Phila. Officials Reflect On First Summer Jobs While Pushing For Program

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - It won't be long now before spring turns into summer, and a legislative package being introduced to state lawmakers in Harrisburg would create thousands of summer jobs for children and young adults.

The package is geared toward low-income families. State Senator Vincent Hughes says if enacted, 20,000 positions could be created through a combination of a (Youth Employment Services) $15-million grant and another $15-million in tax credits to allow companies to defer the cost of taking on those young folks:

"If we say we're committed to young people, then our policies must reflect that commitment."

As a teenager, Hughes' first job was working for the city of Philadelphia, coincidentally, doing payroll for the summer jobs program.

Council President Darrel Clarke has a distinct memory of his first summer gig:

"I was working at Tastykake, in the cafeteria."

And he says he had plenty on his plate:

'They had me washing the dishes, busing the tables...they almost had me cooking."

Clarke says that first job taught him about being responsible.

Bilal Qayyum of the Philadelphia Anti-Drug, Anti-Violence Network, recalls his first job was at Horn and Hardart Restaurant at Broad and Walnut Streets back in the day:

"Making $1 an hour. I made $30 a week."

Qayyum supports the initiative because he says there's a direct connection to violence, and people being out of work:

'When you have people unemployed, they're going to find out other ways to make money. And unfortunately, a lot of times, it's illegal."

The bill targets children and young people between ages 14 and 24.