[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 7 (Tuesday, February 5, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S349-S350]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
By Mr. INHOFE (for himself and Mr. Cleland):
S. 1911. A bill to amend the Community Services block Grant Act to
reauthorize national and regional programs designed to provide
instruction activities for low-income youth; to the Committee on
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Mr. INHOFE. Madam President, every summer since 1968 the National
Youth Sports Program, NYSP, has enabled thousands of children, ages ten
to sixteen, the opportunity to develop their athletic, academic and
leadership skills in a character-building environment. Utilizing both
private and public resources, the NYSP successfully partners with the
National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA, the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services, HHS, the U.S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development, HUD, and 200 institutions of higher learning across
the country to provide an enriching summer experience for kids from
disadvantaged backgrounds.
Each participant in the National Youth Sports Program engages with a
caring, dedicated adult volunteer while being exposed to the skills,
discipline, and self-esteem that organized sports provide. Each student
also receives academic enrichment in the classroom, instruction on
healthy living and drug and alcohol abuse prevention, leadership
training, and a comprehensive medical exam. Collegiate athletes and
others from the community volunteer for the five-week program to
nurture kids and promote their development of body and mind. The
improvement of physical fitness through a variety of daily activities
from swimming to soccer is a key component of the program. Using the
vehicle of high-energy sports, each student is able to learn valuable
life lessons. The academic portion of the National Youth Sports Program
has evolved since its beginnings to include special enrichment for math
and science and useful computer training. To encourage life-long health
and physical fitness, substance abuse prevention training is
incorporated at several program sites, and every child receives a
thorough medical exam by a local doctor. Quality medical attention is a
luxury that many of these children do not otherwise have.
President Bush has encouraged our Nation to come together to build
communities of character. The National Youth Sports Program is truly a
nation-wide community effort. In forty-nine states, the District of
Columbia, and Puerto Rico, volunteers give their time to help young
people strive for their best, develop body and mind, and build strong
character.
In support of the continued success and vision of the National Youth
Sports Program, today I am introducing the K.I.D.S. Act: Keeping
Inspiration and Development Strong. This bill amends the Community
Services Block Grant Act to reauthorize appropriations for the National
Youth Sports Program at $20 million for Fiscal Year 2003 and provides
for its authorization through Fiscal Year 2008. I urge my colleagues to
join me in support of this legislation and to make the development of
our Nation's greatest resource, children, a national priority.
I ask unanimous consent that the bill be printed in the Record.
Their being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the
Record, as follows:
S. 1911
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 ``Keep Inspiration and
Development Strong Act'' or the ``KIDS Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds that--
(1) since 1968, when the National Youth Sports Program
(referred to in this Act as the `Program') began, the Program
has provided a character-building environment for low-income
children to develop athletic, educational, and leadership
skills;
(2)(A) the Program utilizes community resources, private
funding, and public funding to carry out the Program's goals;
and
(B) for every $1 in Federal funds appropriated for the
Program, the Program receives nearly $3 from private sources,
through cash contributions or services provided at Program
sites;
(3)(A) the continued investment of Federal resources in the
Program is in the Nation's best interest, especially given a
recent increase in child obesity in the United States; and
(B) the Surgeon General's report to the President,
published in the fall of 2000 and
[[Page S350]]
entitled ``Promoting Better Health for Young People Through
Physical Activity and Sports'', indicated that child obesity
had doubled in the preceding 20 years;
(4)(A) the Program enhances the health of children by
providing quality medical care; and
(B) in 2001, 77,106 medical examinations were administered
at Program sites for children who might otherwise not have
visited a doctor;
(5) the Program encourages educational growth in children
by exposing the children to a collegiate atmosphere at an
early age and establishing higher education as a natural life
goal for the children;
(6) the Program is truly a national program, expanding in
2001 to college and university campuses in 49 States, the
District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico;
and
(7) the Nation can best prepare the children of the United
States to embrace their future by encouraging healthy bodies
and healthy minds.
SEC. 3. REAUTHORIZATION.
Section 682(g) of the Community Services Block Grant Act
(42 U.S.C. 9923(g)) is amended to read as follows:
``(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section
$20,000,000 for fiscal year 2003 and such sums as may be
necessary for each of fiscal years 2004 through 2008.''.
Mr. CLELAND. Madam President, the National Youth Sports Program,
NYSP, is an educational partnership that has worked successfully for 33
years. It provides at-risk children, ages 10-16, a 5-week summer
program offering sports and academic enrichment at U.S. colleges and
universities nationwide. Begun in 1969 as a sports enrichment program,
the NYSP now reaches beyond athletics to offer academic instruction,
substance abuse prevention, and character education. Originally offered
at two higher ed institutions, last year the program served over 73,000
participants at 196 host colleges and universities in 49 States, the
District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. For many of these young people,
it was their first opportunity to experience a college or university
campus from the inside.
In order to enhance the educational commitment of the NYSP, selected
programs at 123 sites across the Nation now include special emphasis on
math and science skills. In addition, NYSP programs serving older
participants, those from ages 13-16, help them enhance their computer
skills and academic performance through reading and writing activities
that offer mentoring opportunities to younger NYSP participants.
For over three decades the National Youth Sports Program has been a
model of what a successful collaboration should be. The U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Housing and urban
Development, HUD, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, USDA, which
provides a hot, USDA-approved meal to NYSP students each day, and the
National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA, have worked together to
provide a wholesome summer experience to over 1.7 million participants
who have passed through the program since its inception. And over time,
local medical communities have joined in. In 2000, over 74,300 medical
examinations were administered free of charge or at a reduced rate. If
a health problem is found, as is the case in approximately one-third of
the examinations, the child is referred for adequate follow-up
treatment. During the summer session, children who are injured or
become ill during NYSP activities are covered by health insurance and
treated by a certified medical professional.
The National Youth Sports Program is a vital and effective investment
in our youth. This program has successfully leveraged Federal funding
to secure substantial matching community investments. For every one
dollar provided by the Federal Government, two dollars are provided by
participating colleges and universities, local public and private
businesses, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the National
Youth Sports Program Fund and other National Governing Bodies of
amateur sport.
Today I join my distinguished colleague from Oklahoma, Senator
Inhofe, in introducing legislation to reauthorize the National Youth
Sports Program and to increase its funding authorization to $20
million. This increase in funding will allow 4,500 additional at-risk
youth to participate in this effective program and 15 new program sites
to serve communities where disadvantaged youth are in need of nurturing
and support. In addition, a $3 million increase in NYSP funding will
increase the number of program sites offering math and science
instruction as well as expand the NYSP's highly successful senior
program, which emphasizes and encourages leadership skills and
character education.
The NYSP is a program which, year after year, has provided our
Nation's youth with the opportunity to utilize the best resources our
colleges and universities have to offer and to develop the skills
necessary to succeed. At a time when President Bush has called for a
renewed commitment to national service, the NYSP, with almost 1500
volunteers, is an outstanding example of what community service is all
about. For three decades the National Youth Sports Program has provided
a positive and enriching experience and a safe haven for some of this
Nation's most vulnerable youth. This highly effective and successful
program is deserving of Congress's support.
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