[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 856 Referred in Senate (RFS)]


109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 856


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           November 16, 2005

     Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, 
                     Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
    To establish a Federal Youth Development Council to improve the 
administration and coordination of Federal programs serving youth, 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 ``Federal Youth Coordination Act''.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT AND MEMBERSHIP.

    (a) Members and Terms.--There is established the Federal Youth 
Development Council (in this Act referred to as the ``Council'') 
composed of members as follows:
            (1) The Attorney General, the Secretary of Agriculture, the 
        Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, 
        Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, the Secretary of 
        Education, the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of 
        Commerce, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Homeland 
        Security, the Director of National Drug Control Policy, the 
        Director of the Office of Management and Budget, the Assistant 
        to the President for Domestic Policy, the Director of the 
        U.S.A. Freedom Corps, the Deputy Assistant to the President and 
        Director of the Office of Faith-Based and Community 
        Initiatives, and the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation 
        for National and Community Service, or a designee of each such 
        individual who holds significant decision-making authority, and 
        other Federal officials as directed by the President, to serve 
        for the life of the Council.
            (2) Any additional members as the President shall appoint 
        from among representatives of faith-based organizations, 
        community based organizations, child and youth focused 
        foundations, universities, non-profit organizations, youth 
        service providers, State and local government, and youth in 
        disadvantaged situations. In making the appointments under this 
        paragraph, the President shall consult with the Speaker of the 
        House of Representatives, who shall take into account the 
        recommendations of the Majority Leader and the Minority Leader 
        of the House of Representatives, and the president pro tempore 
        of the Senate, who shall take into account the recommendations 
        of the Majority Leader and the minority Leader of the Senate. 
        Each member appointed under this paragraph shall serve for 1 
        term of 2 years.
    (b) Chairperson.--The Chairperson of the Council shall be the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services.
    (c) Meetings.--The Council shall meet at the call of the 
Chairperson, not less frequently than 4 times each year. The first 
meeting shall be not less than 4 months after the date of enactment of 
this Act.

SEC. 3. DUTIES OF THE COUNCIL.

    (a) The duties of the Council shall be--
            (1) to ensure communication among agencies administering 
        programs designed to serve youth, especially those in 
        disadvantaged situations;
            (2) to assess the needs of youth, especially those in 
        disadvantaged situations, and those who work with youth, and 
        the quantity and quality of Federal programs offering services, 
        supports, and opportunities to help youth in their educational, 
        social, emotional, physical, vocational, and civic development;
            (3) to recommend objectives and quantifiable 5-year goals 
        for such programs;
            (4) to make recommendations for the allocation of resources 
        in support of such goals and objectives;
            (5) to identify areas of overlap or duplication in purpose 
        and operation of programs serving youth and recommend ways to 
        better facilitate coordination and consultation, improve 
        efficiency, and streamline such programs;
            (6) to identify target populations of youth who are 
        disproportionately at risk and assist agencies in focusing 
        additional resources on them;
            (7) to develop a recommended plan, including common 
        indicators of youth well-being, and assist agencies, at the 
        request of 1 or more agency, in coordinating to achieve such 
        goals and objectives;
            (8) to assist Federal agencies, at the request of 1 or more 
        such agency, in collaborating on model programs and 
        demonstration projects focusing on special populations, 
        including youth in foster care, migrant youth, projects to 
        promote parental involvement, and projects that work to involve 
        young people in service programs;
            (9) to solicit and document ongoing input and 
        recommendations from--
                    (A) youth, especially those in disadvantaged 
                situations;
                    (B) national youth development experts, 
                researchers, parents, faith and community-based 
                organizations, foundations, business leaders, youth 
                service providers, and teachers; and
                    (C) State and local government agencies, 
                particularly agencies serving children and youth; and
            (10) to work with Federal agencies to conduct high-quality 
        research and evaluation, identify and replicate model programs 
        and best practices, provide technical assistance, and 
        coordinate the collection and dissemination of youth services-
        related data and research.
    (b) The Council may provide technical assistance to a State at the 
request of a State to support State-funded councils for coordinating 
State youth efforts.

SEC. 4. ASSISTANCE OF STAFF.

    (a) Director.--The Chairperson, in consultation with the Council, 
shall employ and set the rate of pay for a Director.
    (b) Staff of Federal Agencies.--Upon request of the Council, the 
head of any Federal department or agency may detail, on a reimbursable 
basis, any of the personnel of that department or agency to the Council 
to assist it in carrying out its duties under this Act.

SEC. 5. POWERS OF THE COUNCIL.

    (a) Mails.--The Council may use the United States mails in the same 
manner and under the same conditions as other departments and agencies 
of the United States.
    (b) Administrative Support Services.--Upon the request of the 
Council, the Administrator of General Services shall provide to the 
Council, on a reimbursable basis, the administrative support services 
necessary for the Council to carry out its responsibilities under this 
Act.

SEC. 6. REPORT.

    Not later than 1 year after the Council holds its first meeting, 
the Council shall transmit to Congress an interim report of its 
findings, and not later than 2 years after the Council holds its first 
meeting, the Council shall transmit to Congress a final report 
including its findings and recommendations. The report shall--
            (1) include a comprehensive list of recent research and 
        statistical reporting by various Federal agencies on the 
        overall well-being of youth, including the ratings of the 
        Program Assessment Ratings Tool (PART) of Federal programs 
        serving youth used by the Office of Management and Budget, if 
        applicable;
            (2) include the assessment of the needs of youth and those 
        who serve them;
            (3) include a summary of the plan called for in section 
        3(a)(7);
            (4) recommend ways to coordinate and improve Federal 
        training and technical assistance, information sharing, and 
        communication among the various programs and agencies serving 
        youth;
            (5) include recommendations to better integrate and 
        coordinate policies across agencies at the Federal, State, and 
        local levels, including recommendations for legislation and 
        administrative actions;
            (6) include a summary of actions the Council has taken at 
        the request of Federal agencies to facilitate collaboration and 
        coordination on youth serving programs and the results of those 
        collaborations, if available;
            (7) include a summary of the action the Council has taken 
        at the request of States to provide technical assistance under 
        section 3(b), if applicable; and
            (8) include a summary of the input and recommendations from 
        the groups identified in section 3(a)(9).

SEC. 7. TERMINATION.

    The Council shall terminate 60 days after transmitting its final 
report under section 6.

SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There is authorized to be appropriated $1,000,000 for each of 
fiscal years 2007 and 2008 to carry out this Act.

            Passed the House of Representatives November 15, 2005.

            Attest:

                                                 JEFF TRANDAHL,

                                                                 Clerk.