HR6413-119

What This Bill Does

This bill amends the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) to eliminate a requirement that 75% of youth workforce investment funds be spent on out-of-school youth (young people not enrolled in secondary or postsecondary education). This gives states and local workforce boards more flexibility to allocate funds between in-school and out-of-school youth programs as they see fit.

Who Benefits and How

• State and local workforce development boards gain more discretion over how to allocate youth program funding between in-school and out-of-school populations
• In-school youth may receive greater access to workforce investment activities if local areas choose to shift funding toward them
• Youth workforce program administrators have more flexibility to design programs based on local needs rather than federal mandates

Who Bears the Burden and How

• Out-of-school youth (dropouts, disconnected youth, those not enrolled in education) may face reduced access to workforce development services if local areas reallocate funding away from them
• At-risk youth populations who were the intended beneficiaries of the 75% set-aside may receive less support

Key Provisions

• Strikes paragraph (4) of Section 129(a) of WIOA which requires 75% of youth funds be used for out-of-school youth
• Allows unrestricted flexibility for states and local areas to determine the mix of in-school vs out-of-school youth services