[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2923 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2923

 To provide funding for summer and year-round youth jobs and training 
                               programs.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           December 22, 2009

  Mrs. Murray introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
  referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To provide funding for summer and year-round youth jobs and training 
                               programs.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Youth Jobs Act of 2010''.

SEC. 2. SUMMER AND YEAR-ROUND YOUTH JOBS.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
            (1) a $1,500,000,000 investment in summer and year-round 
        employment for youth, through the program supported under this 
        section, can create up to 450,000 temporary jobs and meaningful 
        work experiences for economically disadvantaged youth and 
        stimulate local economies;
            (2) there is a serious and growing need for employment 
        opportunities for economically disadvantaged youth (including 
        young adults), as demonstrated by statistics from the Bureau of 
        Labor Statistics stating that, in November 2009--
                    (A) the unemployment rate increased to 10 percent, 
                as compared to 6.8 percent in November 2008;
                    (B) the unemployment rate for 16- to 19-year-olds 
                rose to 26.7 percent, as compared to 20.4 percent in 
                November 2008; and
                    (C) the unemployment rate for African-American 16- 
                to 19-year-olds increased to 49.4 percent, as compared 
                to 32.2 percent in November 2008;
            (3) research from Northwestern University has shown that 
        every $1 a youth earns has an accelerator effect of $3 on the 
        local economy;
            (4) summer and year-round jobs for youth help supplement 
        the income of families living in poverty;
            (5) summer and year-round jobs for youth provide valuable 
        work experience for economically disadvantaged youth;
            (6) often, a summer or year-round job provided under the 
        Workforce Investment Act of 1998 is an economically 
        disadvantaged youth's introduction to the world of work;
            (7) according to the Center for Labor Market Studies at 
        Northeastern University, early work experience is a very 
        powerful predictor of success and earnings in the labor market, 
        and early work experience raises earnings over a lifetime by 10 
        to 20 percent;
            (8) participation in a youth jobs program can contribute to 
        a reduction in criminal and high-risk behavior for youth; and
            (9)(A) youth jobs programs benefit both youth and 
        communities when designed around principles that promote 
        mutually beneficial programs;
            (B) youth benefit from jobs that provide them with work 
        readiness skills and that help them make the connection between 
        responsibility on the job and success in adulthood; and
            (C) communities benefit when youth are engaged 
        productively, providing much-needed services that meet real 
        community needs.
    (b) References.--
            (1) Certificate; credential.--In subsection (d), references 
        to the terms ``certificate'' and ``credential'' have the 
        meanings prescribed by the Secretary of Labor.
            (2) Youth-related references.--In this Act, and in the 
        provisions referred to in subsections (c) and (d) for purposes 
        of this Act--
                    (A) a reference to a youth refers to an individual 
                who is not younger than age 14 and not older than age 
                24, and meets any other requirements for that type of 
                youth; and
                    (B) a reference to a youth activity refers to an 
                activity covered in subsection (d)(1) that is carried 
                out for a youth described in subparagraph (A).
    (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary of Labor for youth activities under the 
Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2801 et seq.), 
$1,500,000,000, which shall be available for the period of January 1, 
2010, through June 30, 2011, under the conditions described in 
subsection (d).
    (d) Conditions.--
            (1) Use of funds.--The funds made available under 
        subsection (c) shall be used for youth jobs and training 
        programs, to provide opportunities referred to in subparagraphs 
        (C), (D), (E), and (F) of section 129(c)(2) of such Act (29 
        U.S.C. 2854(c)(2)) and, as appropriate, opportunities referred 
        to in subparagraphs (A) and (G) of such section, except that no 
        such funds shall be spent on unpaid work experiences and the 
        opportunities may include learning described in paragraph 
        (3)(B).
            (2) Limitation.--Such funds shall be distributed in 
        accordance with sections 127 and 128 of such Act (29 U.S.C. 
        2852, 2853), except that no portion of such funds shall be 
        reserved to carry out 128(a) or 169 of such Act (29 U.S.C. 
        2853(a), 2914).
            (3) Priority.--In using funds made available under 
        subsection (c), a local area (as defined in section 101 of such 
        Act (29 U.S.C. 2801))--
                    (A) shall give priority to providing--
                            (i) work experiences in viable, emerging, 
                        or demand industries, or work experiences in 
                        the public or nonprofit sector that fulfill a 
                        community need; and
                            (ii) job referral services for youth to 
                        work experiences described in clause (i) in the 
                        private sector, for which the employer involved 
                        agrees to pay the wages and benefits, 
                        consistent with Federal and State child labor 
                        laws; and
                    (B) may give priority to providing--
                            (i) work experiences combined with linkages 
                        to academic and occupational learning, so that 
                        the experiences and learning provide 
                        opportunities for youth to earn a short-term 
                        certificate or credential that has value in the 
                        labor market; and
                            (ii) work experiences combined with 
                        learning that are designed to encourage and 
                        maximize the likelihood of a participant's 
                        return to, or completion of, a program of study 
                        leading to a recognized secondary or 
                        postsecondary degree, certificate, or 
                        credential.
            (4) Measure of effectiveness.--The effectiveness of the 
        activities carried out with such funds shall be measured, under 
        section 136 of such Act (29 U.S.C. 2871), only with performance 
        measures based on the core indicators of performance described 
        in section 136(b)(2)(A)(ii)(I) of such Act (29 U.S.C. 
        2871(b)(2)(A)(ii)(I)), applied to all youth served through the 
        activities.
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