98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2013 and 2014
SB3379

 

Introduced 2/14/2014, by Sen. Mike Jacobs

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
20 ILCS 1315/10
20 ILCS 1315/15
20 ILCS 1315/20
20 ILCS 1315/40
20 ILCS 1315/45

    Amends the Illinois Youthbuild Act. Authorizes the Department of Juvenile Justice, the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, the Department of Corrections, the Department of Transportation, and the Department of Human Services to make grants to applicants for the purpose of carrying out Youthbuild programs. Effective immediately.


LRB098 15769 HLH 50801 b

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

SB3379LRB098 15769 HLH 50801 b

1    AN ACT concerning State government.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Illinois Youthbuild Act is amended by
5changing Sections 10, 15, 20, 40, and 45 as follows:
 
6    (20 ILCS 1315/10)
7    Sec. 10. Definitions. In this Act:
8    "Applicant" means a public or private not-for-profit
9agency eligible to provide education and employment training
10under federal or State employment training programs.
11    "Department" means each of the following Departments:
12        (1) the Department of Juvenile Justice;
13        (2) the Department of Commerce and Economic
14    Opportunity;
15        (3) the Department of Corrections;
16        (4) the Department of Transportation; and
17        (5) the Department of Human Services.
18    "Secretary" means the Secretary of Human Services.
19    "Very low-income" means a person or household whose income
20is at or below 50% of the median family income, adjusted for
21household size, for the county where the household is located.
22    "Youthbuild" means any program that provides disadvantaged
23youth with opportunities for employment, education, leadership

 

 

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1development, entrepreneurial skills development, and training
2in the construction or rehabilitation of housing for special
3need populations, very low-income households, or low-income
4households.
5(Source: P.A. 90-247, eff. 1-1-98.)
 
6    (20 ILCS 1315/15)
7    Sec. 15. Program requirements. Each Department The
8Secretary shall, subject to appropriation, make grants to
9applicants for the purpose of carrying out Youthbuild programs
10as approved under this Section. All programs funded pursuant to
11the provisions of this Section shall reflect strong youth and
12community involvement. In addition, funding provided under
13this Section shall be used by each Youthbuild program to
14provide, at a minimum, the following services:
15        (a) Acquisition, rehabilitation, acquisition and
16    rehabilitation, or construction of housing and related
17    facilities to be used for the purpose of providing home
18    ownership for disadvantaged persons, residential housing
19    for homeless individuals, and low-income and very
20    low-income families, or transitional housing for persons
21    who are homeless, have disabilities, are ill, are
22    deinstitutionalized, or have special needs, and
23    rehabilitation or construction of community facilities
24    owned by not-for-profit or public agencies.
25        (b) Integrated education and job skills training

 

 

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1    services and activities which are evenly divided within the
2    program, with 50% of students' time spent in
3    classroom-based instruction, counseling, and leadership
4    development instruction and 50% of their time spent in
5    experiential training on the construction site. The
6    programs shall include, at a minimum, the following
7    elements:
8            (1) An education component which includes basic
9        skills instruction, secondary education services, and
10        other activities designed to lead to the attainment of
11        a high school diploma or its equivalent. The curriculum
12        for this component shall include math, language arts,
13        vocational education, life skills training, social
14        studies related to the cultural and community history
15        of the students, leadership skills, and other topics at
16        the discretion of the programs. Bilingual services
17        shall be available for individuals with
18        limited-English proficiency. The desired minimum
19        teacher to student ratio shall be one teacher for every
20        18 students.
21            (2) A work experience and skills training
22        component program that includes the construction and
23        rehabilitation activities described in subsection (a).
24        The process of construction must be coupled with skills
25        training and with close on-site supervision by
26        experienced trainers. The curriculum for this

 

 

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1        component shall contain a set of locally agreed upon
2        skills and competencies that are systematically
3        taught, with a student's mastery assessed individually
4        on a regular, ongoing basis. Safety skills shall be
5        taught at the outset. The desired trainer to student
6        ratio shall be one trainer for every 7 students. The
7        work experience and skills training component shall be
8        coordinated to the maximum extent feasible with
9        preapprenticeship and apprenticeship programs.
10            (3) Assistance in attaining post secondary
11        education and required financial aid shall be made
12        available to participants prior to graduation.
13        (c) Counseling services designed to assist
14    participants to positively participate in society, which
15    should include all of the following if necessary: outreach,
16    assessment, and orientation; individual and peer
17    counseling; life skills training, drug and alcohol abuse
18    education and prevention; and referral to appropriate drug
19    rehabilitation, medical, mental health, legal, housing,
20    and other services and resources in the community. The
21    desired counselor to participant ratio shall be one
22    counselor for every 28 students.
23        (d) Leadership development training that provides
24    participants with meaningful opportunities to develop
25    leadership skills such as decision making, problem
26    solving, and negotiating. The program must also encourage

 

 

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1    participants to develop strong peer group ties that support
2    their mutual pursuit of skills and values.
3        All programs must establish a youth council in which
4    participants are afforded opportunities to develop public
5    speaking and negotiating skills, and management and policy
6    making participation in specific aspects of the program.
7        (e) Stipends and wages. A training subsidy, living
8    allowance, or stipend that will be no less than minimum
9    wage must be provided to program participants for the time
10    spent at the worksite in construction training. For those
11    participants who receive public assistance, this training
12    subsidy, living allowance, or stipend will not affect their
13    housing benefits, medical benefits, child care benefits or
14    food stamp benefits. Stipends and wages may be distributed
15    in a manner that offers incentives for good performance.
16        (f) Full time participation in a Youthbuild program
17    shall be offered for a period of not less than 6 months and
18    not more than 24 months.
19        (g) A concentrated effort shall be made to find
20    construction, construction-related, and nonconstruction
21    jobs for all graduates of the program who have performed
22    well. The skills training curriculum shall provide
23    participants with basic preparation for seeking and
24    maintaining a job. Follow-up counseling and assistance in
25    job-seeking shall also be provided to participants for at
26    least 12 months following graduation from the program.

 

 

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1        (h) All programs serving 28 trainees or more are
2    required to have a full-time director responsible for the
3    coordination of all aspects of the Youthbuild program.
4(Source: P.A. 95-524, eff. 8-28-07.)
 
5    (20 ILCS 1315/20)
6    Sec. 20. Eligible activities. Implementation grants may be
7used to carry out the activities listed in Section 15. Other
8eligible activities include the following:
9    (a) Legal fees for housing acquisition.
10    (b) Administrative costs of the applicant which may not
11exceed 15% of the amount of assistance provided, or such higher
12percentage as the Department Secretary determines is necessary
13to support capacity development of a private nonprofit
14community-based organization.
15    (c) Defraying costs for the ongoing training and technical
16assistance needs of the recipient that are related to
17developing and carrying out the Youthbuild program including:
18        (1) Each Department The Secretary may reserve up to 5%
19    of the Illinois Youthbuild program funds appropriated to
20    that Department appropriations to enter into a contract
21    with Youthbuild USA to provide assistance to that
22    Department the Secretary in the provision of training and
23    to technical assistance to, or in the management,
24    supervision, and coordination of, Youthbuild programs
25    under this Act.

 

 

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1(Source: P.A. 90-247, eff. 1-1-98.)
 
2    (20 ILCS 1315/40)
3    Sec. 40. Application requirements. Each Department shall
4develop an application for Youthbuild funds under this Act.
5Those applications shall The Secretary shall require that an
6application for Youthbuild funds under this Act contain at a
7minimum:
8        (1) a request for an implementation grant, specifying
9    the amount of the grant requested and its proposed uses;
10        (2) a description of the applicant and a statement of
11    its qualifications, including a description of the
12    applicant's past experience running a Youthbuild program,
13    and with housing rehabilitation or construction and with
14    youth and youth education, youth leadership development
15    and employment training programs, and its relationship
16    with local unions and youth apprenticeship programs, and
17    other community groups;
18        (3) a description of the proposed construction site for
19    the program and evidence of site control;
20        (4) a description of the educational and job training
21    activities, work opportunities, and other services that
22    will be provided to participants;
23        (5) a description of the proposed construction or
24    rehabilitation activities to be undertaken and the
25    anticipated schedule for carrying out such activities;

 

 

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1        (6) a description of the manner in which eligible
2    youths will be recruited and selected, including a
3    description of the arrangements which will be made with
4    community-based organizations, local educational agencies,
5    including agencies of Native American nations, public
6    assistance agencies, the courts of jurisdiction for status
7    and youth offenders, shelters for homeless individuals and
8    other agencies that serve homeless youth, foster care
9    agencies, and other appropriate public and private
10    agencies;
11        (7) a description of the special efforts that will be
12    undertaken to recruit eligible young women (including
13    young women with dependent children) with appropriate
14    supports, especially childcare;
15        (8) a description of how the proposed program will be
16    coordinated with other federal, State, and local
17    activities and activities conducted by Native American
18    nations, including public schools, national service, crime
19    prevention programs, vocational, adult, and bilingual
20    education programs, and job training;
21        (9) assurances that there will be a sufficient number
22    of adequately trained supervisory personnel in the program
23    who have attained the level of journeyman or its
24    equivalent;
25        (10) a description of the applicant's relationship
26    with any local building trade unions which may exist,

 

 

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1    regarding their involvement in training, and the
2    relationship of the Youthbuild program with registered
3    apprenticeship programs;
4        (11) a description of activities that will be
5    undertaken to develop the leadership skills of
6    participants, including their role in decision making;
7        (12) a detailed budget and a description of the system
8    of fiscal controls and auditing and accountability
9    procedures that will be used to ensure fiscal soundness;
10        (13) a description of any contracts and arrangements
11    entered into between the applicant and other agencies and
12    entities including all in-kind donations and grants from
13    both public and private entities that will serve to augment
14    Illinois Youthbuild Act funds;
15        (14) identification and description of the financing
16    proposed for any:
17            (A) acquisition of the property;
18            (B) rehabilitation; or
19            (C) construction;
20        (15) identification and description of the entity that
21    will operate and manage the property;
22        (16) a certification that the applicant will comply
23    with the requirements of the Fair Housing Act, Title VI of
24    the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the
25    Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Age Discrimination Act
26    of 1975, and will affirmatively further fair housing; and

 

 

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1        (17) the qualifications and past experience of the
2    person who will fill the full-time program director
3    position.
4(Source: P.A. 95-524, eff. 8-28-07.)
 
5    (20 ILCS 1315/45)
6    Sec. 45. Annual report. The Departments shall jointly The
7Department of Human Services shall prepare an annual report
8summarizing costs and outcome data associated with the
9Youthbuild programs. The report must include, but not be
10limited to, the following information: (i) the number of
11participants in the program, (ii) the average cost per
12participant, (iii) the number of participants who achieve a
13high school diploma or its equivalent, and (iv) the number of
14projects completed by Youthbuild participants during that
15year. The Departments The Department must submit the report to
16the General Assembly by July 1, 2008 and by July 1 of each year
17thereafter.
18(Source: P.A. 95-524, eff. 8-28-07.)
 
19    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
20becoming law.