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SECOND REGULAR SESSION
HOUSE BILL NO. 2772
103RD GENERAL ASSEMBL Y
INTRODUCED BY REPRESENT A TIVE BOYKIN.
5777H.01I JOSEPH ENGLER, Chief Clerk
AN ACT
T o amend chapter 173, RSMo, by adding thereto one new section relating to workforce
opportunities for certain youth.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Chapter 173, RSMo, is amended by adding thereto one new section, to be
2 known as section 173.2563, to read as follows:
173.2563. 1. Ther e is her eby established within the department of higher
2 education and workfor ce development the "Y outh W orkfor ce Development Pr ogram".
3 Such pr ogram shall pr ovide participants opportunities to enter the workforce and other
4 necessary skills to be successful in the workplace. The department shall work in
5 conjunction with the department of social services and the department of elementary
6 and secondary education to develop the progra m established under this section.
7 2. As used in this section, the following terms mean:
8 (1) "At-risk youth", a youth who experiences social, economic, familial, or
9 behavioral pr oblems that make such youth vulnerable to delinquency or the use of
10 illegal drugs. Risk factors that incr ease vulnerability include, but are not limited to,
11 having thr ee or mor e school suspensions within the same school year; having substance-
12 abusing paren ts or friends; being the victim of physical, sexual, or psychological abuse;
13 dr opping out of school; becoming pr egnant; being economically disadvantaged;
14 experiencing mental health pr oblems; attempting suicide; or being a runaway or
15 homeless;
16 (2) "Department", the department of higher education and workforc e
1 7 development;
EXPLANA TION — Matter enclosed in bold-faced brackets [thus] in the above bill is not enacted and is
intended to be omitted from the law . Matter in bold-face type in the above bill is proposed language.
18 (3) "Progra m", the youth workfor ce development pro gram;
19 (4) "Y outh", an individual who is at least twelve years of age but under twenty-
20 one years of age.
21 3. (1) T o be eligible to participate in the prog ram, participants shall be:
22 (a) Y outh who ar e curr ently involved in the juvenile justice system, youth who
23 wer e involved in the juvenile justice system, or at-risk youth;
24 (b) Residents of a county with mor e than one million inhabitants or a city not
25 within a county; and
26 (c) Referr ed to the pr ogram under subdivision (1) of subsection 7 of this section.
27 (2) Participation in the pr ogram shall be limited in the first year to five hundr ed
28 participants.
29 4. The goals of the pr ogram shall include, but are not limited to:
30 (1) Pr oviding job training and cr eating certification pr ograms in high-demand
31 industries for participants. Job training may also include res torative justice practices
32 and conflict res olution workshops for participants who ar e curren tly involved in the
33 juvenile justice system or who wer e involved in the juvenile justice system;
34 (2) Establishing internships and appr enticeships with local businesses for
35 participants;
36 (3) Pr oviding training for life skills and soft skills for participants. Such training
37 shall include pro grams designed to pro vide the participant with the ability to
38 communicate effectively , work in a team setting, and make informed decisions
39 r egarding money and financial services;
40 (4) Educating youth reg arding healthy rela tionships, marriage, and futur e
41 family role s; and
42 (5) Fostering supportive family envir onments and res ponsible community
43 engagement.
44 5. The department shall prov ide assistance to each juvenile detention facility
45 located in a county with mor e than one million inhabitants or a city not within a county
46 for the cr eation of a center within the facility that would pr ovide the following to a
47 participant being held in the facility:
48 (1) V ocational training;
49 (2) High school diploma or general education development pr ograms; and
50 (3) Resume-building workshops.
51 6. The department shall:
52 (1) Collaborate with high schools to integrate car eer and technical education
53 pr ograms;
54 (2) Encourage:
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55 (a) Local businesses to partner with community organizations to creat e
56 workfor ce opportunities for participants in the progr am. Such businesses and
57 organizations shall be located in a county with mor e than one million inhabitants or a
58 city not within a county . The department shall work with such businesses to help the
59 businesses seek potential tax cred its if the businesses hir e participants fr om the
60 pr ogram; and
61 (b) Agencies and community leaders, nonprof it organizations, and faith-based
62 organizations located in a county with mor e than one million inhabitants or a city not
63 within a county to pr ovide basic needs to participants in the prog ram; and
64 (3) Pr ovide community leaders, nonpr ofit organizations, and faith-based
65 organizations located in a county with mor e than one million inhabitants or a city not
66 within a county with information regar ding neighborhood mentorship grants to help
67 guide participants in the pro gram.
68 7. (1) The following entities may re fer a youth to the progra m:
69 (a) Juvenile courts as part of pr obation or a diversion pr ogram;
70 (b) The department of social services; or
71 (c) A school, if an individual within that school identifies a youth as being an at-
72 risk youth who could benefit fr om the pr ogram.
73 (2) The department shall develop a metric to determine criteria for participation
74 in the prog ram.
75 8. (1) There is hereb y crea ted in the state trea sury the "Y outh W orkfor ce
76 Development Pr ogram Fund", which shall consist of gifts, bequests, grants, transfers,
77 and moneys appr opriated by the general assembly . The state tr easurer shall be
78 custodian of the fund. In accordance with sections 30.170 and 30.180, the state tre asurer
79 may appr ove disbursements. The fund shall be a dedicated fund and, upon
80 appr opriation, moneys in this fund shall be used solely for the pro gram established
81 under this section and for transportation; child car e; mental health services to support
82 pr ogram participants; participant participation in general youth engagement activities,
83 sports field trips, and mentorship pro grams; and stipends for internships or sponsor ed
84 job opportunities.
85 (2) Notwithstanding the pro visions of section 33.080 to the contrary , any moneys
86 r emaining in the fund at the end of the biennium shall not r evert to the credit of the
87 general reven ue fund.
88 (3) The state tre asurer shall invest moneys in the fund in the same manner as
89 other funds ar e invested. Any interes t and moneys earned on such investments shall be
90 cr edited to the fund.
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91 9. Befor e October 1, 2027, and before each October first ther eafter , the
92 department, in conjunction with the department of social services and the department of
93 elementary and secondary education, shall creat e a report and submit the r eport to the
94 governor , speaker of the house of r epresent atives, and presiden t pr o tempor e of the
95 senate. The repo rt shall contain the following information:
96 (1) The number of participants in the prog ram;
97 (2) The employment rate of the participants after completion of the prog ram;
98 (3) The re cidivism rate of participants in the prog ram;
99 (4) The efficacy of the pro gram with projecte d gr owth numbers; and
100 (5) Any recomm ended changes to the pr ogram.
101 10. In determining the efficacy of the prog ram and any reco mmended changes to
102 the progra m, the department may consult with third parties including, but not limited
103 to, universities and res earch organizations.
104 1 1. Under section 23.253 of the Missouri sunset act:
105 (1) The prov isions of the new pr ogram authorized under this section shall sunset
106 six years after the effective date of this section unless reauthori zed by an act of the
107 general assembly; and
108 (2) This section shall terminate on September first of the calendar year
109 immediately following the calendar year in which the prog ram authorized under this
110 section is sunset.
111 12. The department, in conjunction with the department of social services and
112 the department of elementary and secondary education, shall promul gate all necessary
113 rules and reg ulations for the administration of this section. Any rule or portion of a
114 rule, as that term is defined in section 536.010, that is crea ted under the authority
115 delegated in this section shall become effective only if it complies with and is subject to
116 all of the pr ovisions of chapter 536 and, if applicable, section 536.028. This section and
117 chapter 536 are nonseverable and if any of the powers vested with the general assembly
118 pursuant to chapter 536 to revi ew , to delay the effective date, or to disappr ove and annul
119 a rule are subsequently held unconstitutional, then the grant of rulemaking authority
120 and any rule pr oposed or adopted after the effective date of this section shall be invalid
121 and void.
✔
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