Sponsors (6)
The bill expands and stabilizes YouthBuild funding, services, and employer-linked training—benefiting disadvantaged young adults and underserved communities—while increasing federal spending and creating distributional, administrative, and privacy risks that could leave some programs and participants worse off.
YouthBuild participants and program operators get more predictable, sustained federal support (authorized increases for FY2027–FY2032 plus a $20M/year consortia program), improving planning, staffing, and long‑term employer partnerships.
Young adults gain employer-linked training, apprenticeship pathways, and stronger hiring pipelines through funded consortia and prioritized labor–management apprenticeship partnerships.
Young adults in rural areas and tribal communities gain increased access to YouthBuild grants via a required 20% set‑aside for funds above $125M, directing more resources to underserved places.
All taxpayers bear increased federal spending commitments from larger authorized appropriations through FY2027–FY2032 and a new $20M/year program, raising the fiscal cost of these initiatives.
The $20M/year consortia program and limited overall funds may be insufficient to scale employer partnerships nationally, leaving many YouthBuild sites and participants without access to the new opportunities.
Reserving 20% of funds above $125M for rural and tribal grants reduces the competitive share available to non‑rural/non‑tribal applicants, potentially disadvantaging other communities and programs.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Reserves rural/tribal YouthBuild funding, expands allowable services (meals, benefits help, disability supports), and creates a $20M/year employer partnership grant for FY2027–FY2032.
Official title: Reauthorize the YouthBuild program, and for other purposes.
Introduced April 16, 2026 by Edward John Markey · Last progress April 16, 2026
Requires the Department of Labor to reserve a portion of YouthBuild funding for rural and tribal programs, expands allowable YouthBuild services to include meals, benefits application assistance (like SNAP and child care), and supports for participants with disabilities, and sets multi-year funding levels for FY2027–FY2032. Creates a new targeted grant program to fund employer–YouthBuild operator consortia for employer-linked training and employment, with a dedicated $20 million per year for six years.