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[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 655 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 655

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 22, 2013

  Mrs. Gillibrand (for herself, Mr. Franken, Mr. Lautenberg, and Ms. 
    Warren) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
  referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
    To amend the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to authorize the 
 Secretary of Labor to provide grants for Urban Jobs Programs, 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 2013''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) Every school day, nearly 7,000 students become 
        dropouts. Annually, that dropout rate results in about 
        1,200,000 students not graduating from high school with their 
        peers as scheduled. Lacking a high school diploma, those 
        individuals will be far more likely than graduates to spend 
        their lives periodically unemployed, on government assistance, 
        or cycling in and out of the prison system.
            (2) The average annual income in 2009 was $19,540 for a 
        high school dropout, compared to $27,380 for a high school 
        graduate, a difference of $7,840.
            (3) According to a 2011 report by Diploma Counts--
                    (A) about 42 percent of Hispanic students, 43 
                percent of African-American students, and 46 percent of 
                American Indian students will not graduate on time with 
                a regular high school diploma; and
                    (B) by comparison, 17 percent of Asian students and 
                22 percent of White students will not graduate as 
                described in subparagraph (A).
            (4) Among all races and ethnicities, males graduate from 
        high school at a lower rate than their female peers do. Among 
        all students, 68 percent of males and 75 percent of females 
        graduate.
            (5) According to a report by the College Board Advocacy & 
        Policy Center, one of the most unfortunate destinations for 
        high school dropouts, students, and graduates age 18 to 24 is 
        incarceration in Federal or State prisons or local jails. Since 
        2000, the number of individuals in the 18 to 24 age group who 
        are incarcerated at the Federal, State, and local levels has 
        risen from about 1,400,000 in 2000 to about 1,600,000 in 2008. 
        Over 475,000 individuals in that age group were incarcerated in 
        2008, with males accounting for 92.4 percent of all those 
        individuals. In contrast, only 36,000 women in the same age 
        group (7.6 percent) were incarcerated in 2008.
            (6) High school graduation rates are significantly lower in 
        school districts with higher percentages of students in 
        poverty, measured as students who are eligible for free or 
        reduced price lunches.
            (7) According to a 2010 National Center for Education 
        Statistics report, high school students from low-income 
        families drop out of high school at 6 times the rate of their 
        peers from high-income families.
            (8) Over half of State parole entrants are not high school 
        graduates, and as many as eleven percent of the entrants have 
        only an eighth grade education or less.
            (9) The lowest achieving 25 percent of students are 20 
        times more likely to drop out of high school, compared to the 
        highest achieving 25 percent of students.
            (10) According to the Department of Labor, each year 
        approximately 650,000 persons are released from Federal and 
        State prisons. Those ex-prisoners do not return to communities 
        evenly distributed across the United States, but rather return 
        disproportionately to high-poverty communities characterized by 
        high rates of joblessness, crime, and drug abuse.
            (11) The unemployment rate among ex-prisoners has been 
        estimated to be between 25 and 40 percent. An estimated 19 
        percent of adults in State prisons are functionally illiterate. 
        Over half of State parole entrants are not high school 
        graduates, and about 11 percent of the entrants have only an 
        eighth grade education or less.
    (b) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this Act to provide adequate 
resources for national or regional nonprofit organizations to prevent 
and reduce the disproportionate incarceration of eligible youth, 
especially minority youth, and to prepare eligible youth for entry into 
employment, or education leading to employment, that places 
participants on a path to economic self-sufficiency and provides 
opportunities for advancement, by providing a comprehensive set of 
services that includes job training, education, and support services.

SEC. 3. URBAN JOBS PROGRAMS.

    (a) In General.--Subtitle D of title I of the Workforce Investment 
Act of 1998 is amended by inserting after section 173A (29 U.S.C. 
2918a) the following:

``SEC. 173B. URBAN JOBS PROGRAMS.

    ``(a) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to provide, through 
competitive grants, needed resources for the following objectives:
            ``(1) To establish a feeder system for youth ages 18 
        through 24, who are out-of-school youth or are or have been 
        subject to the criminal justice process, in urban communities, 
        into employment, or education leading to employment, through 
        national or regional intermediaries that have demonstrated 
        effectiveness in conducting outreach to, and serving, eligible 
        youth through a national or regional network of community-based 
        affiliates.
            ``(2) To provide a holistic approach for preparing eligible 
        youth in urban communities for entry into employment, or 
        education leading to employment, through a comprehensive set of 
        services.
            ``(3) To prevent and reduce the disproportionate 
        incarceration of eligible youth in urban communities, including 
        minority youth.
    ``(b) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Community-based affiliate.--The term `community-based 
        affiliate' means a community-based organization that is an 
        affiliate of a national or regional intermediary.
            ``(2) Eligible youth.--The term `eligible youth' means 
        individuals ages 18 through 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.
            ``(3) National intermediary.--The term `national', with 
        respect to an intermediary, means a national private nonprofit 
        community-based organization that--
                    ``(A) has an affiliate network comprised of 
                community-based organizations in urban communities in 
                more than one State; and
                    ``(B) has demonstrated expertise and effectiveness 
                in conducting outreach to eligible youth and providing 
                workforce investment activities to such youth.
            ``(4) Recidivism.--The term `recidivism' means a tendency 
        to return to criminal behavior.
            ``(5) Regional intermediary.--The term `regional', used 
        with respect to an intermediary, means a private nonprofit 
        community-based organization that--
                    ``(A) has an affiliate network comprised of 
                community-based organizations that--
                            ``(i) have experience conducting multi-site 
                        projects; and
                            ``(ii) are in a geographic area defined by 
                        the Bureau of the Census; and
                    ``(B) has demonstrated expertise and effectiveness 
                in conducting outreach to eligible youth and providing 
                workforce investment activities to such youth.
            ``(6) Unsubsidized job.--The term `unsubsidized job' means 
        an employment position with an employer--
                    ``(A) that pays the wages for the position; and
                    ``(B) that does not receive public funds for the 
                creation and maintenance of the employment position.
            ``(7) Urban jobs program.--The term `Urban Jobs Program' 
        means an Urban Jobs Program funded under subsection (c).
    ``(c) Urban Jobs Program Grants.--
            ``(1) Grants.--The Secretary is authorized to make grants, 
        on a competitive basis, to national or regional intermediaries 
        for the purpose of carrying out Urban Jobs Programs that 
        provide a comprehensive set of services to eligible youth in 
        urban communities to provide such youth with a pathway to 
        employment, or education leading to employment.
            ``(2) Application.--
                    ``(A) Form and procedure.--To be eligible to 
                receive a grant under this subsection, a national or 
                regional intermediary shall submit an application at 
                such time, in such manner, and accompanied by such 
                information as the Secretary may require.
                    ``(B) Minimum requirements.--The Secretary shall 
                require that the application contain, at a minimum--
                            ``(i) a request for the grant, specifying 
                        the amount of the grant requested and proposed 
                        uses of the grant funds;
                            ``(ii) a description of how the national or 
                        regional intermediary will meet, for 
                        participants in the Urban Jobs Program, goals 
                        consisting of--
                                    ``(I) increased long-term 
                                employment in unsubsidized jobs;
                                    ``(II) reduced recidivism;
                                    ``(III) increased attainment of the 
                                recognized equivalent of a high school 
                                diploma;
                                    ``(IV) improved literacy and 
                                numeracy; and
                                    ``(V) increased attainment of 
                                industry-recognized certificates or 
                                credentials, or preparation for entry 
                                into an institution of higher education 
                                without need for further remediation;
                            ``(iii) a description of underlying 
                        supports for the program, including--
                                    ``(I) engaged community partners;
                                    ``(II) staff expertise in youth 
                                development; and
                                    ``(III) demonstrated understanding 
                                of youth characteristics;
                            ``(iv) a description of how the program 
                        will enable program participants to achieve 
                        outcomes consisting of--
                                    ``(I) creation of caring 
                                relationships with peers and staff;
                                    ``(II) creation of goals (such as 
                                the attainment described in clause 
                                (ii)(III), attainment of employment, 
                                admission to or completion of a degree 
                                at an institution of higher education, 
                                attainment of industry-recognized 
                                certificates or credentials, or 
                                preparation for entry into an 
                                institution of higher education without 
                                need for further remediation);
                                    ``(III) participation in 
                                opportunities to contribute to the 
                                community through service or 
                                volunteerism;
                                    ``(IV) development of 21st century 
                                workplace skills, including critical 
                                thinking and collaboration;
                                    ``(V) development of a sense of 
                                responsibility for one's future;
                                    ``(VI) development of plans or 
                                strategies to meet one's goals;
                                    ``(VII) reduction of risk-taking 
                                behaviors;
                                    ``(VIII) achievement of improved 
                                educational outcomes (such as numeracy, 
                                literacy, or the attainment described 
                                in clause (ii)(II));
                                    ``(IX) achievement of improved 
                                employment outcomes; and
                                    ``(X) reduction of recidivism; and
                            ``(v) a description of activities to be 
                        provided through the Urban Jobs Program that 
                        lead to the attainment of industry-recognized 
                        certificates or credentials described in 
                        paragraph (3).
            ``(3) Eligible activities.--A national or regional 
        intermediary that receives a grant under this subsection shall 
        use the funds made available through the grant to carry out an 
        Urban Jobs Program, which shall include the following 
        comprehensive set of services:
                    ``(A) Case management, through an individual 
                responsible for helping participants navigate the Urban 
                Jobs Program activities.
                    ``(B) Educational services, including skill 
                assessment, reading and math remediation, educational 
                enrichment, services involving preparation for and 
                opportunities for attainment of the recognized 
                equivalent of a high school diploma, services that 
                connect to career pathways such as opportunities for 
                attainment of industry-recognized certificates or 
                credentials or for preparation for entry into an 
                institution of higher education without the need for 
                further remediation, and postsecondary education.
                    ``(C) Employment and job readiness activities, 
                including mentoring, community service opportunities, 
                internships, on-the-job training, occupational skills 
                training, personal development, and unsubsidized jobs.
                    ``(D) Support services, health and nutrition 
                service referral, substance abuse counseling and 
                treatment, and provision of housing assistance, 
                interpersonal and basic living skills, and 
                transportation, child care, clothing, and other 
                assistance as needed.
            ``(4) Limitation.--Not more than 2 percent of the funds 
        appropriated for any fiscal year under section 174(d) may be 
        used for expenses associated with carrying out this subsection.
    ``(d) Reports.--
            ``(1) In general.--Not later than August 1 following each 
        program year for which amounts are made available to carry out 
        this section, the Secretary of Labor shall submit to the 
        Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House of 
        Representatives and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 
        and Pensions of the Senate, a report that details the progress 
        made under this section in establishing Urban Jobs Programs 
        through national or regional intermediaries.
            ``(2) Inapplicability of section 172.--The program shall 
        not be subject to evaluations required under section 172.
    ``(e) National Jobs Council Advisory Committee.--
            ``(1) Establishment.--The Secretary of Labor shall 
        establish a committee to be known as the National Jobs Council 
        Advisory Committee (referred to in this subsection as the 
        `Committee').
            ``(2) Membership.--The Committee shall be comprised of 12 
        members, appointed by the Secretary, consisting of--
                    ``(A) 3 individuals from the private sector, who 
                are senior human resources or diversity employees with 
                national or regional responsibilities, and who have 
                experience in oversight that includes hiring, employee 
                training, or overseeing employee relations;
                    ``(B) 5 representatives of employers in high-
                impact, high-growth industries, as defined by the 
                Secretary;
                    ``(C) 1 national intermediary staff member;
                    ``(D) 1 regional intermediary staff member; and
                    ``(E) 2 representatives from the Department of 
                Labor.
            ``(3) Period of appointment; vacancies.--Members shall be 
        appointed for the life of the Committee. Any vacancy in the 
        Committee shall not affect the powers of the Committee, but 
        shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment 
        was made.
            ``(4) Duties.--
                    ``(A) Analysis.--The Committee shall analyze, and 
                prepare recommendations for the Secretary concerning--
                            ``(i) the design and operation of the 
                        program carried out under this section;
                            ``(ii) long-term strategic priorities for 
                        the program; and
                            ``(iii) the formulation and application of 
                        guidelines related to activities carried out 
                        under the program.
                    ``(B) Reports.--The Committee shall prepare and 
                submit to the Secretary periodic reports containing the 
                recommendations described in subparagraph (A).
            ``(5) Personnel.--
                    ``(A) Travel expenses.--The members of the 
                Committee shall not receive compensation for the 
                performance of services for the Committee, but shall be 
                allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of 
                subsistence, at rates authorized for employees of 
                agencies under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, 
                United States Code, while away from their homes or 
                regular places of business in the performance of 
                services for the Committee. Notwithstanding section 
                1342 of title 31, United States Code, the Secretary may 
                accept the voluntary and uncompensated services of 
                members of the Committee.
                    ``(B) Detail of government employees.--Any Federal 
                Government employee may be detailed to the Committee 
                without reimbursement, and such detail shall be without 
                interruption or loss of civil service status or 
                privilege.
            ``(6) Permanent committee.--Section 14 of the Federal 
        Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to the 
        Committee.
    ``(f) Sense of Congress Regarding Local Advisory Committees.--It is 
the sense of Congress that--
            ``(1) a community-based affiliate receiving funding under 
        this section should establish a local jobs council advisory 
        committee to aid in establishing support from the local 
        community for and guiding the local implementation of the 
        program; and
            ``(2) not less than \1/3\ of the members the committee 
        should be employers in high-impact, high-growth industries in 
        the locality.''.
    (b) Funding.--Section 174 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 
(29 U.S.C. 2919) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(d) Urban Jobs Programs.--There is authorized to be appropriated 
to carry out section 173B--
            ``(1) $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2012;
            ``(2) $30,000,000 for fiscal year 2013;
            ``(3) $40,000,000 for fiscal year 2014;
            ``(4) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2015; and
            ``(5) $60,000,000 for fiscal year 2016.''.
    (c) Conforming Amendment.--The table of contents in section 1(b) of 
the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 is amended--
            (1) by inserting a period at the end of the item relating 
        to section 173A; and
            (2) by inserting after the item relating to section 173A 
        the following:

``Sec. 173B. Urban jobs programs.''.
                                 <all>
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