DC Youth and Young Adult Update 9-06-2024

By NYEC | September 6, 2024

 

 

 

News at NYEC: 

  • Youth Days is Next Week!: We’re excited to see many of you in Washington, DC soon! Please reference the resources shared by NYEC in the lead-up to our event to ensure you are ready to meet with your legislators! If you are registered for Youth Days but have not received any communication from us, please contact nathan.hora@nyec.org and cailee.fitzgerald@nyec.org.  
  • WIOA Programs can Help Participants Register to Vote: As we approach the 2024 election, NYEC wants to remind its members that the Department of Labor (DOL) issued guidance in 2022 sharing that programs receiving WIOA funds may engage in voter registration activities. Specifically, DOL stated that the following partners of American Job Centers may engage in such activities: WIOA Title I Youth, YouthBuild, Indian and Native American, National Farmworker, and Reentry Employment Opportunities programs and Job Corps operators.  

Legislative Branch:  

  • Congresswoman Jahana Hayes (D-CT) Introduces the School Hunger Elimination Act: This legislation would directly certify all school-age students receiving Medicaid or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). Direct NSLP certification would automatically certify income-eligible students to receive free or reduced-price school meals without an application based on family participation in other assistance programs like Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). This would ensure more students who would benefit from and otherwise qualify for free or reduced-price school meals are eligible to receive school-based food assistance while reducing administrative costs. 

Executive Branch: 

  • Biden-⁠Harris Administration Issues Executive Order to Promote Good Jobs Through Investing in America Agenda: President Biden signed a landmark Executive Order on Investing in America and Investing in American Workers (Good Jobs EO), which will help ensure that the Biden-Harris Investing in America agenda continues to promote good, high-quality jobs with paths to the middle class. The Good Jobs EO promotes strong labor standards such as family-sustaining wages, workplace safety, and the free and fair opportunity to join a union and encourages agencies to implement these standards through their Investing in America programs.   

Federal Funding Opportunities: 

Previously Shared 

  • HUD Grant: Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing: Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing (PRO Housing) empowers communities that are actively taking steps to remove barriers to affordable housing and seeking to increase housing production and lower housing costs over the long term. Applications due October 15, 2024. 
  • High School Equivalency Program: The HEP is designed to assist migratory or seasonal farmworkers (or immediate family members of such workers) to obtain the equivalent of a secondary school diploma and subsequently to gain improved employment, enter military service, or be placed in an institution of higher education (IHE) or other postsecondary education or training. Applications will be available on September 3, 2024 and will close November 15, 2024. 
  • Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant: The Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant programs provide funding for rural projects through local utility organizations. USDA provides zero-interest loans to local utilities which they in turn, pass through to local businesses (ultimate recipients) for projects that will create and retain employment in rural areas. Applications are due June 30, 2025. 
  • Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 AmeriCorps State and National Competitive Grants: AmeriCorps grants are awarded to eligible organizations that engage AmeriCorps members in evidence-based or evidence-informed interventions to strengthen communities. AmeriCorps members may receive a living allowance and other benefits. After successful completion of their service, members earn a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award they can use to pay for higher education expenses or apply to qualified student loans. Applications are due by January 23, 2025. 

From The States: 

  • An Ongoing ‘Energy Corridor’ Project Aims to Improve Road Safety and Accessibility by 2026 (Utah): A major road improvement project, known as the Energy Corridor, is set to upgrade 54 miles of roads in southeastern Utah’s San Juan County. This initiative comes after years of negotiations with the Navajo Nation and careful environmental studies to preserve archaeological sites. The project aims to enhance safety and accessibility for residents, visitors to the Four Corners region, and workers in the petroleum industry. 
  • Work Quota Rules Vetoed in Amazon Warehouses (Alaska): A law that would have mandated that owners of sizable warehouses give their staff written work quotas and prohibited them from setting work quotas so high that workers would not have time to use the restroom has been vetoed by Governor Mike Dunleavy. With support from both parties, the Alaska Legislature enacted House Bill 88 this year. The bill’s author, Representative George Rauscher of Sutton, stated in April that it was about worker transparency and fairness. He claimed to have worked in a warehouse and that the problem was personal to him. Although Dunleavy vetoed the bill on August 29, the notice of veto was not made public until this past week. Dunleavy stated in the statement that HB 88 was vetoed “because it introduces undue regulation.” 

For The Youth: 

  • Shape the future of mental health programs 
  • Connect with passionate peers 
  • Develop leadership skills 
  • Get paid for your valuable input ($20/hour!) 

Resources: 

  1. How Community Members, Advocates, and Policymakers Can Make the Most of the Remaining American Rescue Plan Dollars for Children and Youth: This blog post from the Children’s Funding Project highlights the urgency for communities, advocates, and policymakers to strategically utilize the remaining American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds dedicated to children and youth. With deadlines approaching, the article emphasizes the importance of thoughtful planning and collaboration to ensure these funds create lasting positive change.   

 

 

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