[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 57 (Thursday, April 29, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4697-S4698]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. HATCH (for himself, Mr. Leahy, Mr. DeWine, Mr. Kohl, and 
        Mr. Biden):
  S. 2363. A bill to revise and extend the Boys and Girls Clubs of 
America; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I rise today to speak about the 
reauthorization of the Boys and Girls Club of America, legislation that 
Senator Leahy and I introduced today. Congress first granted the Boys 
and Girls Club of America a charter in 1991, but the Club existed for 
over 90 years before that. There are currently 3,500 Clubs across 
America and around the world on our military bases serving over 3.6 
million children, ages 6-18.
  Over 70 percent of those children who benefit from the Boys and Girls 
Club of America live in America's inner cities. Almost half of the Club 
members come from single parent homes. The Club offers young people a 
positive alternative to roaming the streets as well as a positive adult 
influence. These children are able to find a safe place to learn and 
grow in the Boys and Girls Clubs. Most importantly, the Clubs offer 
hope and opportunity to millions of young people who would otherwise 
face disadvantaged circumstances.
  This reauthorization will allow the Boys and Girls Club of America to 
expand their clubs even more. The bill authorizes the Club to receive 
funds through 2010 and increases the number of clubs in existence. By 
2010, there will be 5,000 Clubs nationwide serving over 5 million young 
people.
  I urge my colleagues to support this small but important 
reauthorization.
  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I rise today as a long-time supporter of 
the Boys & Girls Clubs of America to join Senators Hatch, DeWine, Kohl, 
and Biden in introducing this legislation, S. 2363, to revise and 
extend the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
  Senator Hatch has been one of the best friends and supporters Boys 
and Girls Clubs could ever have and I have been privileged to work with 
him on issues that matter to the Boys & Girls Clubs. Too often the 
public sees Republicans and Democrats disagreeing. From time to time, 
even Senator Hatch and I disagree on important issues. But when it 
comes to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America there is no doubt that we 
see eye-to-eye: Today we

[[Page S4698]]

introduce this bill to show the unified support of Republicans and 
Democrats for Boys & Girls Clubs nationwide.
  Children are the future of our country, and we have a responsibility 
to make sure they are safe and secure. I know firthand how well Boys & 
Girls Clubs work and what topnotch organizations they are. When I was a 
prosecutor in Vermont, I was convinced of the great need for Boys & 
Girls Clubs because we rarely encountered children from these kinds of 
programs. In fact, after I became a U.S. Senator, a police chief was 
such a big fan that he asked me to help fund a Boys & Girls Club in his 
district rather than helping him get a couple more police officers.
  In Vermont, Boys and Girls Clubs have succeeded in preventing crime 
and supporting our children. The first Club was established in 
Burlington 62 years ago. Now we have 22 club sites operating throughout 
the State: seven clubs in Brattleboro, one in Springfield, two clubs in 
Burlington, one in Winooski, two clubs in Montpelier, five clubs in 
Randolph, one club in Rutland, two clubs in Vergennes and one in 
Bristol. There are 10 additional project sites that will be on board 
and serving kids by the end of 2005: one in Bennington, two in 
Burlington, one in Duxbury, one in St. Johnsbury, one in Hardwick, 
three in Randolph and one in Ludlow. These clubs will serve well over 
10,000 kids statewide.
  As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I have 
pushed for more Federal funding for Boys and Girls Clubs. Since 1998, 
Congress has increased Federal support for Boys and Girls Clubs from 
$20 million to $80 million in this year. Due in large part to this 
increase in funding, there now exist 3,300 Boys & Girls Clubs in all 50 
States serving more than 3.6 million young people. Because of these 
successes, I was both surprised and disappointed to see that the 
President requested a reduction of $20 million for fiscal year 2005. 
That request will leave thousands of children and their Clubs behind 
and we cannot allow such a thing to happen.
  In the 107th Congress, Senator Hatch and I worked together to pass 
the 21st Century Department of Justice Appropriations Authorization 
Act, which included a provision to reauthorize Justice Department 
grants to establish new Boys and Girls Clubs nationwide. By authorizing 
$80 million in Justice grants for each of the fiscal years through 
2005, we sought to establish 1,200 additional Boys and Girls Clubs 
nationwide. This was to bring the number of Boys and Girls Clubs to 
4,000, serving no less than 5 million young people. The bill we 
introduce today will build upon this: We authorize Justice Department 
grants at $80 million for fiscal year 2006, $85 million for fiscal year 
2007, $90 million for fiscal year 2008, $95 million for fiscal year 
2009, and $100 million for fiscal year 2010 to Boys and Girls Clubs to 
help establish 1,500 additional Boys and Girls Clubs across the nation 
with the goal of having 5,000 Boys and Girls Clubs in operation by 
December 31, 2010.
  If we have a Boys & Girls Club in every community, prosecutors in our 
country would have a lot less work to do because of the values that are 
being instilled in children from the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. 
Each time I visit a club in Vermont, I am approached by parents, 
educators, teachers, grandparents, and law enforcement officers who 
tell me ``Keep doing this! These clubs give our children the chance to 
grow up free of drugs, gangs, and crime.''
  You cannot argue that these are just Democratic or Republican ideas, 
or Conservative or Liberal ideals--they are simply good sense ideas. We 
need safe havens where our youth--the future of our country--can learn 
and grow up free from the influence of drugs, gangs, and crime. That is 
why Boys & Girls Clubs are so important to our children.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill to expand Federal support 
for the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. We all know instinctively that 
our country's strength and ultimate success lies with our children. Our 
greatest responsibility is to help them inhabit this century the best 
way possible and we can help do that by supporting the Boys & Girls 
Clubs of America.
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