 (2) WITHIN STATE ALLOCATIONS.— 5 (A) STATEWIDE ACTIVITIES.—Each State 6 shall reserve 25 percent of the allotment re- 7 ceived under paragraph (1)(A) to carry out 8 statewide subsidized public employment pro- 9 grams described in subsection (b). 10 (B) ALLOCATIONS TO LOCAL AREAS.—A 11 Governor of a State that receives an allotment 12 under paragraph (1), in coordination with rel- 13 evant State and local stakeholders, shall use 14 any remaining amounts (after reserving funds 15 under subparagraph (A)), to allocate funds to 16 local areas, as long as not less than 65 percent 17 of such remaining amount is allocated to— 18 (i) high-poverty local areas with the 19 highest youth unemployment rate com- 20 pared to other local areas in the State; and 21 (ii) local areas with historically high 22 levels of youth unemployment within the 23 State. 24 (b) USES OF FUNDS.— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:28 Nov 17, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8689.IH H8689 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 8689 IH (1) SUBSIDIZED PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT PRO- 1 GRAMS.— 2 (A) IN GENERAL.—Funds allotted to 3 States for statewide programs, and funds allo- 4 cated to local areas under subsection (a), shall 5 be used to carry out subsidized public employ- 6 ment programs described in paragraph (3) 7 that— 8 (i) lead to unsubsidized, full-time em- 9 ployment; or 10 (ii) provide the necessary skills and 11 competency attainment of at least 1 recog- 12 nized postsecondary credential to further 13 the education or career of youth partici- 14 pants. 15 (2) FUNDING ALLOCATIONS.—Of the funds de- 16 scribed in paragraph (1): 17 (A) Not less than 60 percent of the funds 18 for program year 2021 shall be used for wages 19 and employment benefits to individuals em- 20 ployed in subsidized public employment pro- 21 grams funded under this section. 22 (B) Not less than 30 percent of the funds 23 for program year 2021, and not less than 20 24 percent of such funds for any program year 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:28 Nov 17, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8689.IH H8689 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 8689 IH thereafter, shall be used to provide career serv- 1 ices described in section 134(c)(2) of the Work- 2 force Innovation and Opportunity Act, training 3 services, or youth workforce investment activi- 4 ties. 5 (C) Any remaining funds may be used for 6 administrative and other allowable costs (such 7 as supplies, materials, equipment, and health 8 and safety resources) incurred by the State or 9 local area, as determined by the Secretary. 10 (3) CONDITIONS.—Except as otherwise deter- 11 mined by the Secretary, the following conditions 12 shall apply to each subsidized public employment 13 program funded under this section: 14 (A) Only youth residing within the State 15 or local area providing funding for the program 16 shall be employed by such program, and the 17 public services provided under such program, to 18 the extent feasible, shall be designed to benefit 19 the residents of such State or local area. 20 (B) Priority in filling jobs available under 21 such program shall be given to— 22 (i) eligible youth who is an individual 23 with a barrier to employment (including 24 youth of color, opportunity youth or out-of- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:28 Nov 17, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8689.IH H8689 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 8689 IH school youth, low-income youth, youth im- 1 pacted by the juvenile or adult criminal 2 justice systems, and underemployed 3 youth); and 4 (ii) eligible youth who are recipients of 5 public assistance (or from a family receiv- 6 ing such assistance) or who are eligible for 7 public assistance (or from a family eligible 8 for such public assistance) but not receiv- 9 ing such assistance. 10 (C) Each individual employed under such 11 program shall be a wage, which shall at least be 12 the highest of the following: 13 (i) $12 an hour. 14 (ii) The minimum wage under the ap- 15 plicable State or local minimum wage law. 16 (iii) The prevailing rates of pay for in- 17 dividuals employed in similar occupations 18 by the same employer. 19 (iv) The minimum wage according to 20 the amendments made to section 6 of the 21 Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, as pro- 22 posed by H.R. 582 (116th Congress). 23 (D) With respect to a wage determined 24 under subparagraph (C), the Secretary may 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:28 Nov 17, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8689.IH H8689 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 8689 IH promulgate regulations to increase such wage 1 after consideration of industry, geographical re- 2 gion, skill requirements, and individual pro- 3 ficiency. 4 (E) An individual may self-attest to meet- 5 ing the requirements to be an eligible youth, or 6 to receive priority consideration under subpara- 7 graph (B), and verification of such eligibility 8 may occur after the individual is employed 9 under the program. 10 (F) Earnings from such program shall not 11 be regarded as income and shall not be re- 12 garded as a resource for the month of receipt 13 and the following 12 months, for purposes of 14 determining the eligibility of the participant (or 15 the participant’s spouse or family) for benefits 16 or assistance, or the amount or extent of bene- 17 fits or assistance, under any Federal program 18 or under any State or local program financed in 19 whole or in part with Federal funds. 20 (G) Such program shall coordinate with 21 the workforce systems and activities promoted 22 by the State or local board to connect eligible 23 youth to educational or career opportunities. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:28 Nov 17, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8689.IH H8689 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 8689 IH (H) Such program shall establish or ex- 1 pand diversity and inclusion opportunities and 2 collect disaggregated data on related efforts. 3 (c) ELIGIBILITY.—To be an eligible youth, an indi- 4 vidual shall be an in-school youth or an out-of-school 5 youth. 6 SEC. 102. COMPETITIVE GRANTS TO ELIGIBLE ENTITIES. 7 (a) IN GENERAL.—From the amounts appropriated 8 under section 103(2), the Secretary shall award grants, 9 on a competitive basis, to eligible entities for activities de- 10 scribed in subsection (e). 11 (b) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under this sec- 12 tion, the Secretary shall give priority to eligible entities 13 that serve eligible youth who are individuals with a barrier 14 to employment, youth of color, opportunity youth or out- 15 of-school youth, low-income youth, and youth impacted by 16 the juvenile or adult criminal justice systems. 17 (c) REQUIREMENTS ON USES OF FUNDS.—In award- 18 ing funds under this section the Secretary shall ensure the 19 following: 20 (1) DIRECT FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.—Not less 21 than 40 percent of such funds are used to provide 22 direct financial assistance to eligible youth described 23 in section 101(c) to support such youth with finan- 24 cial needs with respect to entering, remaining en- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:28 Nov 17, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8689.IH H8689 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 8689 IH rolled in, and completing a subsidized public employ- 1 ment program described in section 101(b) (including 2 related costs of training, supplies, food and nutri- 3 tion, housing, transportation, child care, mental 4 health and substance abuse services, payment of 5 fines, or other targeted costs determined allowable 6 by the Secretary). 7 (2) IN-DEMAND INDUSTRY SECTORS OR OCCU- 8 PATIONS.—Not less than 40 percent of such funds 9 are used to connect eligible youth described in sec- 10 tion 101(c) to employers for in-demand industry sec- 11 tors or occupations, work-based learning opportuni- 12 ties, registered apprenticeship programs, or to recon- 13 nect to a public education entity. 14 (3) DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION ACTIVITIES.— 15 Not less than 10 percent of such funds are used for 16 promoting, creating, or expanding diversity and in- 17 clusion activities for the purposes of diversifying 18 workf [Text truncated for display. 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