Bill Text: NY A00165 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Enacts the "New York state YouthBuild act"; sets program requirements; authorizes grants to eligible YouthBuild participants and establishes application requirements.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 21-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-23 - enacting clause stricken [A00165 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-A00165-Introduced.html


                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                           165
                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions
                   IN ASSEMBLY
                                       (Prefiled)
                                     January 9, 2019
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  M. of A. CAHILL -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. AUBRY,
          COOK, CYMBROWITZ,  ENGLEBRIGHT,  GANTT,  GOTTFRIED,  JAFFEE,  LUPARDO,
          MAGNARELLI,  ORTIZ,  PEOPLES-STOKES,  RIVERA, RODRIGUEZ, TITUS -- read
          once and referred to the Committee on Education
        AN ACT to amend the labor law, in relation to  enacting  the  "New  York
          state  YouthBuild  act"; setting program requirements; authorizing the
          commissioner of labor to make grants to eligible  YouthBuild  programs
          and to establish application requirements; and expanding the number of
          YouthBuild programs in New York state
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may  be  cited  as
     2  the "New York state YouthBuild act".
     3    § 2. Legislative intent. The legislature seeks to support economically
     4  disadvantaged youth, especially youth who have not finished high school,
     5  to obtain the education, work experience skills training, personal coun-
     6  seling,  leadership  development  skills training, job placement assist-
     7  ance, and long-term follow-up services necessary  for  them  to  achieve
     8  permanent  economic  self-sufficiency,  while at the same time providing
     9  valuable community service that addresses urgent community needs includ-
    10  ing the demand for affordable housing and the need for young role models
    11  and mentors for younger teenagers and children.
    12    The legislature further intends to foster the development  of  leader-
    13  ship skills and a commitment to community development among youth and to
    14  ensure  maximum  educational achievement of program participants through
    15  high school diploma or  the  equivalent  attainment  and  transition  to
    16  institutions of higher education, where appropriate.
    17    The legislature further intends to provide communities the opportunity
    18  to establish or rebuild neighborhood stability in economically depressed
    19  and low-income areas, as well as historic areas requiring restoration or
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD00026-01-9

        A. 165                              2
     1  preservation, while providing economically disadvantaged youth and youth
     2  who  have  not  finished  high  school  an  opportunity for a meaningful
     3  participation in society.
     4    The  legislature  further  intends  to allow communities to expand the
     5  supply of affordable housing for homeless and other low-income  individ-
     6  uals by utilizing the energies and talents of economically disadvantaged
     7  youth and young people who have not graduated from high school.
     8    The  legislature  also intends to foster the development of leadership
     9  skills and a commitment to community development among youth.
    10    § 3. The labor law is amended by adding a new section 42-a to read  as
    11  follows:
    12    § 42-a. YouthBuild; program requirements services.  1. The commission-
    13  er is authorized, subject to amounts made available by appropriation, to
    14  make  grants  to  eligible  applicants  for  the purpose of carrying out
    15  YouthBuild programs as approved under this section. All programs  funded
    16  pursuant  to  the  provisions  of this section shall use funds available
    17  pursuant to this section to provide the following services:
    18    a. The training costs for the rehabilitation or construction of  hous-
    19  ing  and  related  facilities  to  be  used for the purpose of providing
    20  homeownership for disadvantaged persons, residential housing  for  home-
    21  less  individuals, and low-income and very low-income families, or tran-
    22  sitional housing for persons who are homeless,  have  disabilities,  are
    23  ill,  are  deinstitutionalized,  or have special needs, or the rehabili-
    24  tation or construction of community facilities owned  by  not-for-profit
    25  public agencies.
    26    b. The cost of providing training and placement in the growing employ-
    27  ment sectors of healthcare and technology.
    28    c.  The cost of integrated education and work experience skills train-
    29  ing services and activities which are evenly divided within the  program
    30  shall include the following elements:
    31    (1)  An  education component which includes: basic skills instruction,
    32  secondary education services, and other activities designed to  lead  to
    33  the  attainment  of a high school diploma or its equivalent. The curric-
    34  ulum for this component shall include math,  language  arts,  vocational
    35  education,  life skills training, social studies related to the cultural
    36  and community history of the  students,  leadership  skills,  and  other
    37  topics at the discretion of the programs; and
    38    (2) A work experience and skills training component pre-apprenticeship
    39  program   that   includes  construction  and  rehabilitation  activities
    40  described  in  paragraph  a  of  this  subdivision.   The   process   of
    41  construction  must  be  coupled with work experience skills training and
    42  with close on-site supervision by experienced trainers.  The  curriculum
    43  for this component shall contain a set of locally agreed upon skills and
    44  competencies  that  are  systematically  taught,  with students' mastery
    45  assessed individually on a regular, ongoing basis.  The work  experience
    46  and skills training component shall be coordinated to the maximum extent
    47  feasible  with  preapprenticeship  programs, and apprenticeship programs
    48  authorized under article twenty-three of this chapter.
    49    d. The cost of counseling services designed to assist participants  to
    50  positively  participate  in  society,  which  should  include all of the
    51  following if necessary: outreach, assessment, and orientation;  individ-
    52  ual  and  peer  counseling; life skills training; drug and alcohol abuse
    53  education and prevention; and referral  to  appropriate  drug  rehabili-
    54  tation,  medical,  mental health, legal, housing, and other services and
    55  resources in the community.

        A. 165                              3
     1    2. A training subsidy, living allowance, or stipend that shall  be  no
     2  less  than minimum wage must be provided to program participants for the
     3  time spent at the worksite in  construction  training,  health  care  or
     4  information  technology  services. Stipends and wages may be distributed
     5  in a manner that offers incentives for good performance.
     6    a.  Full  time  participation in a YouthBuild program shall be offered
     7  for a period of not less than six months and not more  than  twenty-four
     8  months.
     9    b.  A  concentrated  effort,  for those participants who choose not to
    10  immediately enroll in an institution of higher education, shall be  made
    11  to  find construction, construction-related, and nonconstruction jobs as
    12  well as jobs in the fields of healthcare and technology for  all  gradu-
    13  ates  of the program who have performed well. The work experience skills
    14  training curriculum shall provide participants  with  basic  preparation
    15  for  seeking  and maintaining a job. Follow-up counseling and assistance
    16  in job-seeking shall also be provided to  participants  for  the  twelve
    17  months following graduation from the program.
    18    c.  All programs serving twenty-eight trainees or more are required to
    19  have a full-time  director  responsible  for  the  coordination  of  all
    20  aspects of the YouthBuild program.
    21    3.  a. Eligible participants are youth between the ages of sixteen and
    22  twenty-four who are economically disadvantaged as defined in  29  United
    23  States Code 1503, and who are part of one of the following groups:
    24    (1)  Persons  who are not attending any school and have not received a
    25  secondary school diploma or its equivalent; or
    26    (2) Persons currently enrolled in a traditional or alternative  school
    27  setting  or a HSE/TASC (high school equivalency/test assessing secondary
    28  completion) program and who are in danger of dropping out of school; or
    29    (3) Very low-income persons whose incomes are at or  less  than  fifty
    30  percent  of  the  area  median income area, adjusted for family size, as
    31  estimated by the department of housing and urban development.
    32    b. An exception may be made for  individuals  not  meeting  income  or
    33  educational  need requirements. Not more than twenty-five percent of the
    34  participants in such program may be individuals  who  do  not  meet  the
    35  requirements of this subdivision, but who have educational needs despite
    36  the attainment of a high school diploma.
    37    4. Priority in the awarding of funds under this section shall be given
    38  to  applicants  with  experience  in  operating  YouthBuild programs and
    39  implementing the YouthBuild model, including but not limited to, housing
    40  construction skills training, education,  leadership  development,  life
    41  skills  training,  and counseling services. Priority shall also be given
    42  to those who meet the program standards of YouthBuild USA, Inc.
    43    5. Any not-for-profit private agencies, or public agencies with  expe-
    44  rience  operating  a  YouthBuild  program  or  with a plan to incubate a
    45  YouthBuild program until it  can  be  established  as  a  not-for-profit
    46  private  agency are eligible entities. Only not-for-profit private agen-
    47  cies or public agencies that are licensed affiliates of YouthBuild  USA,
    48  Inc.  or  currently  receive a department of labor YouthBuild award, are
    49  eligible to use the term YouthBuild  or  eligible  to  apply  for  these
    50  funds.
    51    6.  The  commissioner shall require applicants for YouthBuild funds to
    52  include various  information  on  the  applicant's  programs  and  shall
    53  promulgate regulations outlining information required on such applicant.
    54  Provided, however, that at a minimum such application shall include:
    55    a. A request for an implementation grant, specifying the amount of the
    56  grant requested and its proposed uses;

        A. 165                              4
     1    b.  A  description  of the applicant and a statement of its qualifica-
     2  tions, including  a  description  of  the  applicant's  past  experience
     3  running  a YouthBuild program, and its experience with housing rehabili-
     4  tation or construction and with youth and youth education, youth leader-
     5  ship  development  and work experience skills training programs, and its
     6  relationship with local unions and youth  apprenticeship  programs,  and
     7  other community groups; and
     8    c.  A description of the educational and work experience skills train-
     9  ing activities, work opportunities, and other  services  that  shall  be
    10  provided to participants.
    11    §  4. This act shall take effect one year after it shall have become a
    12  law.
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