II 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1117 

To prepare disconnected youth for a competitive future. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 7, 2013 

Ms. STABENOW introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 

referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To prepare disconnected youth for a competitive future. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Reengaging Americans in Serious Education by Uniting 

6 Programs Act’’. 

7 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

8 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Findings and purposes. 

Sec. 3. Definitions. 

Sec. 4. Grants authorized. 

Sec. 5. Application. 

Sec. 6. Priority. 

Sec. 7. Selection criteria. 

Sec. 8. Use of funds. 


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Sec. 9. Planning grants authorized. 

Sec. 10. Accountability, performance measures, and evaluation. 

Sec. 11. Technical assistance and best practices. 

Sec. 12. Authorization of appropriations. 

1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. 

2 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

3 (1) In the United States today, millions of 

4 youth drop out of secondary school, fail to complete 

5 their studies, or do not graduate on time. While the 

6 United States has made slow progress in improving 

7 graduation rates, the dropout challenge remains a 

8 crisis that is impeding the Nation’s ability to 

9 produce an educated workforce and succeed in the 

10 21st century global economy. 

11 (2) Government data shows that more than 25 

12 percent of the Nation’s students fail to complete sec13 ondary school in 4 years. In some of the larger cities 

14 of the United States and among urban minority 

15 youth, dropout rates of 40 percent are not uncom16 mon. 

17 (3) According to recent research, there is an es18 timated 6,700,000 youth ages 16–24 who are dis19 connected from school and work, of which 3,400,000 

20 are chronic, having had no attachment to school or 

21 work since age 16, and 3,300,000 are under-at22 tached to school or work and have not progressed to23 ward employment or postsecondary education. While 


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1 disconnected youth are disproportionately male and 

2 from minority groups, substantial disconnected 

3 youth rates are found for all groups of youth. 

4 (4) The impact of this dropout crisis has been 

5 likened to a permanent recession for youth, and it 

6 has consequences for the economy of the United 

7 States. Disconnected youth are more likely than 

8 other youth to engage in criminal activities, become 

9 incarcerated, and rely on public systems of support. 

10 (5) The Department of Education reports that 

11 the average secondary school dropout is associated 

12 with costs to the economy of approximately 

13 $240,000 over the individual’s lifetime in terms of 

14 lower tax contributions, higher reliance on govern15 ment health programs and public assistance, and 

16 higher rates of criminal activity. Over their lifetimes, 

17 secondary school dropouts are estimated to earn 

18 $400,000 less than secondary school graduates. Fur19 ther, only 37 percent of secondary school dropouts 

20 are steadily employed, and they are more than twice 

21 as likely to live in high poverty. 

22 (6) Experts estimate that two-thirds of jobs 

23 created in the near future will require at least some 

24 postsecondary education. Education and training 


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1 pathways that help youth to earn a secondary school 

2 diploma and postsecondary credentials are essential. 

3 (b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are— 

4 (1) to prepare disconnected youth for a com5 petitive future; 

6 (2) to challenge and support young people who 

7 have dropped out of secondary school to— 

8 (A) attain a secondary school diploma; 

9 (B) attain a 2-year or 4-year credential 

10 from a recognized postsecondary educational in11 stitution, an industry-recognized credential, or 

12 certification from a registered apprenticeship 

13 program; and 

14 (C) secure and succeed in a family-sup15 porting career; and 

16 (3) to support local community partnerships in 

17 integrating existing, and often disparate, services 

18 into a comprehensive, cross-systems dropout recov19 ery approach. 

20 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

21 In this Act: 

22 (1) DISABILITY.—The term ‘‘disability’’ has the 

23 meaning given the term in section 3 of the Ameri24 cans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 

25 12102). 


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1 (2) DISCONNECTED YOUTH.—The term ‘‘dis2 connected youth’’ means a young person who— 

3 (A) has left secondary school without ob4 taining a secondary school diploma; 

5 (B) is or was previously a homeless child 

6 or youth; 

7 (C) is or was under the care and place8 ment responsibility of the State agency respon9 sible for administering a plan under parts B 

10 and E of title IV of the Social Security Act (42 

11 U.S.C. 621 et seq., 670 et seq.); 

12 (D) was under the custody of a juvenile 

13 justice or criminal justice system; 

14 (E) has a disability; or 

15 (F) is a low-income individual and is preg16 nant or parenting and not attending any school. 

17 (3) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti18 ty’’ means a partnership consisting of entities or in19 dividuals qualified to represent the community as20 sisted, or proposed to be assisted, by a grant under 

21 this Act, including not less than one partner from 

22 each of the following categories: 

23 (A) A mayor, or other appropriate chief ex24 ecutive officer, of a unit of general purpose 

25 local government in the community. 


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1 (B) A local educational agency (as defined 

2 in section 9101 of the Elementary and Sec3 ondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

4 7801)) serving the community. 

5 (C) A local workforce system serving the 

6 community. 

7 (D) An institution of higher education 

8 serving the community. 

9 (E) A representative of a local or state sys10 tem serving young people in the community, in11 cluding— 

12 (i) a juvenile justice system; 

13 (ii) a criminal justice system; 

14 (iii) a housing agency; 

15 (iv) a mental health agency; and 

16 (v) a child welfare agency. 

17 (F) A representative of a community-based 

18 organization serving the community. 

19 (G) A representative from business or in20 dustry. 

21 (H) A representative with expertise in 

22 labor management relations. 

23 (I) A disconnected youth in the community 

24 and the parents or caregivers of such discon25 nected youth. 


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1 (4) FEDERAL YOUTH DEVELOPMENT COUN2 CIL.—The term ‘‘Federal Youth Development Coun3 cil’’ means the Federal Youth Development Council 

4 established under the Tom Osborne Federal Youth 

5 Coordination Act (Public Law 109–365; 120 Stat. 

6 2594). 

7 (5) HOMELESS CHILDREN AND YOUTHS.—The 

8 term ‘‘homeless children and youths’’ has the mean9 ing given the term in section 725 of the McKinney10 Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11434a). 

11 (6) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

12 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 

13 meaning given the term in section 101 of the Higher 

14 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 

15 (7) ONE-STOP CENTER.—The term ‘‘one-stop 

16 center’’ means a one-stop center described in section 

17 134(c) of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 

18 U.S.C. 2864(c)). 

19 (8) POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION.—The term 

20 ‘‘postsecondary education’’ means— 

21 (A) a 4-year program of instruction, or not 

22 less than a 1-year program of instruction that 

23 is acceptable for credit toward a baccalaureate 

24 degree, offered by an institution of higher edu25 cation; or 


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1 (B) a certificate or registered apprentice2 ship program at the postsecondary level offered 

3 by an institution of higher education or a non4 profit educational institution. 

5 (9) REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM.— 

6 The term ‘‘registered apprenticeship program’’ 

7 means an industry skills training program at the 

8 postsecondary level that combines technical and the9 oretical training through structured on-the-job learn10 ing with related instruction (in a classroom or 

11 through distance learning) while an individual is em12 ployed, working under the direction of qualified per13 sonnel or a mentor, and earning incremental wage 

14 increases aligned to enhanced job proficiency, result15 ing in the acquisition of a nationally recognized and 

16 portable certificate, under a plan approved by the 

17 Office of Apprenticeship of the Department of Labor 

18 or by a State agency recognized by the Department 

19 of Labor. 

20 (10) SECONDARY SCHOOL.—The term ‘‘sec21 ondary school’’ has the meaning given the term in 

22 section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu23 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 

24 (11) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ 

25 means the Secretary of Labor. 


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1 (12) YOUNG PEOPLE.—The term ‘‘young peo2 ple’’ means individuals who are between the ages of 

3 16 and 24, inclusive, at the time of commencement 

4 of participation in services funded through a grant 

5 under section 4. 

6 SEC. 4. GRANTS AUTHORIZED. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in consultation 

8 with the Secretary of Education, the Secretary of Health 

9 and Human Services, the Secretary of Housing and Urban 

10 Development, the Attorney General of the United States, 

11 the Federal Youth Development Council, and leaders in 

12 the field of working with disconnected youth, shall award 

13 grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible entities to enable 

14 the eligible entities to pay the costs of— 

15 (1) developing and implementing a strategy to 

16 identify disconnected youth; and 

17 (2) providing such disconnected youth with sup18 port needed to— 

19 (A) attain a secondary school diploma or 

20 its recognized equivalent; 

21 (B) attain a postsecondary credential, in22 cluding a 2-year or 4-year credential from an 

23 institution of higher education, an industry-rec24 ognized credential, or certification from a reg25 istered apprenticeship program; and 


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1 (C) secure and succeed in a family-sup2 porting career. 

3 (b) MINIMUM GRANT AMOUNT.—The Secretary shall 

4 award a grant under this section in an amount that— 

5 (1) is appropriate to achieve the goals and im6 plement the activities described in the application 

7 submitted under section 5; and 

8 (2) is not less than $1,000,000 per year. 

9 (c) DURATION OF GRANT.—A grant under this sec10 tion shall be awarded for a period of 5 years, and may 

11 be renewed at the discretion of the Secretary based on the 

12 effective performance of the eligible entity under the pre13 ceding grant in accordance with the levels of performance 

14 determined by the eligible entity and the Secretary pursu15 ant to section 9(b). 

16 (d) EQUITABLE GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF

17 FUNDS.—The Secretary shall ensure an equitable and ap18 propriate distribution of grants awarded under this section 

19 among eligible entities— 

20 (1) serving urban, rural, and suburban areas; 

21 and 

22 (2) with varying degrees of experience and ex23 pertise in serving disconnected youth. 

24 (e) FISCAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE AGENTS.—An eli25 gible entity shall choose an entity to be the fiscal agent 


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1 and an entity to be the administrative agent for the grant 

2 funds received under this section. 

3 (f) EXISTING PARTNERSHIP.—An existing workforce, 

4 education, or youth development partnership, coalition, or 

5 organization may serve as the eligible entity for the pur6 poses of grants under this section if the partnership, coali7 tion, or organization includes, or modifies the members of 

8 the partnership, coalition, or organization to include, the 

9 individuals required to be included in the eligible entity 

10 under section 3(3). 

11 SEC. 5. APPLICATION. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity that desires a 

13 grant under section 4 shall submit an application to the 

14 Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing 

15 such information as the Secretary may require. 

16 (b) CONTENTS.—An application submitted under this 

17 section shall include— 

18 (1) a description of the eligible entity submit19 ting the application, including a description of the 

20 fiscal agent and the administrative agent for the 

21 grant; 

22 (2) a description of the strategy that the eligi23 ble entity will use to carry out the purpose of this 

24 Act, which shall include— 


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1 (A) a well-developed education component 

2 with an emphasis on— 

3 (i) multiple pathways and options to4 wards secondary school diploma and post5 secondary credential attainment, which 

6 may include recuperative strategies such as 

7 competency-based instruction and credit 

8 retrieval as well as basic literacy; and 

9 (ii) the skills needed in the fields of 

10 science, technology, engineering, and math11 ematics; 

12 (B) a work preparation component, which 

13 may include a hands-on internship, work experi14 ence, or national or community service, that 

15 promotes the development of applied skills such 

16 as oral and written communication, teamwork, 

17 leadership, and critical thinking; and 

18 (C) a youth support component, including 

19 the array of comprehensive support services 

20 that will— 

21 (i) address the challenges that caused 

22 the disconnected youth to leave school 

23 without a secondary school diploma; 

24 (ii) remove barriers to and support 

25 the attainment of— 


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1 (I) the graduation of such young 

2 people from secondary school; 

3 (II) a postsecondary credential, 

4 including a 2-year or 4-year credential 

5 from an institution of higher edu6 cation, an industry-recognized creden7 tial, or certification from a registered 

8 apprenticeship program; and 

9 (III) success in a family-sup10 porting career; and 

11 (iii) provide appropriate case manage12 ment to ensure young people achieve the 

13 purposes described in section 2(b); 

14 (3) a needs assessment of the community to be 

15 assisted under the grant, including— 

16 (A) an estimate of the number of discon17 nected youth in the community; and 

18 (B) an assessment of resources available in 

19 the community that can help such disconnected 

20 youth— 

21 (i) address the challenges that caused 

22 such disconnected youth to leave school 

23 without a secondary school diploma; 

24 (ii) return to an appropriate edu25 cational setting; 


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1 (iii) attain a secondary school di2 ploma; 

3 (iv) attain a postsecondary credential, 

4 including a 2-year or 4-year credential 

5 from an institution of higher education, an 

6 industry-recognized credential, or certifi7 cation from a registered apprenticeship 

8 program; and 

9 (v) secure and succeed in a family10 supporting career; 

11 (4) a plan for identifying and engaging discon12 nected youth and connecting such disconnected 

13 youth with a continuum of comprehensive and co14 ordinated resources that can help such disconnected 

15 youth attain a secondary school diploma, a recog16 nized postsecondary credential, including a 2-year or 

17 4-year credential from an institution of higher edu18 cation, an industry-recognized credential, or certifi19 cation from a registered apprenticeship program, 

20 and secure and succeed in a family-supporting ca21 reer, including a description of— 

22 (A) the needs of such disconnected youth 

23 that will be met by the eligible entity through 

24 the grant; 


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1 (B) the identities, roles, and capacity of 

2 the partners in the eligible entity to fulfill the 

3 needs described in subparagraph (A), including 

4 a description of the role to be played by— 

5 (i) secondary schools and institutions 

6 of higher education in constructing edu7 cation programming; 

8 (ii) the local workforce system, includ9 ing one-stop career centers and businesses, 

10 in developing and implementing the work11 force preparation activities; and 

12 (iii) systems serving young people, in13 cluding the juvenile justice system, and 

14 other community-based organizations in 

15 providing outreach, support, and direct 

16 service; 

17 (C) a plan to leverage non-Federal (includ18 ing in-kind) resources and a plan for sustain19 ability beyond the grant period; 

20 (D) the services to be provided through the 

21 grant to carry out the strategy described in 

22 paragraph (2) and a description of the process 

23 that will be used to award subgrants and con24 tracts under section 8 for the provision of such 

25 services; 


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1 (E) the research and evidence base indi2 cating why the selected strategy and selection of 

3 services will be effective in meeting the com4 prehensive needs of the disconnected youth 

5 identified in the community; 

6 (F) the goals, intended outcomes, and per7 formance measures of the eligible entity’s strat8 egy in accordance with the performance meas9 ures under section 10(b); 

10 (G) a statement of concurrence on the ap11 plication, signed by the partners in the eligible 

12 entity, that outlines the specific roles and re13 sponsibilities of the partners as the roles and 

14 responsibilities relate to the functioning of the 

15 eligible entity; and 

16 (H) a plan to create, or include an exist17 ing, youth advisory council, that is composed of 

18 disconnected youth from the community to be 

19 served, to make recommendations regarding the 

20 services to be provided under the grant; 

21 (5) a description of the system that will be put 

22 in place to— 

23 (A) provide case management, counseling, 

24 intensive placement and follow-up services, 

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1 nected youth and their families access the var2 ious systems, resources, and supports necessary 

3 to ensure such young people’s success; and 

4 (B) ensure that young people receiving 

5 services through the grant will receive individ6 ualized case management to ensure that the 

7 young people achieve the purposes described in 

8 section 2(b), including— 

9 (i) an assessment of needs; 

10 (ii) coordination of appropriate serv11 ices; and 

12 (iii) academic preparation and support 

13 for entry, persistence, and completion of 

14 postsecondary education; 

15 (6) a description of how the eligible entity will 

16 ensure that every young person served under the 

17 grant receives comprehensive services, including 

18 services from each of the categories described in 

19 paragraphs (1) through (3) of section 8(b) until the 

20 young person— 

21 (A) attains a secondary school diploma, a 

22 2-year or 4-year credential or occupational cer23 tification from an institution of higher edu24 cation, an industry-recognized credential, or 


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1 certification from a registered apprenticeship 

2 program; and 

3 (B) secures employment that can lead to 

4 economic self-sufficiency; 

5 (7) a description of how the strategy to be im6 plemented under the grant will identify, engage, and 

7 provide services to young people who— 

8 (A) left school without a secondary school 

9 diploma and have reading, mathematics, or 

10 science skills at or below the grade 8 level; and 

11 (B) are disconnected youth described in 

12 any of subparagraphs (C) through (E) of sec13 tion 3(2); 

14 (8) a description of how public and private serv15 ices that exist on the date of submission of the ap16 plication will be coordinated and integrated in order 

17 to implement and sustain the strategy under the 

18 grant; 

19 (9) a description of how Federal, State, and 

20 local private and public funds will be leveraged, co21 ordinated, and integrated in order to implement the 

22 strategy under the grant; 

23 (10) a description of how the strategy to be im24 plemented under the grant strengthens, and does not 

25 duplicate, efforts within the community to be served 


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1 under the grant that are funded under chapter 4 of 

2 subtitle B of title I of the Workforce Investment Act 

3 of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2851 et seq.); 

4 (11) a description of the process to be used to 

5 review or approve the industry-recognized credentials 

6 that may be attained by the young people receiving 

7 support under the grant; and 

8 (12) a description of how the strategy to be im9 plemented under the grant aligns with the efforts of 

10 the local educational agency serving the community 

11 assisted under the grant to improve secondary 

12 schools, including efforts focused on— 

13 (A) students who are off-track to an on14 time graduation; and 

15 (B) recuperative strategies. 

16 (c) EXISTING PLANS, ASSESSMENTS, AND STRATE17 GIES.—Plans, needs assessments, and strategies that have 

18 been developed by an eligible entity or the partners in the 

19 eligible entity may be used to satisfy the requirements of 

20 this section if such plans, needs assessments, or strate21 gies— 

22 (1) include the information required by this sec23 tion, or can be modified to include the information 

24 required by this section; and 


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1 (2) are submitted to the Secretary with such 

2 modifications. 

3 SEC. 6. PRIORITY. 

4 In awarding grants to eligible entities under section 

5 4, the Secretary shall give priority to applications from 

6 eligible entities proposing— 

7 (1) to serve areas with disproportionately high 

8 numbers or percentages of young people who have 

9 left secondary school without obtaining a secondary 

10 school diploma or its recognized equivalent; 

11 (2) to serve areas with high concentrations of 

12 young people in families whose family income is not 

13 more than 200 percent of the poverty line (as deter14 mined under section 673(2) of the Community Serv15 ices Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9902(2))); and 

16 (3) to serve areas with high numbers or per17 centages of young people who are unemployed or un18 deremployed. 

19 SEC. 7. SELECTION CRITERIA. 

20 The Secretary shall award grants to eligible entities 

21 under section 4 based on selection criteria that includes 

22 the following: 

23 (1) BEST PRACTICES OR RESEARCH.—The ex24 tent to which the application submitted by an eligiVerDate Mar 15 2010 00:26 Jun 11, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00020 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1117.IS S1117

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1 ble entity under section 5 is rooted in documented 

2 best practices or research. 

3 (2) INTEGRATION.—The extent to which the 

4 application demonstrates the integration of multiple 

5 services into a comprehensive, coordinated con6 tinuum that meets the holistic needs of young peo7 ple, including health services, mental health services, 

8 housing, civic opportunities, job readiness, work ex9 perience, school readiness, reenrollment in school, 

10 and connections to family and community. 

11 (3) LEADERSHIP AND COMMUNITY INVOLVE12 MENT.—The extent to which the application dem13 onstrates the leadership and substantive involvement 

14 of the business community, the mayor or appropriate 

15 chief executive officers of the general purpose local 

16 government of the community to be served by the 

17 grant, each local educational agency serving the 

18 community, the public and nonprofit sectors of the 

19 community, and other individuals and entities de20 scribed in section 3(2), of the community. 

21 (4) LEVERAGING AND SUSTAINABILITY.—The 

22 extent to which the application demonstrates that re23 sources from multiple sources will be leveraged to 

24 implement the grant, and the extent to which the 


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1 application demonstrates a plan for sustainability 

2 beyond the grant period. 

3 SEC. 8. USE OF FUNDS. 

4 (a) SUBGRANTS.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—Each eligible entity receiving 

6 a grant under section 4 shall use the grant funds— 

7 (A) to award subgrants and contracts to 

8 community-based organizations and other enti9 ties to enable the organizations and entities to 

10 provide a comprehensive array of coordinated 

11 activities that will— 

12 (i) support the educational, career and 

13 technical, social, emotional, and civic needs 

14 of disconnected youth; and 

15 (ii) allow disconnected youth to grad16 uate from secondary school, attain a post17 secondary credential, including a 2-year or 

18 4-year credential from an institution of 

19 higher education, an industry-recognized 

20 credential, or certification from a reg21 istered apprenticeship program, and secure 

22 and succeed in a family-supporting career; 

23 (B) for training, technical assistance, and 

24 professional development for the organizations 


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1 and entities that is offered by local or national 

2 organizations; 

3 (C) for coordinating the overall effort of 

4 the eligible entity; and 

5 (D) for the reasonable costs associated 

6 with the administration and oversight of the 

7 grants under section 4. 

8 (2) USE OF SUBGRANT FUNDS.—Each organi9 zation or entity receiving a subgrant or contract 

10 under this section— 

11 (A) shall use the subgrant or contract 

12 funds to carry out a workforce preparation 

13 service, an education support service, or a youth 

14 support service, described in paragraphs (1), 

15 (2), and (3) of subsection (b), respectively; and 

16 (B) may use the subgrant or contract 

17 funds to carry out an activity described in para18 graph (4) or (5) of subsection (b). 

19 (b) ALLOWABLE ACTIVITIES.—The services and ac20 tivities referred to in subsection (a)(2) include the fol21 lowing: 

22 (1) WORK AND CAREER PREPARATION.— 

23 (A) WORKFORCE PREPARATION.—Job 

24 training, youth entrepreneurship, technological 

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1 ingful internship and apprenticeship opportuni2 ties, and other workforce preparation activities 

3 developed in partnership with the business com4 munity and other employers. 

5 (B) EXPOSURE AND PREPARATION FOR

6 CAREERS.—Strategies that will expose discon7 nected youth to, and prepare such disconnected 

8 youth for, careers, including careers in high9 growth, high-demand industries that require the 

10 use of science, technology, engineering, and 

11 mathematics skills. 

12 (C) APPLIED SKILLS.—Strategies that pro13 mote the development of applied skills in such 

14 young people, including oral and written com15 munication, teamwork, leadership, critical 

16 thinking, and a commitment to social and civic 

17 responsibility, including service-learning activi18 ties. 

19 (D) COMPENSATION.—Compensation for 

20 employment opportunities for such young peo21 ple, including summer and year-round employ22 ment opportunities, national and community 

23 service, service-learning, and work experience. 

24 (2) EDUCATION SUPPORT.— 


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1 (A) EDUCATION PROGRAMMING.—Edu2 cation programming for such young people, in3 cluding assessment, instruction, tutoring, and 

4 technology supports to academic instruction. 

5 (B) CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDU6 CATION.—Career and technical education. 

7 (C) DUAL ENROLLMENT PROGRAMS AND

8 EARLY COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOLS.—Participation 

9 in dual enrollment programs, early college high 

10 schools, and other proven models for supporting 

11 the educational achievement of disconnected 

12 youth. 

13 (D) POSTSECONDARY CREDENTIALS.—Pro14 grams that provide young people with a postsec15 ondary credential from an institution of higher 

16 education, a non-profit postsecondary edu17 cational institution that offers an industry rec18 ognized credential, or a registered apprentice19 ship program. 

20 (E) TRANSITION SUPPORT.—Support for 

21 young people in their transition into and their 

22 successful completion of postsecondary edu23 cation. 


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1 (F) FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.—Financial 

2 assistance for such young people for education 

3 support services and for higher education. 

4 (3) YOUTH SUPPORT.— 

5 (A) CASE MANAGEMENT.—Case manage6 ment, including using subgrant or contract 

7 funds for youth centers to serve as points of ac8 cess and continued support. 

9 (B) HEALTH, MENTAL HEALTH, OR DRUG

10 TREATMENT SERVICES.—Health services, men11 tal health services, or drug treatment services. 

12 (C) HOUSING.—Housing. 

13 (D) TRANSPORTATION.—Transportation. 

14 (E) CHILDCARE OR FAMILY SUPPORT

15 SERVICES.—Childcare services or family sup16 port services. 

17 (F) MENTORING ACTIVITIES.—Mentoring 

18 activities for such young people, including one19 to-one relationship building and tutoring. 

20 (4) CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT.—Curriculum 

21 development that promotes contextual learning. 

22 (5) OTHER SERVICES OR OPPORTUNITIES.— 

23 Other services or opportunities that the Secretary or 

24 the eligible entity determine will help carry out the 

25 purposes of this Act. 


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1 (c) ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANTS.—An eligible entity re2 ceiving a grant under section 4 shall ensure that, of the 

3 group of young people who receive the services and partici4 pate in the activities described in subsections (a) and (b) 

5 under the grant, not less than 75 percent of the group 

6 shall be disconnected youth as defined in section 3(2). 

7 (d) WAIVER OF MULTIPLE SERVICE REQUIRE8 MENT.—The Secretary may waive the requirement of sub9 section (a) regarding the provision of a comprehensive 

10 array of coordinated activities for an eligible entity receiv11 ing a grant under section 4 to permit not more than 25 

12 percent of the young people served by the eligible entity 

13 under the grant to receive only 1 or more services among 

14 the allowable activities described in subsection (b) if the 

15 eligible entity determines that such young people only need 

16 1 or more such services in order to— 

17 (1) attain a secondary school diploma; 

18 (2) attain a recognized postsecondary creden19 tial, including a 2-year or 4-year credential from an 

20 institution of higher education, an industry-recog21 nized credential, or certification from a registered 

22 apprenticeship program; and 

23 (3) secure and succeed in a family-supporting 

24 career. 


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1 SEC. 9. PLANNING GRANTS AUTHORIZED. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award plan3 ning grants to eligible entities to develop the components 

4 of the application described in section 5, in order to allow 

5 eligible entities to become competitive for grants under 

6 section 4. 

7 (b) DURATION; AMOUNT.—Planning grants under 

8 this section shall be— 

9 (1) for a duration of not more than 6 months 

10 in an amount of not more than $50,000; or 

11 (2) for a duration of more than 6 months and 

12 not more than one year and in an amount of not 

13 more than $100,000. 

14 (c) RECIPIENTS.—Recipients of grants under this 

15 section shall include— 

16 (1) eligible entities that applied for and did not 

17 receive a grant under section 4, and demonstrate the 

18 ability to submit a competitive application after ad19 ditional local planning; and 

20 (2) eligible entities that intend to apply for a 

21 grant under section 4 after undergoing a thorough 

22 planning process. 


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1 SEC. 10. ACCOUNTABILITY, PERFORMANCE MEASURES, 

2 AND EVALUATION. 

3 (a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to es4 tablish an accountability system, comprised of the activi5 ties described in this section, in order to— 

6 (1) assess the effectiveness of grants under sec7 tion 4 in helping disconnected youth— 

8 (A) attain a secondary school diploma; 

9 (B) attain a 2-year or 4-year credential 

10 from an institution of higher education, an in11 dustry recognized credential, or certification 

12 from a registered apprenticeship program; and 

13 (C) secure and succeed in a family-sup14 porting career; 

15 (2) identify and disseminate effective practices 

16 to strengthen performance; and 

17 (3) maximize the return on investment of Fed18 eral funds in activities assisted pursuant to a grant 

19 under section 4. 

20 (b) PERFORMANCE MEASURES.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—For each eligible entity, per22 formance measures shall consist of the indicators of 

23 performance described in paragraph (2) and the 

24 level of performance described in paragraph (3). 


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1 (2) INDICATORS OF PERFORMANCE.—The indi2 cators of performance referred to in paragraph (1) 

3 shall consist of the following: 

4 (A) INTERIM INDICATORS.— 

5 (i) YOUTH PARTICIPATION.—The par6 ticipation of young people in activities 

7 funded under section 4. 

8 (ii) YOUTH PROGRESS.—The progress 

9 of young people towards all of the fol10 lowing: 

11 (I) Attainment of a secondary 

12 school diploma or its recognized equiv13 alent. 

14 (II) Job readiness. 

15 (iii) YOUTH ATTAINMENT.—The at16 tainment by young people of a secondary 

17 school diploma or its recognized equivalent. 

18 (B) TRANSITIONAL INDICATORS.— 

19 (i) DIPLOMA, AND ENTRANCE INTO

20 EDUCATION OR EMPLOYMENT.—The at21 tainment by young people of a secondary 

22 school diploma, and entrance into postsec23 ondary education or employment. 

24 (ii) CREDENTIAL.—The attainment by 

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1 secondary credentials, which may include a 

2 certificate, a license, a journey-status card, 

3 or an associate degree or baccalaureate de4 gree. 

5 (C) LONG-TERM INDICATORS.— 

6 (i) EMPLOYMENT, DIPLOMA, AND CRE7 DENTIAL.—Employment of individuals who 

8 participated in activities funded under sec9 tion 4, attained a secondary school di10 ploma, and attained 1 or more recognized 

11 credentials, which may include a certifi12 cate, license, journey-status card, or asso13 ciate degree or baccalaureate degree. 

14 (ii) INITIAL WAGE OR SALARY

15 LEVEL.—The initial wage or salary level of 

16 individuals described in clause (i). 

17 (3) LEVEL OF PERFORMANCE.—For each indi18 cator of performance described in paragraph (2), the 

19 Secretary, in coordination with the eligible entity, 

20 shall determine a level of performance expressed in 

21 objective, quantifiable, and measurable form and in 

22 a way to show the progress of the eligible entity to23 ward continuously improving performance. 

24 (4) ELIGIBLE ENTITY MEASURES.— 


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1 (A) IN GENERAL.—Each eligible entity 

2 that receives a grant under section 4 shall reach 

3 agreement with the Secretary on the levels of 

4 performance for the years covered by the grant. 

5 The levels of performance shall take into ac6 count the economic conditions of the area 

7 served, the characteristics of young people in 

8 the area, secondary school graduation rates, 

9 and the activities or services provided in the 

10 community served under the grant. 

11 (B) ADJUSTMENTS.—If unanticipated cir12 cumstances arise resulting in a significant 

13 change in the economic conditions of the area, 

14 the characteristics of young people in the area, 

15 secondary school graduation rates, or activities 

16 or services provided in the community served 

17 under the grant, then the eligible entity may re18 quest that the Secretary adjust the level of per19 formance for the eligible entity. 

20 (c) ASSURANCE.—Each eligible entity that receives a 

21 grant under section 4 shall provide an assurance to the 

22 Secretary, as part of the application submitted under sec23 tion 5, that the eligible entity will— 


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1 (1) report progress toward achieving the indica2 tors under subsection (b) beyond the grant period 

3 for young people served under the grant; and 

4 (2) use funds provided under the grant for such 

5 progress reporting. 

6 (d) REPORTS.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—Each eligible entity that re8 ceives a grant under section 4 shall annually, for 

9 each year of the grant, provide a report to the Sec10 retary that includes the progress of the eligible enti11 ty in accomplishing the performance measures for 

12 the eligible entity. The annual report shall include— 

13 (A) information on the progress each eligi14 ble entity made in accomplishing its perform15 ance measures, disaggregated by the categories 

16 described in section 1111(b)(2)(C)(v)(II) of the 

17 Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 

18 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311(b)(2)(C)(v)(II)); 

19 (B) the costs of the activities supported 

20 under the grant under section 4, including— 

21 (i) the type of cost, such as cash, per22 sonnel, equipment, supplies, or materials, 

23 or other cost; 

24 (ii) the sources used to pay such 

25 costs, such as— 


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1 (I) funding from other Federal, 

2 State, or local public programs; or 

3 (II) private sector or philan4 thropic contributions; and 

5 (iii) the dollar value of the resources 

6 leveraged to cover such costs and support 

7 the activities; 

8 (C) any fiscal and management account9 ability information required by the Secretary, 

10 which information shall use sound financial and 

11 management practices; 

12 (D) the characteristics and number of dis13 connected youth served by the services and ac14 tivities provided under the grant; and 

15 (E) the services and supports provided 

16 under the grant. 

17 (2) VALID AND RELIABLE INFORMATION.—In 

18 preparing the reports under this subsection, each eli19 gible entity shall establish procedures, consistent 

20 with guidelines issued by the Secretary, to ensure 

21 that the information contained in the reports is valid 

22 and reliable. 

23 (e) EVALUATION.—Not later than 90 days after the 

24 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall award 

25 a grant or a contract to an entity outside the Department 


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1 of Labor for an evaluation of the activities assisted under 

2 the grants awarded under section 4. Such evaluation 

3 shall— 

4 (1) evaluate a subgroup of eligible entities that 

5 received a grant under section 4; 

6 (2) include an analysis and documentation of 

7 the strategies implemented by the eligible entities as8 sisted under the grants awarded under section 4 and 

9 the key lessons learned, as such lessons relate to 

10 program design, systems coordination, and imple11 mentation; 

12 (3) measure the outcomes, and progress toward 

13 the outcomes, of the strategies implemented under 

14 the grants under section 4 in terms of the interim 

15 and transitional indicators of performance under 

16 subsection (b)(2), and if feasible, the long-term indi17 cators of performance under such subsection; 

18 (4) document the incremental progress of such 

19 young people over time on the outcomes measured 

20 under paragraph (3); 

21 (5) measure the return on investment resulting 

22 from the activities funded with grants under section 

23 4; and 

24 (6) begin as soon as practicable after the 

25 awarding of the grant or contract under this section 


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1 and continue throughout the duration of the periods 

2 of the grants under section 4 so that the plans in3 cluded in the applications under section 5 may be in4 formed by, and conducive to, the evaluation. 

5 SEC. 11. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND BEST PRACTICES. 

6 The Secretary shall— 

7 (1) in consultation with the Federal Youth De8 velopment Council, the Coordinating Council on Ju9 venile Justice and Delinquency Prevention estab10 lished under section 206 of the Juvenile Justice and 

11 Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 

12 5616), the Shared Youth Vision, and other related 

13 agencies, disseminate best practices that emerge 

14 from the programs assisted under this Act in identi15 fying disconnected youth, and in implementing effec16 tive public and private strategies for preparing such 

17 young people to be successful students, workers, and 

18 citizens during and after implementation of the pro19 gram; and 

20 (2) provide, directly or through a grant or con21 tract with 1 or more nonprofit organizations selected 

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1 tions serving such disconnected youth that do not re2 ceive funding under this Act. 

3 SEC. 12. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be appro5 priated to carry out this Act such sums as may be nec6 essary for each of the fiscal years 2014 through 2018. 

7 (b) ALLOCATION.—Of the amounts appropriated to 

8 carry out this section for each fiscal year, the Secretary 

9 shall use— 

10 (1) not less than 90 percent of such amount for 

11 grants to eligible entities under section 4 and section 

12 9; and 

13 (2) a total of not more than 10 percent of such 

14 amount for the evaluation under section 10(b) and 

15 the training, technical assistance, and dissemination 

16 of best practices under section 11. 

Æ 


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