I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2281 
To reauthorize the Job Corps program, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 21, 2025 
Ms. WILSON of Florida introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Education and Workforce 
A BILL 
To reauthorize the Job Corps program, 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 ‘‘Strengthening Job 
Corps Act of 2025’’. 
SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS RELATING TO JOB CORPS. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 142 of the Work-
force Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 
3192) is amended— 
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(A) by amending paragraph (7) to read as 
follows: 
‘‘(7) JOB
CORPS
CAMPUS.—The term ‘Job 
Corps campus’ means a campus run by an operator 
selected by the Secretary pursuant to section 147, 
carrying out Job Corps activities.’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(11) STATE.—The term ‘State’ has the mean-
ing given the term in section 3, except that such 
term also includes outlying areas (as defined in sec-
tion 3).’’. 
(2) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Subtitle C of 
title I of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity 
Act (29 U.S.C. 3191 et seq.) is amended— 
(A) by striking ‘‘Job Corps center’’ each 
place such term appears and inserting ‘‘Job 
Corps campus’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘Job Corps centers’’ each 
place such term appears and inserting ‘‘Job 
Corps campuses’’. 
(b) INDIVIDUALS ELIGIBLE FOR THE JOB CORPS.— 
Section 144 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity 
Act (29 U.S.C. 3194) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
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(A) by amending paragraph (1) to read as 
follows: 
‘‘(1) not less than age 16 and not more than 
age 24 on the date of enrollment, except that such 
maximum age limitation may be waived by the Sec-
retary, in accordance with regulations of the Sec-
retary, up to age 28 in the case of an individual with 
a disability or a justice-involved individual; and’’; 
(B) by striking paragraph (2); and 
(C) by redesignating paragraph (3) as 
paragraph (2) and by amending such para-
graph— 
(i) in subparagraph (A), by striking 
‘‘Basic skills deficient’’ and inserting ‘‘An 
individual with foundational skill needs’’; 
(ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 
‘‘A school dropout’’ and inserting ‘‘An op-
portunity youth’’; 
(iii) in subparagraph (D), by inserting 
‘‘or an individual who is pregnant’’ before 
the period; 
(iv) by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(G)(i) A low-income individual as defined 
in subsection (h)(4) of section 402A of the 
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Higher Education Amendments of 1992 (20 
U.S.C. 1070a–11) as determined using proce-
dures similar to those in subsection 402a(e) of 
such section; or 
‘‘(ii) a resident of a qualified opportunity 
zone as defined in section 1400Z–1(a) of the 
Internal Revenue Code of 1986.’’; and 
(2) by amending subsection (b) to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(b) SPECIAL RULE
FOR VETERANS.—A veteran 
shall be eligible to become an enrollee if the veteran meets 
the requirements of subsection (a)(1).’’. 
(c) RECRUITMENT, SCREENING, SELECTION, AND 
ASSIGNMENT
OF ENROLLEES.—Section 145(a) of the 
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 
3195(a)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (2)— 
(A) in subparagraph (D), by striking 
‘‘and’’ at the end; 
(B) in subparagraph (E), by striking the 
period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(F) assist one-stop centers and other en-
tities identified in paragraph (3) in developing 
joint applications for Job Corps, YouthBuild, 
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and youth workforce investment activities under 
which an applicant may submit a single applica-
tion for all such programs.’’; and 
(2) in paragraph (5), by striking the last sen-
tence. 
(d) JOB CORPS CAMPUSES.—Section 147 of the 
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 
3197) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
(A) in paragraph (2)— 
(i) in subparagraph (A), by inserting 
at the end the following: ‘‘Such award shall 
be based upon best value and fair and rea-
sonable pricing.’’; and 
(ii) by amending subparagraph (B) to 
read as follows: 
‘‘(B) CONSIDERATIONS.— 
‘‘(i) STUDENT OUTCOMES.—In select-
ing an entity to operate a Job Corps cam-
pus, the Secretary shall consider a numeric 
metric of recent past effectiveness of the 
entity in assisting opportunity youth to 
connect to the workforce, to be calculated 
based on data regarding— 
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‘‘(I) the percentage of students 
served by the entity who were in edu-
cation or training activities, or in un-
subsidized employment, during the 
second quarter after exit from the rel-
evant program; 
‘‘(II) the percentage of students 
served by the entity who were in edu-
cation or training activities, or in un-
subsidized employment, during the 
fourth quarter after exit from the rel-
evant program; 
‘‘(III) the median earnings of 
students served by the entity who 
were in unsubsidized employment dur-
ing the second quarter after exit from 
the relevant program; 
‘‘(IV) the percentage of students 
served by the entity who obtained a 
recognized postsecondary credential, 
or a secondary school diploma or its 
recognized equivalent, during partici-
pation in or within 1 year after exit 
from the relevant program; 
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‘‘(V) expected levels of perform-
ance 
established 
under 
section 
159(c)(2) or similar metrics for re-
cruitment of eligible youth for rel-
evant contracts or grants. 
‘‘(ii) MARKET DEVELOPMENT.— 
‘‘(I) 
MENTOR-PROTE´GE´
PRO-
GRAM.—The Secretary shall carry out 
a mentor-prote´ge´ program in accord-
ance with section 45 of the Small 
Business Act (15 U.S.C. 657r) with 
respect to Job Corps campus oper-
ations. 
‘‘(II) PAST-PERFORMANCE.—The 
Secretary shall publish comparable al-
ternative metrics for entities without 
previous experience in Job Corps cam-
pus operations to demonstrate their 
past effectiveness in accordance with 
the requirements of clause (i).’’; and 
(B) in paragraph (3)— 
(i) in subparagraph (A), by inserting 
‘‘high-skill, high-wage, or’’ before ‘‘in-de-
mand’’; 
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(ii) in subparagraph (C), by striking 
‘‘Workforce Investment Act of 1998’’ and 
inserting ‘‘Workforce Innovation and Op-
portunity Act’’; 
(iii) by redesignating subparagraph 
(K) as subparagraph (L); and 
(iv) by inserting after subparagraph 
(J) the following: 
‘‘(K) A description of the entity’s ability to 
demonstrate a record of successfully operating 
a safe learning and residential environment for 
opportunity youth.’’; 
(2) in subsection (b), by striking paragraphs 
(2) and (3) and inserting the following: 
‘‘(2) HIGH PERFORMANCE.—An entity shall be 
considered to be an operator of a high-performing 
campus if the Job Corps campus operated by the en-
tity was ranked among the top 25 percent of Job 
Corps campuses, excluding Civilian Conservation 
Centers described in subsection (d), for the two most 
recent preceding program years.’’; 
(3) in subsection (d), by adding at the end the 
following: 
‘‘(4) DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY.—The Secretary 
of Agriculture may appoint, without regard to the 
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provisions of subchapter I of chapter 33 of title 5, 
United States Code (other than sections 3303 and 
3328 of such title), a graduate of a Civilian Con-
servation Center who successfully completed a train-
ing program focused on forestry, wildland fire-
fighting, or another topic relating to the mission of 
the Forest Service directly to a position with the De-
partment of Agriculture, Forest Service, for which 
the candidate meets Office of Personnel Manage-
ment qualification standards.’’; 
(4) in subsection (f), by striking ‘‘2-year’’ and 
inserting ‘‘4-year’’; and 
(5) in subsection (g)(1), by striking ‘‘the pre-
ceding year for which information is available’’ and 
all that follows through the end and inserting ‘‘the 
preceding year for which information is available, 
such campus has been ranked in the lowest 10 per-
cent of Job Corps campuses.’’. 
(e) PROGRAM ACTIVITIES.—Section 148(a) of the 
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 
3198(a)) is amended, in the subsection heading, by insert-
ing ‘‘Academic’’ before ‘‘Activities’’. 
(f) SUPPORT.—Section 150 of the Workforce Innova-
tion and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3200) is amended— 
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(1) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘3 months’’ 
and inserting ‘‘12 months’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(d) PERIOD OF TRANSITION.—Notwithstanding the 
requirements of section 146(b), Job Corps graduates may 
remain enrolled and a resident of a Job Corps campus 
for not more than 1 month after graduation, subject to 
approval by the director of the Job Corps Campus, in 
order to facilitate their transition into independent living 
and employment.’’. 
(g) OPERATIONS.—Section 151 of the Workforce In-
novation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3201) is amend-
ed to read as follows: 
‘‘SEC. 151. OPERATIONS. 
‘‘(a) OPERATING PLAN.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The provisions of the con-
tract between the Secretary and an entity selected to 
operate a Job Corps campus shall, including any 
subsequent modifications to such contract, serve as 
an operating plan for the Job Corps campus. 
‘‘(2) 
FEDERAL
CHANGES
TO
OPERATING 
PLAN.—The Secretary may require the operator to 
submit additional information, as the Secretary 
deems necessary for compliance with any relevant 
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regulations, which shall be considered part of the op-
erating plan. 
‘‘(3) AVAILABILITY.—The Secretary shall make 
the operating plan described in paragraphs (1) and 
(2), excluding any proprietary information, available 
on a publicly accessible website. 
‘‘(b) LOCAL AUTHORITIES.—Subject to the limita-
tions of their approved budgets, the operators of Job 
Corps campuses shall have the authority, without prior ap-
proval from the Secretary, to— 
‘‘(1) hire staff and invest in staff professional 
development; 
‘‘(2) enter into agreements with local partners, 
such as secondary and postsecondary schools or em-
ployers; and 
‘‘(3) engage with and educate stakeholders 
about Job Corps operations and activities.’’. 
(h) STANDARDS OF CONDUCT.—Section 152 of the 
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 
3202) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a), by striking the second 
sentence; 
(2) by amending subsection (b) to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(b) BEHAVIORAL MANAGEMENT PLAN.— 
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‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—As part of the operating 
plan defined in section 151(a), the director of each 
Job Corps campus shall develop and implement a be-
havioral management plan, subject to the approval 
of the Secretary. Such plan shall include student 
standards of conduct, positive behavioral interven-
tions and supports, and multi-tier systems of sup-
ports. 
‘‘(2) DISCIPLINARY
MEASURES
AND
DRUG 
TESTING.— 
‘‘(A) DISCIPLINARY MEASURES.—To pro-
mote the proper behavioral standards in the 
Job Corps, the director of each Job Corps cam-
pus shall, consistent with the applicable behav-
ioral management plan described in paragraph 
(1), have the authority to take appropriate dis-
ciplinary measures against enrollees if such di-
rector determines that an enrollee has com-
mitted a violation of the standards of conduct. 
The director shall adopt a policy of dismissing 
enrollees for an act of violence that seriously 
endangers the safety of students, staff, or the 
local community, and for illegal activity on the 
campus. 
‘‘(B) DEFINITIONS.—In this paragraph: 
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‘‘(i) CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE.—The 
term ‘controlled substance’ has the mean-
ing given the term in section 102 of the 
Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 
802). 
‘‘(ii) ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY.—The 
term ‘zero tolerance policy’ means a policy 
under which an enrollee shall be automati-
cally dismissed from the Job Corps after a 
determination by the director that the en-
rollee has carried out an act of violence 
that seriously endangers the safety of stu-
dents, staff, or the local community or en-
gaged in an illegal activity on the campus. 
‘‘(3) ADVISORY
GROUP.—The Secretary shall 
periodically convene an advisory group of Job Corps 
operators and service providers and subject matter 
experts to review the reporting data collected under 
paragraph (5) and provide recommendations for Job 
Corps behavioral management plans based on evi-
dence-based research regarding effective and equi-
table behavioral policies. 
‘‘(4) LAW ENFORCEMENT AGREEMENTS.—The 
directors of each Job Corps campus shall enter into 
an agreement with the relevant local law enforce-
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