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Authors describe DC Young Adult Corps as a paid service year; committee seeks agency input on implementation
Summary
The DC Young Adult Corps Act would create paid, full‑time service placements for residents 17–24, with the Deputy Mayor for Education providing policy guidance and the Department of Employment Services administering the program; witnesses urged mandatory wraparound supports and employer vetting.
Councilmember Janice Lewis George and other bill sponsors described the DC Young Adult Corps Act of 2026 as a structured, paid service year that would place participants, ages 17–24, in district agencies, schools and community organizations to build skills and career pipelines.
"It creates a structured paid service year for young people ages 17 to 24, where they're placed in real roles across district agencies, schools, and community organizations," Janice Lewis George told the committee. Supporters including representatives from DC Action and the DC Fiscal Policy Institute said the program should prioritize youth with barriers to employment, integrate quality work‑based learning standards, and require cohort‑based curriculum and credentials.
Witnesses and advocates urged that wraparound services—transportation, childcare and mentoring—be built into the program, and that host employers be vetted and trained in youth development practices. Agency written testimony from the Department of Employment Services and the Deputy Mayor for Education recommended careful coordination to avoid duplication with existing programs like the Summer Youth Employment Program and to align placements with long‑term career pathways.
The committee did not vote; members said they would seek more detailed implementation information from the Deputy Mayor for Education and the Department of Employment Services before any markup.
