BP BHEAD INT H

AN ACT Relating to Washington youthbuilt; amending RCW 50.72.010, 50.72.020, 50.72.030, 50.72.050, 50.72.060, and 50.67.030; adding new sections to chapter 50.72 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 82.04 RCW; and making an appropriation.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1. RCW 50.72.010 and 1994 sp.s. c 3 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) The legislature finds that there is a need to:

(a) Expand the supply of permanent affordable housing for homeless individuals, low and very low-income persons, and special need populations by utilizing the energies and talents of economically disadvantaged youth;

(b) Provide economically disadvantaged youth with opportunities for meaningful work and service to their communities in helping to meet the housing needs of homeless individuals, low and very low-income persons, and special need populations;

(c) Enable economically disadvantaged youth to obtain the education and employment skills necessary to achieve economic self-sufficiency; and

(d) Foster the development of leadership skills and commitment to community development among youth in designated community empowerment zones.

(2) The legislature declares that the purpose of the Washington ((~~youthbuild~~)) youthbuilt program is to:

(a) Help disadvantaged youth who have dropped out of school to obtain the education and employment skills necessary to achieve economic self-sufficiency and develop leadership skills and a commitment to community development in designated community empowerment zones; and

(b) Provide funding assistance to entities implementing programs that provide comprehensive education and skills training programs designed to lead to self-sufficiency for economically disadvantaged youth.

Sec. 2. RCW 50.72.020 and 1994 sp.s. c 3 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter.

(1) "Applicant" means a public or private nonprofit organization agency eligible to provide education and employment training under federal or state employment training programs.

(2) "Commissioner" means the commissioner of employment security.

(3) "Department" means the employment security department.

(4) "Low income" has the same meaning as in RCW 43.185A.010.

(5) "Participant" means an individual that:

(a) Is sixteen to twenty-four years of age, inclusive;

(b) Is or is a member of a very low-income household; and

(c) Is neither attending any school nor subject to a compulsory attendance law and who has not received a secondary school diploma or a certificate of equivalency for such diploma.

(6) "Very low income" means a person or household whose income is at or below fifty percent of the median family income, adjusted for household size, for the county where the household is located.

(7) "((~~Youthbuild~~)) Youthbuilt" means any program that provides disadvantaged youth with opportunities for employment, education, leadership development, entrepreneurial skills development, and training in the construction or rehabilitation of housing for special need populations, very low-income households, or low-income households.

Sec. 3. RCW 50.72.030 and 1994 sp.s. c 3 s 3 are each amended to read as follows:

The Washington ((~~youthbuild~~)) youthbuilt program is established within the department. The commissioner, in cooperation and consultation with the director of the department of community, trade, and economic development, shall:

(1) Make grants, up to the lesser of three hundred thousand dollars or twenty-five percent of the total costs of the ((~~youthbuild~~)) youthbuilt activities, to applicants eligible to provide education and employment training under federal or state employment training programs, for the purpose of carrying out a wide range of multidisciplinary activities and services to assist economically disadvantaged youth under the federal opportunities for youth: Youthbuild program (106 Stat. 3723; 42 U.S.C. Sec. 8011), or locally developed youthbuild-type programs for economically disadvantaged youth; and

(2) Coordinate youth employment and training efforts under the department's jurisdiction and cooperate with other agencies and departments providing youth services to ensure that funds appropriated for the purposes of this chapter will be used to supplement funding from federal, state, local, or private sources.

Sec. 4. RCW 50.72.050 and 1994 sp.s. c 3 s 5 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) An individual selected as a participant in the ((~~youthbuild~~)) youthbuilt program under this chapter may be offered full-time participation for a period of not less than six months and not more than twenty-four months.

(2) An applicant's program that is selected for funding under this chapter shall be structured so that fifty percent of the time spent by the participants in the ((~~youthbuild~~)) youthbuilt program is devoted to educational services and activities, such as those outlined in RCW 50.72.040.

Sec. 5. RCW 50.72.060 and 1994 sp.s. c 3 s 6 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) An application for a grant under this chapter shall be submitted by the applicant in such form and in accordance with the requirements as determined by the commissioner.

(2) The application for a grant under this chapter shall contain at a minimum:

(a) The amount of the grant request and its proposed use;

(b) A description of the applicant and a statement of its qualifications, including a description of the applicant's past experience with housing rehabilitation or construction with youth and youth education and employment training programs, and its relationship with local unions and apprenticeship programs and other community groups;

(d) A description of the educational and job training activities, work opportunities, and other services that will be provided to participants;

(e) A description of the proposed construction or rehabilitation activities to be undertaken and the anticipated schedule for carrying out such activities;

(f) A description of the manner in which eligible participants will be recruited and selected, including a description of arrangements which will be made with federal or state agencies, community-based organizations, local school districts, the courts of jurisdiction for status and youth offenders, shelters for homeless individuals and other agencies that serve homeless youth, foster care agencies, and other appropriate public and private agencies;

(g) A description of the special outreach efforts that will be undertaken to recruit eligible young women, including young women with dependent children;

(h) A description of how the proposed program will be coordinated with other federal, state, local, and private resources and programs, including vocational, adult, and bilingual education programs, and job training programs;

(i) Assurances that there will be a sufficient number of adequately trained supervisory personnel in the program who have attained the level of journeyman or have served an apprenticeship through the Washington state apprenticeship training council;

(j) A description of the applicant's relationship with building contractor groups and trade unions regarding their involvement in training, and the relationship of the ((~~youthbuild~~)) youthbuilt program with established apprenticeship and training programs;

(k) A description of activities that will be undertaken to develop the leadership skills of the participants;

(l) A description of the commitments for any additional resources to be made available to the local program from the applicant, from recipients of other federal, state, local, or private sources; and

(m) Other factors the commissioner deems necessary.

Sec. 6. RCW 50.67.030 and 1994 sp.s. c 3 s 8 are each amended to read as follows:

In addition to its duties under this chapter, the Washington state job training coordinating council shall advise the employment security department and the department of community, trade, and economic development on the development and implementation of the Washington ((~~youthbuild~~)) youthbuilt program created under chapter 50.72 RCW.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 7. A new section is added to chapter 50.72 RCW to read as follows:

The Washington youthbuilt account is created in the custody of the state treasurer. All receipts from sources established by this chapter, private contributions, and all other sources shall be deposited into the account. Moneys in the account may be spent only after appropriation. Expenditures from the account may be used only for purposes of chapter 50.72 RCW.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 8. A new section is added to chapter 50.72 RCW to read as follows:

This act may be known and cited as the Washington youthbuilt act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 9. A new section is added to chapter 82.04 RCW to read as follows:

(1) In computing the tax imposed under this chapter, a credit is allowed against the amount of tax otherwise due under this chapter, as provided in this section. The tax credit is equal to fifty percent of the person's contribution to either: (a) An approved local Washington youthbuilt program created under chapter 50.72 RCW; or (b) the state of Washington for the purposes of Washington youthbuilt activities under chapter 50.72 RCW.

(2) Any person requesting a tax credit under this section must make an application for tax credits before the actual contribution is made. The application must be made to the department of revenue in a form and manner prescribed by the department of revenue and the employment security department.

(3) No person is eligible for a tax credit in excess of two hundred thousand dollars during the taxable year and a tax credit may not be granted to a person for an amount contributed of less than one hundred dollars.

(4) The department of revenue shall keep a running total of all tax credits granted under this section during each fiscal biennium. The department shall not allow credits that would cause the tabulation for a biennium to exceed four million dollars. If all or part of an application for credit is disallowed under this subsection, the disallowed portion shall be carried over for approval the next biennium.

(5) As used in this section, "Washington youthbuilt" means a local program funded under chapter 50.72 RCW or the Washington youthbuilt program created under chapter 50.72 RCW.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 10. The sum of one million dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated for the biennium ending June 30, 1997, from the general fund to the employment security department for the purpose of the Washington youthbuilt program created in chapter 50.72 RCW.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 11. If any provision of this act or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other persons or circumstances is not affected.