5470041 Resolution 21-102, Youth Employment and Work Readiness Training Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2015

A RESOLUTION

 

21-102

 

IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

 

May 5, 2015

 

                                                                                                                                             

To declare the existence of an emergency with respect to the need to amend the Youth Employment Act of 1979 to authorize the Mayor to provide employment or work readiness training for no fewer than 10,000 and no more than 21,000 youth participants  14 to 24 years of age.

 

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this resolution may be cited as the “Youth Employment and Work Readiness Training Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2015”.

 

            Sec. 2.  (a)  The economy of the District of Columbia continues to show improvement, but, as of December 2014, the District’s 7.3% unemployment rate for adults remains one of the highest in the nation.

            (b)  Many District youth continue to face barriers to employment and lack the skills to secure sustainable, long-term jobs.

            (c)  The Mayor is committed to investing in young people and part of that commitment is building a better pathway for young people to secure skills training for sustainable jobs in the District of Columbia.

            (d)  District youth up to the age of 24 continue to struggle to find employment in the District of Columbia, particularly in economically distressed wards and communities.

            (e)  Expanding jobs and job training opportunities for District youth will do much to strengthen the District’s local economy.

            (f)  The District’s youth employment programs have demonstrated that a job can be a life-changing experience that teaches a youth the responsibility of work, shapes attitudes, and leads to a productive work life.

            (g)  For the youth employment program to succeed in program year 2015, which is to begin in June 2015, it is desirable to extend enrollment to youth ages 14 to 24 years old.

 

            Sec. 3.  The Council of the District of Columbia determines that the circumstances enumerated in section 2 constitute emergency circumstances making it necessary that the Youth Employment and Work Readiness Training Emergency Amendment Act of 2015 be adopted after a single reading.

 

            Sec. 4.  This resolution shall take effect immediately.