[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 100 (Thursday, July 15, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8627-S8628]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     TWENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE RUNAWAY AND HOMELESS YOUTH ACT

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, this week marks the 25th Anniversary of the 
Runaway and Homeless Youth Act. I had hoped as part of celebrating the 
silver anniversary of the passage of this landmark legislation that the 
Congress would be sending to President Clinton for signature, S. 249, 
the Missing, Exploited, and Runaway Children Protection Act. This 
legislation reauthorizes programs under the Runaway and Homeless Youth 
Act as well as authorizes funding for the National Center for Missing 
and Exploited Children. Both programs are critical to our nation's 
youth and to our nation's well-being.
  Unfortunately, the bill is still being held up for no good reason. I 
have been working since 1996 to enact this legislation. Last Congress 
and again this Congress, we have been able to clear the passage of this 
important legislation on the Democratic side of the aisle.
  I had hoped that by the end of this week my colleagues on the other 
side of the aisle could be persuaded to let this legislation pass the 
Senate and President Clinton sign it into law. The many grassroots 
supporters of this legislation and I remain frustrated.
  If we do not pass this legislation soon, I fear it will again, as it 
was last Congress, be caught up in a more contentious debate on 
juvenile crime.
  I had hoped that we had been able to move away from using this 
noncontroversial legislation to try to pass unreasonable juvenile 
justice legislation. Last Congress, the Majority was roundly criticized 
for its tactic, which the New York Times labeled a ``stealth assault on 
juvenile justice.'' That procedural gimmick cost us valuable time to 
get this legislation enacted.
  This year, it appeared that such procedural ambushes had been avoided 
in the Senate and minimized in the House. In late May, the Senate had a 
full and fair debate on a juvenile justice bill. After significant 
improvements through amendments, the Hatch-Leahy juvenile justice bill 
passed the Senate on May 20, 1999 by a strong bipartisan vote. The 
House finally considered juvenile crime legislation in June, although 
the Republican leadership has steadfastly blocked a House-Senate 
conference on the Hatch-Leahy bill.
  Separately, in April of this year the Senate passed S. 249, the 
Missing, Exploited and Runaway Children Protection Act of 1999. In May, 
the House passed S.249 with an amendment. As I explained in a floor 
statement on June 30, I was hopeful that the Senate would immediately 
take up and pass the amended version of S.249 and worked to do that. I 
consulted with the Department of Health and Human Services about 
certain concerns I had with the House amendment and was reassured that 
Vermont would not be adversely affected by it. I noted my disagreement 
with other aspects of the House action and ways to deal with those 
without holding final passage of S.249 hostage. I regret to report, 
however, that this important legislation has been in Senate limbo since 
late May.
  The guts of the legislation remain the Leahy-Hatch substitute 
language to S.249 that was reported by the Judiciary Committee and 
which passed the Senate in April. We were careful to recognize the 
important work of these programs in Vermont, as well as the many other 
programs and staff across the U.S. that are working effectively with 
runaway and homeless youth and their families. The House-inserted 
amendments do nothing to change the special care we took in the Senate 
to craft the main components of this legislation.
  The Leahy-Hatch substitute language preserves current law governing 
the minimum grants available for small States for the Basic Center 
grants and also preserves the current confidentiality and records 
protections for runaway and homeless youth.
  In addition, our substitute amendment reauthorizes the Runaway and 
Homeless Youth Act Rural Demonstration Projects. This program provides 
targeted assistance to States with rural juvenile populations. Programs 
serving runaway and homeless youth have found that those in rural areas 
are particularly difficult to reach and serve effectively.
  Under the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act, every year each State is 
awarded a Basic Center grant for housing and crisis services for 
runaway and homeless children and their families. The funding is based 
on its juvenile population, with a minimum grant of $100,000 currently 
awarded to smaller States, such as Vermont. Effective community-based 
programs around the country can also apply directly for the funding 
available for the Transitional Living Program and the Sexual Abuse 
Prevention/Street Outreach grants. The Transitional Living Program 
grants are used to provide longer term housing to homeless teens age 16 
to 21, and to help these teenagers become more self-sufficient. The 
Sexual Abuse Prevention/Street Outreach Program also targets teens who 
have engaged in or are at risk of engaging in high risk behaviors while 
living on the street.
  The Runaway and Homeless Youth Act does more than shelter these 
children in need. As the National Network for Youth has stressed, the 
Act's programs ``provide critical assistance to youth in high-risk 
situations all over the country.'' This Act also ensures that these 
children and their families have access to important services, such as 
individual, family or group counseling, alcohol and drug counseling and 
a myriad of other resources to help these young people and their 
families get back on track.
  Runaway and Homeless Youth Services in Vermont show positive results. 
For those who do not think rural areas have significant numbers of 
runaway youth, I note that in fiscal year 1998, the Vermont Coalition 
of Runaway and Homeless Youth Programs and Spectrum Youth & Family 
Services (``the Coalition''), reported that 81 percent of the 1,067 
youths served by the Coalition programs were in a positive living 
situation at the close of service. They were reunited with their 
families, living with a friend or relative, or in another appropriate 
living situation. They were not in Department of Corrections or State 
Rehabilitative Services (SRS) custody.
  Since 1992, the Coalition programs have seen a 175 percent increase 
in the numbers of youths served: The Coalition programs served 388 
runaway and

[[Page S8628]]

homeless youths in 1992. This number increased to 1,067 in 1997. In 
1998, 61 percent of the youths served were 15, 16 or 17 years old.
  The Coalition programs are the ``who you gonna' call'' in cases of 
family crisis and runaway incidents. They are a critical part of 
Vermont's ability to respond pro-actively when youths and families are 
in crisis, and to prevent the need for later, more costly services.

  The Coalition average cost per client in fiscal year 1998 was $1,471. 
Each client has different needs which could mean a week of service, a 
month, or the entire year. The service could include housing, family 
counseling, or any of the array of services offered the Coalition 
programs. The average time a case was open in fiscal year 1998 was 54 
days.
  The relative costs of various services available to youths 
experiencing problems frequently associated with runaway and ``push-
out'' incidents and other serious family conflict is dramatically 
higher. For fiscal year 1998, the costs for a bed in Vermont's Juvenile 
Detention system was over $69,000; a bed in a in-patient adolescent 
substance abuse treatment facility was over $54,000.
  The Vermont Coalition programs provide early interventions that are 
more humane, and more cost effective. When one youth is diverted from 
entering state custody, the state of Vermont saves $19,761. If 102 
young people, or 9 percent of the 1,067 youths served in fiscal year 
1998, were diverted from entering SRS Custody, then Vermont saves over 
$2,000,000--four times the amount of dollars Vermont currently receives 
under the RHYA for service to runaway and homeless youths.
  The Vermont Coalition and Spectrum Youth & Family Services should be 
applauded for their important work and I believe the best way to do 
that is to reauthorize the Runaway and Homeless Act, so programs like 
these in Vermont have some greater financial security in the future.
  I want to thank the many advocates who have worked with me over the 
years to improve the bill and, in particular, the dedicated members of 
the Vermont Coalition of Runaway and Homeless Youth Programs and the 
National Network for Youth for their suggestions and assistance. 
Without these dedicated public-spirited citizens these programs could 
not be successful.
  The other important piece of S. 249 is authorizing the nation's 
resource center for child protection, the National Center for Missing 
and Exploited Children (NCMEC). This center spearheads national efforts 
to locate and recover missing children and raises public awareness 
about ways to prevent child abduction, molestation, and sexual 
exploitation.
  Since 1984, when the center was established, it has handled more than 
1.3 million calls through its national Hotline 1-800-THE-LOST; trained 
more than 151,755 police and other professionals; and published more 
than 17 million publications that are distributed free of charge. The 
center has worked with law enforcement on more than 65,173 missing 
child cases, resulting in the recovery of 46,031 children.
  Since its creation, the center has helped 83 Vermont missing child 
cases and has helped resolve 82 of them. Nationwide, prior to 1990, the 
child recovery rate of the center was 62 percent. From 1990 through 
1998, even with increasing caseloads, the recovery of children that are 
reported to the center has reached 91.8 percent.
  Last year, the center launched a new CyberTipline. It allows Internet 
users to report such things as suspicious or illegal activity, 
including child pornography and online enticement of children for 
sexual exploitation.
  Each month NCMEC brings chiefs and sheriffs together for special 
training. To date, the center has trained 728 of these law enforcement 
officials from all fifty states, including chiefs from Dover, Hartford, 
Brattleboro, and Winooski, Vermont and representatives from our State 
Police force.
  The center also trains state and local police on crimes against 
children in cyberspace. Although this program has just begun, already 
103 Unit Commanders from 34 states, including Vermont have been 
trained. In February of this year, Captain David Rich of the Hartford, 
Vermont Police Department attended this course.
  The NCMEC trainers conducted a statewide infant abduction prevention 
seminar for the Vermont Chapter of the Association of the Women's 
Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses, attended by 252 nurses and 
security staff, and conducted site audits at two Vermont hospitals.
  I applaud the ongoing work of the Center and hope that the Senate 
will promptly pass this bill so that they can proceed with their 
important activities with fewer funding concerns.
  Mr. President, S. 249, the Missing, Exploited, and Runaway Children 
Protection Act, should be passed without further delay.

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