[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 78 (Thursday, June 7, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5983-S5985]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. JEFFORDS (for himself, Mr. Stevens, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. 
        Cleland, and Mr. Dodd):
  S. 1005. A bill to provide assistance to mobilize and support United 
States communities in carrying out community-based youth development 
programs that assure that all youth have access to programs and 
services that build the competencies and character development needed 
to fully prepare the youth to become adults and effective citizens, and 
for other purposes; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
Pensions.
  Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, today I join with Senators Stevens, 
Kennedy, Cleland, and Dodd to introduce the Younger American's Act. We 
launched this effort at the end of the last Congress, with the help of 
General Colin Powell. This legislation embraces the belief that youth 
are our Nation's most important responsibility and that their needs 
must be moved to a higher priority on our Nation's agenda.
  It is not enough that government responds to youth when they get into 
trouble with drugs, teen pregnancy, and violence. We need to strengthen 
the positive rather than simply respond to the negative. Positive youth 
development, the framework for the Younger American's Act, is not just 
about preventing bad things from happening, but giving a nudge to help 
good things happen. And we know that it works.
  Evaluations of Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Boys and Girls Clubs, 
mentoring, and other youth development programs have consistently 
demonstrated how well these programs work. These programs lead to 
significant increases in parental involvement, youth participation in 
constructive education, social and recreation activities, enrollment in 
post-secondary education, and community involvement. Just as important, 
youth actively participating in youth development programs show 
decreased rates of school failure and absenteeism, teen pregnancy, 
delinquency, substance abuse, and violent behavior.
  We also know that risk taking behavior increases with age. One-third 
of the high school juniors and seniors participate in two or more 
health risk behaviors. That is why it is important to build a youth 
development infrastructure that engages youth as they enter pre-
adolescence and keeps them engaged throughout their teen years. The 
Younger American's Act is targeted to youth aged 10 to 19. This 
encompasses both the critical middle-school years, as well as the 
increasingly risky high school years.
  The Younger American's Act is about creating a national policy on 
youth. Up until now, government has responded to kids after they have 
gotten into trouble. We must take a new tack. Instead of just treating 
problems, we have to promote healthy development. We have to remember 
that just because a kid stays out of trouble, it doesn't mean that he 
or she is ready to handle the responsibilities of adulthood. Kids want 
direction, they want close bonds with parents and other adult mentors. 
And I believe we owe them that. Ideally, this comes from strong 
families, but communities and government can help.
  In order to keep kids engaged in positive activities, youth must be 
viewed as resources; as active participants in finding solutions to 
their own problems. Parents also must be part of those solutions. This 
legislation requires that youth and parents be part of the decision-
making process.
  The United States does not have a cohesive federal policy on youth. 
Creating an Office on National Youth Policy within the White House not 
only raises the priority of youth on the Federal agenda, but provides 
an opportunity to more effectively coordinate existing Federal youth 
programs to increase their impact on the lives of

[[Page S5984]]

young Americans. The efforts of the Office of National Youth Policy in 
advocating for the needs of youth, and the Department of Health and 
Human Services in implementing the Younger American's Act will be 
helped by the Council on National Youth Policy. This Council, comprised 
of youth, parents, experts in youth development, and representatives 
from the business community, will help ensure that this initiative 
continually responds to the changing needs of youth and their 
communities. It will bring a ``real world'' perspective to the Federal 
efforts.
  The Younger American's Act provides communities with the funding 
necessary to adequately ensure that youth have access to five core 
resources: ongoing relationships with caring adults; safe places with 
structured activities in which to grow and learn; services that promote 
healthy lifestyles, including those designed to improve physical and 
mental health; opportunities to acquire marketable skills and 
competencies; and opportunities for community service and civic 
participation.
  Block grant funds will be used to expand existing resources, create 
new ones where none existed before, overcome barriers to accessing 
those resources, and fill gaps to create a cohesive network for youth. 
The funds will be funneled through States, based on an allocation 
formula that equally weighs population and poverty measures, to 
communities where the primary decisions regarding the use of the funds 
will take place. Thirty percent of the local funds are set aside to 
address the needs of youth who are particularly vulnerable, such as 
those who are in out-of-home placements, abused or neglected, living in 
high poverty areas, or living in rural areas where there are usually 
fewer resources. Dividing the State into regions, or ``planning and 
mobilization areas,'' ensures that funds will be equitably distributed 
throughout a State. Empowering community boards, comprised of youth, 
parents, and other members of the community, to supervise decisions 
regarding the use of the block grant funds ensures that the programs, 
services, and activities supported by the Act will be responsive to 
local needs.
  Accountability is integral to any effective Federal program. The 
Younger American's Act provides the Department of Health and Human 
Services with the responsibility and funding to conduct research and 
evaluate the effectiveness of funded initiatives. States and the 
Department are charged with monitoring the use of funds by grantees, 
and empowered to withhold or reduce funds if problems arise.
  The Younger American's Act will help kids gain the skills and 
experience they need to successfully navigate the rough waters of 
adolescence. My twenty-first century community learning centers 
initiative supports the efforts of schools to operate after school 
programs that emphasize academic enrichment. It's time to get the rest 
of the community involved. It's time to give the same level of support 
to the thousands of youth development and youth-serving organizations 
that struggle to keep their doors open every day.
  I remember a young man, Brad Luck, who testified before the H.E.L.P. 
Committee several years ago. As a 14-year-old, Brad embarked on a two-
year mission to open a teen center in his home town of Essex Junction, 
Vermont. He formed a student board of directors, sought 501(c)(3) 
status and gave over 25 community presentations to convince the town to 
back the program. Demonstrating the tenacity of youth, he then spear-
headed a successful drive to raise $30,000 in 30 days to fund the 
start-up of the center. Today, the center is thriving in its town-
donated space. This is an example of the type of community asset 
building supported by the Younger American's Act.
  The Younger American's Act is about an investment in our youth, our 
communities, and our future. I want to thank America's Promise, the 
United Way, and the National Collaboration for Youth for their work in 
providing the original framework for the legislation. I am proud and 
excited to be part of this important initiative.
  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, I commend Senator Jeffords for his 
leadership on this important legislation and it is a privilege to join 
him as a cosponsor on this legislation. I also commend the thirty-four 
youth organizations that comprise the National Collaboration for Youth 
and the more than 200 young people who have worked on this bill. They 
have been skillful and tireless in their efforts to focus on the need 
for a positive national strategy for youth.
  Our goal in introducing the The Younger Americans Act is to establish 
a national policy for youth which focuses on young people, not as 
problems, but as problem solvers. The Younger Americans Act is intended 
to create a local and nation-wide collaborative movement to provide 
programs that offer greater support for youth in the years of 
adolescence. This bill, modeled on the very successful Older Americans 
Act of 1965, will help youths between the ages of 10 and 19. It will 
provide assistance to communities for youths development programs that 
assure that all youth have access to the skills and character 
development needed to become good citizens.
  In other successful bipartisan measures over the years, such as Head 
Start, child care, and the 21st century learning communities, we have 
created a support system for parents of preschool and younger school-
age children. These programs reduce the risk that children will grow up 
to become juvenile delinquents by giving them a healthy and safe start. 
It's time to do the same thing for adolescents.
  Americans overwhelmingly believe that government should invest in 
initiatives like this. Many studies detail the effectiveness of youth 
development programs. Beginning with the Carnegie Corporation Report in 
1992, ``A Matter of Time--Risk and Opportunity in the Nonschool 
Hours,'' a series of studies have shown repeatedly that youth 
development programs at the community level produce powerful and 
positive results.
  In his report this last March, ``Community Counts: How Youth 
Organizations Matter for Youth Development,'' Milbrey McLaughlin, 
professor of education at Stanford University, calls for communities to 
rethink how they design and deliver services for youths, particularly 
during non-school hours. The report confirms that community involvement 
is essential in creating and supporting effective programs that meet 
the needs of today's youth.
  Effective community-based youth development programs build on five 
core resources that all youths need to be successful. These same core 
resources are the basis for the Younger Americans Act. Youths need 
ongoing relationships with caring adults, safe places with structured 
activities, access to services that promote healthy lifestyles, 
opportunities to acquire marketable skills, and opportunities for 
community service and community participation.
  The Younger Americans Act will establish a way for communities to 
give thought and planning on the issues at the local level, and to 
involve both youths and parents in the process. The Act will provide 
$5.75 billion over the next five years for communities to conduct youth 
development programs that recognize the primary role of the family, 
promote the involvement of youth, coordinate services in the community, 
and eliminate barriers which prevent youth from obtaining the guidance 
and support they need to become successful adults. The Act also creates 
an Office on National Youth Policy and a Council on National Youth 
Policy which includes youth and ensures their participation in finding 
solutions to their own problems.
  Too often, the focus on youth has emphasized their problems, not 
their successes and their potential. This emphasis has sent a negative 
message to youth that needs to be reversed. We need to deal with 
negative behaviors, but we also need a broader strategy that provides a 
positive approach to youth. The Younger Americans Act will accomplish 
this goal in three ways, by focusing national attention on the 
strengths and contributions of youths, by providing funds to develop 
positive and cooperative youth development programs at the state and 
community levels, and by promoting the involvement of parents and 
youths in developing positive programs that strengthen families.
  The time of adolescence is a complex transitional period of growth 
and change. We know what works. The challenge we face is to provide the 
resources to implement positive and

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practical programs effectively without creating duplicate programs. It 
is important that we tie together all publicly funded existing youth 
development programs and build on their success. This bill complements 
other existing programs, like the Work Force Investment Program, in 
helping young people become productive members of society. Investing in 
youth in ways like that will pay enormous dividends for communities and 
our country. I urge all Members of Congress to join in supporting this 
important legislation.
  Mr. CLELAND. Mr. President, I am very pleased to once again join 
Senator Jeffords as a cosponsor of the Younger Americans Act. The 
Senator from Vermont has done yeoman's work on this legislation, which 
seeks to offer the same kind of comprehensive and coordinated support 
to America's young people that the landmark 1965 Older Americans Act 
provides to our nation's seniors. By creating an Office of National 
Youth Policy in the White House, by authorizing over $5 billion over 
the next five years to help local community organizations provide 
needed services and supports to their youth, the Younger Americans Act 
forges a national youth policy which prioritizes the needs of our young 
people and helps to provide them with the critical resources they need 
to achieve their full potential and become contributing members of 
their communities.
  The recently released 2001 KIDS COUNT Data Book, a State-by-State 
report on the conditions facing America's children, found that the 
well-being of our youth improved over the past decade on seven of ten 
key KIDS COUNT measures. The national rate of teen deaths by accident, 
homicide and suicide fell by a substantial 24 percent. The number of 
teens ages 16-19 who dropped out of high school declined from 10 
percent in 1990 to 9 percent in 1998. And there has been a steady 
decline in the rate of teenage births, which fell by a significant 19 
percent between 1990 and 1998.
  On the other hand, the 2001 KIDS COUNT Data Book also reports that 
more than 16 million children have parents who, despite being employed 
full time, struggle from paycheck to paycheck. In addition, the report 
finds that the number of single parent households in this country is on 
the rise. In 1998, 27 percent of families with children were headed by 
a single parent, up from 24 percent in 1990--and every State but three 
experienced an increase.
  According to the 2000 Census, there was a 14 percent increase in the 
number of children in America in the last decade--the largest increase 
in the number of children living in this country since the decade of 
the 1950s. This significant increase in the under-18 population will 
undoubtedly mean new challenges and new demands on ``our already 
struggling public education, child care, and family support systems,'' 
as Douglas Nelson, president of the Annie E. Casey Foundation which 
publishes the KIDS COUNT report, points out. The Younger Americans Act 
will help this nation meet these new demands by providing a framework 
which fosters the positive development of all our nation's youth. This 
is a strategy in marked contrast to previous government policies which 
respond to youngsters only after they have gotten into trouble. It is a 
significant fact that more than 200 young people took part in drafting 
the original legislation. As some of my colleagues have pointed out, 
these youngsters were telling us that it is time to redirect our focus 
on what is right with our young people, not what is wrong.
  The Younger Americans Act will support community-based efforts that 
provide young people access to five core resources: ongoing 
relationships with caring adults; safe places with structured 
activities; services that promote healthy lifestyles; opportunities to 
acquire marketable skills; and opportunities for community service and 
civic participation. Such a positive support system ideally comes from 
strong families, but communities and government can play a part. The 
successful Head Start and 21st Century Community Leaning Centers 
programs have provided support systems for parents of America's younger 
children. The Younger Americans Act will provide support structure for 
our adolescents during the vulnerable years between ages 10 and 19. It 
stresses the pivotal role of the family and emphasizes the critical 
importance of parental involvement.
  James Agee once said: ``As in every child who is born, under no 
matter what circumstances and of no matter what parents, the 
potentiality of the human race is born again.'' The Younger Americans 
Act recognizes and affirms that an investment in our children is an 
investment in America's future.

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