Jul 3 Newsletter — OY Federal Updates
Protect WIOA Funding from Elimination
An Appropriations Refresher
So far, there has been movement on the Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS-Ed) from the House. Most recently, on June 9th the House Appropriations Committee narrowly approved the FY27 Labor-HHS-Ed bill on party lines. This bill includes $70.7 billion for education programs (a cut of about $8.1 billion or 10.3%) and $9.8 billion for labor programs (a cut of about $3.7 billion or 27%). Full programmatic eliminations are outlined for WIOA Youth Activities, Reentry Employment Opportunities (REO), Adult Education State Grants, 21st Century Community Learning Centers, and more. Slight increases are proposed for apprenticeships, YouthBuild, and McKinney-Vento Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program. The bill also includes a decrease for AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps. The House FY27 Labor-HHS-Ed bill is not scheduled yet for a full House vote. The next step will likely be a Labor-HHS-Ed bill from the Senate in the coming weeks.
You can view the full text here and summary here.
Here's how you can get involved NOW:
Use this action alert to let your members of Congress know how important critical federal programs are to connecting young people to education, training, and workforce programs.
Sign this letter to House and Senate Appropriations Committee leadership stating the impact of funding for programs that support Opportunity Youth, and why such programs cannot be eliminated or minimized.
The time to invest in our young people is now. Hear directly from young leaders who met with their Congressional representatives this summer to explain why Congress must invest in education, training, and workforce programs for young people.
The RYC works under the vision of reconnecting 1 million young people each year to education and employment through increased federal investments. This goal cannot be reached by the traditional federal appropriations process alone. In "Stepping Stones to Reconnecting 1 Million Young People: Ideas from the Reconnecting Youth Campaign" Thomas Showalter discusses ways that our field can work together to reach this goal through annual appropriations, youth-focused apprenticeships, improving access to career-navigation, increasing wages for young people, and more.
RYC's Upcoming Congressional Briefing
Invite your elected officials and staffers to the Reconnecting Youth Campaign's Congressional Briefing on Thursday, July 16, at 12:00 p.m. for lunch and a panel discussion on how federal policy can expand high-quality education and training opportunities that meet the needs of employers, workers, and the country. Attendees will hear from workforce board members, key intermediary partners, and youth program participants about the impact of WIOA funding, how apprenticeships can serve both employers and young people, and emerging opportunities at the intersection of AI and workforce development. For more information, contact Meredith Hills at Meredith@Forumfyi.org
Take Action: Email Your Members!
We need YOUR help to urge Congressional members to fortify investments for all education and labor programs to provide more opportunities for young people to engage in economic advancement in FY27. Some of the key programs include:
WIOA Youth Activities
Apprenticeship
Adult Education State Grants
AmeriCorps State and National
AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps
McKinney-Vento Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program
Reentry Employment Opportunities (REO)
Runaway and Homeless Youth Act Program
YouthBuild
Job Corps
Federal investments have not kept pace with inflation, let alone demand from workers and employers. Tell your Members of Congress to fund programs that reconnect Opportunity Youth to education and employment.
Support Our Campaign Partners
Join the National Youth Employment Coalition this September 21-23 for their D.C. Summit, the convening that brings the wisdom of community leaders and young people together to learn and collaborate. A key part of this event is connecting directly with policymakers to highlight the successes, challenges, and opportunities in advancing economic mobility and social well-being for young people.
Previously known as Youth Days in Washington, D.C., this reimagined summit expands the scope and impact of that legacy. Attendees are trained and equipped to meet with Congressional and Federal offices, share their stories, participate in workshops led by leaders in the field, and learn about the programs and policies that directly benefit opportunity youth across the country. Join NYEC this September to bridge practice to policy! Early Bird registration is open through July 15th.
Resource Center
Getting Workforce Pell Right for Young People – What We've Learned from Career Technical Education
Advance CTE and the National Skills Coalition (NSC) discuss the movement of Workforce Pell from policy to practice, and how new opportunities for learners and workers can have to high quality education and training programs. This blog explores how policymakers can draw from learnings in Career Technical Education (CTE) to ensure that Workforce Pell is a meaningful bridge to new college and career possibilities for young people – not a detour that constrains their futures.
Opportunity in Action at the Louisiana State Capitol
In this blog, Opportunity Youth Congressional Liaison Samarah Bentley reflects on recently attending Opportunity in Action Day at the Louisiana State Capitol and how that experience is shaping her approach to national advocacy. Read Samarah's Blog Here
Fund the Workforce. Sustain the System.
The Forum for Youth Investment writes about how youth development is essential infrastructure, not an add-on, and sustaining it requires real investment in the systems, intermediaries, and workforce that support young people every day.
The Anne E. Casey Foundation invests in efforts to equip OY with the skills, credentials, and experiences needed to prepare for placement in their first job, gain experience, and grow their careers. This report highlights key strategies that Casey and its partners have implemented to help young people navigate transitions from school to work.
Monthly Opportunity Youth Policy Stakeholders Meeting
For all those with important perspectives to share and a willingness to engage in federal advocacy and implementation, but for whom weekly meetings would be overkill, we will host monthly meetings that cover the content from both meetings above (advocacy and implementation), briefing participants on key developments, soliciting views and priorities, and providing meaningful opportunities to engage. These meetings are designed particularly for organizations whose work is not primarily federal advocacy, but whose voices are critical to ensure federal efforts meet their needs, for example, Aspen Opportunity Youth Forum sites, LEAP sites, and NLC Reengagement Network participants.
Meetings are held on the last Monday of each month at 4pm (EST)Register Here
