Updates from a national coalition of individuals and organizations who come together to build comprehensive support for and investment in pathways for Opportunity Youth – young people ages 16 to 24 who are not in school or the workforce.

If you’re interested in joining this cross-issue coalition of advocates and researchers focused on Opportunity Youth, please sign up here. Advocates of all ages and issue areas are welcome!

• DC state of play

• Different avenues: BBB, appropriations, WIOA, executive branch

• Resource Round-Up

DC State of play

FY23 Appropriations 

The clock has been ticking louder and at the time of our last stakeholder call, it was crunch time for Congress to agree upon and pass a stopgap spending bill, known as a Continuing Resolution (“CR”). The House and the Senate passed the CR on September 30th, funding the government through Dec. 16 and providing billions in additional Ukraine aid and disaster relief. The CR passed with a vote of 230 to 201. 

The CR funds most programs and activities at the FY2021 levels with several exceptions that provide funding flexibility and additional appropriations for various programs. Overall, there has been tensions around a number of areas related to appropriations, including aid to Ukraine, the water crisis in Jackson, Mississippi, refugee resettlement, and the standing issue of Joe Manchin’s reform proposal, which is getting heat from both sides of the aisle. Ultimately, the CR gives Congress an extension to attempt to complete the fiscal year 2023 omnibus. 

FY23 Proposed Appropriations

Below is an overview of where the program  funding levels have been in FY21-FY23.

Program	FY21 Enacted	FY22 Enacted	President’s Budget Request  FY23	House LHHS  FY23	Senate LHHS FY23
YouthBuild – DOL	$97M ($96,534,000)	$97M ($96,534,000) Level funded FY20-FY22	$145M ($145,000,000)	$145M	$113M
REO – DOL	$100M ($100,079,000)	$100M ($100,079,000) Level funded FY21-FY22	$150M ($150,000,000)	$150M	$125M
AmeriCorps Nat’l Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) – AmeriCorps	$34M ($33,500,000)	$35M ($34,505,000)	$38M ($37,735,000)	$38M ($37,735,000)	$36M ($36,375,000)
AmeriCorps State/National – Americorps	$455M ($455,096,000)	$467M ($466,749,000)	$557M ($557,094,000)	$523M	$492M ($491,750,000)
Job Corps – DOL	$1.749B ($1,748,615,000)	$1.749B ($1,748,655,000)	$1.778B  ($1,778,964,000)	$1.8B	$1.773B ($1,773,655,000)
WIOA Youth – DOL	$921M ($921,130,000)	$921M ($921,130,000) Level funded-FY22	$964M ($963,837,000)	$1B ($1,033,130,000)	$958M ($958,130,000)

Inflation Reduction Act Preview

The Inflation Reduction Act is a large-scale economic investment that will address issues such as climate justice, prescription coverage, and also raising taxes on corporations. It was signed and passed into law this past summer. 

This Act includes a $3B Environmental Justice Block Grant, which will be broken down into $2.8B to benefit disadvantaged communities through community lead projects, and $200M for technical assistance. Right now, the EPA has a proposal for about 5-10 technical assistance providers that may be connected to this specific grant.  Organizations eligible for this block grant include states, tribes, municipalities and nonprofits.

The implementing agency will be the Environmental Protection Agency, with support from the newly created Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights. Within the legislative text there are a number of bills and provisions that could lead to the creation of 9 million jobs. 

Resource Round Up

Resources on the Inflation Reduction Act’s Environmental and Climate Justice Block Grants:

• 9 Million Jobs from Climate Action: The Inflation Reduction Act
• Environmental Justice (EJ) Provisions of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act Category IRA Section Benefit Eligible Applicants EJ Cr 
• National Environmental Justice Community Engagement Calls | US EPA

SYEP resources:

• The Promises of Summer Youth Employment Programs: Lessons from Randomized Evaluations | The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab 
• Youth summer jobs programs: Aligning ends and means
• Let’s invest in summer jobs programs to maximize their impact  

New Deal for Youth Week of Action: https://bit.ly/ND4YWeekofAction