SUBTITLE G. ACCESS TO JOBS

Sec. 1061. Short title.

This subtitle may be cited as the "Access to Jobs Amendment Act of 2020".

Sec. 1062. Section 3(b)(2) of the Office on Ex-Offender Affairs and the Commission on Re-Entry and Ex-Offender Affairs Establishment Act of 2006, effective March 8, 2007 (D.C. Law 16-243; D.C. Official Code § 24-1302(b)(2)), is amended by adding new subparagraph (L) to read as follows:

" (L) Establish and implement a pilot program to support the employment of 10 returning citizens through grants to employers for 2 years beginning in Fiscal Year 2021; provided, that:

" (i) To qualify for the pilot program, an eligible employer shall:

" (I) Register with the Office on Returning Citizen Affairs to accept applications for employment from eligible individuals;

" (II) Demonstrate that potential employees in the pilot program have opportunities for advancement within the eligible employer's organization or industry;

" (III) Hire one or more eligible individuals who meet the requirements of sub-subparagraph (ii) of this subparagraph;

" (IV) Be located within the District;

" (V) Pay each employed eligible individual at least the minimum wage required pursuant to the Minimum Wage Act Revision Act of 1992, effective March 25, 1993 (D.C. Law 9-248; D.C. Official Code § 32-1001 et seq .) ;

" (VI) Employ each eligible individual for a minimum of 20 hours per week for a minimum of 8 weeks;

" (VII) Submit an application; and

" (VIII) Provide documentation as required by the Office on Returning Citizen Affairs to substantiate the satisfaction of each requirement of the pilot program for the participating eligible employer and for each eligible individual employed.

" (ii) For an eligible employer to receive a grant for the employment of an eligible individual, the eligible individual must:

" (I) Have been previously incarcerated;

" (II) Be a resident of the District;

" (III) Have completed a workforce development and life skills program within the District; and

" (IV) Have been unemployed for a period of at least one month prior to being hired by the participating eligible employer.

" (iii) Grants offered through the pilot program shall be disbursed:

" (I) Initially, after an eligible employer has provided documentation substantiating that the eligible employer employed an eligible individual for a minimum of 20 hours per week for a minimum of 8 weeks;

" (II) Subsequent to the initial disbursement, at the end of each month that the eligible individual is employed pursuant to the requirements of the pilot program;

" (iv) The maximum amount of the grant disbursements offered through the pilot program to each participating eligible employer shall be:

" (I) For the first year that an eligible individual is employed by a participating eligible employer, 40% of the minimum wage for a period not to exceed 40 hours per week and 2,080 hours per year for each eligible individual hired under the pilot program; and

" (II) For the second year that an eligible individual is employed by the same participating eligible employer, 80% of the minimum wage for a period not to exceed 40 hours per week and 2,080 hours per year for each eligible individual hired under the pilot program.

" (v) (I) The total amount of funding expended through the pilot program shall not exceed the amount budgeted for the pilot program.

" (II) Eligible employers shall receive funding in the order that they successfully provide the documentation required pursuant to sub-subparagraph (i)(VII) of this subparagraph for the employment of an eligible individual.

" (III) For each eligible individual for whom documentation successfully has been submitted, an amount of funds shall be set aside such that the eligible employer may be reimbursed for the employment of an eligible individual for a period no shorter than the remainder of the fiscal year during which the documentation was submitted, and the remainder of the assistance shall be subject to the availability of funding.".