NYEC Federal Policy Roundup (2/4/22)

By Thomas Showalter | February 4, 2022

BBB news: It’s unclear how much momentum is behind Rep. Pramila Jayapal’s proposal for Congress to pass the most popular portions of the $1.7 trillion Build Back Better (BBB) social spending package. Sen. Manchin said Build Back Better in its current form is “dead,” and this week seemed focused on amendments to the tax code as a starting point. Patrick Gaspard, now head of the Center for American Progress Action Fund, called for focusing on all but a few of the most popular items. (The Civilian Cimate Corps and workforce funding were not among these items.)

Other news: The massive bipartisan America COMPETES Act contains a couple relevant pieces. The original proposal includes last year’s proposed reauthorization of the National Apprenticeship Act (sec. 90101). The Rules Committee also ruled an amendment in order from Rep. Andy Levin (D-MI), which would permanently expand Pell Grants to short-term training programs hosted at institutions of higher education, starting in 2024. Such a vote in the Rules Committee usually means the amendment will pass when offered on the House floor.

Other items are still competing for lawmakers’ attention, such as funding the government for the remainder of the current fiscal year (FY22), developing a budget for the next fiscal year (FY23), and voting-rights and elections-reform legislation.

 

Resources to use and share (please share your own as well): 

  • Slides and recording from the last OY Stakeholder Briefing. If you attended, please complete our feedback form so we can better meet your needs. Register here for the next one. The Reconnecting Youth Campaign site will also shortly feature a blog summarizing the briefing.
  • America’s Young People Face a Grim Picture: A Civilian Conservation Corps Can Help. Lots of disturbing statistics in Martha Ross’s preview of her latest research: Please share (and tag Martha on LinkedIn or @BrookingsMetro on Twitter)! Some tidbits:
    • People who faced even one kind of disadvantage in their teens face long odds of moving up: One third of them only earned $19,000 per year at age 30. Another 20% are only able to find work sporadically; at age 30, 54% of this group are in poverty.
    • Consider what it is like to live on $19,000 per year. That translates into about $1,600 per month before taxes. That is not much to live on, much less invest in the future, save for a rainy day, or pay for unexpected expenses such as car repairs or medical bills.
  • Share our West Virginia op-ed and tag @Sen_JoeManchin: investments in climate and clean energy and jobs that include subsidized employment can create a triple win for West Virginia’s economy, people, and environment
  • Resources from House Education and Labor Committee: slides from their briefing plus estimates for how much each state would receive under different formula-funded items in BBB
  • Subsidized Employment: A Strategy to Support Equity and Inclusion in SNAP E&T Programs
  • Graphic explaining how different BBB provisions work together for young people – please use in your outreach
  • Please share the beautiful graphic recording of CLASP’s webinar highlighting the voices of subsidized employment and transitional jobs participants. The twitter handles for the organizations that participated: @CLASP_DC @RecycleForce @ceoworks @TheNYCE @CoalfieldWV @forumfyi. Along with the graphic, please share:
  • What are the costs of delay?

 

How to weigh in this week:

Members of Congress need to continue hearing about the importance of the BBB bill…

  • Please sign our BBB action alert here. Members of Congress across the country need to continue hearing from us about the importance of BBB provisions.
  • Please use our social media toolkit here. Use your personal and organizational social media channels to bring attention to the shareables.
  • Help us out in West Virginia! If you’re interested in drafting a blog or an op-ed in support of young people and would like some help or partnership, email thomas.showalter@nyec.org or melissayoung9791@gmail.com.
  • Tweet at key Members of Congress (handles here), and all members of the Progressive Caucus.
  • Continue to reach out to your Congressional delegation (look them up on www.House.gov by entering in your zip code and www.Senate.gov to look up by state if you are not sure) and tell them you support the BBB agenda including robust investments in subsidized employment. Information on how to talk about workforce development investments, subsidized jobs, and jobs for young people are here. Information on how to talk about the Civilian Climate Corps is here. 
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