Legislative Updates

Our Youth, Our Economy, Our Future: A National Investment Strategy for Reconnecting America’s Youth.
A Campaign for Youth policy recommendation.

On Thursday, June 7, 2007, the House Labor, HHS Appropriations Subcommittee marked up its Fiscal Year 2008 Appropriations bill and funded YouthBuild at just $60M, giving YouthBuild a $10M (20%) increase.

On Friday, September 22, 2006, President George W. Bush signed into law S. 3534, the YouthBuild Transfer Act,  transferring YouthBuild from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to the Department of Labor.

On Wednesday, September 6, 2006, after more than two years of negotiations with the Department of Labor (DOL), the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Office of Management and Budget and both Chambers of Congress, a consensus bill to transfer YouthBuild from HUD to DOL passed the House yesterday, after having passed the Senate by unanimous consent in July. The two bills were identical, as everything was ironed out both Chambers in advance.

At 11:55PM on August 3, 2006, just before adjourning for the summer recess, the full Senate passed the YouthBuild Transfer Act, by unanimous consent at the request of Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) in support of a bi-partisan bill co-sponsored by Senators Mike Enzi (R-WY), Edward Kennedy (D-MA), Mike DeWine (R-OH), John Kerry (D-MA), and Patty Murray (D-WA).  If passed in the House and signed into law, this bill will move the YouthBuild program from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development to the US Department of Labor. 

Last month Senators Mike Enzi (R-WY), Edward Kennedy (D-MA), Mike DeWine (R-OH), John Kerry (D-MA), and Patty Murray (D-WA) introduced the YouthBuild Transfer Act (S.3534) in the Senate.

This week Senators John F. Kerry (D-MA) and Mike DeWine (R-OH) delivered the YouthBuild Support Letter with 48 Senatorial Signatures (see below for complete list) to Chairmen Chairmen Kit Bond and Arlen Specter and Ranking Members Patty Murray and Tom Harkin urging them to include $90M for the federal YouthBuild program in the budget for Fiscal Year 2007.

The Administration’s budget for Fiscal Year 2007 released in early February includes just $50M for YouthBuild, in the Department of Labor. This $50M request perpetuates the 20% cut that YouthBuild suffered for Fiscal Year 2006 as a result of confusion about whether we would be in HUD or DOL.  

On Friday, November 18, the Congressional House and Senate Conference Committee concluded its appropriations process for the Transportation, the Treasury, and Housing and Urban Development, Judiciary, District of Columbia appropriations bills for Fiscal Year 2006 and selected the lower of the two Chambers’ recommendation for the YouthBuild appropriation.

All 42 House Members of the Congressional Black Caucus introduced a bill to support the reconstruction of the Gulf Coast.  H.R. 4197, Providing for the recovery of the Gulf Coast, addresses housing, health care, voting rights, small business, education, and other issues affecting the Gulf, ending with a call for the president to put forth a plan to eliminate poverty. 

The President's Budget for Fiscal Year 2006 was released on February 7, 2005.

The President requested $59M for the Youthbuild program, a decrease of just over 4% from Fiscal Year 2005. The overall Department of Labor Budget was also decreased by 4%.

The House Appropriations Committee failed to restore YouthBuild funding on Tuesday, June 21, when, by a vote of 28 to 30, it turned down an Amendment to the Appropriations Bill which would have restored $50M in federal Youthbuild funding.This comes after the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, the Treasury, and Housing and Urban Development, Judiciary, district of Columbia marked up the HUD bill on Wednesday, June 15, and gave $0 to YouthBuild.

53 Senators and 119 Members of the House of Representative have called for $90M to be allocated to the Youthbuild rogram for Fiscal Year 2006.