SPRINGFIELD, IL—Governor Quinn signed a bill into law today that will help provide summer employment for young adults across the state. Illinois State Senator William Delgado (D-Chicago) is the chief co-sponsor of legislation.

"It is important for our young adults to be able to find summer jobs," said Senator Delgado, Chairman of the Senate Public Health Committee. "These jobs provide our young people with a sense of responsibility and achievement that helps them grow into productive adults."

Sponsored by Representative Esther Golar in the Illinois House of Representatives, House Bill 3631 will allow the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DECO) to provide grants that will create a six week summer work program to employ youths between the ages of 14 and 17 from low-income communities. These programs will include job training, education counseling, and supervised work on community improvement projects.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, from April to July 2009, the number of employed youth 16 to 24 years old increased by 1.6 million to 19.3 million. The proportion of young people who were employed in July was only 51.4 percent, the lowest July rate on record for the series, which began in 1948.

"During these tough economic times, our youth are losing out on jobs to older adults," said Senator Delgado. "With cuts to after school programs and limited jobs available, programs such as this are necessary to keep our young adults from turning to violence and crime."