S-1211-119
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (text: CR S1926-1930)
Sponsored by Richard Durbin (D-IL)
What it does
This bill would direct the Department of Labor to award competitive grants to states, local governments, Indian tribes, and community-based organizations to create subsidized summer and year-round employment opportunities for youth ages 14–24. Grant funds must be used to support employment for eligible individuals — including those involved in the justice system, experiencing homelessness, or who are pregnant or parenting — and may also cover wages, support services such as case management and child care, and data management systems. The Department of Labor would be required to establish performance measures and conduct annual reviews of each grant recipient.
Who benefits
Youth ages 14–24 who are justice-involved, homeless, pregnant, or parenting — groups with historically high unemployment rates. Community-based organizations and local governments that would receive federal funding to expand existing programs. Employers who gain access to a subsidized workforce pipeline. Child care providers who may see increased demand from support service funding. Taxpayers and communities that may benefit from reduced recidivism and long-term unemployment if programs are effective.
Who is hurt
Taxpayers who bear the cost of the grant program. Grant applicants who are not selected in the competitive process, including smaller or less-resourced community organizations that may lack capacity to compete. Non-subsidized youth workers who may face wage competition from subsidized peers in the same labor market. Organizations that currently provide similar services without federal funding and may face competitive disadvantage if funded peers expand rapidly.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that youth unemployment — particularly among justice-involved, homeless, and parenting young people — carries long-term economic costs including higher rates of recidivism, public assistance dependency, and lost lifetime earnings. They contend that subsidized employment programs have demonstrated measurable results: a 2016 evaluation of the New York City Summer Youth Employment Program found participants had significantly lower rates of incarceration and higher earnings in subsequent years. Supporters further argue that competitive grant structures ensure accountability by requiring performance reviews and directing funds to the most effective local implementers.
Opponents argue
Opponents argue that federally subsidized employment programs have a mixed evidence base and that competitive grants often favor larger, better-resourced organizations over grassroots community groups that may be more effective locally. They contend that subsidized wages can distort local labor markets by displacing private-sector entry-level jobs that would otherwise be filled by the same youth population. Critics also argue that without a defined appropriations ceiling in the bill text, Congress is creating an open-ended spending commitment with insufficient fiscal guardrails, and that employment outcomes are better achieved through workforce development block grants that give states greater flexibility.
Constitutional context
Congress has broad authority to appropriate funds and attach conditions to grants under the Spending Clause (Art. I, §8, cl. 1) and the Commerce Clause (Art. I, §8, cl. 3). The Tenth Amendment is relevant because the bill channels funds through states and localities rather than directly mandating state action, which is consistent with the anti-commandeering doctrine established in cases like Murphy v. NCAA (2018) — participation appears voluntary.
Checks and balances
The executive branch (Department of Labor) gains grant-making and oversight authority; Congress retains control through appropriations and the requirement that Labor establish and report on performance measures, and courts could review grant conditions or agency implementation under post-Loper Bright independent statutory interpretation.
Historical precedent
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2014 similarly authorized federal grants for youth employment and training programs, including for out-of-school youth facing barriers to employment.