[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3235 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3235

   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.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            November 5, 1999

 Mr. Barrett of Wisconsin (for himself and Mr. Kleczka) introduced the 
  following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   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 1999''.

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 2005.

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 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004, 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, 2003;
                    (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 4 
        programs during nonschool hours, of which--
                    (A) not less than 2 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 Committee on the 
Judiciary of the Senate 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 2000 through 2004.
    (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.
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