Sen. Terry Link

Filed: 5/4/2007

 

 


 

 


 
09500HB0202sam001 LRB095 04632 HLH 35908 a

1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 202

2     AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 202 by replacing
3 everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
 
4     "Section 5. The Illinois Youthbuild Act is amended by
5 changing Sections 15, 25, 30, 35, and 40 and by adding Section
6 45 as follows:
 
7     (20 ILCS 1315/15)
8     Sec. 15. Program requirements. The Secretary shall,
9 subject to appropriation, is authorized to make grants to
10 applicants for the purpose of carrying out Youthbuild programs
11 as approved under this Section. All programs funded pursuant to
12 the provisions of this Section shall reflect strong youth and
13 community involvement. In addition, funding provided under
14 this Section shall be used by each Youthbuild program to
15 provide, at a minimum, the following services:

 

 

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1     (a) Acquisition, rehabilitation, acquisition and
2 rehabilitation, or construction of housing and related
3 facilities to be used for the purpose of providing home
4 ownership for disadvantaged persons, residential housing for
5 homeless individuals, and low-income and very low-income
6 families, or transitional housing for persons who are homeless,
7 have disabilities, are ill, are deinstitutionalized, or have
8 special needs, and rehabilitation or construction of community
9 facilities owned by not-for-profit or public agencies.
10     (b) Integrated education and job skills training services
11 and activities which are evenly divided within the program,
12 with 50% of students' time spent in classroom-based
13 instruction, counseling, and leadership development
14 instruction and 50% of their time spent in experiential
15 training on the construction site. The programs shall include,
16 at a minimum, the following elements:
17         (1) An education component which includes basic skills
18     instruction, secondary education services, and other
19     activities designed to lead to the attainment of a high
20     school diploma or its equivalent. The curriculum for this
21     component shall include math, language arts, vocational
22     education, life skills training, social studies related to
23     the cultural and community history of the students,
24     leadership skills, and other topics at the discretion of
25     the programs. Bilingual services shall be available for
26     individuals with limited-English proficiency. The desired

 

 

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1     minimum teacher to student ratio shall be one teacher for
2     every 18 students.
3         (2) A work experience and skills training component
4     apprenticeship program that includes the construction and
5     rehabilitation activities described in subsection (a). The
6     process of construction must be coupled with skills
7     training and with close on-site supervision by experienced
8     trainers. The curriculum for this component shall contain a
9     set of locally agreed upon skills and competencies that are
10     systematically taught, with a student's mastery assessed
11     individually on a regular, ongoing basis. Safety skills
12     shall be taught at the outset. The desired trainer to
13     student ratio shall be one trainer for every 7 students.
14     The work experience and skills training component shall be
15     coordinated to the maximum extent feasible with
16     preapprenticeship and apprenticeship programs.
17         (3) Assistance in attaining post secondary education
18     and required financial aid shall be made available to
19     participants prior to graduation.
20     (c) Counseling services designed to assist participants to
21 positively participate in society, which should include all of
22 the following if necessary: outreach, assessment, and
23 orientation; individual and peer counseling; life skills
24 training, drug and alcohol abuse education and prevention; and
25 referral to appropriate drug rehabilitation, medical, mental
26 health, legal, housing, and other services and resources in the

 

 

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1 community. The desired counselor to participant ratio shall be
2 one counselor for every 28 students.
3     (d) Leadership development training that provides
4 participants with meaningful opportunities to develop
5 leadership skills such as decision making, problem solving, and
6 negotiating. The program must also encourage participants to
7 develop strong peer group ties that support their mutual
8 pursuit of skills and values.
9     All programs must establish a youth council in which
10 participants are afforded opportunities to develop public
11 speaking and negotiating skills, and management and policy
12 making participation in specific aspects of the program.
13     (e) Stipends and wages. A training subsidy, living
14 allowance, or stipend that will be no less than minimum wage
15 must be provided to program participants for the time spent at
16 the worksite in construction training. For those participants
17 who receive public assistance, this training subsidy, living
18 allowance, or stipend will not affect their housing benefits,
19 medical benefits, child care benefits or food stamp benefits.
20 Stipends and wages may be distributed in a manner that offers
21 incentives for good performance.
22     (f) Full time participation in a Youthbuild program shall
23 be offered for a period of not less than 6 months and not more
24 than 24 months.
25     (g) A concentrated effort shall be made to find
26 construction, construction-related, and nonconstruction jobs

 

 

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1 for all graduates of the program who have performed well. The
2 skills training curriculum shall provide participants with
3 basic preparation for seeking and maintaining a job. Follow-up
4 counseling and assistance in job-seeking shall also be provided
5 to participants for at least the 12 months following graduation
6 from the program.
7     (h) All programs serving 28 trainees or more are required
8 to have a full-time director responsible for the coordination
9 of all aspects of the Youthbuild program.
10 (Source: P.A. 90-247, eff. 1-1-98.)
 
11     (20 ILCS 1315/25)
12     Sec. 25. Eligible participants. Eligible participants are
13 youth 16 to 24 years old who are economically disadvantaged as
14 defined in United States Code, Title 29, Section 1503, and who
15 are part of one of the following groups:
16     (a) Persons who are not attending any school and have not
17 received a secondary school diploma or its equivalent.
18     (b) Persons currently enrolled in a traditional or
19 alternative school setting or a GED program and who are in
20 danger of dropping out of school.
21     (c) A member of a low-income family, a youth in foster care
22 (including a youth aging-out of foster care), a youth offender,
23 a youth with a disability, a child of incarcerated parents, or
24 a migrant youth Very low-income persons.
25     Not more than Up to 25% of the participants in the program

 

 

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1 may be individuals who do not meet the requirements of
2 subsections (a) or , (b), and (c), but who are deficient in
3 basic skills despite having attained a secondary school
4 diploma, General Educational Development (GED) certificate, or
5 other State-recognized equivalent, or who have been referred by
6 a local secondary school for participation in a Youthbuild
7 program leading to the attainment of a secondary school diploma
8 have educational needs despite the attainment of a high school
9 diploma.
10 (Source: P.A. 90-247, eff. 1-1-98.)
 
11     (20 ILCS 1315/30)
12     Sec. 30. Selection criteria. Priority in the awarding of
13 funds under this Act shall be given to applicants with
14 experience in operating Youthbuild programs. Organizations
15 claiming to have operated Youthbuild programs must be licensed
16 by Youthbuild USA or be organizations that have received
17 federal HUD Youthbuild funding.
18 (Source: P.A. 90-247, eff. 1-1-98.)
 
19     (20 ILCS 1315/35)
20     Sec. 35. Eligible entities. Those eligible to be awarded
21 funds under this Act are not-for-profit private agencies, or
22 public agencies with experience operating a Youthbuild program
23 or with a plan to incubate a Youthbuild program until it can be
24 established as a program applicant not-for-profit private

 

 

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

 

 

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

 

 

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1 role in decision making;
2     (12) a detailed budget and a description of the system of
3 fiscal controls and auditing and accountability procedures
4 that will be used to ensure fiscal soundness;
5     (13) a description of any contracts and arrangements
6 entered into between the applicant and other agencies and
7 entities including all in-kind donations and grants from both
8 public and private entities that will serve to augment Illinois
9 Youthbuild Act funds;
10     (14) identification and description of the financing
11 proposed for any:
12         (A) acquisition of the property;
13         (B) rehabilitation; or
14         (C) construction;
15     (15) identification and description of the entity that will
16 operate and manage the property;
17     (16) a certification that the applicant will comply with
18 the requirements of the Fair Housing Act, Title VI of the Civil
19 Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of
20 1973, and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and will
21 affirmatively further fair housing; and
22     (17) the qualifications and past experience of the person
23 who will fill the full-time program director position.
24 (Source: P.A. 90-247, eff. 1-1-98.)
 
25     (20 ILCS 1315/45 new)

 

 

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1     Sec. 45. Annual report. The Department of Human Services
2 shall prepare an annual report summarizing costs and outcome
3 data associated with the Youthbuild programs. The report must
4 include, but not be limited to, the following information: (i)
5 the number of participants in the program, (ii) the average
6 cost per participant, (iii) the number of participants who
7 achieve a high school diploma or its equivalent, and (iv) the
8 number of projects completed by Youthbuild participants during
9 that year. The Department must submit the report to the General
10 Assembly by July 1, 2008 and by July 1 of each year thereafter.
 
11     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
12 becoming law.".