1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Opening Doors for Youth Act of 2017 . 2. Findings Congress finds the following: (1) The time between the early teens and mid-twenties represents a critical developmental period in which individuals can gain the education and training, entry-level work experiences, work-readiness skills, and social networks needed to smoothly transition into the labor market and build towards future professional success. (2) Yet, nearly 5 million young people ages 16 to 24 are out of school and unemployed, leaving them disconnected from the systems and institutions critical for developing the building blocks of independence and self-sufficiency. (3) Communities of color experience the highest rates of youth disconnection: 25.4 percent of Native American youth, 18.9 percent of Black youth, and 14.3 percent of Latino youth between the ages of 16 and 24 were disconnected from school and work in 2015. (4) Disconnected youth are also three times more likely than other youth to have a disability, twice as likely to live below the Federal poverty threshold, and significantly more likely to live in racially segregated neighborhoods. Disconnected young women and girls are three times more likely to have a child, and young people involved in the juvenile justice system or aging out of the foster care system are at high risk of disconnection. (5) Disconnection from school and work can have significant consequences for youth, including decreased earning power and fewer future employment opportunities. According to the 2012 report, The Economic Value of Opportunity Youth , disconnected youth will, on average, earn $392,070 less than the average worker over their lifetimes. (6) Failure to successfully connect young people to employment and educational opportunities also results in a significant loss in productivity for the overall economy, as well as increases in government spending. According to a recent report from Measure of America, in 2013, youth disconnection resulted in $26.8 billion in public