I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5236 
To establish a competitive grant program to support out-of-school-time youth 
workforce readiness programs, providing employability skills development, 
career exploration, employment readiness training, mentoring, work-based 
learning, and workforce opportunities for eligible youth. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 21, 2019 
Mr. HARDER of California (for himself, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Ms. BLUNT ROCH-
ESTER, Mr. UPTON, Mr. COLE, and Mr. MOULTON) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor 
A BILL 
To establish a competitive grant program to support out- 
of-school-time youth workforce readiness programs, pro-
viding employability skills development, career explo-
ration, employment readiness training, mentoring, work- 
based learning, and workforce opportunities for eligible 
youth. 
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 ‘‘Youth Workforce 
Readiness Act of 2019’’. 
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SEC. 2. PURPOSE. 
The purpose of this Act is to establish or expand ac-
tivities to— 
(1) increase access and opportunities for youth 
to obtain the education and training that youth need 
to succeed in the labor market; 
(2) support engagement in and the integration 
of programs and activities offered during out-of- 
school-time hours through the workforce investment, 
education, and economic development systems; 
(3) improve the quality of the workforce and 
meet the skill requirements of employers; 
(4) engage employers in addressing the train-
ing, skill, and employment needs of youth and youth 
jobseekers, and fostering opportunities for connec-
tion and economic mobility; and 
(5) include younger youth in the education and 
workforce investment activities in an age and devel-
opmentally appropriate manner. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) COMMUNITY-BASED
ORGANIZATION.—The 
term ‘‘community-based organization’’ means a 
youth-serving private nonprofit organization (which 
may include a faith-based organization) that— 
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(A) is representative of a community or a 
significant segment of a community; 
(B) has demonstrated expertise and effec-
tiveness in workforce development; and 
(C) has demonstrated expertise— 
(i) in the planning and delivery of 
education, training, and related activities 
that are included in a career pathway; 
(ii) in forging coordination and co-
operation between educators and other 
members of the community; and 
(iii) in development and implementa-
tion of data systems that measure the 
progress of students and outcomes of ca-
reer pathways. 
(2) COVERED PARTNERSHIP.—The term ‘‘cov-
ered partnership’’ means a partnership between— 
(A) a community-based organization; and 
(B) an industry or sector partnership, a 
local educational agency, and another public en-
tity or private employer, as appropriate. 
(3) ELIGIBLE
YOUTH.—The term ‘‘eligible 
youth’’ has the meaning given the term in section 3 
of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act 
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(29 U.S.C. 3102), except that the individual involved 
shall be— 
(A) not younger than age 6; and 
(B) not older than age 18 (or age 19 if en-
rolled in secondary school). 
(4) INDUSTRY OR SECTOR PARTNERSHIP.—The 
term ‘‘industry or sector partnership’’ means— 
(A) an industry or sector partnership, as 
defined in section 3 of the Workforce Innova-
tion and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102); 
and 
(B) a collaborative that meets the require-
ments of paragraph (26) of that section 3 but 
also includes— 
(i) an Indian tribe or tribal organiza-
tion (as such terms are defined in section 
166(b) of that Act (29 U.S.C. 3221(b))), 
as appropriate; or 
(ii) a community-based organization. 
(5) OUT-OF-SCHOOL-TIME.—The term ‘‘out-of- 
school-time’’, used with respect to a program de-
scribed in section 7, means a supervised program 
regularly attended by eligible youth, that fosters 
learning and development during out-of-school-time 
hours, which includes hours before school, after 
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school, during summer vacation or another school 
holiday, or on a Saturday or Sunday. 
(6) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Labor. 
(7) WIOA DEFINITIONS.—The terms ‘‘career 
pathway’’, ‘‘customized training’’, ‘‘in-demand indus-
try sector or occupation’’, ‘‘local area’’, ‘‘local 
board’’, ‘‘local educational agency’’, and ‘‘recognized 
postsecondary credential’’ have the meanings given 
the terms in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation 
and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102). 
(8) WORKFORCE
READINESS
PROGRAM.—The 
term ‘‘workforce readiness program’’ means an out- 
of-school-time program that— 
(A) meets the requirements of section 7; 
(B) is offered by a community-based orga-
nization of an eligible entity or a related cov-
ered partnership; and 
(C) is intended to help prepare eligible 
youth for the workforce. 
SEC. 4. GRANT PROGRAM ESTABLISHMENT. 
(a) GRANTS.—Using the amounts made available 
under section 9, the Secretary shall award grants, on a 
competitive basis, to eligible entities. 
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(b) GENERAL USE OF FUNDS.—The Secretary shall 
award the grants, on a competitive basis, to assist eligible 
entities in planning, developing, and implementing nation-
wide, comprehensive workforce readiness programs, that 
are— 
(1) in out-of-school-time programs; 
(2) carried out by community-based organiza-
tions of the eligible entity or related covered partner-
ships; and 
(3) for eligible youth. 
(c) PERIODS
OF
GRANTS.—The Secretary shall 
award the grants for periods of not less than 3 years and 
not more than 5 years. 
SEC. 5. ELIGIBLE ENTITIES. 
To be eligible to receive a grant under section 4, an 
entity shall— 
(1)(A) be a national youth-serving organization 
with active chapters, affiliates, or subgrant recipi-
ents, that are community-based organizations (in-
cluding such organizations that are facility-based or-
ganizations) in not fewer than 35 States; and 
(B) provide programming focused on youth 
workforce readiness in an out-of-school-time pro-
gram; and 
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(2) obtain approval of an application under sec-
tion 6. 
SEC. 6. APPLICATION. 
To be eligible to receive a grant under section 4, an 
entity shall submit an application to the Secretary at such 
time, in such manner, and containing such information as 
the Secretary may require, including— 
(1) a description of how the entity will imple-
ment a youth workforce readiness program in a 
manner that ensures an equitable geographic dis-
tribution of program activities, including an equi-
table distribution between urban and rural commu-
nities; 
(2) a description of the proposed program ac-
tivities to be funded and their locations; 
(3) a description of populations of eligible youth 
to be served, including populations living in or from 
underserved communities or communities with em-
ployment disparities; 
(4) a description of the effective strategies, best 
practices, or evidence-based practices the workforce 
readiness program will use; 
(5) an assurance that the program will take 
place in safe and easily accessible facilities; 
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(6) a demonstration of how, in implementing 
the proposed program activities, the entity will co-
ordinate activities with Federal, State, and local pro-
grams and make the most effective use of public re-
sources; 
(7) a description of— 
(A) the community-based organizations or 
the covered partnerships through which the en-
tity will implement the program; and 
(B) if a covered partnership will assist in 
implementing the program, the collaboration 
and coordination activities that the community- 
based organization in the partnership has car-
ried out or will carry out with other entities in 
the partnership, related to that implementation; 
(8) if the program includes an opportunity to 
earn a recognized postsecondary credential, a de-
scription of the activities leading to the credential; 
(9) an assurance that funds provided under this 
Act will be used to supplement and not supplant 
other Federal, State, or local funds expended to pro-
vide youth programs or workforce readiness pro-
grams; and 
(10) a budget detailing program activities and 
administrative costs. 
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SEC. 7. PROGRAM ACTIVITIES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity that receives a 
grant under section 4 shall use the grant funds— 
(1) if the entity seeks to implement the work-
force readiness program through a covered partner-
ship, to establish the partnership; and 
(2) to carry out the development and implemen-
tation of a youth workforce readiness program— 
(A) that includes services to help prepare 
eligible youth who are not younger than age 15 
for the workforce, which services shall include— 
(i) support for the use of career path-
ways; 
(ii) paid and unpaid work experiences 
that have as a component academic and 
occupational education, which may in-
clude— 
(I) summer employment opportu-
nities and other employment opportu-
nities available throughout the school 
year; 
(II) pre-apprenticeship and ap-
prenticeship 
programs 
registered 
under the National Apprenticeship 
Act; 
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(III) internships and job shad-
owing; and 
(IV) on-the-job training opportu-
nities; 
(iii) work-based learning (as defined 
in section 3 of the Carl D. Perkins Career 
and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 
U.S.C. 2302)) that provides opportunities 
for the application of employability skills, 
and hands-on work experiences through 
covered partnerships; 
(iv) occupational skill training, which 
shall include priority consideration for 
training programs that lead to recognized 
postsecondary credentials that are aligned 
with in-demand industry sectors or occupa-
tions in the local area involved, if the local 
board determines that the programs meet 
the quality criteria described in section 123 
of the Workforce Innovation and Oppor-
tunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3153); 
(v) the provision of customized train-
ing; 
(vi) education offered concurrently 
with and in the same context as workforce 
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readiness activities and training for a spe-
cific occupation or occupational cluster; 
and 
(vii) activities that help youth prepare 
for and transition to postsecondary edu-
cation and training; 
(B) that includes services to help prepare 
eligible youth for the workforce, which services 
shall include— 
(i) leadership development opportuni-
ties, which may include community service 
and peer-centered activities encouraging 
responsibility and other positive social and 
civic behaviors, as appropriate; 
(ii) workforce or workforce readiness 
opportunities; 
(iii) supportive services; 
(iv) adult mentoring for the period of 
participation and a subsequent period, for 
a total of not less than 12 months; 
(v) comprehensive guidance and coun-
seling, which may include drug and alcohol 
abuse, prevention services, counseling and 
referral, as appropriate; 
(vi) financial literacy education; 
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(vii) entrepreneurial skills training; 
(viii) services that provide labor mar-
ket and employment information about in- 
demand industry sectors or occupations 
available in the local area, such as career 
awareness, career counseling, and career 
exploration services; 
(ix) activities to develop fundamental 
workforce readiness skills, or to develop 
employability skills (such as communica-
tion, creativity, collaboration, and critical 
thinking) that support social-emotional de-
velopment through every developmental 
stage, in both formal and informal learning 
experiences; 
(x) academic counseling to support 
workforce readiness; and 
(xi) career exposure, through men-
toring and targeted programming, offered 
by local industry or sector partnerships, to 
provide career assessments and education 
and career planning; and 
(C) that may include— 
(i) the provision of professional devel-
opment (as defined in section 3 of the Carl 
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D. Perkins Career and Technical Edu-
cation Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2302)) for 
training educators and other providers of 
educational services who participate in the 
workforce readiness program; and 
(ii) developing assets and resources 
that assist an employer or groups of em-
ployers or sectors in working with eligible 
youth. 
(b) SUBGRANTS.—The eligible entity may use the 
grant funds, with the approval of the Secretary, to award 
subgrants to eligible organizations to carry out activities 
through a youth workforce readiness program. 
SEC. 8. EVALUATION AND REPORTING. 
(a) MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity that imple-
ments a youth workforce readiness program under 
this Act shall— 
(A) ensure that the program is— 
(i) based upon an assessment of objec-
tive data regarding the need for such a 
program in the communities served; and 
(ii) evaluated on an established set of 
performance measures aimed at ensuring 
the availability of high-quality opportuni-
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ties by measuring eligible youth success; 
and 
(B) collect the data necessary for the 
measures of eligible youth success described in 
subparagraph (A)(ii). 
(2) MEASURES.—The performance measures 
(including indicators) that will be used to evaluate 
the youth workforce readiness programs— 
(A) shall be aligned with the regular aca-
demic program of the school of and the aca-
demic needs of participating eligible youth; and 
(B) shall include performance measures 
that— 
(i) are able to track the success (such 
as improvement over time) of eligible 
youth; and 
(ii) include assessment results and 
other indicators of eligible youth success, 
such as improved attendance during the 
school day, better classroom grades, reg-
ular (or consistent) program attendance, 
and on-time advancement to the next 
grade level; and 
(C) for high school students, may include 
indicators such as achievement of career com-
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petencies, or successful completion of intern-
ships, apprenticeships, or work-based learning 
opportunities, or high school graduation. 
(b) PERIODIC EVALUATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall conduct 
a periodic evaluation of the eligible entity, to assess 
the progress of the entity’s youth workforce readi-
ness program toward ensuring high-quality opportu-
nities by measuring eligible youth success. 
(2) USE OF RESULTS.—The results of evalua-
tions under paragraph (1) shall be— 
(A) used to refine, improve, and strengthen 
the program, and to refine the performance 
measures; and 
(B) used by the Secretary to determine 
whether a grant for a program is eligible to be 
renewed under section 4. 
(c) REPORTING.—The Secretary shall submit a re-
port containing the results of the evaluation to the appro-
priate committees of Congress, and make the report avail-
able to the public. 
SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
this Act $100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2020 
through 2024. 
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Learning Advisors (as defined in section 3 
of WIOA), with experience relating to 
youth workforce activities; and 
‘‘(viii) representatives of the Job 
Corps; and 
‘‘(B) may include such other individuals as 
the chairperson of the local board, in coopera-
tion with the chief elected official, determines to 
be appropriate. 
‘‘(3) RELATIONSHIP TO LOCAL BOARD.—Mem-
bers of the youth council who are not otherwise 
members of the local board shall be voting members 
of the youth council and nonvoting members of the 
board. 
‘‘(4) DUTIES.—The duties of the youth council 
shall include— 
‘‘(A) representing the interests of youth 
before the local board; 
‘‘(B) collaborating with the local board to 
ensure programs address youth workforce devel-
opment and youth workforce readiness; and 
‘‘(C) advising the local board on the inclu-
sion and incorporation of the local youth work-
force in decisions as appropriate. 
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‘‘(k) RECOMMENDATIONS.—Amend WIOA to include 
Youth Councils as a required section of the State and local 
plan, including how they are incorporating the rec-
ommendations of the youth councils, including in the an-
nual report have a requirement to report on activities re-
lated to council’s recommendations.’’. 
Æ 
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