[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6011 Introduced in House (IH)]








109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6011

 To authorize the Secretary of Education and the Secretary of Labor to 
 make grants to advance treatment, education, and employment programs 
for youth with serious mental, psychological, behavioral, and emotional 
difficulties, so that they may obtain professional assistance necessary 
in order to be successful in their lives and contribute to the economy, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 28, 2006

 Mr. Osborne introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                Committee on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To authorize the Secretary of Education and the Secretary of Labor to 
 make grants to advance treatment, education, and employment programs 
for youth with serious mental, psychological, behavioral, and emotional 
difficulties, so that they may obtain professional assistance necessary 
in order to be successful in their lives and contribute to the economy, 
                        and for other purposes.

    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 ``Coordinated Youth Education, 
Employment Training, and Residential Treatment Act of 2006''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) The United States Surgeon General has reported that 
        serious mental, psychological, behavioral, and emotional 
        difficulties affect 1 in 5 United States youth. Moreover, 
        according to the National Institute of Mental Health, no other 
        illnesses affect so many youths so seriously.
            (2) Youth who suffer from serious mental, psychological, 
        behavioral, and emotional difficulties, including youth who 
        have been abused and neglected, require specialized treatment 
        and care in order to live successful lives, benefit from 
        education and employment training, and avoid delinquent, 
        criminal, or antisocial behaviors. However, there are an 
        insufficient number of effective treatment programs for these 
        youth.
            (3) As a consequence of the unavailability of appropriate 
        treatment options, youth throughout the country with serious 
        mental, psychological, behavioral, and emotional difficulties 
        remain in juvenile detention facilities and jails for long 
        periods waiting for treatment. These youth are in jeopardy of 
        worsening mental and psychological disorders as a consequence 
        of their confinement. Moreover, even though such confinement 
        often provides no professional, clinically supervised 
        treatment, confinement is the most expensive placement for 
        troubled youth short of hospitalization.
            (4) Many youth entering residential treatment programs for 
        the first time have already experienced the trauma of multiple 
        placement disruptions and failures in alternative levels of 
        care. Requiring multiple placements prior to residential 
        treatment is predictive of poor outcomes, future disruptions, 
        and problems affecting a youth's educational, emotional, and 
        social growth.
            (5) Residential treatment programs for youth with serious 
        mental, psychological, behavioral, and emotional difficulties, 
        operated by professionally trained and supervised personnel, 
        provides for a caring, therapeutic, and cost effective approach 
        that serves the best interests of the youth. Residential 
        treatment programs are integral components of comprehensive 
        systems of care promoting responsibility and accountability and 
        providing 24-hour care with professional counseling, therapy, 
        specialized education, and/or employment training under the 
        supervision of highly trained staff.
            (6) Residential treatment programs operated by Boys and 
        Girls Home and Family Services, Inc. provide effective 
        therapeutic and educational programs for youth suffering from 
        serious mental, psychological, behavioral, and emotional 
        problems that negatively affect their education and 
        employability. Boys and Girls Home and Family Services, Inc.'s 
        mission of improving the lives of youth and families includes 
        providing youth with professional treatment and specialized 
        education and training so that youth can return to their 
        communities, and avoiding long term institutionalization while 
        holding youth responsible and accountable. Such residential 
        treatment programs offer the potential to help numerous youth 
        throughout the country.
            (7) Lesser levels of care for youth with serious mental, 
        psychological, behavioral, and emotional problems who require 
        residential treatment can result in multiple failed placements 
        until the proper level of advanced treatment is provided. It is 
        estimated that more than one-third of first-time entrants into 
        residential treatment programs have had 11 or more prior 
        placements, with almost 40 percent coming from locked 
        placements.
            (8) Since its founding in 1892, Boys and Girls Home and 
        Family Services, Inc. has proven to be a trusted and successful 
        provider of a full spectrum of services for youth and families, 
        in collaboration with Federal, State, and local agencies, 
        courts, schools, law enforcement, employment training agencies 
        and employers, faith-based groups, and other community based 
        organizations. A not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) organization, Boys 
        and Girls Home and Family Services, Inc. has unique experience 
        in operating small, medium, and large facilities and programs 
        to serve youth and families, particularly in rural areas. The 
        organization has demonstrated how to maximize cost 
        efficiencies, and to pass those cost savings on to other 
        providers so as to sustain the viability of collaborative 
        services. The capability of Boys and Girls Home and Family 
        Services, Inc. to sustain the highest level of youth services, 
        residential treatment, provides a solid foundation for all 
        lesser levels of care for youth.
            (9) The lengthy detention and excessive, multiple placement 
        of youth with serious mental, psychological, behavioral, and 
        emotional difficulties who are waiting for treatment is a 
        serious problem for the Nation. The costs to society of 
        detention and excessive, multiple placement of youth in need of 
        residential treatment are exorbitant. Efficient and experienced 
        residential treatment programs are needed to offer effective 
        treatment, education, and training opportunities for youth, 
        with the hope that they may one day be reintegrated into their 
        communities.
            (10) Boys and Girls Home and Family Services, Inc., 
        offering services nationwide, is a leading children, youth, and 
        family service agency. The agency has a national reputation for 
        excellence and unique capabilities and experiences that assist 
        communities in designing and operating residential treatment 
        programs to serve youth with serious mental, psychological, 
        behavioral, and emotional difficulties. With adequate funding 
        from the public and private sectors, Boys and Girls Home and 
        Family Services, Inc. can assist other agencies and communities 
        in implementing residential treatment programs to offer 
        treatment, specialized education and training, and hope for 
        youth. The result will be an improved ability for youth with 
        serious mental, psychological, behavioral, and emotional 
        difficulties to obtain education and employment training in 
        order to lead fulfilling lives and contribute to society and 
        the economy.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are as follows:
            (1) To further the important objective of providing 
        exceptional services for youth with serious mental, 
        psychological, behavioral, and emotional difficulties, through 
        residential treatment programs, specialized education and 
        employment training, and other appropriate levels of treatment, 
        so that these youth may become productive citizens to ensure a 
        bright future for themselves and their families.
            (2) To assist Boys and Girls Home and Family Services, Inc. 
        with the costs of establishing exceptional residential 
        treatment and specialized education and employment training 
        programs to address the needs of youth with serious mental, 
        psychological, behavioral, and emotional difficulties, their 
        families and communities.

SEC. 3. ASSISTANCE FOR BOYS AND GIRLS HOME AND FAMILY SERVICES, INC.

    (a) Assistance Authorized.--Using such funds as may be appropriated 
pursuant to the authorization of appropriations in subsection (c), the 
Secretary of Education and the Secretary of Labor shall make grants to 
Boys and Girls Home and Family Services, Inc., to assist with the costs 
of establishing programs and facilities for residential treatment, 
specialized education, and employment training and other appropriate 
levels of service to youth with serious mental, psychological, 
behavioral, and emotional problems, their families, and communities.
    (b) Grant Requirements.--To receive grants under subsection (a), 
Boys and Girls Home and Family Services, Inc. shall submit to either 
the Secretary of Education or the Secretary of Labor, or to both 
Secretaries, a proposal for the use of the grant funds, which shall 
relate to establishing programs for residential treatment, specialized 
education, and employment training and other appropriate levels of 
service to youth who suffer from emotional and behavioral difficulties, 
their families, and communities, with the objective of improving the 
lives of youth, their families, and communities.
    (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary of Education and the Secretary of Labor 
$15,000,000 to make grants under this section. Amounts so appropriated 
shall remain available until expended.
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