Senate Bill S184A

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  184--A
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                                (PREFILED)
 
                              January 8, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sens. PERSAUD, RAMOS, SCARCELLA-SPANTON -- read twice and
   ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee  on
   Social  Services -- recommitted to the Committee on Social Services in
   accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -- reported favorably from  said
   committee  and  committed  to  the  Committee  on Finance -- committee
   discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted
   to said committee
 
 AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to  establishing  a
   full year youth employment immersion pilot program; and in relation to
   creating  a youth or young adult employment immersion pilot program in
   three social services districts
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1. The social services law is amended by adding a new section
 131-y to read as follows:
   § 131-Y. YOUTH EMPLOYMENT IMMERSION PILOT PROGRAM. 1. FOR THE PURPOSES
 OF THIS SECTION, THE FOLLOWING TERMS SHALL HAVE THE FOLLOWING MEANINGS:
   (A) "OFFICE" MEANS THE OFFICE OF TEMPORARY AND DISABILITY ASSISTANCE.
   (B) "PROGRAM" MEANS  THE  YOUTH  EMPLOYMENT  IMMERSION  PILOT  PROGRAM
 ESTABLISHED UNDER THIS SECTION.
   (C)  "ELIGIBLE  YOUTHS  AND YOUNG ADULTS" MEANS ECONOMICALLY DISADVAN-
 TAGED STATE RESIDENTS WHO ARE BETWEEN THE AGES OF  SIXTEEN  AND  TWENTY-
 FOUR  WHO  ARE  NOT  CURRENTLY  EMPLOYED,  AND (I) FOR THOSE AGE SIXTEEN
 THROUGH EIGHTEEN, ARE ENROLLED IN HIGH SCHOOL OR A  HIGH  SCHOOL  EQUIV-
 ALENCY PROGRAM, OR (II) FOR THOSE AGE NINETEEN THROUGH TWENTY-FOUR, HAVE
 GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL OR RECEIVED HIGH SCHOOL EQUIVALENCY. THE TERM
 "ELIGIBLE  YOUTHS  AND  YOUNG  ADULTS" SHALL NOT INCLUDE INDIVIDUALS WHO
 HAVE COMPLETED, OR ARE CURRENTLY ENROLLED IN, POST-SECONDARY  EDUCATION,
 OR  A  BUSINESS,  PROFESSIONAL,  VOCATIONAL,  TECHNICAL, OR TRADE SCHOOL
 LICENSED OR APPROVED BY THE REGENTS, OR AN APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD00868-02-6
 S. 184--A                           2
 
   (D)  "ECONOMICALLY  DISADVANTAGED"  MEANS  STATE  RESIDENTS  WHO   ARE
 CURRENTLY  RECEIVING  SAFETY NET OR FAMILY ASSISTANCE OR WHO RESIDE IN A
 HOUSEHOLD THAT WOULD BE ELIGIBLE FOR RECEIPT OF  SAFETY  NET  OR  FAMILY
 ASSISTANCE BASED ON MEANS TESTING.
   (E)  "PROFESSIONAL  AND TRANSFERABLE SKILLS" SHALL INCLUDE, BUT NOT BE
 LIMITED TO:
   (I) COLLABORATION;
   (II) COMMUNICATION;
   (III) CREATIVITY;
   (IV) CRITICAL THINKING; AND
   (V) SELF-ADVOCACY.
   2. THE OFFICE SHALL  ESTABLISH  A  YOUTH  EMPLOYMENT  IMMERSION  PILOT
 PROGRAM.  THE PROGRAM SHALL BE ADMINISTERED BY THE LOCAL SOCIAL SERVICES
 DISTRICTS WITH SUPERVISION AND REGULATION BY  THE  OFFICE.  THE  PROGRAM
 SHALL BE FOR ELIGIBLE YOUTHS AND YOUNG ADULTS WHICH SHALL INCLUDE:
   (A)  UP  TO  TWENTY-FIVE PERCENT OF AN ELIGIBLE YOUTH OR YOUNG ADULT'S
 TIME WITH THE PROGRAM BEING SPENT ON EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT READINESS,
 INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO:
   (I) ATTENDING PROGRAMS WHICH TEACH WORKFORCE READINESS, SKILL DEVELOP-
 MENT, FINANCIAL LITERACY, OR DIGITAL LITERACY;
   (II) EARNING A CERTIFICATION OR LICENSE; OR
   (III) BEING PROVIDED WITH JOB PLACEMENT AND RETENTION SERVICES; AND
   (B) AT LEAST SEVENTY-FIVE  PERCENT  OF  AN  ELIGIBLE  YOUTH  OR  YOUNG
 ADULT'S  TIME  WITH  THE PROGRAM BEING SPENT ENGAGING IN PAID EMPLOYMENT
 THAT BUILDS PROFESSIONAL AND TRANSFERABLE SKILLS.
   3. THE PROGRAM SHALL PERMIT ELIGIBLE YOUTHS AND YOUNG ADULTS TO  APPLY
 FOR  PARTICIPATION IN THE PROGRAM FOR A PERIOD OF UP TO ONE YEAR.  YOUTH
 AND YOUNG ADULTS SHALL NOT BE PERMITTED TO REMAIN AS  A  PARTICIPANT  IN
 THE  PROGRAM  IF THEY (I) ARE AGES AGE SIXTEEN THROUGH EIGHTEEN AND DROP
 OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL; OR (II) OTHERWISE ENTER POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION, OR
 A  BUSINESS,  PROFESSIONAL,  VOCATIONAL,  TECHNICAL,  OR  TRADE   SCHOOL
 LICENSED  OR  APPROVED  BY  THE  BOARD  OF  REGENTS OR AN APPRENTICESHIP
 PROGRAM WHILE ENROLLED IN THE PROGRAM.
   4. YOUTHS AND YOUNG ADULTS WHO COMPLETE A FULL  YEAR  OF  THE  PROGRAM
 SHALL  HAVE  THE  OPTION OF RE-APPLYING TO EXTEND THEIR PARTICIPATION IN
 THE PROGRAM BY ONE YEAR IF THEY REMAIN ELIGIBLE YOUTHS AND YOUNG  ADULTS
 PURSUANT TO THE CRITERIA SET FORTH IN SUBDIVISION THREE OF THIS SECTION.
   5.  THE  PROGRAM  SHALL  PERFORM OUTREACH TO ELIGIBLE YOUTHS AND YOUNG
 ADULTS AT: HIGH SCHOOL EQUIVALENCY PROGRAMS; HIGH SCHOOLS,  SPECIFICALLY
 REACHING  OUT  TO  STUDENTS  WHO DO NOT HAVE PLANS AFTER GRADUATION; AND
 PUBLIC ASSISTANCE WORK READINESS PROGRAMS. THE PROGRAM SHALL ALSO  REACH
 OUT  TO  YOUTHS  AND YOUNG ADULTS WHO ARE BEING RELEASED BY THE CRIMINAL
 JUSTICE SYSTEM OR NON-SECURE PLACEMENT PROGRAMS.
   6. THE PROGRAM MAY PROVIDE EMPLOYERS WITH SUBSIDIES OF UP ONE-THIRD OF
 THE GROSS WAGES FOR UP TO ONE YEAR FOR THE HIRING OF  A  PARTICIPANT  IN
 THE PROGRAM.
   7. PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS SHALL BE COMPENSATED FOR EMPLOYMENT, EDUCATION
 AND  EMPLOYMENT  READINESS  COMPONENTS  AT  A  RATE EQUAL TO TWO HUNDRED
 SIXTY-FIVE PERCENT OF THE FEDERAL POVERTY LINE.
   § 2. 1. A youth or young adult employment immersion pilot  program  is
 hereby  established  by  the office. The office shall select three local
 social services districts, with one being located in  the  city  of  New
 York,  and the others reflecting geographic diversity. The pilot program
 shall be established and operational within 9 months  of  the  effective
 date  of  this  act and remain operational for a minimum of 24 months to
 S. 184--A                           3
 
 provide eligible youth and young adults with services and employment  or
 connection to employment for the full duration of the pilot.
   (a)  The  local  social  services  district may operate the program in
 coordination with the applicable local youth bureau.
   (b) Nothing in this  section  shall  limit  a  local  social  services
 district  or  youth bureau from contracting with a not-for-profit entity
 to effectuate the youth employment immersion pilot program.
   2. Throughout the pilot, the  local  social  services  district  shall
 evaluate  program  participants  and report the following information to
 the office, on a schedule determined  by  the  office,  which  does  not
 include  any  personally  identifying  information  of any pilot program
 participant:
   (a) the number of participants and the length of time each participant
 was in the pilot program;
   (b) the number of  participants  who  obtained  certifications  and/or
 credentials during their participation in the pilot program;
   (c)  the number of participants who obtained gainful employment during
 the course of the pilot program; and
   (d) any other information requested by the office.
   3. The office shall prepare and submit the report, containing the data
 analyzation, annually to the governor, the temporary  president  of  the
 senate, the speaker of the assembly, the chair of the assembly committee
 on  social  services,  and  the  chair of the senate committee on social
 services no later than ninety days following the conclusion of  the  two
 year pilot program.
   4.  For the purposes of this section, the term "office" shall mean the
 office of temporary and disability assistance.
   § 3. Subparagraph (ix) of paragraph (a) of subdivision  8  of  section
 131-a  of the social services law, as added by section 1 of subpart D of
 part XX of chapter 55 of the  laws  of  2020,  is  amended  to  read  as
 follows:
   (ix)  all of the income derived from participation in the summer youth
 employment program OR YOUTH EMPLOYMENT IMMERSION PILOT PROGRAM, provided
 however, that such income shall be exempt only for an individual who  is
 not  older  than age twenty-four at the time of enrollment in the summer
 youth employment program OR YOUTH EMPLOYMENT IMMERSION PILOT PROGRAM and
 such disregard must be  applied  for  the  length  of  the  individual's
 participation  in such program.  THE COMMISSIONER SHALL SEEK ANY FEDERAL
 WAIVER NECESSARY TO EFFECTUATE  THE  ONE-TIME  EARNED  INCOME  DISREGARD
 PURSUANT TO THIS SUBDIVISION.
   § 4. The office of temporary and disability assistance shall submit to
 the United States Department of Health and Human Services and the United
 States  Department  of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service any amend-
 ments to the state plan which are necessary to effectuate the provisions
 of this act.
   § 5. This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that:
   (a) sections one, two and three of this act  shall  take  effect  upon
 approval  by  the  United States Department of Health and Human Services
 and the United States  Department  of  Agriculture  Food  and  Nutrition
 Service  of  the amendments to the state plan submitted by the office of
 temporary and disability assistance pursuant to  section  four  of  this
 act;
   (b) the office of temporary and disability assistance shall notify the
 legislative bill drafting commission upon the occurrence of the approval
 of  the amendments in the state plan provided for under paragraph (a) of
 this section in order that the commission may maintain an  accurate  and
 S. 184--A                           4
 
 timely effective data base of the official text of the laws of the state
 of  New York in furtherance of effectuating the provisions of section 44
 of the legislative law and section 70-b of the public officers law; and
   (c)  effective  immediately,  the addition, amendment and/or repeal of
 any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this  act  on
 its  effective date are authorized to be made and completed on or before
 such effective date.