DC Youth and Young Adult Update 8-1-2025

By NYEC | August 1, 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!

Legislative Branch: 

Senate Appropriations Committee Approves Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Bills: The Senate Appropriations Committee met for a full committee markup to consider its draft fiscal year 2026 Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies appropriations acts. In a 26-3 vote, the Committee approved the draft fiscal year 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies appropriations bill. The bill includes level funding for the following programs: YouthBuild, Apprenticeship, Job Corps, WIOA Youth Training, Adult Education State Grants, and McKinney Vento. The Senate proposed decreasing funding for the Reentry Employment Opportunities (REO) by $5 million. It includes a new directive requiring DOL to award such funds in a timely manner. A summary of the bill is available here and the full bill text can be found here. The committee hearing can be watched here.

Senate Budget Committee: Merkley, Schumer, And Senate Democrats Introduce Legislation To Reverse Healthcare Cuts In One Big Beautiful Bill: Ranking Member of the Budget Committee, Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), along with Ranking Member of the Finance Committee, Ron Wyden (D-OR), Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), led their Senate Democratic colleagues in introducing the Protecting Healthcare And Lowering Costs Act. This legislation would reverse all of the healthcare cuts in One Big Beautiful Bill, including those to Medicaid, and would permanently extend the ACA premium tax credits. The full bill text can be found here.

Reps. Krishnamoorthi, Bonamici, and Sherrill, Senators Warren and Cassidy, Re-Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral College Transparency Act: Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Congressman Mike Kelly (R-PA), Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), and Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) re-introduced the College Transparency Act (CTA), bipartisan legislation designed to ensure students and families have better access to the data they need to make informed decisions about higher education. A companion bill was re-introduced in the Senate by Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). The full bill text can be found here.

Thompson, Bonamici Introduce COTA Act to Expand Career Counseling for Adult Learners: U.S. Reps. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) and Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), co-chairs of the bipartisan House Career and Technical Education Caucus, introduced the Creating Opportunities to Thrive and Advance (COTA) Act, which would expand career counseling programs and allow for public outreach. Specifically, the bill amends Title II of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) to bolster career guidance for adult learners. The bill allows Title II funds to be used – for the first time – to create public outreach through Public Service Announcements, social media campaigns, job fairs, and other means to educate the public on workforce development programs. The full bill text has not yet been released.

Executive Branch: 

U.S. Department of Education Announces Negotiated Rulemaking to Implement President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill: The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Education announced it will commence two negotiated rulemaking sessions in order to implement President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act higher education provisions, as well as other Administration priorities. The Department will host one virtual public hearing on August 7, 2025. In addition, the Department will accept written comments that must be submitted through the Federal Rulemaking Portal at Regulations.gov. The deadline for public comment is 30 days after publication in the Federal Register.

Federal Funding Opportunities with upcoming deadlines:

No new federal funding opportunities.

Previously Shared:

USDA Grant: Rural Community Development Initiative (RCDI): Qualified private, nonprofit and public (including tribal) intermediary organizations proposing to carry out financial and technical assistance programs will be eligible to receive the funding. The RCDI structure requires the intermediary (grantee) to provide a program of financial and technical assistance to recipients to develop their capacity and ability to undertake projects related to housing, community facilities, or community and economic development. Applications are due August 7, 2025.

DOL Grant: FY25 Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations (WANTO) Technical Assistance Grant Program: This program aims to provide technical assistance to employers (which may include public sector entities) and labor unions in the United States and its territories to encourage employment of women in both apprenticeable occupations and nontraditional occupations (A/NTO). Applications are due August 8, 2025.

DOJ Grant: Emergency and Transitional Pet Shelter and Housing Assistance for Victims of Domestic Violence: Under this notice of funding opportunity, OVC will provide funding for shelter and transitional housing and other assistance to victims of domestic violence and their companion animals. Applications are due August 15, 2025

HHS Grant: National Center on Head Start Early Learning, Health and Family Engagement: The Administration for Children and Families, Office of Head Start announces the availability of approximately $15,000,000 to be competitively awarded for the purpose of operating the Head Start National Center on Early Learning, Health, and Family Engagement. This NC will provide training and technical assistance that reflects current evidence, is research-informed, and promotes best practices. Applications are due December 15, 2025.

From the States:

Michigan: Nearly 48,000 Michiganders are receiving retroactive unemployment payments following a review of their claims based on new, higher weekly benefit rates signed into law in December. Totaling $34 million, the back payments were issued after a thorough review by the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA).

New York: New York State Senator Pete Harckham announced today that he secured $604,500 in an end-of-year resolution in the State Senate for additional grant funding for important youth workforce training and community programs distributed to 15 different recipients.

Resources:

SchoolHouse Connection Webinar: FAFSA and Homeless Youth: Identifying students as homeless on the FAFSA can be complex. To qualify, students must be unaccompanied (not living with their parents or legal guardian) and experiencing homelessness, or unaccompanied and at risk of homelessness and self-supporting. This webinar will walk participants through real-world scenarios to help professionals assess whether students meet these criteria.