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Washington, D.C.—This week, Congressman Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.), a member of the Joint Economic Committee, led fifty-five of his Democratic and Republican colleagues in sending a letter to House leadership requesting the appropriation of $50 million in funding for the Department of Labor’s Job Corps Program in an upcoming economic stimulus bill (Text of the letter below).
“As Maryland families continue to struggle with the consequences of the Bush-McCain economic policies that have led to the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, it becomes even more critical that we provide funding for the tried and true methods of stimulating our economy,” Congressman Cummings said. “For nearly fifty years, the Job Corps Program has uplifted more than 2 million young people, providing them with the resources necessary to become contributing members of society.”
Job Corps is a no-cost education and vocational training program that enrolls people ages 16-24 to learn a trade, earn a high school diploma or GED, and get help finding a good school. When they join the program, participants are provided with a monthly allowance that increases with their time in the program.
There are currently 122 Job Corps centers throughout the U.S., including the Woodstock Job Corps Center in the Baltimore area. Over the past ten years, nearly 3,000 students have been enrolled at Woodstock, and nearly 800 economically disadvantaged youth are provided with academic and vocational training there in any given year.
“Twelve million students are expected to drop out of high school this year, representing a $3 trillion loss to the U.S. economy,” Congressman Cummings said. “We simply cannot allow these young people to drop out of society, as well—which is why we must fully support programs like Job Corps.”
Years of static funding, combined with a drastic $11 million cut in FY2008 and an increasingly weak economy have devastated the program. The program is expected to face an operational funding shortfall of up to $127 million in the current program year.
The letter was sent to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Minority Leader John Boehner, and Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey and Ranking Member Jerry Lewis.
Text of the letter:
Dear Speaker Pelosi, Minority Leader Boehner, Chairman Obey and Ranking Member Lewis:
We are writing to request that $50 million for the U.S. Department of Labor’s Job Corps Program be included in any upcoming stimulus supplemental appropriations bill. This critical program has the proven potential to stimulate the economy by giving disadvantaged youth the opportunity to become consumers, taxpayers, and contributing members of society.
Job Corps is a no-cost education and vocational training program that helps young people ages 16 through 24 get a better job, make more money, and take control of their lives. At Job Corps, students enroll to learn a trade, earn a high school diploma or GED and get help finding a good job. When they join the program, youth are paid a monthly allowance; the longer they stay with the program, the more their allowance will be. Job Corps provides career counseling and transition support to its students for up to 12 months after they graduate from the program.
For 42 years, Job Corps has served as our nation’s most successful dropout recovery program, providing training to 2.5 million graduates. There are currently 122 Job Corps centers throughout the country serving approximately 62,000 disadvantaged youth each year. Years of static funding, combined with a drastic cut of $11 million in fiscal year 2008 have devastated the program. This problem is further exacerbated by the weakened economy. According to an analysis conducted by the National Job Corps Association, the program faces an estimated $84 million to $127 million operational funding shortfall in the current program year. This shortfall comes at a time when the services that Job Corps offers are in high demand. In the coming decade, 12 million students are projected to drop out of high school, representing a $3 trillion loss to the economy. Job Corps helps lift up those youth who have fallen through the cracks.
An additional $50 million for the Job Corps program’s student living allowances and readjustment assistance allowances will make a tremendous difference for youth and their communities on Main Streets across the country.
The requested funding will be utilized to enhance student employment services and ensure that more students are able to complete the program. Job Corps students use this funding to purchase dress attire for their first job interview or to get the tools they need to begin their careers as craftsmen. Funding for Job Corps living allowances has decreased by more than 10 percent in the last five years.
Similarly, Job Corps graduates receive re-adjustment allowances that assist their transition back into their community and into their first job. This funding is used to pay the first month’s rent on their first apartment, to help find transportation they need to get to their job, or to simply buy their first bag of groceries. Living allowances and re-adjustment are immediately injected into the economy by youth who are using the dollars to get their feet on the ground. These funds have not increased in over 10 years.
We can attest to the critical impact the Job Corps program has made to disadvantaged youth in our communities, and we therefore appreciate your attention to this important request.
Sincerely,
Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.), Michael H. Michaud (D-Maine), Brad Miller (D-N.C.), Luis G. Fortuño (R-P.R.), Maurice D. Hinchey (D-N.Y.), William J. Jefferson (D-La.), Michael F. Doyle (D-Pa.), Bruce L. Braley (D-Iowa), Travis W. Childers (D-Miss.), Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-N.J.), Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii), Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), David Wu (D-Ore.), Silvestre Reyes (D-Texas), Betty Sutton (D-Ohio), Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas), Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), Bob Etheridge (D-N.C.), John Sarbanes (D-Md.), Christopher P. Carney (D-Pa.), Ron Paul (R-Texas), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Jim Matheson (D-Utah), Laura Richardson (D-Calif.), Frank D. Lucas (R-Okla.), Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Vic Snyder (D-Ariz.), Dale E. Kildee (D-Mich.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), John Lewis (D-Ga.), Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.), Charles A. Gonzalez (D-Texas), Linda T. Sánchez (D-Calif.), Phil Hare (D-Ill.), Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), Lois Capps (D-Calif.), Luis V. Gutierrez (D-Ill.), Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Jr. (D-Ga.), Joe Courtney (D-Conn.), Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), Richard E. Neal (D-Mass.), James P. McGovern (D-Mass.), Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), Stephen F. Lynch (D-Mass.), Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.), David Scott (D-Ga.), Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-Va.), Thomas H. Allen (D-Maine), Edolphus Towns (D-N.Y.), Heath Shuler (D-N.C.), Donna Edwards (D-Md.)
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