[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 160 (Thursday, November 13, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H10794-H10800]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        ESTABLISHMENT OF 2,500 BOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS BEFORE 2000

  Mr. McCOLLUM. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 1753) to provide for the establishment of not less than 
2,500 Boys and Girls Clubs of America facilities by the year 2000, as 
amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:
       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. 2,500 BOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS BEFORE 2000.

       (a) In General.--Section 401(a) of the Economic Espionage 
     Act of 1996 (42 U.S.C. 13751 note) is amended by striking 
     paragraph (2) and inserting the following:
       ``(2) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to provide 
     adequate resources in the form of seed money for the Boys and 
     Girls Clubs of

[[Page H10795]]

     America to establish 1,000 additional local clubs where 
     needed, with particular emphasis placed on establishing clubs 
     in public housing projects and distressed areas, and to 
     ensure that there are a total of not less than 2,500 Boys and 
     Girls Clubs of America facilities in operation not later than 
     December 31, 1999.''.
       (b) Accelerated Grants.--Section 401 of the Economic 
     Espionage Act of 1996 (42 U.S.C. 13751 note) is amended--
       (1) in subsection (b)(2), by striking ``or rural'' and all 
     that follows through the end and inserting the following: 
     ``rural area, or Indian reservation with a population of high 
     risk youth as defined in section 517 of the Public Health 
     Service Act (42 U.S.C. 290bb-23) of sufficient size to 
     warrant the establishment of a Boys and Girls Club.''; and
       (2) by striking subsection (c) and inserting the following:
       ``(c) Establishment.--
       ``(1) In general.--For each of the fiscal years 1997, 1998, 
     1999, 2000, and 2001, the Director of the Bureau of Justice 
     Assistance of the Department of Justice shall make a grant to 
     the Boys and Girls Clubs of America for the purpose of 
     establishing and extending Boys and Girls Clubs facilities 
     where needed, with particular emphasis placed on establishing 
     clubs in and extending services to public housing projects 
     and distressed areas.
       ``(2) Applications.--The Attorney General shall accept an 
     application for a grant under this subsection if submitted by 
     the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, and approve or deny the 
     grant not later than 90 days after the date on which the 
     application is submitted, if the application--
       ``(A) includes a long-term strategy to establish 1,000 
     additional Boys and Girls Clubs and detailed summary of those 
     areas in which new facilities will be established, or in 
     which existing facilities will be expanded to serve 
     additional youths, during the next fiscal year;
       ``(B) includes a plan to ensure that there are a total of 
     not less than 2,500 Boys and Girls Clubs of America 
     facilities in operation before January 1, 2000;
       ``(C) certifies that there will be appropriate coordination 
     with those communities where clubs will be located; and
       ``(D) explains the manner in which new facilities will 
     operate without additional, direct Federal financial 
     assistance to the Boys and Girls Clubs once assistance under 
     this subsection is discontinued.''.
       (c) Role Model Grants.--Section 401 of the Economic 
     Espionage Act of 1996 (42 U.S.C. 13751 note) is amended by 
     adding at the end the following:
       ``(f) Role Model Grants.--Of amounts made available under 
     subsection (e) for any fiscal year--
       ``(1) not more than 5 percent may be used to provide a 
     grant to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America for 
     administrative, travel, and other costs associated with a 
     national role-model speaking tour program; and
       ``(2) no amount may be used to compensate speakers other 
     than to reimburse speakers for reasonable travel and 
     accommodation costs associated with the program described in 
     paragraph (1).''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Florida [Mr. McCollum] and the gentlewoman from Texas [Ms. Jackson-Lee] 
will each control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida [Mr. McCollum].


                             General Leave

  Mr. McCOLLUM. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks on H.R. 1753, the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Emerson). Is there objection to the 
request of the gentleman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. McCOLLUM. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, H.R. 1753, which was introduced by the gentleman from 
Illinois, Chairman Hyde, would amend a provision that acted as part of 
the Economic Espionage Act of 1996, which authorized $100 million in 
Federal seed money over 5 years to establish an additional 1,000 Boys 
and Girls Clubs in public housing and distressed areas throughout the 
country.
  H.R. 1753 would make several administrative changes to current law, 
streamlining the application process for the clubs, and permitting a 
small amount of the funds to be used to establish a role model speakers 
program to encourage and motivate young people nationwide.
  The primary purpose of this program is to ensure that at least 2,500 
Boys and Girls Clubs are established by the year 2000. Because the goal 
is expected to be realized through the existing authorization of the 
1996 act, H.R. 1753 does not require new Federal spending. As of 1996, 
there were 1,800 Boys and Girls Clubs facilities in the United States.
  Congress has been supportive of Boys and Girls Clubs of America for a 
number of years because it has shown itself to be an impressive private 
sector program that really makes a difference in the lives of young 
people. Boys and Girls Clubs have a fantastic reputation for 
establishing effective community programs that assist youth in 
developing into hardworking, caring, and law-abiding citizens.
  Recent research at Columbia University has shown that Boys and Girls 
Clubs have been highly successful in reducing drug activities and 
juvenile crime in public housing developments. Members of Boys and 
Girls Clubs also do better in school and are less attracted to gangs.
  The importance of Boys and Girls Clubs in fighting drug abuse, gang 
recruitment, and moral poverty cannot be overstated. Indeed, Federal 
efforts are already paying off. Using over $15 million in Federal seed 
money appropriated in 1996, the Boys and Girls Clubs opened 208 clubs 
in 1996. These clubs are providing positive places of safety, learning, 
and encouragement for about 180,000 more kids than the year before.
  In my home State of Florida, these funds have helped open 23 new 
clubs and keep an additional 25,000 kids away from gangs, drugs, and 
crime. Two hundred more clubs are expected to be established as a 
result of this year's $20 million appropriation.
  H.R. 1753 builds on Congress' continued efforts to ensure that, with 
Federal seed money, the Boys and Girls Clubs of America is able to 
expand to serve an additional 1 million young people through at least 
2,500 clubs by the year 2000.
  I want to take a moment to emphasize that this program only provides 
seed money for the construction and expansion, actual bricks and 
mortar, of Boys and Girls Clubs across the country. Once the clubs are 
open, they will operate without significant Federal funds. The reason 
Boys and Girls Clubs have been successful and the reason Congress wants 
to do more for them is because they are locally run and dependent 
primarily on community involvement for their success.
  In an era where billions are being spent on bloated, never-ending 
federally-run programs, support of the Boys and Girls Clubs is a short-
term yet significant way that serves as a model for the proper role of 
the Federal Government in crime prevention.
  H.R. 1753 has a companion bill, S. 476, sponsored by Senator Hatch. 
S. 476 passed the Senate without amendment by voice vote on May 15, 
1997. If the House passes H.R. 1753, I will ask unanimous consent that 
the House move to strike all after the enacting clause of the Senate 
bill, S. 476, and insert in the text the House-passed version of H.R. 
1753. This is a customary practice and would allow the House to send S. 
476 back to the Senate with the text of the House-passed bill as 
amended.
  Madam Speaker, this is a bipartisan proposal that I urge my 
colleagues to support.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as 
I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman of the subcommittee, the 
gentleman from Florida [Mr. McCollum], the gentleman from Wisconsin 
[Mr. Barrett], and the ranking member of the subcommittee of the 
Committee on the Judiciary on this issue.
  There is no doubt that all of us are concerned about preventative 
measures for taking our children off the streets. This is a very 
worthwhile bill. This bill will speed the distribution of funds to Boys 
and Girls Clubs, which are some of the most valuable nonprofit 
institutions in many of our communities.
  On a personal note, I have served on the board of directors of the 
Boys and Girls Club in Houston and saw the merging of the girls and 
boys club to make it the Boys and Girls Club in our community.
  The Boys and Girls Club of America was founded in 1906. There are now 
more than 1,800 Boys and Girls Clubs throughout the United States. This 
Federal funding will support the creation of another 1,000 clubs. This 
is certainly not a bill of special interests. I understand that the 
Justice Department appropriations bill that we will vote on later today 
will have $20 million for this program, and I applaud that.
  I only wish, as we proceed, and I will inquire of the chairman of the 
subcommittee, that we can be open to funding a broader array of 
initiatives

[[Page H10796]]

like this. The truth is that programs like the Boys and Girls Club have 
proven to be one of the most effective ways to keep young people away 
from drugs and gangs and on the road to a productive adulthood.
  The Manhattan Institute, for example, which is a conservative think 
tank, recently released a report by a task force headed by Bill 
Bennett, also someone who is generally thought to be fairly 
conservative. They did an intensive study of three crime prevention 
programs, the Big Brothers and Big Sisters mentoring program, a church-
run program in Boston, and an early intervention program in Pittsburgh.
  They found that these programs dramatically reduced the level of gang 
and crime involvement by the young people who were fortunate enough to 
have access to the program. The problem, of course, is that these 
programs can reach only a fraction of the kids who are at risk.
  So when I see the bill before us today, it certainly is a step in the 
right direction, but we realize that we must go further. Look, for 
example, at the youth recreation leagues and after-school programs that 
were part of the 1994 crime bill but yet have been defunded in 1995. 
Certainly the Rand study commits us to realizing that prevention is 
worth an ounce of cure.
  So I commend this bill, I commend the leadership on this bill, and 
before I yield my time or reserve my time, Madam Speaker, I would like 
to inquire of the chairman of the subcommittee and raise a question 
with him.
  Our community came together in Houston under the leadership of our 
present mayor and city council and recognized that not only was the 
Boys and Girls Club very important, but the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, 
and they also found something else that tickled the fancy of our 
children, recreation; recreation for the physically challenged, 
recreation for the inner-city youth, recreation for the suburban youth 
within the city limits.
  We organized basketball and soccer and Little League. We committed 
ourselves to the Zena Garrison tennis program. Now we have about 80,000 
youngsters throughout the city of Houston in all manner of recreational 
programs, keeping them off the streets, keeping our parks open after 
school into the late hours.
  Madam Speaker, I would simply ask the question of the gentleman from 
Florida [Mr. McCollum], as we are able to discuss this very important 
bill and pass it today, the opportunities for reviewing and supporting 
programs like that throughout our Nation.
  Mr. McCOLLUM. Madam Speaker, will the gentlewoman yield?
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. I yield to the gentleman from Florida.
  Mr. McCOLLUM. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding to 
me.
  Madam Speaker, programs such as the gentlewoman describes exist in a 
variety of forms throughout the Nation, not just in Houston but in most 
cities. They are, that is the underlying word, a variety of forms to 
help occupy our youth and combat crime.
  I fully support them, as the gentlewoman does. That is why we have 
the community block grant program under the crime legislation we have 
passed for a couple of years now, with a lot of Federal money going 
back to the communities, letting them decide individually what programs 
are best for them.
  I am sure that Houston, as the other communities in our country, will 
decide that many of the programs such as the gentlewoman has described 
are worthy of support. Boys and Girls Clubs happen to be one that is 
universally accepted and is around the entire country. We are very 
pleased that we can particularly target that, because we know that it 
is effective in every community. Other programs are different in 
different communities, but the funds are there. We will continue to 
support them.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. I thank the chairman. So I understand that 
he is saying that those particular programs with community effort and 
coordination could make application to the Justice Department under 
those crime prevention programs?
  Mr. McCOLLUM. Madam Speaker, if the gentlewoman will continue to 
yield, the way the block grant program works is that the money goes to 
the city of Houston or to the county, and I do not know the name of the 
gentlewoman's county, for example, and they have a board and a system, 
the county commissioners, city commissioners. They can decide whether 
to spend the money on police or on some of those prevention programs or 
however they want to spend it. They make those decisions, not the 
Justice Department.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of 
H.R. 1753. As a member of the Judiciary Committee and of the 
Subcommittee on Crime, through which this legislation passed, I was 
pleased to see this worthy piece of legislation receive broad 
bipartisan backing. I want to thank both Chairman Hyde and Chairman 
McCollum for their leadership in moving H.R. 1753 forward to the floor.
  In 1996, Congress authorized $100 million in Federal seed money over 
5 years to establish an additional 1,000 Boys and Girls clubs in public 
housing and distressed areas throughout the country. H.R. 1753 now 
makes administrative changes to current law, streamlining the 
application process for the clubs and ensuring that at least 2,500 
clubs are established by the year 2000. At the end of 1996 there were 
1,800 Boys and Girls clubs facilities in the United States.
  In every community there are hundreds of boys and girls left to find 
their own recreation and companionship in the streets. An increasing 
number of children spend many hours alone with no adult care or 
supervision. Young people need to know that someone cares about them 
and that there are concerned and capable adults to whom they can turn. 
Boys and Girls clubs offer that and more.
  Boys and Girls clubs are a tested and proven nationally recognized 
program that addresses today's most pressing youth issues--teaching 
young people the skills they need to succeed in life. Boys and Girls 
clubs provide young people access to programs on the education and the 
environment, health, the arts, careers, alcohol and drug prevention, 
pregnancy prevention, gang prevention, leadership development, and 
athletics.
  The Boys and Girls clubs of America have served 2.6 million children: 
71 percent live in urban/inner-city areas; 53 percent live in single-
parent families; 42 percent come from families with annual incomes 
below $22,000; 51 percent live in families with three or more children; 
56 percent are from minority families; 16 percent are 7 years and 
under; 34 percent are 8 to 10-years-old; 29 percent are 11 to 13-years-
old; 21 percent are 14 to 18-years-old; and 62 percent are boys, 38 
percent are girls.
  It is a remarkable fact, and one meriting our remembrance, that it 
costs approximately $200 per youth per year to run a Boys and Girls 
club. It costs between $25,000 and $75,000 a year to keep a young adult 
in jail for 1 year. This is evidence that the Boys and Girls clubs--a 
proven delinquency prevention program--are a terrific bargain.
  Madam Speaker, this is a bill that I truly believe can and should be 
supported by all of my colleagues. I urge each of you to vote in favor 
of H.R. 1753.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. McCOLLUM. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to 
the gentleman from Indiana [Mr. Buyer], a member of the committee.
  Mr. BUYER. Madam Speaker, I appreciate the discussion from the 
gentlewoman from Houston, because I remember back in the 1994 crime 
bill discussion and the whole issue about midnight basketball and crime 
prevention programs. And what the dispute was about at the time was the 
Federal Government having a one-size-fits-all program, saying, here is 
the criteria and you force it down, and force all communities in 
America to comply with this standard that is set out here in 
Washington.
  The Republican philosophy is that in fact we support prevention 
programs. What we do not appreciate is the arrogance of the Federal 
Government in Washington dictating to our communities what they should 
and should not do.
  So that is why I compliment the leadership of the gentleman from 
Florida, Mr. Bill McCollum, basically sending that message out. I 
remember his debates while he was in the minority during the crime 
bill, and he felt as though he was a voice with no one listening, but I 
was listening, and I think many in America in fact were.
  When we look out there, there are only so many different things that 
we have. We have the education, prevention, rehabilitation, 
retribution, restitution, deterrence, and there was this overfocus, 
overfocus on the rehabilitative side and prevention and education, to 
the point where they began to be coddling the criminal.

[[Page H10797]]

  Then we took a step back and said, wait a minute, let us bring better 
balance to the judicial system. So when Republicans took over the 
Congress, we then tried to bring back some stability to the justice 
system.
  When we looked at the juvenile crime issue, and compliments to the 
Subcommittee on Crime going out in 1996 and conducting their regional 
forums around the country, we learned that there is a growing 
escalation on juvenile crime, and that is a concern. So how do we 
address that?

                              {time}  1230

  Well, we can address it on many different fronts. But, in particular, 
let us not forget the issue on prevention. Republicans support 
prevention programs. That is the message here. So I have gone through 
those debates, and I have heard from this side of the aisle that like 
to bash Republicans in saying, ``They do not support prevention,'' 
``They do not care.'' That is false.
  When we are in our communities and we see the growing need, that is 
why I am so pleased that there is a bipartisan legislation here on the 
floor today to escalate the number of Boys and Girls Clubs in America. 
The FBI states that the trend, if it continues as we have over the past 
10 years, juvenile arrests for violent crime will more than double by 
the year 2010. The FBI predicts that juvenile arrests for murder will 
increase 125 percent, forcible rape arrests will increase 66 percent, 
and aggravated assault arrests will increase 129 percent. Those are 
pretty startling numbers.
  This dramatic increase in youth crime has occurred in the midst of a 
declining youth population, a trend soon to change. In the final years 
of this decade and throughout the next, America will experience a 
population surge made up of the children of today's aging baby-boomers. 
Today's enormous cohort of the 5-year-olds, in fact, become tomorrow's 
teenagers.
  So this legislation is extremely important. It is much needed to 
authorize the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. This organization is 
providing a place for social interaction and recreation of our young 
people. I know that in my district, which is a predominantly rural 
district, in some communities many young people simply have no place to 
go to make constructive use of their time. And what is a proven 
statistic is that more than half of all crimes against teenagers occur 
on or near schools. Boys and Girls Clubs provide a place for positive 
influences to permeate a young person's life. In other words, we want a 
child to have a role model for whom they can identify with, hands on, 
not some role model that plays basketball or football or they only 
idolize. An actual role model that they can see within their community 
is what is extremely important here.
  This bill also includes an amendment that I offered in the Committee 
on the Judiciary to ensure that rural areas are capable of qualifying 
to have Boys and Girls Clubs. We understand that the growing problems 
that we have in our urban areas to include the inner city and public 
housing, but we also want to make sure that in rural America we do not 
have a growing escalation of juvenile crime.
  I have visited those juvenile detention centers in my congressional 
district, and it is very painful to stand there and peer through the 
little window and we see these 12-, 13- and 14-year-olds in jumpsuits, 
and we look at those big brown eyes, but what we really see behind 
them, though, is some anger. And they really need someone to reach out 
to. I sit there, and as I look through there and I see them, I think if 
only this community would, in fact, have had a Boys and Girls Club, how 
many of these children could we have changed their life and had a 
positive influence.
  So let me compliment the gentleman from Michigan [Mr. Conyers] and in 
particular the gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Hyde] and the gentleman 
from Utah [Mr. Hatch] in the Senate for bringing this legislation, and 
the gentleman from Florida [Mr. McCollum]. This is truly needed, and it 
is a compliment to the gentleman from Florida [Mr. McCollum] for 
bringing this today.
  Mr. McCOLLUM. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, might I inquire the amount 
of time remaining for me and the gentleman from Florida [Mr. McCollum]?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Emerson). The gentlewoman from Texas 
[Ms. Jackson-Lee] has 14 minutes remaining, and the gentleman from 
Florida [Mr. McCollum] has 11 minutes remaining.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I yield myself 15 seconds.
  I certainly appreciate the affirmation of the previous speaker to the 
importance of intervention and prevention. I would like to reaffirm the 
fact that the major debate on this issue came in the 1994 crime bill 
passed by a Democratic Congress and President and the support of the 
Rand study that says prevention is the way we should be directed.
  Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin [Mr. 
Barrett], who is a lead Democratic sponsor of this legislation.
  Mr. BARRETT of Wisconsin. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of 
House bill 1753, a bill that will continue the effort that Congress 
began last year to provide kids throughout America with a safe, 
productive, and healthy place to go after school and on weekends.
  Last year's legislation authorized Federal seed money to support the 
Boys and Girls Clubs of America 5-year plan to establish 1,000 new 
clubs by the year 2000, bringing the total number of clubs to 2,500. 
This bill will streamline the application process for new clubs and 
allow a small portion of the funds to be used to establish a role model 
speakers program.
  I commend the gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Hyde] for his sponsorship 
of this legislation. It is truly a bipartisan bill and has received no 
opposition in committee. The Boys and Girls Clubs of America have been 
recognized as an efficient organization, advancing a cause that we can 
all support. The organization is dedicated solely to youth, with a 
special emphasis on those kids who are at risk. Fifty-three percent of 
the kids who are members of Boys and Girls Clubs come from single-
parent families. Fifty-six percent are from minority families. And 
forty-two percent come from families with annual incomes below $22,000 
a year.
  The Federal commitment to Boys and Girls Clubs provides $20 million 
per year for 5 years to establish new clubs. Once clubs are opened, 
they operate without significant Federal support. Relatively speaking, 
this is a modest commitment when we look at the amount spent on the No. 
1 enemy of our Nation's youth.
  Our Nation's drug czar, General McCaffrey, earlier this week said 
that Americans spent an estimated $57 billion on illegal drugs. Our 
commitment to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America will provide millions 
of kids with a healthy alternative to crime and drug abuse. We know 
that after school hours are the most dangerous time for our children. I 
sure would much rather see our young kids shooting baskets than 
shooting each other. And I would much rather see our kids pounding keys 
on a computer than pushing drugs.
  Madam Speaker, there is one more point that has to be made. While 
young people are more likely than any other group to commit crime, we 
must remember that they are also the most likely age group to be 
victimized by crime. A Columbia University study revealed the 
impressive impact of Boys and Girls Club located in public housing. 
Areas with these clubs saw a 13-percent decrease in juvenile crime and 
22 percent decrease in drug activity. These numbers translate into 
safer streets and a generation of youth that are less likely to fall 
into trouble with crime and drugs.
  Madam Speaker, I appreciate this opportunity to support our Nation's 
young people. This is a commitment that we should continue. I urge my 
colleagues to support this bill.
  Mr. McCOLLUM. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
distinguished gentleman from Maryland [Mr. Hoyer].
  Mr. HOYER. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Texas for 
yielding me the time.
  I rise, obviously, in strong support of this legislation. I presume 
there will be unanimous support for this legislation. As one who has 
been involved in the Boys and Girls Clubs through many

[[Page H10798]]

years and who was himself a participant in the Miami Boys and Girls 
Club when I was in my very early teens, I can attest to the 
effectiveness of these organizations.
  In recent years, I have cochaired the breakfast held annually on 
Capitol Hill with Senator Strom Thurmond. As we all know, the Boys and 
Girls Clubs are authorized under a congressional act and chartered 
under a congressional act; and, so, they submit annually a report to 
the Congress of the United States. It is one of the best breakfasts 
that I attend during the year, because at that point in time, they cite 
from four regions of the country outstanding young people. Invariably, 
those young people have overcome incredible obstacles to become 
outstanding young people, both academically, athletically, civically. 
They contribute mightily as young people to their peers and mightily to 
the strength of this Nation.
  This effort, therefore, is a very worthwhile effort, which, for a 
relatively modest investment, will pay off incredibly large dividends. 
Investing in our young people clearly is the best investment that we 
citizens can make. Investing tax dollars in our young citizens is one 
of the best application of tax dollars that we can make, and, in my 
opinion, an investment strongly supported by the American people.
  So I am very pleased to join the gentleman from Florida [Mr. 
McCollum], the gentlewoman from Texas [Ms. Jackson-Lee] and the 
committee in putting forth this bill, which will have great positive 
impact on the future of our country.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from 
Maryland [Mr. Hoyer] for his leadership with the Boys and Girls Club of 
America.
  Madam Speaker, I yield 3\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from 
California [Ms. Waters], the distinguished chairman of the 
Congressional Black Caucus.
  Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, I rise to join with all of my colleagues 
on both sides of the aisle to support the Boys and Girls Clubs of 
America. Is it not wonderful to have something on the floor that we can 
all agree on?
  I do not need to tell my colleagues about all of the advantages of 
the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. But I first need to stop and thank 
Denzel Washington. Denzel Washington is one of the finest artists-
actors in Hollywood, and he is the national spokesperson for Boys and 
Girls Clubs of America. He is the national spokesperson because his 
life was changed because of the attention he received from the Boys and 
Girls Clubs of America in his neighborhood when he was growing up. So I 
get to thank him on this floor today and say to him that his leadership 
is what helps to bring us to this kind of movement, where we have 
Democrats and Republicans together to say that it is about time we pay 
attention to our young people.
  It is a good thing that we do here today to invest in our young 
people. We talk about children and young people all the time, but 
seldom do we really put the money where our mouths are. Today, we agree 
on resources. We agreed that $100 million will be given to Boys and 
Girls Clubs back in 1996, with $20 million for 1997, $20 million for 
1998, leading up to the year 2000, when we should have appropriated the 
entire $100 million.
  I am very pleased and proud to be on the floor today not arguing 
against something, not fighting with somebody about something, but 
rather joining hands with both sides of the aisle to say, this is for 
the children, this is for the boys and girls of America, inner city, 
rural America.
  Mr. HOYER. Madam Speaker, will the gentlewoman yield?
  Ms. WATERS. I yield to the gentleman from Maryland.
  Mr. HOYER. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from California 
[Ms. Waters] for yielding.
  I want to join her very appropriate comments regarding Denzel 
Washington, who has been a really outstanding leader.
  Also, we ought to mention Colin Powell. This is one of the first 
boards that he joined among thousands that he was requested to join. So 
many people understand the worth of this organization and, therefore, 
join in it.
  And I want to congratulate the gentlewoman from California [Ms. 
Waters] herself, who is a leader in this country of national renown, 
who herself has joined in this effort, and I thank her for her efforts.
  Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, reclaiming my time, let me just say that 
in the State of California, when I was in the California State 
assembly, I had a piece of legislation that was signed into law that 
appropriated dollars for capital outlay for Boys and Girls Clubs. We 
discovered that the roofs were falling in, that they needed more space, 
that they needed air conditioning, et cetera, et cetera. And we were 
able to do that. We got matching grants from the private sector that 
helped to expand the Boys and Girls Clubs and their ability to provide 
the services to the young people that they are organized to do.
  So this reminds me of that bill when I was in Sacramento and what we 
were able to do with capital outlay. This goes even further than that.
  I would like to thank Members on both sides of the aisle and my 
Republican friends that I can call friends today, maybe not tomorrow, 
but today for this bill. I thank them all very much.

                              {time}  1245

  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I yield myself 1 minute to 
simply thank the gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Hyde], the gentleman from 
Florida [Mr. McCollum], the gentleman from Michigan [Mr. Conyers], the 
gentleman from New York [Mr. Schumer] and the sponsors of this 
legislation that exhibits bipartisanship. I think it is important to 
reemphasize that the issue of intervention and prevention has to be the 
call of the day for preventing juvenile crime.
  I am reminded of the Riggs-Scott bill, H.R. 1818, that can bring 
about the opportunity for individual communities to raise up programs 
to secure moneys to prevent juvenile crime. We want to encourage them, 
and we certainly appreciate the establishment or expanding of Boys and 
Girls Clubs. They have done such a great job. My applause to Denzel 
Washington and Colin Powell for all the work they have done.
  Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman 
from Michigan [Mr. Conyers], the esteemed ranking member of the 
Committee on the Judiciary.
  Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, this is a great moment in American 
legislative history. The vibes are wonderful. When the gentleman from 
Florida [Mr. McCollum], the gentlewoman from Texas [Ms. Jackson-Lee], 
the gentlewoman from California [Ms. Waters], the gentleman from 
Indiana [Mr. Buyer], the gentleman from Wisconsin [Mr. Barrett] and the 
gentleman from Maryland [Mr. Hoyer] all get together, we know we are 
doing the Lord's work.
  Madam Speaker, I want to ask the gentleman from Florida [Mr. 
McCollum], the subcommittee chairman, is it correct that the Justice 
bill is being held up because there are $750 million in for adult 
prisons, $87 million in for juvenile prisons, $250 million in for 
juvenile justice grant programs, 35 percent of which is to be used for 
juvenile prisons?
  Mr. McCOLLUM. Madam Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. CONYERS. I yield to the gentleman from Florida.
  Mr. McCOLLUM. My understanding is the State-Justice-Commerce 
appropriations bill, if that is what the gentleman is referring to, is 
now in progress and is coming to the floor. I do not think it is being 
held up at the moment at all.
  Mr. CONYERS. I feel better already. We are off to a good start. 
Everybody agrees Boys and Girls Clubs are great. All I want to do now 
is to keep us all focused in the second term of the 105th Congress and 
we take a little look at the police athletic leagues, at the other 
organizations that may be youth recreation leagues and after-school 
programs that might also deserve this attention for the very same 
reasons that the Boys and Girls Clubs are getting it. Could I ask my 
dear friend from Florida if he can keep his horizons open in the next 
year if we find other equally deserving organizations?
  Mr. McCOLLUM. I certainly support, as I indicated to the gentlewoman 
from Texas, many of the prevention programs and the organizations 
around the country. This one has a Federal

[[Page H10799]]

charter, as the gentleman knows. I find the grant programs, both the 
community direct block grant program we have as well as the grant 
program moving through Congress now with regard to the Office of 
Juvenile Justice links provision, to be very good devices for this 
purpose.
  Mr. CONYERS. So I take it the answer is yes, the gentleman will be 
looking with me at other deserving organizations? Some may not be 
chartered, but that does not make them less deserving.
  Mr. McCOLLUM. I would support and do support a lot of these programs, 
but I want the cities and the counties and the States to decide which 
ones get the money rather than the gentleman and I, unless they are an 
exceptional long-standing Federal charter program like this one. I do 
favor the prevention programs; I just do not want to make the decision 
here in Washington on which one gets it.
  Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, people like the gentleman and I are not 
known for dictating to the States and local governments. So if we look 
at it together, if we find another one, maybe even just one, and then 
we could kind of move it along. The gentleman gets the drift.
  Let us keep the lights on and celebrate Boys and Girls Clubs, and if 
there is anybody else that deserves it. If they are undeserving, not a 
nickel do they get. If they do not have strict accounting procedures, 
``Sorry, you don't qualify.'' But if they are really good and meet all 
of our criteria, we might send a few nickels out to some others. Why 
not?
  Everybody says it does many good things. It is stopping kids from 
going down the wrong track. There is not a man, woman or child that is 
against that. I too weigh in with my full, unqualified, unstinting 
support. I thank both of the leaders in the Committee on the Judiciary 
who managed this bill.
  Mr. McCOLLUM. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I just want to point out a couple of things to my good friends and 
colleagues. This side of the aisle does strongly support prevention 
programs and particularly programs like Boys and Girls Clubs of America 
that work well.
  As the gentleman from Indiana [Mr. Buyer] stated a few moments ago, 
we had quite a battle with the other side in 1994 over the crime bill 
because many of us felt then that the efforts being made at the Federal 
level to provide for applications for these prevention programs in 
fighting crime to the Justice Department and the Federal Government on 
a case-by-case, program-by-program basis, with the Federal Government 
having decided by name which programs would qualify for the money and 
which would not, we thought that was a very bad idea. We wanted to 
abolish and do away with that.
  As most of my colleagues know, that has indeed been done since the 
Republicans have been a majority in Congress. We have abolished that 
scheme of things in the prevention program area.
  Today we go with twin programs dealing with prevention. Still, there 
are some name programs around, but for the most part the block grants, 
the $500 million a year going out to the States, actually to the 
counties and the cities for their governments to decide how to spend 
the money to fight crime, some of which, depending on their choices, 
could be spent on prevention programs, some of which might be spent on 
police or prisons or no telling what, but it is their choice. And then 
the juvenile delinquency prevention programs in the bill that passed 
the House and is now pending in the Senate, and is funded in the 
Commerce-State-Justice appropriations bill we will have out here a 
little later today, this is a set of programs also designed for 
prevention. A very large amount of money goes for prevention in our 
Federal system, some $4 billion a year. We do strongly support that.
  But this bill today is a special case. Boys and Girls Clubs of 
America has a Federal charter. We have revised that charter today by 
providing easier access for these clubs to be able to build the new 
ones they are going to, taking out a lot of the complications of 
bureaucracy, applications to the Housing and Urban Development 
Department and so on. We need to pass the bill.

  I also want to remind my colleagues that not only is Denzel 
Washington and a couple of others named a leading spokesperson for Boys 
and Girls Clubs of America, he is an alumnus of it. There are many 
distinguished alumni in the entertainment and sports world. I could not 
begin to list all of them or we would be here the rest of the 
afternoon.
  Some include George Burns, because the clubs go back to 1906, and the 
late George Burns was a Boys and Girls Club member; Bill Cosby, Danny 
DeVito, George Lucas, Walter Matthau, Leonard Nimoy, Robin Williams, to 
name a few entertainers. In the sports world, in football, people like 
Bart Starr, Lynn Swann, Steve Young. In baseball, Jose Canseco, Joe 
DiMaggio, Alex Fernandez, Tom Glavine, David Justice, Fred McGriff, 
just to name a few. In basketball, Penny Hardaway, Michael Jordan, 
Shaquille O'Neal, the list goes on and on. All have been members of 
Boys and Girls Clubs at one time in their lives and benefited from this 
fine organization that has a Federal charter.
  We are just making it easier today to reach the goal by the year 2000 
of establishing 2,500 more of these clubs by streamlining the process. 
This is a procedural but a very important procedural bill. I urge my 
colleagues to pass it today.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. McCOLLUM. I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. I do want to emphasize to the chairman of 
the Subcommittee on Crime that this is a bipartisan bill. I appreciate 
his statement and expression of the Republicans' viewpoint on 
prevention and intervention. I hope that we can continue to work 
together.
  Might I just simply present for the record that maybe we will reserve 
judgment on how block grants will work. I understand the intentions of 
them, but I think we should monitor whether our local jurisdictions or 
States use more of those funds for prison building than prevention, 
especially when we all seem to have come together to realize that 
prevention and intervention is key and should take a high priority in 
the distribution of these funds.
  I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. McCOLLUM. If I may reclaim my time, I might add that none of our 
local block grant moneys are used for prisons. They are and can be used 
for a variety of things beyond prevention. I certainly will monitor 
those programs with the gentlewoman. I do believe that for the most 
part local communities know best how to fight crime and should make 
that decision.
  But, nonetheless, this bill is not about that. It came up today in 
debate for other reasons, and I have not discussed it so I decided to 
do so at the end because it had been raised. Today we are about passing 
a very fine bill to improve the process whereby more Boys and Girls 
Clubs of America can be added under their Federal charter. I urge the 
adoption of this bill.
  Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to support 
H.R. 1753, legislation that will further Congress' support for the 
expansion of Boys and Girls Clubs of America--one of the best examples 
of proven youth crime prevention. This legislation is part of a 
continuing initiative to ensure that--with Federal seed money--Boys and 
Girls Clubs of America can expand to serve an additional one million 
young people through at least 2,500 clubs by the year 2000.
  We are all aware that young people need a safe, positive, environment 
to help them avoid the dangers of crime and violence, and Boys and 
Girls Clubs of America provides a safe haven for 2.6 million children. 
Indeed, Boys and Girls Clubs of America has received widespread 
recognition as one of America's most efficient charities.
  Last year, Congress recognized the value of Boys and Girls Clubs when 
we authorized $100 million in seed money over 5 years to establish more 
clubs in public housing and distressed areas throughout the country. 
Currently, 90 percent of Boys and Girls Clubs funding comes from the 
private sector. The seed money provided by Congress is being used for 
start-up costs and program enhancements.
  H.R. 1753 would make several administrative changes to current law--
streamlining the application process for clubs to obtain seed money and 
ensuring that at least 2,500 clubs are established by the year 2000. 
The bill would also permit a small amount of funds to

[[Page H10800]]

be used to establish a role-model speakers' program to encourage and 
motivate young people nationwide.
  The Senate passed a companion bill sponsored by Senator Hatch--S. 
476--without amendment by voice vote last May. On October 29, the 
Judiciary Committee ordered H.R. 1753 reported--with one minor 
amendment--by a voice vote. The amendment clarifies that clubs can be 
established in rural areas and Indian reservations that have 
significant populations of high risk youth.
  Mr. Chairman, this is a terrific bill that enjoys bipartisan support, 
and I want to compliment my colleague from Wisconsin--Tom Barrett--for 
the work he has done on behalf of the Boys and Girls Clubs America. I 
urge the House to pass this bill so that we can foster one of the best 
ways of stopping crime and helping children that I know of.
  Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise to commend my colleagues in the 
House for passing H.R. 1753, establishing not less than 2,500 Boys and 
Girls Clubs of America facilities by 2000. I was pleased to support 
this measure.
  I wish to direct particular attention to the work of the Girls and 
Boys Club of Garden Grove, CA. Since 1956, the Garden Grove clubs have 
strived to improve our community with programs that meet families' 
needs.
  The Girls and Boys Club of Garden Grove have 9 centers that serve 
1,000 children every day, providing what these children need: a safe, 
enriching alternative to the streets, encouragement to succeed in 
school, and providing family support.
  Each of the nine ``Kids Clubs'' offer daily programs that are unique 
in order to address the specific needs of the children and families 
living in specific neighborhoods. In Orange County, 70 percent of 
children come home to an empty house after school. Children who are 
home alone after school are twice as likely as other children to abuse 
alcohol, tobacco, and drugs.
  As long as a child is actively involved in a Girls and Boys Club, 
they are not just staying off the streets, they are staying out of 
trouble. They are learning in computer labs and homework assistance 
programs; they are being fortified in cooking and nutrition programs, 
they are growing strong and confident in the gym and on the play yards, 
they are being enriched in craft classes and shops, and they are 
building character in leadership programs.
  The Garden Grove Clubs are currently seeking to establish five new 
``Kids Clubs'' Centers at schools throughout my district. There are 
over 10,000 children needing a safe place to go after school. As of 
now, Garden Grove only has the sites to serve about 2,000 kids. I 
strongly support H.R. 1753 and encourage the National Boys and Girls 
Club to distribute funds and assistance to the successful Girls and 
Boys Club in Garden Grove so they can continue to enrich the lives of 
thousands of other young Americans.
  Mr. McCOLLUM. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Emerson). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Florida [Mr. McCollum] that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1753, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  Mr. McCOLLUM. Madam Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that 
a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is 
not present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 5, rule I, and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.
  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

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