[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 9 (Wednesday, January 15, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E41]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





      INTRODUCTION OF THE PROMOTING NATIONAL SERVICE AND REDUCING 
                            UNEMPLOYMENT ACT

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                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 15, 2020

  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Promoting 
National Service and Reducing Unemployment Act to address one of the 
greatest workforce tragedies resulting from today's economy--our 
unemployed young people--and to spur economic growth and to alleviate 
strain on state and local governments. This tragedy is not only harming 
our young people, but it is also costing our government billions of 
dollars each year in lost productivity, lost tax revenue and other 
costs. Although total unemployment has reached a relative low (3.5 
percent), the unemployment rate for young people is eight percent. 
These young people have not had a fair chance to use the high school or 
college education we strongly urged them to obtain.
  What is particularly disappointing, particularly in today's low 
unemployment economy, is the high unemployment rate for young people 
who heeded our advice to graduate from high school and college. The 
total unemployment rate is currently eight percent for people 16 to 24 
years old, 4.5 points higher than the overall employment rate, and 
hundreds of thousands of them now compete for unpaid internships 
wherever they can find them. By significantly expanding AmeriCorps, my 
bill would need no new administrative structure or bureaucracy but 
would allow unemployed young people to earn a stipend, obtain work 
experience and develop a good work history to help secure future 
employment. The net cost of the expansion would be low because these 
young people would be providing urgently needed local services that are 
being eliminated or curtailed because of state and local budget cuts, 
such as after-school programs, tutoring and assistance for the elderly.
  The bill would significantly expand job opportunities for young 
people who have done what they could to enter into the job market, but, 
despite their best efforts, remain unemployed in this economy. 
AmeriCorps participants receive a living allowance and are also 
eligible for an education award equal to the value of a Pell grant, 
school-loan forbearance, health care benefits and child care 
assistance. By expanding AmeriCorps, we would reduce the number of 
unemployed young people, provide them with work skills and experience 
and help cash-strapped state and local governments provide services 
that they would otherwise have to cut or eliminate altogether.
  For some time, it has been clear that policies to address the most 
stubborn forms of unemployment need to be targeted in order to be 
effective. Without significant targeting, many young graduates will 
continue to face their first years as adults without jobs and with no 
way to acquire necessary work experience. They deserve a better start 
in life as adults. I ask my colleagues to support this urgently needed, 
targeted assistance for young, unemployed Americans.

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