[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3235 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        H.R.3235

                       One Hundred Sixth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America


                          AT THE SECOND SESSION

           Begun and held at the City of Washington on Monday,
             the twenty-fourth day of January, two thousand


                                 An Act


 
   To improve academic and social outcomes for youth and reduce both 
 juvenile crime and the risk that youth will become victims of crime by 
 providing productive activities conducted by law enforcement personnel 
                         during nonschool hours.

    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 ``National Police Athletic League 
Youth Enrichment Act of 2000''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
        (1) The goals of the Police Athletic League are to--
            (A) increase the academic success of youth participants in 
        PAL programs;
            (B) promote a safe, healthy environment for youth under the 
        supervision of law enforcement personnel where mutual trust and 
        respect can be built;
            (C) increase school attendance by providing alternatives to 
        suspensions and expulsions;
            (D) reduce the juvenile crime rate in participating 
        designated communities and the number of police calls involving 
        juveniles during nonschool hours;
            (E) provide youths with alternatives to drugs, alcohol, 
        tobacco, and gang activity;
            (F) create positive communications and interaction between 
        youth and law enforcement personnel; and
            (G) prepare youth for the workplace.
        (2) The Police Athletic League, during its 55-year history as a 
    national organization, has proven to be a positive force in the 
    communities it serves.
        (3) The Police Athletic League is a network of 1,700 facilities 
    serving over 3,000 communities. There are 320 PAL chapters 
    throughout the United States, the Virgin Islands, and the 
    Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, serving 1,500,000 youths, ages 5 to 
    18, nationwide.
        (4) Based on PAL chapter demographics, approximately 82 percent 
    of the youths who benefit from PAL programs live in inner cities 
    and urban areas.
        (5) PAL chapters are locally operated, volunteer-driven 
    organizations. Although most PAL chapters are sponsored by a law 
    enforcement agency, PAL chapters receive no direct funding from law 
    enforcement agencies and are dependent in large part on support 
    from the private sector, such as individuals, business leaders, 
    corporations, and foundations. PAL chapters have been exceptionally 
    successful in balancing public funds with private sector donations 
    and maximizing community involvement.
        (6) Today's youth face far greater risks than did their parents 
    and grandparents. Law enforcement statistics demonstrate that youth 
    between the ages of 12 and 17 are at risk of committing violent 
    acts and being victims of violent acts between the hours of 3 p.m. 
    and 8 p.m.
        (7) Greater numbers of students are dropping out of school and 
    failing in school, even though the consequences of academic failure 
    are more dire in 1999 than ever before.
        (8) Many distressed areas in the United States are still 
    underserved by PAL chapters.

SEC. 3. PURPOSE.

    The purpose of this Act is to provide adequate resources in the 
form of--
        (1) assistance for the 320 established PAL chapters to increase 
    of services to the communities they are serving; and
        (2) seed money for the establishment of 250 (50 per year over a 
    5-year period) additional local PAL chapters in public housing 
    projects and other distressed areas, including distressed areas 
    with a majority population of Native Americans, by not later than 
    fiscal year 2006.

SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
        (1) Assistant attorney general.--The term ``Assistant Attorney 
    General'' means the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of 
    Justice Programs of the Department of Justice.
        (2) Distressed area.--The term ``distressed area'' means an 
    urban, suburban, or rural area with a high percentage of high-risk 
    youth, as defined in section 509A of the Public Health Service Act 
    (42 U.S.C. 290aa-8(f)).
        (3) PAL chapter.--The term ``PAL chapter'' means a chapter of a 
    Police or Sheriff's Athletic/Activities League.
        (4) Police athletic league.--The term ``Police Athletic 
    League'' means the private, nonprofit, national representative 
    organization for 320 Police or Sheriff's Athletic/Activities 
    Leagues throughout the United States (including the Virgin Islands 
    and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico).
        (5) Public housing; project.--The terms ``public housing'' and 
    ``project'' have the meanings given those terms in section 3(b) of 
    the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437a(b)).

SEC. 5. GRANTS AUTHORIZED.

    (a) In General.--Subject to appropriations, for each of fiscal 
years 2001 through 2005, the Assistant Attorney General shall award a 
grant to the Police Athletic League for the purpose of establishing PAL 
chapters to serve public housing projects and other distressed areas, 
and expanding existing PAL chapters to serve additional youths.
    (b) Application.--
        (1) Submission.--In order to be eligible to receive a grant 
    under this section, the Police Athletic League shall submit to the 
    Assistant Attorney General an application, which shall include--
            (A) a long-term strategy to establish 250 additional PAL 
        chapters and detailed summary of those areas in which new PAL 
        chapters will be established, or in which existing chapters 
        will be expanded to serve additional youths, during the next 
        fiscal year;
            (B) a plan to ensure that there are a total of not less 
        than 570 PAL chapters in operation before January 1, 2004;
            (C) a certification that there will be appropriate 
        coordination with those communities where new PAL chapters will 
        be located; and
            (D) an explanation of the manner in which new PAL chapters 
        will operate without additional, direct Federal financial 
        assistance once assistance under this Act is discontinued.
        (2) Review.--The Assistant Attorney General shall review and 
    take action on an application submitted under paragraph (1) not 
    later than 120 days after the date of such submission.

SEC. 6. USE OF FUNDS.

    (a) In General.--
        (1) Assistance for new and expanded chapters.--Amounts made 
    available under a grant awarded under this Act shall be used by the 
    Police Athletic League to provide funding for the establishment of 
    PAL chapters serving public housing projects and other distressed 
    areas, or the expansion of existing PAL chapters.
        (2) Program requirements.--Each new or expanded PAL chapter 
    assisted under paragraph (1) shall carry out not less than four 
    programs during nonschool hours, of which--
            (A) not less than two programs shall provide--
                (i) mentoring assistance;
                (ii) academic assistance;
                (iii) recreational and athletic activities; or
                (iv) technology training; and
            (B) any remaining programs shall provide--
                (i) drug, alcohol, and gang prevention activities;
                (ii) health and nutrition counseling;
                (iii) cultural and social programs;
                (iv) conflict resolution training, anger management, 
            and peer pressure training;
                (v) job skill preparation activities; or
                (vi) Youth Police Athletic League Conferences or Youth 
            Forums.
    (b) Additional Requirements.--In carrying out the programs under 
subsection (a), a PAL chapter shall, to the maximum extent 
practicable--
        (1) use volunteers from businesses, academic communities, 
    social organizations, and law enforcement organizations to serve as 
    mentors or to assist in other ways;
        (2) ensure that youth in the local community participate in 
    designing the after-school activities;
        (3) develop creative methods of conducting outreach to youth in 
    the community;
        (4) request donations of computer equipment and other materials 
    and equipment; and
        (5) work with State and local park and recreation agencies so 
    that activities funded with amounts made available under a grant 
    under this Act will not duplicate activities funded from other 
    sources in the community served.

SEC. 7. REPORTS.

    (a) Report to Assistant Attorney General.--For each fiscal year for 
which a grant is awarded under this Act, the Police Athletic League 
shall submit to the Assistant Attorney General a report on the use of 
amounts made available under the grant.
    (b) Report to Congress.--Not later than May 1 of each fiscal year 
for which amounts are made available to carry out this Act, the 
Assistant Attorney General shall submit to the Committees on the 
Judiciary of the Senate and the House of Representatives a report that 
details the progress made under this Act in establishing and expanding 
PAL chapters in public housing projects and other distressed areas, and 
the effectiveness of the PAL programs in reducing drug abuse, school 
dropouts, and juvenile crime.

SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated to carry 
out this Act $16,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2001 through 2005.
    (b) Funding for Program Administration.--Of the amount made 
available to carry out this Act in each fiscal year--
        (1) not less than 2 percent shall be used for research and 
    evaluation of the grant program under this Act;
        (2) not less than 1 percent shall be used for technical 
    assistance related to the use of amounts made available under 
    grants awarded under this Act; and
        (3) not less than 1 percent shall be used for the management 
    and administration of the grant program under this Act, except that 
    the total amount made available under this paragraph for 
    administration of that program shall not exceed 6 percent.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.