SAY YEA

Saving America's Youth: the Youth Employment Act of 2011 or SAY YEA - Amends the Workforce Act of 1998 regarding the work opportunity tax credit with respect to disconnected youth (who are not regularly attending school, not regularly employed, nor readily employable) hired in 2009 or 2010 under the youth opportunity grants program to lower the maximum eligibility age of such youth from 24 to 21.

Directs the Secretary of Labor (Secretary) to make certain allotments to states for summer jobs programs for disconnected youth.

Requires the Secretary to award grants to states to carry out employment programs for the partial reimbursement of wages paid by employers of small or medium-sized business concerns for new hires or rehires of former employees. Requires states to give priority for payments to eligible employers who hire or rehire a disconnected youth.

Requires the Secretary to make allotments and grants to states to carry out eligible on-the-job training programs for disconnected youth.

Directs the President to establish a public service employment program to employ individuals to carry out works of a public nature in connection with parks, roads, schools, and after-school programs. Requires priority for such jobs to be given to individuals who are disconnected, low-income, and long-term unemployed youth.

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) extend the work opportunity tax credit through calendar 2016, (2) include as a member of a targeted group for purposes of such credit a qualified Title 1-B youth services recipient and rename a "qualified ex-felon" as a "qualified ex-offender" for purposes of the credit, (3) double the amount of allowable wages that may be considered in calculating such credit, (4) extend the designation period for tax-preferred empowerment zones, and (5) allow an employer tax credit through 2013 for the employment of disconnected youth.

Requires the Secretary of the Interior to give preference to the hiring of individuals age 16 to 21 for federal park and forestry jobs.

Authorizes contracting officers of executive agencies to give preference in the award of federal contracts for the procurement of goods and services to employers: (1) that employ, in a youth apprenticeship and in the performance of the contract, disconnected youth who reside in high unemployment areas; and (2) whose contracts are funded for FY2012 under a law enacted to create infrastructure, transportation, or green energy jobs.

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov