YouthBuild for the Future Act
- Bill Number
- S. 4321
- Origin Chamber
- Senate
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-04-16: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- Last Updated
- 2026-05-01T13:52:16Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose
The YouthBuild for the Future Act (S. 4321) reauthorizes and expands the YouthBuild program under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). YouthBuild helps at-risk youth (ages 16-24) gain education, job skills, and leadership experience through community projects like housing rehabilitation, while connecting them to employment and support services.
Key Provisions
- Funding Reservations and Grants (Amendments to WIOA Section 171(c)):
- If annual funding exceeds $125 million, 20% of the excess is reserved for rural areas and programs serving Indians, Alaska Natives, or Native Hawaiians.
- Remaining funds support YouthBuild grants.
- Expanded Allowable Program Activities (Section 171(c)(2)):
- Provide meals or food assistance tied to other activities.
- Help participants apply for benefits like SNAP (food stamps) or child care assistance.
- Offer support services for youth with disabilities.
- Grant Flexibility:
- Grant recipients can use funds to meet matching requirements for national service programs.
- Updated Terminology and Performance:
- Replaces "youth offender" with "youth justice-involved individual" and "basic skills deficient" with "have foundational skill needs."
- Requires annual consultation with programs to set performance goals.
- Administration Improvements:
- Annual funding announcements at consistent times.
- States must provide YouthBuild programs access to participant wage data (while protecting privacy).
- Authorizations for YouthBuild (Section 171(i)):
| Fiscal Year | Amount Authorized | |-------------|-------------------| | 2027 | $159.5 million | | 2028 | $167.5 million | | 2029 | $175.9 million | | 2030 | $184.7 million | | 2031 | $193.0 million | | 2032 | $203.6 million |
- New YouthBuild Employer Partnerships (New Section 171A):
- Grants to consortia (YouthBuild programs + employers) for job training aligned with local labor markets.
- Applications must include needs assessments, partnership details, fund uses, and evaluation plans.
- Priority for joint labor-management apprenticeships.
- $20 million authorized annually (FY2027-2032).
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Increases and extends funding authorizations through 2032 (previously expired).
- Adds reservations for rural and Native communities.
- Expands activities to include food aid, benefits assistance, and disability supports.
- Introduces employer partnership grants (entirely new program).
- Modernizes language for inclusivity and improves program evaluation/administration.
Potential Impacts
- Government Agencies: U.S. Department of Labor gains duties for new grants, reservations, consultations, and data access; states must share wage data.
- Citizens: More at-risk youth (especially rural, Native, disabled, or justice-involved) access training, jobs, food/child care aid, boosting employment and self-sufficiency.
- No direct international effects.
Main Stakeholders
- Youth Participants: At-risk 16-24-year-olds, including those out of school, justice-involved, disabled, rural, or Native.
- YouthBuild Grantees: Nonprofits, community organizations, tribes running programs.
- Employers: Public/private partners for job training/apprenticeships.
- States: Provide wage data support.
- Federal Government: Department of Labor oversees expanded funding/priorities.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legal: Enhances WIOA without major overhauls; privacy protections for wage data maintained. No constitutional challenges evident.
- Political: Bipartisan sponsors (Democrats); focuses on workforce equity for underserved groups, potentially aiding reauthorization debates on job training. Increases spending (~$1.1B total over 6 years) may spark budget discussions.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (5)
Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY], Sen. Kaine, Tim [D-VA], Sen. Coons, Christopher A. [D-DE], Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR], Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM]
Recent Actions
- 2026-04-16: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- 2026-04-16: Introduced in Senate
Bill Versions
- YouthBuild for the Future Act — issued 2026-04-16 — PDF (8 pages)