S 184: Establishes a full year youth employment immersion pilot program for eligible youths and young adults between the ages of 16 and 24; directs the office of temporary and disability assistance to establish a youth or young adult employment immersion pilot program in 3 local social services districts, with one being located in the city of New York.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 184 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE (Prefiled) January 8, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. PERSAUD -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Social Services AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to establishing a full year youth and young adult employment immersion program The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The social services law is amended by adding a new section 2 131-y to read as follows: 3 § 131-y. Youth employment immersion program. 1. For the purposes of 4 this section, the following terms shall have the following meanings: 5 (a) "Office" means the office of temporary and disability assistance. 6 (b) "Program" means the youth employment immersion program established 7 under this section. 8 (c) "Eligible youths and young adults" means economically disadvan- 9 taged state residents who are between the ages of sixteen and twenty- 10 four whom have not completed post-secondary education. 11 2. The office shall establish a youth employment immersion program. 12 The program shall be administered by the local social services districts 13 with supervision and regulation by the office. The program shall be for 14 eligible youths and young adults which shall include: 15 (a) up to twenty percent of an eligible youth or young adult's time 16 with the program being spent on education and employment readiness, 17 including, but not limited to: 18 (i) attending a high school equivalency program; 19 (ii) attending programs which teach workforce readiness, skill devel- 20 opment, financial literacy, or digital literacy; 21 (iii) earning a certification or license; or 22 (iv) being provided with job placement and retention services; and EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD00868-01-5 
 S. 184 2 1 (b) at least eighty percent of an eligible youth or young adult's time 2 with the program being spent engaging in paid employment that builds 3 transferable skills. 4 3. The program shall permit eligible youths and young adults to apply 5 for participation in the program for a period of one year with the 6 option of re-applying to extend their participation in the program by 7 one year until they are no longer eligible. 8 4. The program may provide employers with subsidies of up to one third 9 of the gross wages for up to one year for the hiring of a participant in 10 the program. 11 5. The program shall perform outreach to eligible youths and young 12 adults at: high school equivalency programs; high schools, specifically 13 reaching out to students who do not have plans after graduation; and 14 public assistance work readiness programs. The program shall also reach 15 out to youths and young adults who are being released by the criminal 16 justice system or non-secure placement programs. 17 6. Program participants shall be compensated for employment, education 18 and employment readiness components at a rate equal to two hundred 19 sixty-five percent of the federal poverty line. 20 § 2. Subparagraph (ix) of paragraph (a) of subdivision 8 of section 21 131-a of the social services law, as added by section 1 of subpart D of 22 part XX of chapter 55 of the laws of 2020, is amended to read as 23 follows: 24 (ix) all of the income derived from participation in the summer youth 25 employment program or youth employment immersion program, provided 26 however, that such income shall be exempt only for an individual who is 27 not older than age twenty-four at the time of enrollment in the summer 28 youth employment program or youth employment immersion program and such 29 disregard must be applied for the length of the individual's partic- 30 ipation in such program. 31 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.