[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 683 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 683

    To amend the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to authorize the 
 Secretary of Labor to provide grants to the National Urban League for 
             an Urban Jobs Program, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 11, 2011

Mr. Towns (for himself, Mr. Hastings of Florida, Mr. Payne, Mr. Jackson 
 of Illinois, and Mr. Rangel) introduced the following bill; which was 
        referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To amend the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to authorize the 
 Secretary of Labor to provide grants to the National Urban League for 
             an Urban Jobs Program, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Urban Jobs Act of 2011''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) One-third of minority youth are unemployed.
            (2) The labor force participation rate for persons without 
        a high school diploma is 20 percentage points lower than the 
        labor force participation rate for high school graduates.
            (3) Nationally, approximately 70 percent of all students 
        graduate from high school, but African-American and Hispanic 
        students have a 55 percent or less chance of graduating from 
        high school.
            (4) High school dropouts from the class of 2004 will cost 
        the Nation more than $325 billion in lost wages, taxes, and 
        productivity over their lifetimes.
            (5) Only 52 percent of students in the 50 largest cities in 
        the United States graduate from high school. That rate is below 
        the national high school graduation rate of 70 percent, and 
        also falls short of the 60 percent average for urban districts 
        across the Nation.
            (6) Over his or her lifetime, a high school dropout earns, 
        on average, about $260,000 less than a high school graduate, 
        and about $1 million less than a college graduate.
            (7) Approximately 75 percent of State prison inmates and 59 
        percent of Federal prison inmates have not completed high 
        school. Increasing the high school completion rate by 1 percent 
        for all men ages 20 to 60 would save the United States $1.4 
        billion annually in reduced costs associated with crime.
            (8) According to a recent study, a 10-percent increase in 
        the male high school graduation rate would reduce arrest rates 
        for murder and assault by about 20 percent, motor vehicle theft 
        by 13 percent, and arson by 8 percent.
            (9) The National Urban League is a historic civil rights 
        organization dedicated to economic empowerment in order to 
        elevate the standard of living in historically underserved 
        urban communities. Founded in 1910 and headquartered in New 
        York City, the National Urban League spearheads the efforts of 
        its local affiliates through the development of programs, 
        public policy research, and advocacy.
            (10) There are more than 100 local affiliates of the 
        National Urban League located in 36 States and the District of 
        Columbia, providing direct services that impact and improve the 
        lives of more than 2 million people nationwide. Local National 
        Urban League affiliates operate programs that focus on 
        education, job training and placement, housing, business 
        development, and many other important initiatives.
            (11) The National Urban League has a history of success in 
        implementing national programs through its local affiliate 
        network. From 2007 to 2010, 27 local National Urban League 
        affiliates served at-risk young adults by providing job skills 
        training, community service opportunities, and employment for 
        over 3,500 young adults ages 18 to 24.
    (b) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this Act to provide adequate 
resources for the National Urban League (acting through local National 
Urban League affiliates) to reduce the disproportionate incarceration 
of minority youth and to prepare eligible young adults for entry into 
the world of work by providing a comprehensive set of services that 
includes job training, education, and support services.

SEC. 3. URBAN JOBS PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--Subtitle D of title I of the Workforce Investment 
Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2911 et seq.) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating section 174 as section 175;
            (2) in section 173, by striking ``174'' each place it 
        appears and inserting ``175''; and
            (3) by inserting after section 173A the following:

``SEC. 174. URBAN JOBS PROGRAM.

    ``(a) Program Authorized.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary of Labor may make grants 
        to the National Urban League for the purpose of operating an 
        Urban Jobs Program through local National Urban League 
        affiliates.
            ``(2) Use of funds.--Funds from a grant made under 
        paragraph (1) shall be used by the National Urban League to 
        provide a comprehensive set of services and activities for 
        eligible young adults, to be implemented by local National 
        Urban League affiliates. Services and activities eligible for 
        assistance include the following:
                    ``(A) Case management services to help program 
                participants effectively use the activities and 
                services offered under the program.
                    ``(B) Educational offerings, including skill 
                assessment, reading and math remediation, educational 
                enrichment, General Education Development credential 
                preparation, and post-secondary education.
                    ``(C) Employment and job readiness activities, 
                including mentoring, placement in community service 
                opportunities, internships, on-the-job training, 
                occupational skills training, job placement in 
                unsubsidized jobs, and personal development.
                    ``(D) Support services, including health and 
                nutrition referral, housing assistance, training in 
                interpersonal and basic living skills, transportation, 
                child care, clothing, and other assistance as needed.
            ``(3) Report.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Not later than May 1 of each 
                fiscal year for which amounts are made available to 
                carry out this section, the Secretary shall submit to 
                Congress a report regarding--
                            ``(i) the progress made under this section 
                        by the National Urban League and local National 
                        Urban League affiliates in implementing the 
                        program; and
                            ``(ii) the effectiveness of the program in 
                        improving General Educational Development 
                        credential attainment and job placement in 
                        unsubsidized jobs for program participants.
                    ``(B) Inapplicability of section 172.--The program 
                shall not be subject to evaluations required under 
                section 172.
    ``(b) National Jobs Council Advisory Committee.--
            ``(1) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish a 
        committee to be known as the National Jobs Council Advisory 
        Committee.
            ``(2) Duties.--The committee shall advise the Secretary 
        concerning--
                    ``(A) the design and operation of the program;
                    ``(B) long-term strategic priorities for the 
                program; and
                    ``(C) the formulation and application of guidelines 
                related to activities carried out under the program.
            ``(3) Membership.--The committee shall be comprised of 11 
        members, to be appointed by the Secretary as follows:
                    ``(A) Three individuals from the private sector who 
                are senior human resources or diversity executives with 
                national or regional responsibilities and experience in 
                oversight that includes hiring, employee training, or 
                employee relations.
                    ``(B) Five representatives of employers in high-
                impact, high-growth industries, as defined by the 
                Secretary.
                    ``(C) One National Urban League Workforce 
                Development staff member.
                    ``(D) Two representatives from the Department of 
                Labor.
    ``(c) Sense of Congress Regarding Local Advisory Committees.--It is 
the sense of Congress that a local National Urban League affiliate 
receiving funding under this section should establish a local jobs 
council advisory committee, the membership of which should include 
representatives from not fewer than 5 employers from high-growth 
industries in the locality, to aid in establishing support from the 
local community for and guiding the local implementation of the 
program.
    ``(d) Funding.--
            ``(1) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated to carry out this section--
                    ``(A) $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2012;
                    ``(B) $30,000,000 for fiscal year 2013;
                    ``(C) $40,000,000 for fiscal year 2014;
                    ``(D) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2015; and
                    ``(E) $60,000,000 for fiscal year 2016.
            ``(2) Limitation.--Not more than 2 percent of funds 
        appropriated for any fiscal year under paragraph (1) may be 
        used for expenses associated with carrying out the requirements 
        of subsection (b).
    ``(e) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Eligible young adults.--The term `eligible young 
        adults' means individuals ages 18 to 24 who--
                    ``(A) are not enrolled in secondary or post-
                secondary school; or
                    ``(B) are or have been subject to any stage of the 
                criminal justice process.
            ``(2) Program.--The term `program' means the Urban Jobs 
        Program established under subsection (a).
            ``(3) Unsubsidized job.--The term `unsubsidized job' means 
        employment for which the wages are provided by an employer that 
        does not receive public funds for the creation and maintenance 
        of the employment position.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment.--The table of contents contained in 
section 1(b) of such Act is amended--
            (1) by inserting a period at the end of the item relating 
        to section 173A; and
            (2) by striking the item relating to section 174 and 
        inserting the following:

``Sec. 174. Urban jobs program.
``Sec. 175. Authorization of appropriations.''.
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