Bill Text: NY S08073 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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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 15-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2018-06-21 - referred to education [S08073 Detail]

Download: New_York-2017-S08073-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          8073
                    IN SENATE
                                     March 26, 2018
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  Sen.  MONTGOMERY  -- read twice and ordered printed, and
          when printed to be committed to the Committee on Labor
        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
    20  preservation, while providing economically disadvantaged youth and youth
    21  who  have  not  finished  high  school  an  opportunity for a meaningful
    22  participation in society.
    23    The legislature further intends to allow  communities  to  expand  the
    24  supply  of affordable housing for homeless and other low-income individ-
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD14942-02-8
        S. 8073                             2
     1  uals by utilizing the energies and talents of economically disadvantaged
     2  youth and young people who have not graduated from high school.
     3    The  legislature  also intends to foster the development of leadership
     4  skills and a commitment to community development among youth.
     5    § 3. The labor law is amended by adding a new section 42-a to read  as
     6  follows:
     7    § 42-a. YouthBuild; program requirements services.  1. The commission-
     8  er is authorized, subject to amounts made available by appropriation, to
     9  make  grants  to  eligible  applicants  for  the purpose of carrying out
    10  YouthBuild programs as approved under this section. All programs  funded
    11  pursuant  to  the  provisions  of this section shall use funds available
    12  pursuant to this section to provide the following services:
    13    a. The training costs for the rehabilitation or construction of  hous-
    14  ing  and  related  facilities  to  be  used for the purpose of providing
    15  homeownership for disadvantaged persons, residential housing  for  home-
    16  less  individuals, and low-income and very low-income families, or tran-
    17  sitional housing for persons who are homeless,  have  disabilities,  are
    18  ill,  are  deinstitutionalized,  or have special needs, or the rehabili-
    19  tation or construction of community facilities owned  by  not-for-profit
    20  public agencies.
    21    b. The cost of providing training and placement in the growing employ-
    22  ment sectors of healthcare and technology.
    23    c.  The cost of integrated education and work experience skills train-
    24  ing services and activities which are evenly divided within the  program
    25  shall include the following elements:
    26    (1)  An  education component which includes: basic skills instruction,
    27  secondary education services, and other activities designed to  lead  to
    28  the  attainment  of a high school diploma or its equivalent. The curric-
    29  ulum for this component shall include math,  language  arts,  vocational
    30  education,  life skills training, social studies related to the cultural
    31  and community history of the  students,  leadership  skills,  and  other
    32  topics at the discretion of the programs; and
    33    (2) A work experience and skills training component pre-apprenticeship
    34  program   that   includes  construction  and  rehabilitation  activities
    35  described  in  paragraph  a  of  this  subdivision.   The   process   of
    36  construction  must  be  coupled with work experience skills training and
    37  with close on-site supervision by experienced trainers.  The  curriculum
    38  for this component shall contain a set of locally agreed upon skills and
    39  competencies  that  are  systematically  taught,  with students' mastery
    40  assessed individually on a regular, ongoing basis.  The work  experience
    41  and skills training component shall be coordinated to the maximum extent
    42  feasible  with  preapprenticeship  programs, and apprenticeship programs
    43  authorized under article twenty-three of this chapter.
    44    d. The cost of counseling services designed to assist participants  to
    45  positively  participate  in  society,  which  should  include all of the
    46  following if necessary: outreach, assessment, and orientation;  individ-
    47  ual  and  peer  counseling; life skills training; drug and alcohol abuse
    48  education and prevention; and referral  to  appropriate  drug  rehabili-
    49  tation,  medical,  mental health, legal, housing, and other services and
    50  resources in the community.
    51    2. A training subsidy, living allowance, or stipend that shall  be  no
    52  less  than minimum wage must be provided to program participants for the
    53  time spent at the worksite in  construction  training,  health  care  or
    54  information  technology  services. Stipends and wages may be distributed
    55  in a manner that offers incentives for good performance.
        S. 8073                             3
     1    a. Full time participation in a YouthBuild program  shall  be  offered
     2  for  a  period of not less than six months and not more than twenty-four
     3  months.
     4    b.  A  concentrated  effort,  for those participants who choose not to
     5  immediately enroll in an institution of higher education, shall be  made
     6  to  find construction, construction-related, and nonconstruction jobs as
     7  well as jobs in the fields of healthcare and technology for  all  gradu-
     8  ates  of the program who have performed well. The work experience skills
     9  training curriculum shall provide participants  with  basic  preparation
    10  for  seeking  and maintaining a job. Follow-up counseling and assistance
    11  in job-seeking shall also be provided to  participants  for  the  twelve
    12  months following graduation from the program.
    13    c.  All programs serving twenty-eight trainees or more are required to
    14  have a full-time  director  responsible  for  the  coordination  of  all
    15  aspects of the YouthBuild program.
    16    3.  a. Eligible participants are youth between the ages of sixteen and
    17  twenty-four who are economically disadvantaged as defined in  29  United
    18  States Code 1503, and who are part of one of the following groups:
    19    (1)  Persons  who are not attending any school and have not received a
    20  secondary school diploma or its equivalent; or
    21    (2) Persons currently enrolled in a traditional or alternative  school
    22  setting  or a HSE/TASC (high school equivalency/test assessing secondary
    23  completion) program and who are in danger of dropping out of school; or
    24    (3) Very low-income persons whose incomes are at or  less  than  fifty
    25  percent  of  the  area  median income area, adjusted for family size, as
    26  estimated by the department of housing and urban development.
    27    b. An exception may be made for  individuals  not  meeting  income  or
    28  educational  need requirements. Not more than twenty-five percent of the
    29  participants in such program may be individuals  who  do  not  meet  the
    30  requirements  of  subdivision three of this section, but who have educa-
    31  tional needs despite the attainment of a high school diploma.
    32    4. Priority in the awarding of funds under this section shall be given
    33  to applicants with  experience  in  operating  YouthBuild  programs  and
    34  implementing the YouthBuild model, including but not limited to, housing
    35  construction  skills  training,  education, leadership development, life
    36  skills training, and counseling services. Priority shall also  be  given
    37  to those who meet the program standards of YouthBuild USA, Inc.
    38    5.  Any not-for-profit private agencies, or public agencies with expe-
    39  rience operating a YouthBuild program or  with  a  plan  to  incubate  a
    40  YouthBuild  program  until  it  can  be  established as a not-for-profit
    41  private agency are eligible entities. Only not-for-profit private  agen-
    42  cies  or public agencies that are licensed affiliates of YouthBuild USA,
    43  Inc. or currently receive a department of labor  YouthBuild  award,  are
    44  eligible  to  use  the  term  YouthBuild  or eligible to apply for these
    45  funds.
    46    6. The commissioner shall require applicants for YouthBuild  funds  to
    47  include  various  information  on  the  applicant's  programs  and shall
    48  promulgate regulations outlining information required on such applicant.
    49  Provided, however, that at a minimum such application shall include:
    50    a. A request for an implementation grant, specifying the amount of the
    51  grant requested and its proposed uses;
    52    b. A description of the applicant and a statement  of  its  qualifica-
    53  tions,  including  a  description  of  the  applicant's  past experience
    54  running a YouthBuild program, and its experience with housing  rehabili-
    55  tation or construction and with youth and youth education, youth leader-
    56  ship  development  and work experience skills training programs, and its
        S. 8073                             4
     1  relationship with local unions and youth  apprenticeship  programs,  and
     2  other community groups; and
     3    c.  A description of the educational and work experience skills train-
     4  ing activities, work opportunities, and other  services  that  shall  be
     5  provided to participants.
     6    §  4.  This  act  shall  take  effect on the fifteenth of January next
     7  succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law.