[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 9 (Thursday, January 15, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S617]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. MURRAY (for herself and Ms. Stabenow):
  S. 267. A bill to provide funding for summer and year-round youth 
jobs and training programs; to the Committee on Health, Education, 
Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
placed in the Record, as follows:

                                 S. 267

       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 ``Summer and Year-Round Jobs 
     for Youth Stimulus Act of 2009''.

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

       (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
       (1) a $1,000,000,000 investment in summer and year-round 
     employment for youth, through the program supported under 
     this section, can create up to 1,000,000 jobs 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 December 2008--
       (A) the unemployment rate increased to 7.2 percent, as 
     compared to 4.9 percent in December 2007;
       (B) the unemployment rate for 16- to 19-year-olds rose to 
     20.8 percent, as compared to 16.9 percent in December 2007; 
     and
       (C) the unemployment rate for African-American 16- to 19-
     year-olds increased to 33.7 percent, as compared to 28 
     percent in December 2007;
       (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 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) Definition.--In this section, the term ``green-collar 
     industries'' means industries throughout the economy of the 
     United States--
       (1) that promote energy efficiency, energy conservation, 
     and environmental protection, including promoting renewable 
     energy and clean technology;
       (2) that offer jobs with substantial pay and benefits; and
       (3) that are industries in which there is likely to be 
     continued demand for workers.
       (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.), $1,000,000,000, which shall be 
     available for the period of January 1, 2009 through December 
     31, 2010, under the conditions described in subsection (d).
       (d) Conditions.--
       (1) Use of funds.--The funds appropriated 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.
       (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 this 
     section, a local area (as defined in section 101 of such Act 
     (29 U.S.C. 2801)) shall give priority to providing--
       (A) work experiences in public and nonprofit sector green-
     collar industries;
       (B) work experiences in other viable industries, including 
     health care; and
       (C) job referral services for youth to work experiences in 
     green-collar industries in the private sector or work 
     experiences in other viable industries in the private sector, 
     for which the employer involved agrees to pay the wages and 
     benefits, consistent with Federal and State child labor laws.
       (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.
       (e) Age-Related.--As used in this Act, and in the 
     provisions referred to in subsections (c) and (d) for 
     purposes of this Act--
       (1) 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
       (2) a reference to a youth activity refers to an activity 
     covered in subsection (d)(1) that is carried out for a youth 
     described in paragraph (1).
                                 ______