SR0596 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0596 LRB097 20177 GRL 65586 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The United States economy is experiencing the worst recession since the Great Depression in the 1930s; and

WHEREAS, At 26%, 2011 was the worst summer teen (16 to 19) employment rate in post-World War II history, with black and Hispanic youth being the hardest-hit groups; and

WHEREAS, In the summer of 2011, more than 2 million low-income youth were out of work and on the streets; and

WHEREAS, In 2011, 73% of all teens in Illinois were jobless; and

WHEREAS, The jobless rate of teens in Illinois rose from 50% in 2000 to 72% in 2011; black teen joblessness rose from 79% in 2000 to 88% in 2011, while Latino teen joblessness rose from 60% to 70%; and

WHEREAS, In Chicago, black teen joblessness was at 90% in 2010, Latino teen joblessness was at 81%, and white teen joblessness was at 76%; and

WHEREAS, From 1964 until its end in 2000, a separate summer youth employment program for over 750,000 low-income youth was in place; and

WHEREAS, Along with the short-term improvement in their earnings and income, teen employment has a variety of long-term benefits for youth; the more that teens work when they are 16 and 17, the more likely they are to work when they are 18 to 21 years old; teen employment also raises the average earnings of youth when they are 25 years old; and

WHEREAS, Teens who work are more likely to get trained by their employers via formal apprenticeship training; in addition, low-income youth who work more while attending high school, especially males, are less likely to drop out of high schools, and female teens who work more are less likely to get pregnant; and

WHEREAS, In 2009, the U.S. Congress and President Obama passed a $787 billion stimulus for the economy, including $1.2 billion for summer youth employment that employed over 330,000 jobless youth across the country; and

WHEREAS, There is a great need to continue the summer youth employment program during the summer of 2012, but there is no funding allocated for the program at this point; and

WHEREAS, In Congress, United States Representative George Miller has introduced H.R. 3425 and United States Senator Richard Blumenthal has introduced S. 1861, both of which are known as the Pathways Back to Work Act of 2011; the Act would allocate $5 billion for summer and year-round employment, education, and training for disadvantaged youth and adults; this funding would allow teens and adults to earn money while they are producing meaningful work; these teens and adults would spend this money immediately, providing a direct economic stimulus to the U.S. economy; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge President Barack Obama and Congress to pass the $5 billion Pathways Back to Work legislation as soon as possible to create an employment program throughout the year and with a particular emphasis on the summer for 500,000 youth and adults, by combining education and productive work in their neighborhoods; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to President Barack Obama and the members of the Illinois congressional delegation.