[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1283 Introduced in House (IH)]







104th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1283

 To provide grants to cities to establish teen resource and education 
   centers to provide education, employment, recreation, social, and 
            cultural awareness assistance to at-risk youth.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 21, 1995

  Ms. Waters introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
          Committee on Economic and Educational Opportunities

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To provide grants to cities to establish teen resource and education 
   centers to provide education, employment, recreation, social, and 
            cultural awareness assistance to at-risk youth.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Gang Prevention and Youth Recreation 
Act of 1995''.

SEC. 2. GRANTS TO CITIES TO PROVIDE EDUCATION, EMPLOYMENT, RECREATION, 
              SOCIAL, AND CULTURAL AWARENESS ASSISTANCE TO AT-RISK 
              YOUTH.

    The Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with 
the Secretary of Education, shall, from amounts appropriated under 
section 10, provide grants to not more than 10 selected cities for the 
purpose of assisting such cities in establishing and operating teen 
resource and education centers in such cities to provide education, 
employment, recreation, social, and cultural awareness assistance to 
at-risk youth.

SEC. 3. APPLICATION.

    To receive a grant under section 2, a city shall submit to the 
Secretary an application in such form and containing such information 
as the Secretary may require.

SEC. 4. TEEN RESOURCE AND EDUCATION CENTERS.

    The Secretary may not make a grant under section 2 to a city unless 
the city agrees that it will use all amounts received from such grant 
to establish and operate, in conjunction with local social service 
agencies, at least 2 teen resource and education centers in such city 
to provide education, employment, recreation, social, and cultural 
awareness assistance to at-risk youth. Teen resource and education 
centers established and operated using amounts from a grant under 
section 2 shall, at a minimum, meet the following requirements:
            (1) Educational assistance.--The teen resource and 
        education centers shall provide educational assistance to at-
        risk youth for the purpose of--
                    (A) providing information on institutions of higher 
                education to at-risk youth interested in attending such 
                institutions;
                    (B) establishing a scholarship search and resource 
                program at the centers to provide assistance to such 
                youth in the preparation of financial aid applications, 
                scholarship applications, and other relevant forms and 
                applications; and
                    (C) establishing and carrying out preparatory 
                courses for high school equivalency examinations and 
                college entrance examinations at the center.
            (2) Employment and skills training assistance.--The teen 
        resource and education centers shall provide employment and 
        skills training assistance to at-risk youth by hiring teen peer 
        counselors to--
                    (A) provide training to such youth in basic job 
                skills, including interviewing, personal appearance, 
                and communication with coworkers and superiors;
                    (B) provide job referral services to such youth; 
                and
                    (C) establish job banks for such youth by providing 
                listings of job openings in local businesses.
            (3) Recreational opportunities.--The teen resource and 
        education centers shall provide recreational opportunities for 
        at-risk youth by--
                    (A) establishing sports teams for such youth and 
                seeking financial support or sponsorship of such teams 
                from local businesses;
                    (B) establishing and carrying out cooperative work 
                activities at such centers, such as a garden to give 
                such youth a chance to work together to achieve 
                positive results from their efforts and to distribute 
                the food harvested from such garden to the families of 
                such youth and to neighborhood soup kitchens;
                    (C) establishing and carrying out creative 
                activities, such as writing, music, media, and visual 
                art classes to provide such youth with the opportunity 
                to channel creative energies and develop creative 
                talents; and
                    (D) establishing and carrying out a reading program 
                to introduce such youth to the importance of reading.
            (4) Development of social skills.--The teen resource and 
        education centers shall provide for the development of the 
        social skills of at-risk youth by--
                    (A) hiring adult counselors and providing support 
                groups at such centers for the purpose of counseling 
                such youth on social and personal issues, including 
                issues relating to--
                            (i) problems facing young minorities;
                            (ii) teen-age pregnancy and early 
                        parenthood, including pregnancy prevention and 
                        pregnancy management, family planning, and sex 
                        education, including education relating to 
                        acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS);
                            (iii) job preparedness and unemployment; 
                        and
                            (iv) crime; and
                    (B) sponsoring trips for such youth to museums, 
                State capitals, concerts, plays, and other cultural and 
                educational settings and events.
            (5) Cultural awareness.--The teen resource and education 
        centers shall assist in raising the cultural awareness of at-
        risk youth by--
                    (A) establishing and carrying out classes on the 
                history and culture of African-Americans, Hispanics, 
                and other cultural groups to supplement courses taught 
                in elementary and secondary schools and to bolster the 
                social and personal self-esteem and pride of such 
                youth; and
                    (B) encouraging such youth to produce plays, 
                stories, and artwork that reflect their cultural 
                heritage and pride.
            (6) Financial assistance to college graduates working at 
        teen resource and education centers.--
                    (A) In general.--The teen resource and education 
                centers shall provide financial assistance from amounts 
                received from a grant under section 2 to graduates of 
                institutions of higher education who work full-time at 
                such centers for the purpose of assisting such 
                graduates to repay student loans obtained by such 
                graduates to attend such schools.
                    (B) Amount of assistance.--The center may provide 
                financial assistance under subparagraph (A) in an 
                amount equal to not more than 25 percent of the total 
                amount owed by a graduate during any year that such 
                graduate is working at such center for the repayment of 
                student loans of such graduate. Such assistance may be 
                provided to a graduate for up to 4 years that such 
                graduate is working at such center.

SEC. 5. CITY REPORT.

    The Secretary may not make a grant under section 2 to a city unless 
the city agrees that it will submit, for any fiscal year in which such 
city receives a grant under such section, a report to the Secretary 
describing the use of such grant, including--
            (1) the number of at-risk youth receiving assistance at 
        each teen resource and education center established in such 
        city under section 4;
            (2) the types of services and referrals received by such 
        at-risk youth; and
            (3) any other information the Secretary determines to be 
        appropriate.

SEC. 6. SELECTION.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary shall select cities to receive 
grants under section 2 which have a large number of at-risk youth.
    (b) Geographic Diversity.--To the extent practicable, the Secretary 
shall make grants to cities under section 2 in a manner which will 
equitably distribute such grants among the various regions of the 
United States.

SEC. 7. ALLOCATION.

    The Secretary may not make a grant under section 2 in a fiscal year 
to any city in an amount totaling more than 10 percent of amounts 
appropriated under section 10 for that fiscal year.

SEC. 8. REPORTS.

    (a) Interim Report.--Not later than February 1, 1998, the Secretary 
shall submit to the Congress an interim report containing--
            (1) a compilation of the information contained in the city 
        reports received by the Secretary pursuant to section 5; and
            (2) a process evaluation of the effectiveness of the grant 
        program.
    (b) Final Report.--Not later than February 1, 1999, the Secretary 
shall submit to the Congress a final report containing the information 
described in subsection (a).

SEC. 9. DEFINITIONS.

    For purposes of this Act, the following definitions apply:
            (1) At-risk youth.--The term ``at-risk youth'' means 
        individuals who have attained the age of 10 but have not 
        attained the age of 23 and who live in a city in which--
                    (A) drug and gang activity, or other violent 
                community activity, are prevalent;
                    (B) a large number of youth are unlikely to 
                complete an elementary or secondary education;
                    (C) a large number of youth are runaway or homeless 
                youth;
                    (D) a large number of individuals receive public 
                assistance; and
                    (E) a large number of individuals are single 
                parents.
            (2) Institution of higher education.--The term 
        ``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given such 
        term under section 1201(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965.
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Health and Human Services.

SEC. 10. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--There is authorized to be appropriated 
$1,000,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 1996 and 1997 to carry out 
section 2.
    (b) Availability.--Amounts appropriated under subsection (a) shall 
remain available until expended.
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