U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Robin Kelly (D-IL-02) reintroduced two bills this week to “expand and increase access to employment opportunities for underserved youth,” according to a press release.
The Helping to Encourage Real Opportunity (HERO) for Youth Act and the Assisting in Developing (AID) Youth Employment Act will “increase federal resources for communities seeking to create or grow employment programs and provide tax incentives to businesses and employers to hire and retain youth from economically distressed areas.”
The HERO for Youth Act would encourage the business community to hire underserved youth who reside in communities with high rates of poverty. Specifically, the bill would provide a Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) of up to $2,400 for businesses that hire and train youth ages 16 to 24 who are out of school and out of work and youth ages 16 to 21 that are currently in foster care or have aged out of the system.
The legislation would expand the summer youth program under WOTC, which provides a tax credit to businesses that hire youth ages 16 to 17 who are enrolled in school and live in highly distressed rural and urban communities known as Empowerment Zones for summer employment. The new program would double the amount of the credit to $2,400 and expand the program to include year-round employment.
The AID Youth Employment Act will also make it easier for local governments and community organizations to apply directly for federal funding to create and expand summer and year-round employment programs for young people. The legislation would establish a five-year competitive grant program for youth summer employment that also incorporates access to trauma-informed mentorship as well as job coaches. The program would provide planning grants of up to $250,000 for 12 months or implementation grants of up to $6 million over three years.
“Far too many young Americans live in neighborhoods that lack good job opportunities and struggle with all-too-commonplace violence and danger,” said Duckworth. “It doesn’t have to be that way, but it’s not going to get better unless we work together to do something about it. I’m so proud to join Senator Durbin and Congresswoman Kelly to reintroduce these bills that would help open up new economic opportunities for every American, no matter where they live or what community they grew up in.”
In 2022, 13% of youth between the ages of 18 to 24 were neither employed nor in school, and Native American, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, and Black youth, as well as youth with disabilities, were disproportionately impacted.
“When youth are provided a pathway to employment and the workforce, employers benefit too because they are able to train and hire skilled workers. It is estimated that between 2022 and 2032, there will be an average of 20 skilled roles with job openings for every one new worker,” the press release from Duckworth’s office stated.