S. 1825Senate113th Congress (2013-2015)In Committee

Securing Job Corps Centers Act

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SenateIntro Referral Latest Action

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee

December 13, 2013

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SenateIntro Referral

Introduced in Senate

December 13, 2013

SenateIntro Referral

Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S8809-8811)

December 13, 2013

SenateIntro Referral

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee

December 13, 2013

Floor Debate

1 member

What members said about S. 1825 on the floor

1 Republican

Sen. Susan M. CollinsR-ME · Dec 11, 2013

Mr. President, I rise today with Senator McCaskill and Senator Manchin to introduce the Securing Job Corps Centers Act, a bill that seeks to address the Job Corps' recent management challenges. Job…

Mr. President, I rise today with Senator McCaskill and Senator Manchin to introduce the Securing Job Corps Centers Act, a bill that seeks to address the Job Corps' recent management challenges.

Job Corps is an educational and vocational training program administered by the Department of Labor, DOL, that helps at-risk young people ages 16 through 24 by giving them the tools they need to succeed. Job Corps has been training young adults for meaningful careers for nearly 50 years and is committed to offering its students a safe, drug-free environment where they can train and learn.

Job Corps' mission is to attract eligible young people, teach them the skills they need to become employable and independent, and help them find meaningful jobs or further their education. This mission has been threatened, however, by the Department of Labor's mismanagement.

Earlier this year, the DOL ordered a temporary suspension of new student enrollments as its way to address a significant Job Corps program shortfall of $61.5 million. This was in addition to the $39 million shortfall in the previous

program year. The suspension of enrollments decimated the program, setting it back for years to come, which is especially upsetting considering Job Corps has compiled an impressive record over five decades in preparing at-risk youth for the workforce or higher education.

According to DOL, several factors contributed to Job Corps' financial problems, but the most significant was unchecked growth in expenditures due to serious weaknesses in the financial management processes. I wrote to DOL officials for clarification, and they responded with the following:

Job Corps lacked appropriate program monitoring tools and

control protocols, including those to sufficiently analyze

contractual spending trends. In turn, this led to inadequate

spending projections for the Operations account.

It is clear that the Department of Labor has mismanaged this program, and the students suffered the consequences. There are two Job Corps centers in Maine that do excellent work to help these young adults become productive members of society. The Penobscot Job Corps Academy and the Loring Job Corps Center have the capability to serve nearly 800 at-risk youth on a daily basis. These centers put these young men and women on a path to earning their high school diploma and to gaining the necessary skills to enter the workforce or the military or go on to college.

However, the shortfall caused by DOL mismanagement forced these centers to furlough and lay off staff to reduce costs--jeopardizing the long-term sustainability of these centers and their important work.

Studies have found Job Corps to be among the most effective of all federally supported programs that serve youth between the ages of 16 and 24 who are disconnected from both school and work. Even in the face of unprecedented budget shortfalls and enrollment freezes, Job Corps has continued to produce impressive results--85 percent of graduates obtain a job, enroll in higher education, or enlist in the military.

To ensure recent management challenges are addressed as transparently and effectively as possible, our bill would create an advisory board responsible for working with the DOL to develop policy and programmatic recommendations related to Job Corps' administration. The advisory panel will provide a series of reports directly to the U.S. Secretary of Labor and Congress on budget and financial management protocols, cost efficiencies, and maximizing the number of youth served. Our bill will also require earlier notifications of management decisions at DOL that could affect student enrollments.

Job Corps' recent management challenges have had ripple effects throughout the communities served by Job Corps centers and continue to have an impact on center operations. The fact that every Job Corps center continues to operate at 21 to 25 percent below full capacity is the result of a management structure that forced operational decisions to be made in haste and without proper consideration of alternatives. An advisory board of experienced Job Corps operations experts can help the program and its new leadership to emerge from the crises of the last year and ensure that, in the future, Job Corps policy decisions are always guided by what is in the best interests of Job Corps students and communities.

Job Corps' value remains clear. Studies suggest that leaving behind the youth served by this program could cost our states and our economy hundreds of thousands of dollars per youth. I urge my colleagues to support our bill to ensure that Job Corps returns to the operational efficiency that characterized its first 50 years and remains among the nation's most successful workforce programs.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that a letter be printed in the Record.

Sen. Susan M. CollinsR-ME · Dec 11, 2013

Mr. President, I rise today with Senator McCaskill and Senator Manchin to introduce the Securing Job Corps Centers Act, a bill that seeks to address the Job Corps' recent management challenges.

Job Corps lacked appropriate program monitoring tools and

control protocols, including those to sufficiently analyze

contractual spending trends. In turn, this led to inadequate

spending projections for the Operations account.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that a letter be printed in the Record.

Bill Text

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Introduced in SenateIssued December 13, 2013

113th CONGRESS

1st Session

S. 1825

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

December 13 (legislative day, December 11), 2013

Ms. Collins (for herself, Mrs. McCaskill, and Mr. Manchin) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

A BILL

To improve the management of the Job Corps program, and for other purposes.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Securing Job Corps Centers Act.

Findings and purpose

(a)

Findings

Congress finds the following:

(1)

The Department of Labor’s management of the Job Corps program has recently suffered from poor budgeting and financial management. The Office of Inspector General of the Department of Labor found that the Department had projected costs erroneously and managerial factors exacerbated the resulting budget shortfalls.

(2)

For nearly 50 years, the Job Corps program was overseen by a single individual appointed to a position in the Senior Executive Service. The management structure for the program has expanded to include 3 positions in the Senior Executive Service. This expansion has not contributed to better management of the program but has created uncertainty about roles and responsibilities, according to the May 31, 2013, report by the Office of Inspector General.

(3)

The Department of Labor has not been sufficiently transparent with Congress regarding policies that significantly affect constituents, particularly decisions to suspend enrollments or reduce the number of enrollees the Job Corps program serves.

(4)

An advisory board of Job Corps operational experts can assist the new leadership of the Department of Labor as the Department—

(A)

addresses the structural challenges the Job Corps program faces in its administration; and

(B)

returns the program to the administrative and operational efficiency that characterized the program's first 50 years.

(b)

Sense of Congress

It is the sense of Congress that—

(1)

local Job Corps center operational experts should play an important role in ensuring the effective management by the Secretary of the Job Corps program, by informing the Office of Job Corps on the impact Federal decisions may have on Job Corps campuses;

(2)

the Job Corps program continues to produce results as the economy of the United States recovers and unemployment remains high, as more than 85 percent of Job Corps graduates obtain a job, enroll in higher education, or enlist in the military upon completion; and

(3)

the 125 Job Corps center campuses, which includes locations in nearly every State, have compiled an impressive record of preparing at-risk youth for the workforce or higher education, and in nearly 50 years, more than 3,000,000 youth have obtained, through the Job Corps program, the job and social skills needed to start a career or obtain further educational credentials.

Job Corps Program Advisory Board

(a)

Establishment

(1)

In general

There is established in the Department of Labor the Job Corps Program Advisory Board (referred to in this section as the Advisory Board).

(2)

Recommendations

The Secretary, acting through the Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training, shall solicit and receive recommendations relating to the administration and management structure of the Job Corps program from the Advisory Board.

(b)

Membership

The Advisory Board shall be composed of 5 members appointed by the Secretary, of whom—

(1)

1 shall be selected from recommendations submitted by the Board of Directors of the National Job Corps Association; and

(2)

4 shall be selected from recommendations submitted by the chairpersons, in consultation with the ranking members, of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House of Representatives.

(c)

Qualifications

A majority of the individuals appointed to the Board under subsection (b) shall have—

(1)

backgrounds containing significant involvement in Job Corps managing operations; or

(2)

relevant management experience, in areas such as financial management, procurement and contract administration, and performance management, at a Job Corps center or at the regional or national level of the Job Corps program.

(d)

Period of appointment; vacancies

Members of the Advisory Board shall serve for the life of the Advisory Board. Any vacancy in the Advisory Board shall not affect its powers, but shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment.

(e)

Chairperson

The Advisory Board shall select a Chairperson from among its members.

(f)

Duties of the Advisory Board

(1)

Administration and management structure study and report

(A)

Study

The Advisory Board shall conduct a thorough study of all matters relating to the administration of and management structure for the Job Corps program.

(B)

Recommendations

The Advisory Board shall develop recommendations on ways of improving the administration and management structure of the Job Corps program, including reducing to 1 the number of positions in the Senior Executive Service within the program.

(C)

Report

Not later than 6 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Advisory Board shall prepare and submit to the Secretary and the appropriate committees of Congress—

(i)

a report that contains a detailed statement of the findings and conclusions of the Advisory Board; and

(ii)

recommendations for such legislation and administrative actions as the Advisory Board considers appropriate.

(2)

Recommendations

The Advisory Board shall receive each report submitted under section 5(a)(2) and make recommendations to the Assistant Secretary relating to the administration and management structure for the Job Corps program in response to the report or to requests by the Secretary.

(g)

No additional compensation

(1)

Voluntary service

Each member of the Advisory Board shall serve without compensation in addition to any such compensation received for the member's service as an officer or employee of the United States, if applicable.

(2)

No travel expenses

A member of the Advisory Board shall not be allowed travel expenses while away from the member's home or regular place of business in the performance of services for the Advisory Board.

(h)

Termination

The Advisory Board shall terminate at the end of the 2-year period during which the Secretary is not required to submit any notification reports under section 5, unless the Secretary elects to extend the life of the Advisory Board for any additional period of time.

Improved administration and management structure

(a)

In general

Not later than 60 days after receiving a report under section 3(f)(1), the Secretary shall take action to improve the administration and management structure of the Job Corps program, which actions shall include reducing to 1 the number of positions in the Senior Executive Service funded through the annual appropriations provided for the Job Corps program. The individual appointed to the position in the Senior Executive Service for the Job Corps program shall be responsible for the fiscal, program, and procurement oversight of the Job Corps program.

(b)

Budget plan

Not later than 90 days after receiving the report submitted under section 6, the Secretary shall prepare and submit a plan detailing how the Secretary will address and prevent any current or anticipated budget problem concerning the Job Corps program. The Secretary shall submit the plan to the appropriate committees of Congress.

Notification reports

(a)

Report

(1)

In general

Not later than 120 days prior to implementation of a policy described in subsection (b), the Secretary, acting through the Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training, shall prepare, and submit to the appropriate committees of Congress, a report that contains a notification regarding the policy.

(2)

Submission to the Advisory Board

The Secretary shall submit any report prepared under paragraph (1) to the Job Corps Program Advisory Board established under section 3 at the same time as such report is submitted to Congress, until the date on which the Advisory Board is terminated in accordance with section 3(h).

(b)

Policies covered

Subsection (a) applies to any policy implemented by the Department of Labor that would—

(1)

suspend the enrollment of applicants to participate in the Job Corps program;

(2)

reduce the number of positions available for enrollees in the program; or

(3)

affect the closure of a Job Corps center.

Government Accountability Office report

The Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a financial audit of the Job Corps program for fiscal years 2012 and 2013, and prepare and submit a report describing the results of the audit. Such audit shall contain a full review of the financial shortfalls relating to the program. The Comptroller General shall submit the report to the Secretary and the appropriate committees of Congress.

Funding

(a)

In general

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary shall reserve funds appropriated for fiscal year 2013 for the Employment and Training Administration that have not been obligated as of the date of enactment of this Act, and shall use such funds to carry out the requirements of this Act.

(b)

Availability

The funds reserved under this section shall remain available until expended.

Definitions

In this Act:

(1)

Job Corps

The term Job Corps means the Job Corps described in section 143 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2882).

(2)

Job Corps center

The term Job Corps center means a center described in section 147 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2887).

(3)

Secretary

The term Secretary means the Secretary of Labor.