95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2007 and 2008
HB0202

 

Introduced 1/19/2007, by Rep. Luis Arroyo

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
20 ILCS 1315/15
20 ILCS 1315/25
20 ILCS 1315/30
20 ILCS 1315/35
20 ILCS 1315/40

    Amends the Illinois Youthbuild Act. Provides that the Secretary of Human Services shall, subject to appropriation, make grants to applicants for the purpose of carrying out Youthbuild programs (now, the Secretary is authorized to make grants). Provides that youths in foster care, youth offenders, youths with disabilities, children of incarcerated parents, and migrant youth are eligible to participate in Youthbuild programs. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB0202 LRB095 04632 HLH 24690 b

1     AN ACT concerning State government.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
4     Section 5. The Illinois Youthbuild Act is amended by
5 changing Sections 15, 25, 30, 35, and 40 as follows:
 
6     (20 ILCS 1315/15)
7     Sec. 15. Program requirements. The Secretary shall,
8 subject to appropriation, is authorized to make grants to
9 applicants for the purpose of carrying out Youthbuild programs
10 as approved under this Section. All programs funded pursuant to
11 the provisions of this Section shall reflect strong youth and
12 community involvement. In addition, funding provided under
13 this Section shall be used by each Youthbuild program to
14 provide, 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 for
19 homeless individuals, and low-income and very low-income
20 families, or transitional housing for persons who are homeless,
21 have disabilities, are ill, are deinstitutionalized, or have
22 special needs, and rehabilitation or construction of community
23 facilities owned by not-for-profit or public agencies.

 

 

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

 

 

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

 

 

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1 participants are afforded opportunities to develop public
2 speaking and negotiating skills, and management and policy
3 making participation in specific aspects of the program.
4     (e) Stipends and wages. A training subsidy, living
5 allowance, or stipend that will be no less than minimum wage
6 must be provided to program participants for the time spent at
7 the worksite in construction training. For those participants
8 who receive public assistance, this training subsidy, living
9 allowance, or stipend will not affect their housing benefits,
10 medical benefits, child care benefits or food stamp benefits.
11 Stipends and wages may be distributed in a manner that offers
12 incentives for good performance.
13     (f) Full time participation in a Youthbuild program shall
14 be offered for a period of not less than 6 months and not more
15 than 24 months.
16     (g) A concentrated effort shall be made to find
17 construction, construction-related, and nonconstruction jobs
18 for all graduates of the program who have performed well. The
19 skills training curriculum shall provide participants with
20 basic preparation for seeking and maintaining a job. Follow-up
21 counseling and assistance in job-seeking shall also be provided
22 to participants for at least the 12 months following graduation
23 from the program.
24     (h) All programs serving 28 trainees or more are required
25 to have a full-time director responsible for the coordination
26 of all aspects of the Youthbuild program.

 

 

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1 (Source: P.A. 90-247, eff. 1-1-98.)
 
2     (20 ILCS 1315/25)
3     Sec. 25. Eligible participants. Eligible participants are
4 youth 16 to 24 years old who are economically disadvantaged as
5 defined in United States Code, Title 29, Section 1503, and who
6 are part of one of the following groups:
7     (a) Persons who are not attending any school and have not
8 received a secondary school diploma or its equivalent.
9     (b) Persons currently enrolled in a traditional or
10 alternative school setting or a GED program and who are in
11 danger of dropping out of school.
12     (c) A member of a low-income family, a youth in foster care
13 (including a youth aging-out of foster care), a youth offender,
14 a youth with a disability, a child of incarcerated parents, or
15 a migrant youth Very low-income persons.
16     Not more than Up to 25% of the participants in the program
17 may be individuals who do not meet the requirements of
18 subsections (a) or , (b), and (c), but who are deficient in
19 basic skills despite having attained a secondary school
20 diploma, General Educational Development (GED) certificate, or
21 other State-recognized equivalent, or who have been referred by
22 a local secondary school for participation in a Youthbuild
23 program leading to the attainment of a secondary school diploma
24 have educational needs despite the attainment of a high school
25 diploma.

 

 

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1 (Source: P.A. 90-247, eff. 1-1-98.)
 
2     (20 ILCS 1315/30)
3     Sec. 30. Selection criteria. Priority in the awarding of
4 funds under this Act shall be given to applicants with
5 experience in operating Youthbuild programs. Organizations
6 claiming to have operated Youthbuild programs must be licensed
7 by Youthbuild USA or be organizations that have received
8 federal HUD Youthbuild funding.
9 (Source: P.A. 90-247, eff. 1-1-98.)
 
10     (20 ILCS 1315/35)
11     Sec. 35. Eligible entities. Those eligible to be awarded
12 funds under this Act are not-for-profit private agencies, or
13 public agencies with experience operating a Youthbuild program
14 or with a plan to incubate a Youthbuild program until it can be
15 established as a program applicant not-for-profit private
16 agency.
17 (Source: P.A. 90-247, eff. 1-1-98.)
 
18     (20 ILCS 1315/40)
19     Sec. 40. Application requirements. The Secretary shall
20 require that an application for Youthbuild funds under this Act
21 contain at a minimum:
22     (1) a request for an implementation grant, specifying the
23 amount of the grant requested and its proposed uses;

 

 

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1     (2) a description of the applicant and a statement of its
2 qualifications, including a description of the applicant's
3 past experience running a Youthbuild program, and with housing
4 rehabilitation or construction and with youth and youth
5 education, youth leadership development and employment
6 training programs, and its relationship with local unions and
7 youth apprenticeship programs, and other community groups;
8     (3) a description of the proposed construction site for the
9 program and evidence of site control;
10     (4) a description of the educational and job training
11 activities, work opportunities, and other services that will be
12 provided to participants;
13     (5) a description of the proposed construction or
14 rehabilitation activities to be undertaken and the anticipated
15 schedule for carrying out such activities;
16     (6) a description of the manner in which eligible youths
17 will be recruited and selected, including a description of the
18 arrangements which will be made with community-based
19 organizations, local educational agencies, including agencies
20 of Native American nations, public assistance agencies, the
21 courts of jurisdiction for status and youth offenders, shelters
22 for homeless individuals and other agencies that serve homeless
23 youth, foster care agencies, and other appropriate public and
24 private agencies;
25     (7) a description of the special efforts that will be
26 undertaken to recruit eligible young women (including young

 

 

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1 women with dependent children) with appropriate supports,
2 especially childcare;
3     (8) a description of how the proposed program will be
4 coordinated with other federal, State, and local activities and
5 activities conducted by Native American nations, including
6 public schools, national service, crime prevention programs,
7 vocational, adult, and bilingual education programs, and job
8 training;
9     (9) assurances that there will be a sufficient number of
10 adequately trained supervisory personnel in the program who
11 have attained the level of journeyman or its equivalent;
12     (10) a description of the applicant's relationship with any
13 local building trade unions which may exist, regarding their
14 involvement in training, and the relationship of the Youthbuild
15 program with registered established apprenticeship programs;
16     (11) a description of activities that will be undertaken to
17 develop the leadership skills of participants, including their
18 role in decision making;
19     (12) a detailed budget and a description of the system of
20 fiscal controls and auditing and accountability procedures
21 that will be used to ensure fiscal soundness;
22     (13) a description of any contracts and arrangements
23 entered into between the applicant and other agencies and
24 entities including all in-kind donations and grants from both
25 public and private entities that will serve to augment Illinois
26 Youthbuild Act funds;

 

 

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1     (14) identification and description of the financing
2 proposed for any:
3         (A) acquisition of the property;
4         (B) rehabilitation; or
5         (C) construction;
6     (15) identification and description of the entity that will
7 operate and manage the property;
8     (16) a certification that the applicant will comply with
9 the requirements of the Fair Housing Act, Title VI of the Civil
10 Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of
11 1973, and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and will
12 affirmatively further fair housing; and
13     (17) the qualifications and past experience of the person
14 who will fill the full-time program director position.
15 (Source: P.A. 90-247, eff. 1-1-98.)
 
16     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
17 becoming law.