SUBTITLE K. SCHOOL YEAR INTERNSHIP PILOT PROGRAM

Sec. 2101. Short title.

This subtitle may be cited as the "School Year Internship Pilot Program Amendment Act of 2020".

Sec. 2102. Section 2a(a) of the Youth Employment Act of 1979, effective January 5, 1980 (D.C. Law 3-46; D.C. Official Code § 32-242(a)), is amended by adding a new paragraph (2A) to read as follows:

" (2A) School year internship pilot. —

" (A) In Fiscal Year 2021, a pilot program called the School Year Internship Pilot Program ("Program") for 250 District high school students to provide work-based learning opportunities during the school year.

" (B) (i) High school students including students from public schools, public charter schools, private schools, and students who are homeschooled, may apply to the Department of Employment Services ("DOES") to be matched with an internship host through the Program; provided, that a student may not otherwise participate in an internship, in-school youth employment, or a work-readiness program.

" (ii) DOES shall give the applications of at-risk students priority over all other applications.

" (iii) For the purposes of this subparagraph the term "at-risk" means a public school, public charter school, private school, or homeschool student who is identified as one or more of the following:

" (I) Homeless;

" (II) In the District's foster care system;

" (III) Qualifies for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; or

" (IV) A high school student that is one year older, or more, than the expected age for the grade in which the student is enrolled.

" (C) DOES shall notify students of their placement with an internship host by January 5, 2021.

" (D) Interns shall remain matched with their internship host between January 2021 and June 2021.

" (E) DOES shall pay interns a training rate of $10 per hour, which it shall pay by way of a debit card provided to the intern or by direct deposit.

" (F) (i) Internship hosts may be nonprofit organizations, public schools or public charter schools, government agencies, or private businesses.

" (ii) Prospective internship hosts shall submit applications to participate in the Program no later than December 1, 2020. The application shall include a detailed job description that identifies specific tasks, projects, or duties that the intern will perform and the name and job title of the individual who will directly supervise the intern.

" (iii) DOES shall review internship host applications and shall give priority to applications that will engage an intern in work experience activities, rather than work readiness activities, for the majority of an intern's time.

" (G) DOES shall implement the Program through public-private partnerships between the District government and an internship host that has the ability to employ youth under the Program, subject to all federal and District laws, rules, and regulations relating to the procurement and award of contracts, grants, or other government assistance.

" (H) (i) DOES shall develop benchmarks for interns' growth and development in work readiness, which internship hosts shall utilize to assess an intern's work readiness.

" (ii) An internship host shall provide its written assessment of an intern's work readiness to DOES within 30 days after the end of the internship.".

Sec. 2103. The Department of Employment Services Local Job Training Quarterly Outcome Report Act of 2012, effective September 20, 2012 (D.C. Law 19-168; D.C. Official Code § 32-771), is amended by adding a new section 2083 to read as follows:

" Sec. 2083. Department of Employment Services annual report on year-round youth programs.

" (a) Starting December 15, 2020, and annually thereafter, the Department of Employment Services ("Department") shall publish on its website and submit to the Council a report on the operations of its year-round youth programs, including:

" (1) The In-School Youth Program;

" (2) The Out-of-School Youth Program;

" (3) The Marion Barry Youth Leadership Institute;

" (4) Pathways for Young Adults Program;

" (5) Youth Earn and Learn Program;

" (6) The High School Internship Program;

" (7) In-School Youth Innovation Grants; and

" (8) In-school DCHR internship program.

" (b) The report shall include the following information for each program from the previous fiscal year:

" (1) The number of participants newly enrolled;

" (2) The total number of participants, disaggregated by ward, grade, school, age, and, if known, at-risk status;

" (3) Each program's total expenditures, disaggregated by fund type (federal, local, intra-District, or special purpose revenue funds); and

" (4) The names of any vendors, grantees, host employers (including public schools and public charter schools for the High School Internship Program), host sites, or other organizations providing services to youth.

" (c) The Department may withhold from the report required pursuant to subsection (b) of this section any information precluded from release by federal law, rule, or policy; provided, that, if at a later time, such information may be released, the Department shall supplement the next annual report following the date on which the information may be shared with the withheld information.

" (d) For the purposes of this section, the term "at-risk" means a public school, public charter school, private school, or homeschool student who is identified as one or more of the following:

" (1) Homeless;

" (2) In the District's foster care system;

" (3) Qualifies for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; or

" (4) A high school student that is one year older, or more, than the expected age for the grade in which the student is enrolled.".