I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 8577 
To provide grants for Civic Justice Corps programs for court-involved, 
previously incarcerated, and otherwise disadvantaged youth and young adults. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 9, 2020 
Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ (for herself and Ms. MENG) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor 
A BILL 
To provide grants for Civic Justice Corps programs for 
court-involved, previously incarcerated, and otherwise dis-
advantaged youth and young adults. 
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 ‘‘Kenneth P. Thompson 
Civic Justice Corps Act of 2020’’. 
SEC. 2. PURPOSE. 
The purpose of this Act is to develop, implement, and 
expand educational and work experience opportunities for 
court-involved, previously incarcerated, and otherwise dis-
advantaged youth and young adults through service and 
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conservation corps and other community-based service or-
ganizations. 
SEC. 3. CIVIC JUSTICE CORPS GRANTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General shall award 
grants to one or more national intermediaries to develop, 
implement, and collect data from Civic Justice Corps pro-
grams administered by no fewer than ten local sub-
grantees in the geographic regions established under sub-
section (k)(2). 
(b) APPLICATION.—A national intermediary that de-
sires a grant under this section shall submit an application 
to the Secretary at such time and in such manner as the 
Secretary may require, including, at a minimum that— 
(1) contains such agreements, assurances, and 
information, is in such form, and is submitted in 
such manner, as the Attorney General shall by rule 
require; 
(2) includes a long-term strategy and detailed 
implementation plan that reflects consultation with 
community groups and appropriate community 
stakeholders; 
(3) explains the national intermediary’s inabil-
ity to address the need without Federal assistance; 
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(4) identifies related governmental and commu-
nity initiatives which compliment, or will be coordi-
nated with, the proposal; 
(5) identifies jurisdictions where the national 
intermediary intends to supervise local subgrantees, 
and includes a description of the local service pro-
viders and nonprofit organizations that have sub-
stantial or significant experience dealing with court- 
involved, previously incarcerated, and otherwise dis-
advantaged youth; 
(6) provides details on the intended methodolo-
gies employing scientifically based research methods, 
to be used for data collection purposes for current 
participants and postprogram participants; and 
(7) subject to paragraph (8), an assurance that, 
if the local subgrantee or national intermediary re-
ceives a grant, or a renewal of such grant under this 
section, the local subgrantee or national inter-
mediary will develop a plan to secure other public or 
private funding resources to ensure the continued 
operation and maintenance of the program after 
funds under such grant, or renewal, are no longer 
available. 
(8) The Secretary shall waive the requirement 
under paragraph (7) for the local subgrantee or na-
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tional intermediary if the local grantee or national 
intermediary demonstrates that complying with such 
requirement would create an undue burden that 
would result in significant disruption of the Civic 
Justice Corps program. 
(9) For the purposes of an application under 
this subsection, the term ‘‘scientifically based re-
search methods’’ means research methods that— 
(A) apply rigorous, systematic, and objec-
tive procedures to obtain valid knowledge rel-
evant to court-involved, previously incarcerated, 
and otherwise disadvantaged youth and young 
adults; and 
(B) rely on measurements or observational 
methods that provide data across multiple 
measurements and observations. 
(c) PREFERENTIAL CONSIDERATION
OF APPLICA-
TIONS.—From among the applications submitted by na-
tional intermediaries under subsection (b), the Secretary 
shall provide preference on the basis of— 
(1) the effectiveness of the data collection meth-
odologies submitted under subsection (b)(6); 
(2) the assurances made under subsection 
(b)(1); and 
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