HB1449--JUVENILEWORKFORCEDEVELOPMENTPROGRAM
SPONSOR: Boykin
Thisbillcreatesthe"YouthWorkforceDevelopmentProgram"within
theDepartmentofHigherEducationandWorkforceDevelopment
(DHEWD). TheProgramwillprovideparticipantswithopportunities
toentertheworkforcealongwiththeskillsnecessarytobe
successfulintheworkplace. TheDepartmentwillworkwiththe
DepartmentofSocialServices(DSS)andtheDepartmentof
ElementaryandSecondaryEducation(DESE)todeveloptheprogramas
specifiedinthebill.
Thebilldefines"at-riskyouth"asyouthwhoexperiencesocial,
economic,familial,orbehavioralproblemsthatmakehimorher
vulnerabletodelinquencyortheuseofillegaldrugs,with
identifiedriskfactorsthatincreasevulnerability. Theprogram
isspecificallyforSt.LouisCountyandtheCityofSt.Louisand
limitedto500participantsinthefirstyear.
Thegoalsoftheprogramincludejobtrainingandcreating
certificationprogramsforhigh-demandindustries,establishing
internshipswithlocalbusinesses,educatingyouthregarding
healthyrelationships, marriage,andfuturefamilyroles,and
providingtrainingforlifeskills.
DHEWDwillworkwithjuveniledetentionfacilitiestocreatewithin
thefacilityacenterforvocationaltraining,resume-building
workshops,andhighschooldiplomas. TheDepartmentwillalsowork
withhighschoolsintheregion,localbusinesses,agenciesand
communityleaders,includingnonprofitsandfaith-based
organizationstoprovideforbasicneedsandworkforce
opportunitiesforparticipants.
ThebillspecifiesthatayouthmaybereferredtotheProgramby
thejuvenilecourt,DSS,orschool,iftheyouthhasbeen
identifiedashighrisk.DHEWDwilldevelopametrictodetermine
thecriteriaforparticipationintheprogram.
Thebillcreatesthe"YouthWorkforceDevelopmentProgramFund"to
beusedforspecifiedusesincludingtransportation, childcare,
andmentalhealthservices. ByOctober1,2026,andeachyear
after,thedepartmentsmustcreateandsubmitareporttothe
Governor,SpeakeroftheHouseofRepresentatives, andPresident
ProTemoftheSenateasspecifiedinthebill.
Thisprogramsunsetssixyearsaftertheeffectivedate.