Strengthening Communities through Summer Employment Act
The Strengthening Communities through Summer Employment Act would authorize federal funding to expand and improve summer youth employment programs. It would provide about $200 million per year starting in fiscal year 2026 (rising to $240 million by 2030) to the Department of Labor. The funds would be split into two main grant programs: one to expand or create summer job programs (Section 3) and another to support innovative approaches within those programs (Section 4). The bill also creates a formal evaluation framework (Section 5) and an Advisory Board (Section 6) to oversee program design, monitor outcomes, and publish findings. Eligible entities include states, local governments, nonprofits, or consortia, and programs must offer subsidized employment for youths under 25 for at least four weeks, with various supports (mentoring, career guidance, post-program opportunities, etc.) designed to improve educational attainment, employment outcomes, and reductions in crime. In short, the bill aims to significantly scale up summer employment for youth, embed evidence-based practices and innovative approaches, and rigorously measure whether these efforts improve education, work, and crime-related outcomes.
Key Points
- 1Authorization and funding structure
- 2- Authorizes annual appropriations starting at $200,000,000 (FY2026) and increasing to $240,000,000 (FY2030).
- 3- Funds are divided: 45% for Section 3 grants, 45% for Section 4 grants, 5% for evaluation, 5% for the Advisory Board.
- 4Section 3: Expansion and scaling of programs
- 5- Grants to eligible entities to develop or expand summer youth employment programs that target better outcomes (high school graduation, postsecondary enrollment, earnings, and reductions in arrest/conviction/incarceration).
- 6- Grants prioritized for areas with higher youth unemployment and violent crime, higher program quality (including evidence of impact), and serving more youth who have historically been underserved (e.g., rural/suburban areas).
- 7- Required program elements include at least four weeks of subsidized work for participants under 25, minimum-wage pay, outreach and eligibility documentation, one-to-one or matched employer placement, mentoring, post-program education/work opportunities, employer supports, and pre/during/after program supports (e.g., digital literacy, financial literacy, career counseling).
- 8Section 4: Implementation of innovative program activities
- 9- Grants for innovative approaches to integrate into programs that already meet Section 3’s core elements.
- 10- Priorities similar to Section 3 (need, quality, and reach) plus emphasis on innovative approaches and their evidence of impact.
- 11- Applicants must describe plans to integrate one or more innovative approaches, which may include mentoring, high-quality job training, social-emotional learning, wrap-around services, mental health and substance abuse supports, post-employment school coordination, virtual/digital elements, Learn-and-Earn models, private-sector expansion, digital badges, laddering across summers, and new ideas proposed with evidence potential.
- 12Evaluation and accountability (Section 5)
- 13- Recipients must implement performance measurement assessments each year.
- 14- The Secretary, with the Advisory Board, will fund independent impact evaluations to measure longer-term outcomes (1, 3, and 5 years after program completion) using administrative data and surveys.
- 15- Evaluations should assess education outcomes, employment/wage outcomes, and crime rates, and use strong methods (randomized designs where feasible).
- 16- Advisory Board helps with evaluation design and maintains a database of completed impact evaluations.
- 17Advisory Board (Section 6)
- 18- A new Advisory Board within the Labor Department to oversee grants, provide technical assistance, identify and approve innovative elements, publish a database of evaluations, and assist with evaluation activities.
- 19- Members are experts in summer youth programs and policy evaluation; terms are typically four years; meetings are monthly.
- 20Definitions (Section 7)
- 21- Clarifies eligible entities (states, local governments, nonprofits, or consortia) and aligns terms with the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).