DC Youth and Young Adult Update 6-20-2025

News at NYEC:  

• Registration is Open for NYEC’s Annual Youth Days Event in Washington, D.C., from November 5-7, 2025! NYEC is inviting practitioners, community and organization leaders, and young people to join us to bring a voice for opportunity youth to Congress. Whether you are new to policy and advocacy or a skilled advocate, we will provide the tools and training so you can join us in calling for increased investments and new policies that will benefit young people across the nation. We hope to see you there!  

• Job Corps Operations Pause Update: Last month, the U.S. Department of Labor announced it will begin a phased pause in operations at contractor-operated Job Corps centers nationwide. NYEC is closely tracking developments of the pause. The National Job Corps Association is asking members to write to their members of Congress to tell them to save Job Corps. Use this link to advocate for Job Corps! 

Legislative Branch:  

• 119th Congressional Committee Updates: 

• House Education and Workforce Committee: Kiley Announces Hearing on Child Care and the American Workforce: Tuesday, June 24, 2025 at 10:15 a.m., the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education, chaired by Rep. Kevin Kiley (CA-03), will hold a hearing titled ”Child Care and the American Workforce: Removing Barriers to Economic Growth.” The hearing is open to the press and will be live-streamed on the Committee’s YouTube page. 

• House Budget Committee: Hearing Notice: On Wednesday, June 25, 2025, at 10:00 AM in 210 Cannon House Office Building, the House Committee on the Budget will hold a hearing entitled, “Reversing the Curse: Rooting Out Waste and Fraud and Restoring the Dignity of Work.” Members of the public may view the hearing via live webcast available here. 

• Senate Appropriations Committee: Murray, DeLauro, Scott, Baldwin Call on Department of Education to Immediately Cease Plan to Transfer Career and Technical Education Program Responsibilities to Labor Department: Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), and Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), sent a letter to Department of Education (ED) Secretary Linda McMahon calling out the Department’s efforts to attempt to transfer responsibility over career and technical education (CTE) programs to the Department of Labor (DOL). 

• Cassidy, Sanders, and Colleagues Reintroduce SUPPORT Act to Continue Effort to Address the Nation’s Opioid and Mental Health Crisis: U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, (R-LA), chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, Bernie Sanders (I-VT), ranking member of the HELP Committee, Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), John Hickenlooper (D-CO) reintroduced the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act, which bolsters prevention, treatment, and recovery services for Americans with substance use disorders and mental illness. Read the full bill text here.  

• McBath, Ross, Bacon, Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Support Parenting Students Pursuing College Degrees: Representatives Lucy McBath (GA-06), Deborah Ross (NC-02), and Don Bacon (NE-02) introduced their Understanding Student Parent Outcomes Act. This bipartisan legislation aims to support pregnant and parenting students by collecting data on barriers to graduating college for pregnant students, student parents, and caregivers. It also establishes best practice for institutions of higher education to improve graduation rates and help Americans complete their education. Full bill text is available here. 

• On World Day Against Child Labor, Labor Leaders Introduce Bold Legislation to End Abusive Child Labor: On World Day against Child Labor, Education and Workforce Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) and Workforce Protections Subcommittee Ranking Member Ilhan Omar (MN-05) announced their plans to introduce new legislation—the Protecting Children Act—to finally end child labor in America. The bill provides federal worker protections agencies with the tools and resources they need to deter violations and prevent harm to children from intensive work in dangerous jobs. The full bill text is available here. 

• Rep. Stefanik Reintroduces Two Workforce Development Bills: Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (NY-21), a senior member of the Committee on Education and Workforce, reintroduced two bills: the Employer-Directed Skills Act and the Advancing Skills-Based Hiring Act to highlight the importance of workforce development practices and skills hiring practices in the workplace. The Employer-Directed Skills Act empowers job creators to provide workforce development opportunities that equip workers for in-demand jobs. The Advancing Skills-Based Hiring Act supports employers seeking to adopt skills-based hiring practices that prioritize applicants’ job skills and abilities over academic qualifications. Read the bills here and here. 

Executive Branch:  

No new Executive Branch updates. 

Federal Funding Opportunities with upcoming deadlines: 

• ED Grant: OSERS: OSEP: Technical Assistance and Dissemination to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities and Demonstration and Training Programs–National Technical Assistance Center on Transition for Students and Youth with Disabilities: The purpose of the Technical Assistance and Dissemination to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities program is to promote academic achievement and to improve results for children with disabilities by providing TA, supporting model demonstration projects, disseminating useful information, and implementing activities that are supported by scientifically based research. The purpose of the Demonstration and Training program is to provide competitive grants, including cooperative agreements to, or enter into contracts with, eligible entities to expand and improve the provision of vocational rehabilitation (VR) and other services authorized under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Rehabilitation Act), or to further the purposes and policies in sections 2(b) and (c) of the Rehabilitation Act by supporting activities that increase the provision, extent, availability, scope, and quality of rehabilitation services under the Rehabilitation Act, including related research and evaluation activities. Applications are due July 18, 2025. 

Previously Shared  

• ED Grant: Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE): District of Columbia Opportunity Scholarship Program: The purpose of the OSP is to provide low-income parents residing in the District of Columbia, particularly parents of students who attend an elementary school or secondary school identified as one of the lowest performing schools under the District of Columbia’s accountability system, with expanded opportunities for enrolling their children in private schools in the District of Columbia. Applications are due July 7, 2025. 

• DOJ Grant: Office on Violence Against Women: OVW Fiscal Year 2025 Grants to Engage Men and Youth in Preventing Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Program: The Grants to Engage Men and Youth in Preventing Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Program (EM Program) is one of two NOFOs issued under the Consolidated Youth and Engaging Men (CYEM) Program. The purpose of the EM Program is to engage men and youth in preventing domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Applications are due July 8, 2025. 

• DOI Grant: Bureau of Land Management: FY25 Bureau of Land Management Youth Conservation Corps- Bureau wide: This program’s projects employ participants and opportunities to gain work experience in public lands and natural resources management. Applications are due July 11, 2025. 

From the States: 

• Michigan: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is declaring June “Youth Employment Month” as an estimated 260,000 teens are expected to join the workforce. State leaders are reaching out to communities to help young people land a job with Pathfinder, a free online resource. The program offers career and education exploration using current labor market trends, wage data and education metrics to help build personalized roadmaps to career opportunities. 

• New York: Governor Kathy Hochul announced $56.5 million to help approximately 21,000 young people from low-income households enter the job market this summer through New York State’s Summer Youth Employment program. As part of the FY 2026 State Budget, the State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance is distributing funding to all 57 counties and New York City to implement a Summer Youth Employment Program to introduce at-risk youth to New York’s workforce, where they will gain professional training and develop useful skills that will help them improve educational performance and explore possible career paths. 

Resources:  

• Labor Law & Contracting for Youth and Young Adults: Breaking Down Barriers to Equitable Compensation: This webinar offers crucial insights for young independent contractors, small business owners, and the nonprofits that contract with them. It focuses on responsible engagement to prevent youth homelessness. It will cover legal essentials like labor laws, taxes, contracting, and public benefits, providing practical tools and best practices for equitable labor relationships. This webinar is co-hosted with TrueSelf LLC, National Homelessness Law Center, and Sustainable and Economies Law Center. Register here. 

• Culinary and Beyond: Building Skills and Advancement in the Restaurant Workforce: Unlock the potential of the restaurant industry with the National Restaurant Association’s six-part “Industry of Opportunity” webinar series! From building essential skills to inspiring the next generation of leaders, this series is designed to empower you and your team with actionable insights and innovative strategies. Register here.