H.R. 3114 (112th): Civic Justice Corps Act of 2011

112^th Congress, 2011–2013. Text as of Oct 06, 2011 (Introduced).

HR 3114 IH

112th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 3114

To provide grants for Civic Justice Corps programs for court-involved, previously incarcerated, and otherwise disadvantaged youth and young adults.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

October 6, 2011

Ms. VELAZQUEZ introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce

A BILL

To provide grants for Civic Justice Corps programs for court-involved, previously incarcerated, and otherwise disadvantaged youth and young adults.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ‘Civic Justice Corps Act of 2011’.

SEC. 2. PURPOSE.

The purpose of this Act is to develop, implement, and expand educational and work experience opportunities for court-involved, previously incarcerated, and otherwise disadvantaged youth and young adults through service and conservation corps and other community-based service organizations.

SEC. 3. FINDINGS.

The Congress finds as follows:

(1) On any given day, more than 500,000 juvenile court cases in the United States end in incarceration or probation.

(2) The per diem cost of locking up one young person in a juvenile facility ranges from $24 in Wyoming to $726 in Connecticut, but the American Correctional Association estimates that, on average, it costs States $240.99 per day, or around $88,000 a year, for every young person in a juvenile facility.

(3) States spend nearly $6,000,000,000 a year incarcerating youth.

(4) Youth who are imprisoned are up to 50 percent more likely to recidivate than their counterparts who remain in their communities.

(5) Nearly 70 percent of youth in residential facilities have been adjudicated for nonviolent offenses and could be safely managed within their communities.

(6) The most effective programs at reducing recidivism rates and promoting positive life outcomes for youth are administered within communities, outside of the criminal juvenile justice system.

(7) In the United States there are more than 150 service and conservation corps, the direct descendants of the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930s, that operate in all 50 States, provide educational and economic opportunities to more than 30,000 young people each year, and make important contributions in the communities in which they are located.

(8) The Civic Justice Corps Model, developed by The Corps Network in conjunction with the Gates and Open Society Foundations, utilizes community service projects to deliver life skills, education, workforce readiness, and supportive and transitional services to formerly incarcerated and court-involved youth and young adults between the ages of 16 and 25.

(9) Data from 14 original Civic Justice Corps sites demonstrate 80 percent post-program participant placement rates and 11 percent recidivism rates among program participants (as opposed to the prevailing recidivism rate of 50 to 70 percent).

SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

In this Act:

(1) CIVIC JUSTICE CORPS MODEL- The term ‘Civic Justice Corps Model’ refers to programs that--

(A) intentionally recruit and primarily enroll as participants in the program court-involved, previously incarcerated, and otherwise disadvantaged youth and young adults between the ages of 16 and 25;

(B) provide such participants with educational programming and support designed to lead to a high school diploma or its recognized equivalent;

(C) provide such participants with assessment, career planning, workforce readiness, and service or work experience designed to lead to unsubsidized employment, enrollment in postsecondary education or an apprenticeship program, the obtainment of an industry-recognized credential, or some other type of career pathway program, including military service;

(D) demonstrate relationships with local criminal, juvenile justice, and other social service agencies and provide a range of supportive and transitional services to participants;

(E) engage participants in relevant, necessary, and team-based community service projects designed to instill life and jobs skills and long-term civic engagement;

(F) demonstrate relationships with local boards (as such term is defined in section 101 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2801)) and local employers and can provide participants with appropriate post-program placements;

(G) require participants to be enrolled in the program for not less than 6 months, and provide participants with at least 12 months of post-program support and services;

(H) collect post-program data for at least the 12 months after such participants complete the program; and

(I) have in place a plan for sustaining the program after the expiration of the grant.

(2) LOCAL SUBGRANTEE- The term ‘local subgrantee’ refers to a service and conservation corps or other community-based service organization that--

(A) has been competitively selected by a national intermediary to carry out a Civic Justice Corps program that implements the Civic Justice Corps Model; and

(B) demonstrates--

(i) a local need for a Civic Justice Corps program;

(ii) the ability to recruit and enroll court-involved, previously incarcerated, and otherwise disadvantaged youth and young adults between the ages of 16 and 25;

(iii) the ability to provide the education, workforce development, service and work experience, and supportive and follow-up services described in paragraph (1);

(iv) relationships with local criminal, juvenile justice, and social service agencies;

(v) relationships with local boards (as such term is defined in section 101 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2801)) and employers and the ability to place participants upon program completion;

(vi) the ability to collect data and report on the performance measures described in section 6(b); and

(vii) a plan to sustain the Civic Justice Corps program after the expiration of the subgrant.

(3) NATIONAL INTERMEDIARY- The term ‘national intermediary’ means a national nonprofit organization that--

(A) has experience in developing and administering programs that utilize community service to deliver education and work experience to court-involved, formerly incarcerated, and otherwise disadvantaged youth;

(B) demonstrates an ability to administer a competitive subgrant process that will result in the selection of no less than nine geographically diverse local subgrantees to carry out Civil Justice Corps programs that implement the Civic Justice Corps Model;

(D) has the ability to collect information from the subgrantees on the performance measures described in section 6(b) and report such information to the Attorney General on an annual basis.

(4) SERVICE AND CONSERVATION CORPS- The term ‘service and conservation corps’ means any State or local service or conservation corps, including a service or conservation corps carried out under the national service laws.

SEC. 5. CIVIC JUSTICE CORPS GRANTS.

(a) In General- The Attorney General shall award grants to one or more national intermediaries to develop, implement, and collect data from Civic Justice Corps programs administered by no fewer than nine local subgrantees in diverse geographic locations.

(b) Grant and Subgrant Periods- Each grant awarded to a national intermediary, and each subgrant awarded to a local subgrantee, under this section shall be for a period of 3 years.

(1) IN GENERAL- Each national intermediary receiving a grant under this section shall make at least nine subgrants to local subgrantees to carry out Civil Justice Corps programs that implement the Civil Justice Corps Model described in section 4(1) with the funds provided under such subgrant.

(2) RESERVATION- Each national intermediary receiving a grant under this section shall reserve--

(A) not less than 90 percent for subgrants to local subgrantees; and

(B) not more than 10 percent for training and technical assistance to, and data collection from, such local subgrantees.

(d) Use of Subgrants- An entity receiving a subgrant under this section shall use the funds made available through such subgrant to carry out a Civic Justice Corps program that implements the Civic Justice Corps Model. Such program shall include the provision of educational programming and support to participants, which may include--

(1) basic instruction and remedial education;

(2) language instruction for individuals with limited English proficiency;

(3) secondary education services and activities, including drop-out prevention, tutoring, and other activities;

(4) preparation for and access to postsecondary education opportunities, including counseling and assistance with applying for student financial aid;

(5) work readiness training, which may include--

(A) development of basic skills, such as--

(i) arriving on time to work;

(ii) being prepared to work;

(iii) working independently;

(iv) working with others;

(v) working safely; and

(vi) demonstrating a commitment to produce high quality work;

(B) development of job-specific occupational skills and on-the-job training; and

(6) development and monitoring of individual education and career plans.

SEC. 6. REPORTS.

(a) Annual Reports to the Attorney General- Each national intermediary receiving a grant under this Act shall submit a report annually to the Attorney General at such time, in such manner, and providing such information as the Attorney General may require, including information on the performance measures reported by subgrantees in accordance with subsection (b).

(b) Subgrantee Reports on Performance Measures- Each entity receiving a subgrant under this section shall annually report to the national intermediary that awarded such subgrant on the following performance measures of participant progress:

(1) The obtainment of a high school diploma, a recognized equivalent, or some other industry-recognized credential.

(2) Post-program placement for each participant in one of the following, and total post-program placement rates for each of the following:

(A) Unsubsidized employment.

(B) Postsecondary education.

(D) A career pathway program, including military service.

(3) Post-program recidivism rates.

SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $20,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2012 through 2018.