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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION 133

 
2    WHEREAS, Employing youth is not only a vital and effective
3way to prevent violence, but it is also a means for encouraging
4youth to stay in school; it provides much-needed financial
5support to them and their families while serving as a critical
6stepping-stone to future employment; and
 
7    WHEREAS, In 2012, the Illinois youth employment rate was
827%, a 10% decrease from 2006; Illinois is 1 of 10 states with
9the highest teen unemployment rate; the youth employment rate
10in Chicago is 19.6%; and
 
11    WHEREAS, African-American teens have the lowest employment
12rate compared to other ethnic and racial groups;
13African-American males aged 16-19, living in Chicago, face the
14most uncertainty in employment; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Almost 23% of the city's 20 to 24 year-olds were
16out of work and school, compared to less than 10% of Chicago's
17teens; and
 
18    WHEREAS, According to a report by the Center for Economic
19and Policy Research, 92% of Chicago's African-American male
20teens were unemployed; only 6% of low-income African-American
21teens were employed in comparison with 13% of Hispanics and 25%

 

 

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1White males from similar economic backgrounds; and
 
2    WHEREAS, The report noted that students who do not work
3while in school face greater chances of dropping out of high
4school as well as having increased incidences of teenaged
5childbearing and juvenile delinquency and arrests; and
 
6    WHEREAS, The report also stated that higher rates of youth
7unemployment lead to increased tax burdens for other workers as
8governments forgo income tax revenue, Social Security, and
9Medicare taxes and have to pay out more in welfare and
10unemployment insurance costs; it is estimated that high youth
11unemployment costs various governments $25 billion a year; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Across Illinois, the teen employment rate fell
13from just under 50% in 2000 to 28% in 2012 - the lowest rate in
14the 42 years for which such data exist; if Illinois teens had
15been able to maintain their 1999-2000 employment rates during
16the past year, there would have been another 151,000 teens at
17work in Illinois in 2011-2012; and
 
18    WHEREAS, The investment to hire youth is lower than hiring
19seasoned individuals; companies have the opportunity to train
20newcomers possibly, for their own businesses or outside
21prospects; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Younger individuals are more technologically
2advanced and possess more unique skill sets that can benefit
3any company; therefore, be it
 
4    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
5NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
6encourage businesses to employ teens and young adults in order
7to help alleviate the youth unemployment that contributes to
8the demise of communities; and be it further
 
9    RESOLVED, That employers would be not only providing a
10critical asset for their own businesses but preparing the next
11generation to become productive citizens of society.