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1 A BILL
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3 25-742
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5 IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
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7 ______________
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9 To establish a professional youth mentorship and family engagement program to enhance well-
10 being and teach essential life skills; and to create community service leave for eligible
11 District government employees to volunteer as a tutor or mentor to a student.
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13 BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this
14 act may be cited as the “Youth Mentorship Through Community Engagement Amendment Act
15 of 2024”.
16 TITLE I. YOUTH MENTORSHIP AND FAMILY ENGAGEMENT.
17 Sec. 101. Definitions.
18 For the purposes of this title, the term:
19 (1) “Adverse childhood experience” or “ACE” means stressful or traumatic events
20 that occur in childhood, including incidents of violence, abuse, neglect, witnessing violence in
21 the home or community, housing instability, substance abuse, mental illness, family involved in
22 the criminal justice system, and having a family member die or attempt suicide.
23 (2) “At-risk” shall have the same meaning as provided in section 102(2A) of the
24 Uniform Per Student Funding Formula for Public Schools and Public Charter Schools and Tax
25 Conformity Clarification Amendment Act of 1998, effective March 26, 1999 (D.C. Law 12-207;
26 D.C. Official Code § 38- 2901(2A)).
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27 (3) “Child safety” means the protection of children from violence, exploitation,
28 abuse, and neglect.
29 (4) “Nonprofit” means an organization or institution that is exempt from federal
30 income tax under the provisions of 26 U.S.C. § 501(c)(3) and that meets the requirements
31 of Chapter 4 of Title 29.
32 (5) “Protective factor” means characteristics or conditions at the biological,
33 psychological, family, community, or cultural level that are associated with a lower likelihood of
34 negative life outcomes or promote positive outcomes.
35 (6) “Risk factor” means characteristics or conditions at the biological,
36 psychological, family, community, or cultural level that are associated with a higher likelihood
37 of negative life outcomes.
38 (7) “Youth” means an individual under the age of 18.
39 Sec. 102. Establishment of the Thrive Mentorship Program.
40 (a) There is established the Thrive Mentorship Program (“Program”), which shall be
41 administered by the Department of Human Services (“DHS”).
42 (b) The Program shall provide long-term professional mentoring to youth who either have
43 an adverse childhood experience or who are at-risk, with the goal of enhancing youth well-being,
44 empowering youth to develop essential life skills, and guiding youth to make informed and
45 healthy decisions.
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46 (c) DHS shall have the authority to issue grants to nonprofits or community-based
47 organizations to provide professional youth mentoring in the Program; provided, that the grant
48 funds shall be used for the following purposes:
49 (1) Development and planning of the mentorship program;
50 (2) Employment of professional mentors to deliver dedicated support and services
51 to youth and their families;
52 (3) Criminal background checks for applicants seeking professional mentor
53 positions;
54 (4) Professional mentor training and ongoing professional development;
55 (5) Program materials and educational resources tailored to the unique needs of
56 the mentee;
57 (6) Communication tools for coordinating mentor-mentee meetings, whether
58 online or in person;
59 (7) Employment of supervisors for professional mentors to provide guidance and
60 feedback on mentorship activities; and
61 (8) Generation of annual performance reports.
62 Sec. 103. Services provided by a professional mentor.
63 (a) Each youth mentee (“mentee”) in the Program shall be paired with a professional
64 mentor, and each professional mentor shall meet with each mentee for at least 3 hours per week,
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65 subject to the availability of the mentee, for a period of at least 3 years or until the mentee
66 withdraws from the program.
67 (b) Professional mentors in the Program shall:
68 (1) Be a full-time employee dedicated to mentoring and providing comprehensive
69 support to youth and their families, including in the home, school, and community settings;
70 (2) Develop mentoring plans for each mentee that shall adhere to evidence-based
71 practices and be individualized to meet the specific needs of each mentee, taking into
72 consideration the mentee’s personal experiences, goals, and cultural background;
73 (3) Actively engage caregivers in youth-centered strategies to build protective
74 factors and promote prosocial behavior, strengthen community connections, and support the
75 holistic well-being of the entire family.
76 Sec. 104. Mentorship requirements.
77 (a) Before serving youth, professional mentors in the Program shall:
78 (1) Pass criminal background checks pursuant to section 203 of the Child and
79 Youth, Safety and Health Omnibus Amendment Act of 2004, effective April 13, 2005, (D.C.
80 Law 15-353; D.C. Official Code § 4-1501.03), and any additional background checks, testing, or
81 requirements determined by DHS;
82 (2) Complete training, which shall include:
83 (A) Child safety risks and preventative measures;
84 (B) Trauma-informed approaches to mentoring services;
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85 (C) Culturally informed, sensitive, and inclusive practices;
86 (D) Positive relationship development through evidence-based practices
87 for youth;
88 (E) Collaborative goal setting to achieve personal, academic, or behavioral
89 goals with mentees;
90 (F) Advocacy within schools, community, and child welfare systems for
91 the needs and rights of mentees; and
92 (G) Family engagement strategies and relationship building with
93 caregivers to encourage family involvement in the mentoring process.
94 (b) Professional mentors shall complete ongoing professional development annually
95 during their participation in the Program as directed by DHS.
96 Sec. 105. Reporting Requirements.
97 (a) DHS shall, without disclosing personally identifiable information of any mentees,
98 submit to the Council an annual report on the Program with the following metrics:
99 (1) The number of mentees enrolled in the Program by year;
100 (2) Each mentee’s duration of participation in the Program;
101 (3) Each mentee’s school attendance by year;
102 (4) Each mentee’s grade point average by year;
103 (5) The number of mentees suspended or expelled from school during the
104 program;
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105 (6) The number of mentees involved in the juvenile justice system during the
106 program;
107 (7) School feedback on the mentee’s social and emotional development;
108 (8) Caregiver satisfaction through an assessment survey;
109 (9) Mentee and mentor satisfaction through an assessment survey;
110 (10) High school graduation rate of currently or formerly participating mentees;
111 and
112 (11) The number of students enrolled in postsecondary education or who secured
113 a job placement within six months of high school graduation.
114 TITLE II. COMMUNITY SERVICE LEAVE FOR DISTRICT GOVERNMENT
115 EMPLOYEES.
116 Sec. 201. Section 1203 of the District of Columbia Government Comprehensive Merit
117 Personnel Act of 1978, effective March 3, 1979 (D.C. Law 2-139; D.C. Official Code § 1-
118 612.03), is amended by adding a new subsection (s) to read as follows:
119 “(s)(1) An employee shall be eligible to receive community service leave if the
120 employee:
121 “(A) Is currently employed by the District full-time;
122 “(B) Has been employed at least 12 months with the District government
123 prior to receiving community service leave; and
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124 “(C) Obtains approval from the employee’s supervisor and employing
125 agency before scheduling community service leave.
126 “(2) Eligible District government employees may receive a maximum 52 hours of
127 community service leave per calendar year, to be credited to employees on January 1 of each
128 year.
129 “(3) Community service leave shall not:
130 “(A) Carry over from one calendar year to the next; or
131 “(B) Result in financial compensation if unused upon an employee’s
132 separation.
133 “(4) The employee’s agency may require reasonable documentation that leave is
134 being used in accordance with the purpose of this act.
135 “(5) For the purposes of this subsection, “community service leave” means leave
136 that an eligible employee may take for the purpose of mentoring or tutoring a District student
137 either at a school in the District or with a community-based organization located in the District,
138 including time in transit to a tutoring and mentoring program.”.
139 TITLE III. FISCAL IMPACT AND EFFECTIVE DATE.
140 Sec. 301. Applicability
141 (a) This act shall apply upon the date of inclusion of its fiscal effect in an approved
142 budget and financial plan.
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143 (b) The Chief Financial Officer shall certify the date of inclusion of the fiscal effect in an
144 approved budget and financial plan, and provide notice to the Budget Director of the Council of
145 the certification.
146 (c)(1) The Budget Director shall cause the notice of the certification to be published in
147 the District of Columbia Register.
148 (2) The date of publication of the notice of the certification shall not affect the
149 applicability of this act.
150 Sec. 302. Fiscal impact statement.
151 The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement in the committee report as the fiscal
152 impact statement required by section 4a of the General Legislative Procedures Act of 1975,
153 approved October 16, 2006 (120 Stat. 2038; D.C. Official Code § 1-301.47a).
154 Sec. 303. Effective date.
155 This act shall take effect following approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by the
156 Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto), a 30-day period of congressional review as
157 provided in section 602(c)(1) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December
158 24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Official Code § 1-206.02(c)(1)), and publication in the District of
159 Columbia Register.
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