II 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 922 

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 

MAY 9, 2011 

Mrs. GILLIBRAND 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. 

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. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Urban Jobs Act of 

5 2011’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. 

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

8 (1) One-third of minority youth are unem9 ployed. 


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1 (2) The labor force participation rate for per2 sons without a high school diploma is 20 percentage 

3 points lower than the labor force participation rate 

4 for high school graduates. 

5 (3) Nationally, approximately 70 percent of all 

6 students graduate from high school, but African7 American and Hispanic students have a 55 percent 

8 or lower chance of graduating from high school. 

9 (4) High school dropouts from the class of 

10 2004 will cost the Nation more than 

11 $325,000,000,000 in lost wages, taxes, and produc12 tivity over their lifetimes. 

13 (5) Only 52 percent of students in the 50 larg14 est cities in the United States graduate from high 

15 school. That rate is below the national high school 

16 graduation rate of 70 percent, and also falls short 

17 of the average high school graduation rate of 60 per18 cent for urban districts across the Nation. 

19 (6) Over a lifetime, a high school dropout 

20 earns, on average, about $260,000 less than a high 

21 school graduate, and about $1,000,000 less than a 

22 college graduate. 

23 (7) Approximately 75 percent of State prison 

24 inmates and 59 percent of Federal prison inmates 

25 have not completed high school. Increasing the high 


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1 school completion rate by 1 percent for all men ages 

2 20 to 60 would save the United States 

3 $1,400,000,000 annually in reduced costs associated 

4 with crime. 

5 (8) According to a recent study, a 10-percent 

6 increase in the male high school graduation rate 

7 would reduce arrest rates for murder and assault by 

8 about 20 percent, motor vehicle theft by 13 percent, 

9 and arson by 8 percent. 

10 (b) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this Act to pro11 vide adequate resources for national nonprofit organiza12 tions to prevent and reduce the disproportionate incarcer13 ation of eligible youth, especially minority youth, and to 

14 prepare eligible youth for entry into employment, or edu15 cation leading to employment, that places participants on 

16 a path to economic self-sufficiency and provides opportuni17 ties for advancement, by providing a comprehensive set of 

18 services that includes job training, education, and support 

19 services. 

20 SEC. 3. URBAN JOBS PROGRAMS. 

21 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subtitle D of title I of the Work22 force Investment Act of 1998 is amended by inserting 

23 after section 173A (29 U.S.C. 2918a) the following: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 173B. URBAN JOBS PROGRAMS. 

2 ‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to 

3 provide, through competitive grants, needed resources for 

4 the following objectives: 

5 ‘‘(1) To establish a feeder system for youth 

6 ages 18 through 24, who are out-of-school youth or 

7 are or have been subject to the criminal justice proc8 ess, in urban communities, into employment, or edu9 cation leading to employment, through national 

10 intermediaries that have demonstrated effectiveness 

11 in conducting outreach to, and serving, eligible youth 

12 through a national network of community-based af13 filiates. 

14 ‘‘(2) To provide a holistic approach for pre15 paring eligible youth in urban communities for entry 

16 into employment, or education leading to employ17 ment, through a comprehensive set of services. 

18 ‘‘(3) To prevent and reduce the dispropor19 tionate incarceration of eligible youth in urban com20 munities, including minority youth. 

21 ‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

22 ‘‘(1) COMMUNITY-BASED AFFILIATE.—The term 

23 ‘community-based affiliate’ means a community24 based organization that is an affiliate of a national 

25 intermediary. 


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1 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE YOUTH.—The term ‘eligible 

2 youth’ means individuals ages 18 through 24 who— 

3 ‘‘(A) are not enrolled in secondary or post4 secondary school; or 

5 ‘‘(B) are or have been subject to any stage 

6 of the criminal justice process. 

7 ‘‘(3) NATIONAL INTERMEDIARY.—The term 

8 ‘national intermediary’ means a national private 

9 nonprofit community-based organization that— 

10 ‘‘(A) has an affiliate network comprised of 

11 community-based organizations in at least 50 or 

12 more urban communities; 

13 ‘‘(B) has demonstrated expertise and effec14 tiveness in conducting outreach to eligible youth 

15 and providing workforce investment activities to 

16 such youth; and 

17 ‘‘(C) has operated in 25 States continu18 ously for more than 20 years. 

19 ‘‘(4) RECIDIVISM.—The term ‘recidivism’ 

20 means a tendency to return to criminal behavior. 

21 ‘‘(5) UNSUBSIDIZED JOB.—The term ‘unsub22 sidized job’ means an employment position with an 

23 employer— 

24 ‘‘(A) that pays the wages for the position; 

25 and 


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1 ‘‘(B) that does not receive public funds for 

2 the creation and maintenance of the employ3 ment position. 

4 ‘‘(6) URBAN JOBS PROGRAM.—The term ‘Urban 

5 Jobs Program’ means an Urban Jobs Program 

6 funded under subsection (c). 

7 ‘‘(c) URBAN JOBS PROGRAM GRANTS.— 

8 ‘‘(1) GRANTS.—The Secretary is authorized to 

9 make grants, on a competitive basis, to national 

10 intermediaries for the purpose of carrying out Urban 

11 Jobs Programs that provide a comprehensive set of 

12 services to eligible youth in urban communities to 

13 provide such youth with a pathway to employment, 

14 or education leading to employment. 

15 ‘‘(2) APPLICATION.— 

16 ‘‘(A) FORM AND PROCEDURE.—To be eligi17 ble to receive a grant under this subsection, a 

18 national intermediary shall submit an applica19 tion at such time, in such manner, and accom20 panied by such information as the Secretary 

21 may require. 

22 ‘‘(B) MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS.—The Sec23 retary shall require that the application contain, 

24 at a minimum— 


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1 ‘‘(i) a request for the grant, specifying 

2 the amount of the grant requested and 

3 proposed uses of the grant funds; 

4 ‘‘(ii) a description of how the national 

5 intermediary will meet, for participants in 

6 the Urban Jobs Program, goals consisting 

7 of— 

8 ‘‘(I) increased long-term employ9 ment in unsubsidized jobs; 

10 ‘‘(II) reduced recidivism; 

11 ‘‘(III) increased attainment of 

12 the recognized equivalent of a high 

13 school diploma; 

14 ‘‘(IV) improved literacy and 

15 numeracy; and 

16 ‘‘(V) increased attainment of in17 dustry-recognized certificates or cre18 dentials, or preparation for entry into 

19 an institution of higher education 

20 without need for further remediation; 

21 ‘‘(iii) a description of underlying sup22 ports for the program, including— 

23 ‘‘(I) engaged community part24 ners; 


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1 ‘‘(II) staff expertise in youth de2 velopment; and 

3 ‘‘(III) demonstrated under4 standing of youth characteristics; 

5 ‘‘(iv) a description of how the pro6 gram will enable program participants to 

7 achieve outcomes consisting of— 

8 ‘‘(I) creation of caring relation9 ships with peers and staff; 

10 ‘‘(II) creation of goals (such as 

11 the attainment described in clause 

12 (ii)(III), attainment of employment, 

13 admission to or completion of a degree 

14 at an institution of higher education, 

15 attainment of industry-recognized cer16 tificates or credentials, or preparation 

17 for entry into an institution of higher 

18 education without need for further re19 mediation); 

20 ‘‘(III) participation in opportuni21 ties to contribute to the community 

22 through service or volunteerism; 

23 ‘‘(IV) development of 21st cen24 tury workplace skills, including critical 

25 thinking and collaboration; 


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1 ‘‘(V) development of a sense of 

2 responsibility for one’s future; 

3 ‘‘(VI) development of plans or 

4 strategies to meet one’s goals; 

5 ‘‘(VII) reduction of risk-taking 

6 behaviors; 

7 ‘‘(VIII) achievement of improved 

8 educational outcomes (such as 

9 numeracy, literacy, or the attainment 

10 described in clause (ii)(II)); 

11 ‘‘(IX) achievement of improved 

12 employment outcomes; and 

13 ‘‘(X) reduction of recidivism; and 

14 ‘‘(v) a description of activities to be 

15 provided through the Urban Jobs Program 

16 that lead to the attainment of industry-rec17 ognized certificates or credentials described 

18 in paragraph (3). 

19 ‘‘(3) ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES.—A national inter20 mediary that receives a grant under this subsection 

21 shall use the funds made available through the grant 

22 to carry out an Urban Jobs Program, which shall in23 clude the following comprehensive set of services: 


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1 ‘‘(A) Case management, through an indi2 vidual responsible for helping participants navi3 gate the Urban Jobs Program activities. 

4 ‘‘(B) Educational services, including skill 

5 assessment, reading and math remediation, 

6 educational enrichment, services involving prep7 aration for and opportunities for attainment of 

8 the recognized equivalent of a high school di9 ploma, services that connect to career pathways 

10 such as opportunities for attainment of indus11 try-recognized certificates or credentials or for 

12 preparation for entry into an institution of 

13 higher education without the need for further 

14 remediation, and postsecondary education. 

15 ‘‘(C) Employment and job readiness activi16 ties, including mentoring, community service 

17 opportunities, internships, on-the-job training, 

18 occupational skills training, personal develop19 ment, and unsubsidized jobs. 

20 ‘‘(D) Support services, health and nutri21 tion service referral, substance abuse counseling 

22 and treatment, and provision of housing assist23 ance, interpersonal and basic living skills, and 

24 transportation, child care, clothing, and other 

25 assistance as needed. 


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1 ‘‘(4) LIMITATION.—Not more than 2 percent of 

2 the funds appropriated for any fiscal year under sec3 tion 174(d) may be used for expenses associated 

4 with carrying out this subsection. 

5 ‘‘(d) REPORTS.— 

6 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than August 1 

7 following each program year for which amounts are 

8 made available to carry out this section, the Sec9 retary of Labor shall submit to the Committee on 

10 Education and the Workforce of the House of Rep11 resentatives and the Committee on Health, Edu12 cation, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, a report 

13 that details the progress made under this section in 

14 establishing Urban Jobs Programs through national 

15 intermediaries. 

16 ‘‘(2) INAPPLICABILITY OF SECTION 172.—The 

17 program shall not be subject to evaluations required 

18 under section 172. 

19 ‘‘(e) NATIONAL JOBS COUNCIL ADVISORY COM20 MITTEE.— 

21 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of 

22 Labor shall establish a committee to be known as 

23 the National Jobs Council Advisory Committee (re24 ferred to in this subsection as the ‘Committee’). 


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1 ‘‘(2) MEMBERSHIP.—The Committee shall be 

2 comprised of 11 members, appointed by the Sec3 retary, consisting of— 

4 ‘‘(A) 3 individuals from the private sector, 

5 who are senior human resources or diversity 

6 employees with national or regional responsibil7 ities, and who have experience in oversight that 

8 includes hiring, employee training, or overseeing 

9 employee relations; 

10 ‘‘(B) 5 representatives of employers in 

11 high-impact, high-growth industries, as defined 

12 by the Secretary; 

13 ‘‘(C) 1 national intermediary staff member; 

14 and 

15 ‘‘(D) 2 representatives from the Depart16 ment of Labor. 

17 ‘‘(3) PERIOD OF APPOINTMENT; VACANCIES.— 

18 Members shall be appointed for the life of the Com19 mittee. Any vacancy in the Committee shall not af20 fect the powers of the Committee, but shall be filled 

21 in the same manner as the original appointment was 

22 made. 

23 ‘‘(4) DUTIES.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) ANALYSIS.—The Committee shall 

2 analyze, and prepare recommendations for the 

3 Secretary concerning— 

4 ‘‘(i) the design and operation of the 

5 program carried out under this section; 

6 ‘‘(ii) long-term strategic priorities for 

7 the program; and 

8 ‘‘(iii) the formulation and application 

9 of guidelines related to activities carried 

10 out under the program. 

11 ‘‘(B) REPORTS.—The Committee shall pre12 pare and submit to the Secretary periodic re13 ports containing the recommendations described 

14 in subparagraph (A). 

15 ‘‘(5) PERSONNEL.— 

16 ‘‘(A) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—The members 

17 of the Committee shall not receive compensa18 tion for the performance of services for the 

19 Committee, but shall be allowed travel expenses, 

20 including per diem in lieu of subsistence, at 

21 rates authorized for employees of agencies 

22 under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, 

23 United States Code, while away from their 

24 homes or regular places of business in the per25 formance of services for the Committee. NotVerDate Mar 15 2010 05:50 May 12, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S922.IS S922

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1 withstanding section 1342 of title 31, United 

2 States Code, the Secretary may accept the vol3 untary and uncompensated services of members 

4 of the Committee. 

5 ‘‘(B) DETAIL OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOY6 EES.—Any Federal Government employee may 

7 be detailed to the Committee without reim8 bursement, and such detail shall be without 

9 interruption or loss of civil service status or 

10 privilege. 

11 ‘‘(6) PERMANENT COMMITTEE.—Section 14 of 

12 the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. 

13 App.) shall not apply to the Committee. 

14 ‘‘(f) SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING LOCAL ADVI15 SORY COMMITTEES.—It is the sense of Congress that— 

16 ‘‘(1) a community-based affiliate receiving fund17 ing under this section should establish a local jobs 

18 council advisory committee to aid in establishing 

19 support from the local community for and guiding 

20 the local implementation of the program; and 

‘‘(2) not less than 1 21 ⁄3 of the members the com22 mittee should be employers in high-impact, high23 growth industries in the locality.’’. 


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1 (b) FUNDING.—Section 174 of the Workforce Invest2 ment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2919) is amended by adding 

3 at the end the following: 

4 ‘‘(d) URBAN JOBS PROGRAMS.—There is authorized 

5 to be appropriated to carry out section 173B— 

6 ‘‘(1) $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2012; 

7 ‘‘(2) $30,000,000 for fiscal year 2013; 

8 ‘‘(3) $40,000,000 for fiscal year 2014; 

9 ‘‘(4) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2015; and 

10 ‘‘(5) $60,000,000 for fiscal year 2016.’’. 

11 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of con12 tents in section 1(b) of the Workforce Investment Act of 

13 1998 is amended— 

14 (1) by inserting a period at the end of the item 

15 relating to section 173A; and 

16 (2) by inserting after the item relating to sec17 tion 173A the following: 

‘‘Sec. 173B. Urban jobs programs.’’. 

Æ 


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