I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2714 
To provide for youth jobs, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 10, 2015 
Mr. CONYERS (for himself, Ms. KAPTUR, Ms. WILSON of Florida, Ms. NOR-
TON, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr. RANGEL, Mrs. LAWRENCE, and Ms. JACKSON 
LEE) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Education and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To provide for youth jobs, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Employ Young Ameri-
cans Now Act’’. 
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF EMPLOY YOUNG AMERICANS 
FUND. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the 
Treasury of the United States an account that shall be 
known as the Employ Young Americans Fund (referred 
to in this Act as the ‘‘Fund’’). 
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(b) DEPOSITS
INTO
THE
FUND.—Out of any 
amounts in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, there 
is appropriated $5,500,000,000 for fiscal year 2016, 
which shall be paid to the Fund, to be used by the Sec-
retary of Labor to carry out this Act. 
(c) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.—Of the amounts avail-
able to the Fund under subsection (b), the Secretary of 
Labor shall— 
(1) allot $4,000,000,000 in accordance with 
section 3 to provide summer and year-round employ-
ment opportunities to low-income youth; and 
(2) award $1,500,000,000 in allotments and 
competitive grants in accordance with section 4 to 
local entities to carry out work-based training and 
other work-related and educational strategies and 
activities of demonstrated effectiveness to unem-
ployed, low-income young adults and low-income 
youth to provide the skills and assistance needed to 
obtain employment. 
(d) PERIOD OF AVAILABILITY.—The amounts appro-
priated under this Act shall be available for obligation by 
the Secretary of Labor, and shall be available for expendi-
ture by grantees (including subgrantees), until expended. 
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SEC. 3. SUMMER EMPLOYMENT AND YEAR-ROUND EMPLOY-
MENT 
OPPORTUNITIES 
FOR 
LOW-INCOME 
YOUTH. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—From the funds available under 
section 2(c)(1), the Secretary of Labor shall make an al-
lotment under subsection (c) to each State that has a 
modification to a State plan (referred to in this section 
as a ‘‘State plan modification’’) (or other State request 
for funds specified in guidance under subsection (b)) ap-
proved under subsection (d), and recipient under section 
166(c) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act 
(29 U.S.C. 3221(c)) (referred to in this section as a ‘‘Na-
tive American grantee’’), that meets the requirements of 
this section, for the purpose of providing summer employ-
ment and year-round employment opportunities to low-in-
come youth. 
(b) GUIDANCE
AND APPLICATION
OF REQUIRE-
MENTS.— 
(1) GUIDANCE.—Not later than 20 days after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
Labor shall issue guidance regarding the implemen-
tation of this section. 
(2) PROCEDURES.—Such guidance shall, con-
sistent with this section, include procedures for— 
(A) the submission and approval of State 
plan modifications, for such other forms of re-
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quests for funds by the State as may be identi-
fied in such guidance, for modifications to local 
plans (referred to individually in this section as 
a ‘‘local plan modification’’), or for such other 
forms of requests for funds by local areas as 
may be identified in such guidance, that pro-
mote the expeditious and effective implementa-
tion of the activities authorized under this sec-
tion; and 
(B) the allotment and allocation of funds, 
including reallotment and reallocation of such 
funds, that promote such implementation. 
(3) REQUIREMENTS.—Except as otherwise pro-
vided in the guidance described in paragraph (1) 
and in this section and other provisions of this Act, 
the funds provided for activities under this section 
shall be administered in accordance with the provi-
sions of subtitles A, B, and E of title I of the Work-
force Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 
3111 et seq., 3151 et seq., 3241 et seq.) relating to 
youth activities. 
(c) STATE ALLOTMENTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Using the funds described in 
subsection (a), the Secretary of Labor shall allot to 
each State the total of the amounts assigned to the 
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State under subparagraphs (A) and (B) of para-
graph (2). 
(2) ASSIGNMENTS TO STATES.— 
(A) MINIMUM AMOUNTS.—Using funds de-
scribed in subsection (a), the Secretary of 
Labor shall assign to each State an amount 
equal to 1⁄2 of 1 percent of such funds. 
(B) FORMULA AMOUNTS.—The Secretary 
of Labor shall assign the remainder of the 
funds described in subsection (a) among the 
States by assigning— 
(i) 331⁄3 percent on the basis of the 
relative number of individuals in the civil-
ian labor force who are not younger than 
16 but younger than 25 in each State, 
compared to the total number of individ-
uals in the civilian labor force who are not 
younger than 16 but younger than 25 in 
all States; 
(ii) 331⁄3 percent on the basis of the 
relative number of unemployed individuals 
in each State, compared to the total num-
ber of unemployed individuals in all States; 
and 
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(iii) 331⁄3 on the basis of the relative 
number of disadvantaged young adults and 
youth in each State, compared to the total 
number of disadvantaged young adults and 
youth in all States. 
(3) REALLOTMENT.—If the Governor of a State 
does not submit a State plan modification or other 
State request for funds specified in guidance under 
subsection (b) by the date specified in subsection 
(d)(2)(A), or a State does not receive approval of 
such State plan modification or request, the amount 
the State would have been eligible to receive pursu-
ant to paragraph (2) shall be transferred within the 
Fund and added to the amounts available for com-
petitive grants under sections 2(c)(2) and 4(b)(2). 
(4) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of paragraph 
(2), the term ‘‘disadvantaged young adult or youth’’ 
means an individual who is not younger than 16 but 
is younger than 25 who received an income, or is a 
member of a family that received a total family in-
come, that, in relation to family size, does not exceed 
the higher of— 
(A) the poverty line; or 
(B) 70 percent of the lower living standard 
income level. 
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(d) STATE PLAN MODIFICATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—For a State to be eligible to 
receive an allotment of funds under subsection (c), 
the Governor of the State shall submit to the Sec-
retary of Labor a State plan modification, or other 
State request for funds specified in guidance under 
subsection (b), in such form and containing such in-
formation as the Secretary may require. At a min-
imum, such State plan modification or request shall 
include— 
(A) a description of the strategies and ac-
tivities to be carried out to provide summer em-
ployment opportunities and year-round employ-
ment opportunities, including linkages to train-
ing and educational activities, consistent with 
subsection (f); 
(B) a description of the requirements the 
State will apply relating to the eligibility of low- 
income youth, consistent with section 2(4), for 
summer employment opportunities and year- 
round employment opportunities, which require-
ments may include criteria to target assistance 
to particular categories of such low-income 
youth, such as youth with disabilities, con-
sistent with subsection (f); 
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(G) if a local board and chief elected offi-
cial in the State will provide employment oppor-
tunities with the link to training and edu-
cational 
activities 
described 
in 
subsection 
(f)(2)(B), a description of how the training and 
educational activities will lead to the industry- 
recognized credential involved. 
(2) SUBMISSION
AND
APPROVAL
OF
STATE 
PLAN MODIFICATION OR REQUEST.— 
(A) SUBMISSION.— 
(i) IN GENERAL.—The Governor shall 
submit the State plan modification or 
other State request for funds specified in 
guidance under subsection (b) to the Sec-
retary of Labor not later than 30 days 
after the issuance of such guidance. 
(ii) PROCESS.—The Secretary shall— 
(I) make copies of the State plan 
modification or request available to 
the public on the Web site of the De-
partment of Labor and through other 
electronic means, on the date on 
which the Governor submits the State 
plan modification or request under 
this section; 
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(II) allow members of the public, 
including representatives of business, 
representatives of labor organizations, 
and representatives of educational in-
stitutions, to submit to the Secretary 
comments on the State plan modifica-
tion or request, during a comment pe-
riod beginning on the submission date 
and ending 60 days after the submis-
sion date; and 
(III) include with the notification 
of approval or disapproval of the 
State plan modification or request, 
submitted to the Governor under sub-
paragraph (B), any such comments 
that represent disagreement with the 
plan modification or request. 
(B) APPROVAL.—The Secretary of Labor 
shall approve the State plan modification or re-
quest submitted under subparagraph (A) not 
later than 90 days after the submission date, 
unless the Secretary determines that the plan 
or request is inconsistent with the requirements 
of this section. If the Secretary has not made 
a determination with that 90-day period, the 
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plan or request shall be considered to be ap-
proved. If the plan or request is disapproved, 
the Secretary may provide a reasonable period 
of time in which the plan or request may be 
amended and resubmitted for approval. If the 
plan or request is approved, the Secretary shall 
allot funds to the State under subsection (c) 
within 90 days after such approval. 
(3) MODIFICATIONS
TO
STATE
PLAN
OR
RE-
QUEST.—The Governor may submit further modi-
fications to a State plan modification or other State 
request for funds specified under subsection (b), 
consistent with the requirements of this section. 
(e) WITHIN-STATE ALLOCATION AND ADMINISTRA-
TION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Of the funds allotted to the 
State under subsection (c), the Governor— 
(A) may reserve not more than 5 percent 
of the funds for administration and technical 
assistance; and 
(B) shall allocate the remainder of the 
funds among local areas within the State in ac-
cordance with clauses (i), (ii), and (iii) of sub-
section (c)(2)(B), except that for purposes of 
such allocation references to a State in sub-
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section (c)(2)(B) shall be deemed to be ref-
erences to a local area and references to all 
States shall be deemed to be references to all 
local areas in the State involved. 
(2) LOCAL PLAN.— 
(A) SUBMISSION.—In order to receive an 
allocation under paragraph (1)(B), the local 
board, in partnership with the chief elected offi-
cial for the local area involved, shall submit to 
the Governor a local plan modification, or such 
other request for funds by local areas as may 
be specified in guidance under subsection (b), 
not later than 30 days after the submission by 
the State of the State plan modification or 
other State request for funds specified in guid-
ance under subsection (b), describing the strat-
egies and activities to be carried out under this 
section. 
(B) APPROVAL.—The Governor shall ap-
prove the local plan modification or other local 
request for funds submitted under subpara-
graph (A) not later than 30 days after the sub-
mission date, unless the Governor determines 
that the plan or request is inconsistent with re-
quirements of this section. If the Governor has 
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not made a determination within that 30-day 
period, the plan shall be considered to be ap-
proved. If the plan or request is disapproved, 
the Governor may provide a reasonable period 
of time in which the plan or request may be 
amended and resubmitted for approval. If the 
plan or request is approved, the Governor shall 
allocate funds to the local area within 30 days 
after such approval. 
(3) REALLOCATION.—If a local board and chief 
elected official do not submit a local plan modifica-
tion (or other local request for funds specified in 
guidance under subsection (b)) by the date specified 
in paragraph (2), or the Governor disapproves a 
local plan modification (or other local request), the 
amount the local area would have been eligible to re-
ceive pursuant to the formula under paragraph 
(1)(B) shall be allocated to local areas that receive 
approval of their local plan modifications or local re-
quests for funds under paragraph (2). Each such 
local area shall receive a share of the total amount 
available for reallocation under this paragraph, in 
accordance with the area’s share of the total amount 
allocated under paragraph (1)(B) to such local 
areas. 
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(f) USE OF FUNDS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The funds made available 
under this section shall be used— 
(A) to provide summer employment oppor-
tunities for low-income youth, with direct link-
ages to academic and occupational learning, 
and may be used to provide supportive services, 
such as transportation or child care, that is 
necessary to enable the participation of such 
youth in the opportunities; and 
(B) to provide year-round employment op-
portunities, which may be combined with other 
activities authorized under section 129 of the 
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 
U.S.C. 3164), to low-income youth. 
(2) PROGRAM
PRIORITIES.—In administering 
the funds under this section, the local board and 
chief elected official shall give priority to— 
(A) identifying employment opportunities 
that are— 
(i) in emerging or in-demand occupa-
tions in the local area; or 
(ii) in the public or nonprofit sector 
and meet community needs; and 
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