[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 151 (Tuesday, November 15, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H10179-H10182]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     FEDERAL YOUTH COORDINATION ACT

  Mr. OSBORNE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 856) to establish a Federal Youth Development Council to 
improve the administration and coordination of Federal programs serving 
youth, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                                H.R. 856

       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 ``Federal Youth Coordination 
     Act''.

     SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT AND MEMBERSHIP.

       (a) Members and Terms.--There is established the Federal 
     Youth Development Council (in this Act referred to as the 
     ``Council'') composed of members as follows:
       (1) The Attorney General, the Secretary of Agriculture, the 
     Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Health and Human 
     Services, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, the 
     Secretary of Education, the Secretary of the Interior, the 
     Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Defense, the 
     Secretary of Homeland Security, the Director of National Drug 
     Control Policy, the Director of the Office of Management and 
     Budget, the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, 
     the Director of the U.S.A. Freedom Corps, the Deputy 
     Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of 
     Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, and the Chief 
     Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and 
     Community Service, or a designee of each such individual who 
     holds significant decision-making authority, and other 
     Federal officials as directed by the President, to serve for 
     the life of the Council.
       (2) Any additional members as the President shall appoint 
     from among representatives of faith-based organizations, 
     community based organizations, child and youth focused 
     foundations, universities, non-profit organizations, youth 
     service providers, State and local government, and youth in 
     disadvantaged situations. In making the appointments under 
     this paragraph, the President shall consult with the Speaker 
     of the House of Representatives, who shall take into account 
     the recommendations of the Majority Leader and the Minority 
     Leader of the House of Representatives, and the president pro 
     tempore of the Senate, who shall take into account the 
     recommendations of the Majority Leader and the minority 
     Leader of the Senate. Each member appointed under this 
     paragraph shall serve for 1 term of 2 years.
       (b) Chairperson.--The Chairperson of the Council shall be 
     the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
       (c) Meetings.--The Council shall meet at the call of the 
     Chairperson, not less frequently than 4 times each year. The 
     first meeting shall be not less than 4 months after the date 
     of enactment of this Act.

     SEC. 3. DUTIES OF THE COUNCIL.

       (a) The duties of the Council shall be--
       (1) to ensure communication among agencies administering 
     programs designed to serve youth, especially those in 
     disadvantaged situations;
       (2) to assess the needs of youth, especially those in 
     disadvantaged situations, and those who work with youth, and 
     the quantity and quality of Federal programs offering 
     services, supports, and opportunities to help youth in their 
     educational, social, emotional, physical, vocational, and 
     civic development;
       (3) to recommend objectives and quantifiable 5-year goals 
     for such programs;
       (4) to make recommendations for the allocation of resources 
     in support of such goals and objectives;
       (5) to identify areas of overlap or duplication in purpose 
     and operation of programs serving youth and recommend ways to 
     better facilitate coordination and consultation, improve 
     efficiency, and streamline such programs;
       (6) to identify target populations of youth who are 
     disproportionately at risk and assist agencies in focusing 
     additional resources on them;
       (7) to develop a recommended plan, including common 
     indicators of youth well-being, and assist agencies, at the 
     request of 1 or more agency, in coordinating to achieve such 
     goals and objectives;
       (8) to assist Federal agencies, at the request of 1 or more 
     such agency, in collaborating on model programs and 
     demonstration projects focusing on special populations, 
     including youth in foster care, migrant youth, projects to 
     promote parental involvement, and projects that work to 
     involve young people in service programs;
       (9) to solicit and document ongoing input and 
     recommendations from--
       (A) youth, especially those in disadvantaged situations;
       (B) national youth development experts, researchers, 
     parents, faith and community-based organizations, 
     foundations, business leaders, youth service providers, and 
     teachers; and
       (C) State and local government agencies, particularly 
     agencies serving children and youth; and
       (10) to work with Federal agencies to conduct high-quality 
     research and evaluation, identify and replicate model 
     programs and best practices, provide technical assistance, 
     and coordinate the collection and dissemination of youth 
     services-related data and research.
       (b) The Council may provide technical assistance to a State 
     at the request of a State to support State-funded councils 
     for coordinating State youth efforts.

[[Page H10180]]

     SEC. 4. ASSISTANCE OF STAFF.

       (a) Director.--The Chairperson, in consultation with the 
     Council, shall employ and set the rate of pay for a Director.
       (b) Staff of Federal Agencies.--Upon request of the 
     Council, the head of any Federal department or agency may 
     detail, on a reimbursable basis, any of the personnel of that 
     department or agency to the Council to assist it in carrying 
     out its duties under this Act.

     SEC. 5. POWERS OF THE COUNCIL.

       (a) Mails.--The Council may use the United States mails in 
     the same manner and under the same conditions as other 
     departments and agencies of the United States.
       (b) Administrative Support Services.--Upon the request of 
     the Council, the Administrator of General Services shall 
     provide to the Council, on a reimbursable basis, the 
     administrative support services necessary for the Council to 
     carry out its responsibilities under this Act.

     SEC. 6. REPORT.

       Not later than 1 year after the Council holds its first 
     meeting, the Council shall transmit to Congress an interim 
     report of its findings, and not later than 2 years after the 
     Council holds its first meeting, the Council shall transmit 
     to Congress a final report including its findings and 
     recommendations. The report shall--
       (1) include a comprehensive list of recent research and 
     statistical reporting by various Federal agencies on the 
     overall well-being of youth, including the ratings of the 
     Program Assessment Ratings Tool (PART) of Federal programs 
     serving youth used by the Office of Management and Budget, if 
     applicable;
       (2) include the assessment of the needs of youth and those 
     who serve them;
       (3) include a summary of the plan called for in section 
     3(a)(7);
       (4) recommend ways to coordinate and improve Federal 
     training and technical assistance, information sharing, and 
     communication among the various programs and agencies serving 
     youth;
       (5) include recommendations to better integrate and 
     coordinate policies across agencies at the Federal, State, 
     and local levels, including recommendations for legislation 
     and administrative actions;
       (6) include a summary of actions the Council has taken at 
     the request of Federal agencies to facilitate collaboration 
     and coordination on youth serving programs and the results of 
     those collaborations, if available;
       (7) include a summary of the action the Council has taken 
     at the request of States to provide technical assistance 
     under section 3(b), if applicable; and
       (8) include a summary of the input and recommendations from 
     the groups identified in section 3(a)(9).

     SEC. 7. TERMINATION.

       The Council shall terminate 60 days after transmitting its 
     final report under section 6.

     SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       There is authorized to be appropriated $1,000,000 for each 
     of fiscal years 2007 and 2008 to carry out this Act.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Nebraska (Mr. Osborne) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hinojosa) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne).


                             General Leave

  Mr. OSBORNE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous information on H.R. 856.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Nebraska?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. OSBORNE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 856, the Federal 
Youth Coordination Act. I am very pleased that the House of 
Representatives will have the opportunity to consider this important 
legislation.
  I have long advocated for a stronger emphasis at the Federal level on 
youth development programming because I believe our Nation's future is 
linked to a healthy, educated, morally sound next generation.
  The genesis of this bill is in the report of the White House Task 
Force on Disadvantaged Youth. Although the final report was issued 
several years ago, I believe that the task force report and its 
thoughtful analysis and recommendations should be implemented. This 
legislation does that. Although the executive branch is charged with 
implementing youth programs, Congress creates many of these programs 
and funds them. We need to know that our efforts are producing the best 
results for our young people.
  The White House Task Force on Disadvantaged Youth noted a number of 
facts about America's young people and the programs that serve them:
  First, the National Academy of Sciences estimates that one-quarter of 
adolescents in this country, almost 10 million teens, are at serious 
risk of not achieving productive adulthood.
  Number two, most young people will grow up just fine without 
government involvement, but the most vulnerable young people may be 
missed by programs designed to help them. And, worse, the programs we 
think will help them the most may not at all. There is a serious lack 
of rigorous evaluation of Federal youth efforts at the present time.
  Number three, a large number of youth-serving programs are targeting 
many youth subgroups. These services and target populations often 
overlap, creating unnecessary duplication and multiple programs that 
are ofttimes not necessary.
  Number four, the current Federal response to youth failure is 
convoluted and complex and is a perfect example of what the GAO has 
called ``mission fragmentation.'' The GAO recommends that programs with 
similar goals, target populations, and services be coordinated, 
consolidated, or streamlined to ensure that goals are consistent.
  The White House Task Force identified a number of goals and changes 
that would help to better coordinate the hundreds of programs across 12 
Federal departments that serve youth. The three largest youth-serving 
agencies are the Department of Health and Human Services, Justice, and 
Education. To support these efforts, in February of this year, I, along 
with my colleagues, Mr. Hoekstra, Mr. Ford, and Mr. Payne, introduced 
H.R. 856, the Federal Youth Coordination Act, which was crafted to help 
implement many of the recommendations of the White House Task Force on 
Disadvantaged Youth.
  The Federal Youth Coordination Act creates the Federal Youth 
Development Council to evaluate, coordinate, and improve Federal youth-
serving programs and hold Federal agencies accountable for achieving 
results. The purpose of this bipartisan legislation is to maximize the 
return on Federal investment in young people, not to eliminate programs 
that work.
  America's young people deserve high-quality, effective, and 
meaningful youth development programs. Our Nation's taxpayers deserve 
their tax dollars to be spent on high-quality, effective, and 
meaningful youth development programs as well.
  Among the Council's duties will be: to ensure communication among 
agencies administering programs designed to serve youth. Many of these 
programs are not allowed by statute to even communicate with each 
other, and this is a mistake.
  To recommend objectives and quantifiable 5-year goals for Federal 
youth programs. Many of these programs do not have any measurable 
quantifiable goals at all.
  To make recommendations as to how to better facilitate coordination 
and consultation.
  To improve efficiency in programs, identify target populations of 
youth who are disproportionately at risk and assist agencies in 
focusing additional resources on them.
  To assist agencies in coordinating and collaborating on youth 
programs.
  And to conduct research and evaluation programs, solicit input and 
recommendations from outside groups.
  In addition, the Council may provide technical assistance to a State 
at the request of a State to support State-funded councils for 
coordinating State youth efforts.
  The Council will also be charged with issuing a report to Congress so 
that Congress and the authorizing and appropriations committees can use 
the information in future decisions. This additional information will 
lead to a more cohesive, efficient, and effective Federal youth policy 
that our young people deserve. Further, while the Council is chaired by 
the Department of Health and Human Services, its charge is to 
coordinate across the full range of Federal departments with a focus on 
the needs of youth, not on the needs of bureaucracy.
  This legislation was developed with the assistance of a number of 
organizations and has been endorsed by over 250 organizations. I want 
to thank all of these organizations for their grassroots support, which 
helped propel this legislation. Among these organizations has been the 
National Collaboration for Youth, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Campfire 
USA, Volunteers of America,

[[Page H10181]]

YMCA of the USA, Forum for Youth Investment, Youth Service America, 
Volunteers of America, and America's Promise--the Alliance for Youth.
  I want to thank all of the cosponsors of the legislation as well as 
the chairman of the Education and Workforce Committee, John Boehner, 
and the chairman of the Subcommittee on Select Education, Pat Tiberi. 
Their support has been critical.
  I would also like to thank the staff who worked on this legislation, 
particularly Erin Duncan from my staff, Whitney Rhoades of the 
Education and Workforce Committee, Krisann Pearce and Jo-Marie St. 
Martin, also of the Education and Workforce Committee, as well as Brady 
Young of the Legislative Counsel's Office.
  I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting this important effort 
toward creating more cohesive and meaningful positive youth development 
programs by passing H.R. 856.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1500

  Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I support H.R. 856, entitled Federal Youth Coordination 
Act. I would like to commend the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne) 
for bringing this bill forward. I would also like to add that I admire 
the gentleman's exemplary work in support of our youth from mentoring 
and outreach programs to this type of effort to coordinate Federal 
youth programs.
  His commitment to young people is genuine, and his leadership is 
greatly appreciated. His Federal Youth Coordination Act would establish 
a Federal Youth Development Council consisting of all of the Federal 
agencies that have youth development programs. With input from the 
community, this council would be tasked with ensuring communication 
across Federal agencies serving youth and developing a plan and set of 
recommendations to improve Federal services to youth.
  I think that we can all agree that coordination is sorely needed. 
Today's population of adolescents and young adults is the largest in 
our Nation's history. High schools and colleges are seeing record 
enrollments.
  Tragically, the White House Task Force on Disadvantaged Youth 
reported that one-quarter of our young people are at serious risk of 
not achieving productive adulthood. We know from numerous reports that 
nearly one-third of our high school students fail to earn a diploma 
with their peers. For African American and Hispanic students, the 
number is even worse with only 50 percent graduating. Furthermore, many 
of our young people are not leaving high school ready for college or 
for work.
  It is incumbent upon all of us to build communities with the 
educational opportunities and support system in place to help our youth 
become successful adults. Our record number of teenagers must become a 
record number of high school and college graduates, and a record number 
of teachers, scientists, doctors, lawyers, and unskilled professionals. 
We must not allow this generation to produce record numbers for the 
juvenile justice, runaway, and homeless youth or foster care systems.
  Clearly, success will require strong coordination, schools, families, 
community-based organizations, employers, health providers, and social 
service agencies all working together. The Federal Government should 
lead by example, coordinating its own efforts to support our youth, and 
H.R. 856 is a step in the right direction.
  I would note one concern with the legislation as drafted, however. 
The amended version of the bill requires the council to report using 
the results from the Office of Management and Budget's program 
assessment rating tool, often referred to by the acronym PART. This 
tool is the subject of significant controversy. For example, a recent 
GAO report highlighted the closed nature of the PART process and its 
emphasis on short-term budget planning over long-term goal setting.
  In fact, the administration has used the PART as a means to eliminate 
programs that are not viewed as priorities. Some of these programs are 
critical to youth and young families, such as the Even Start Family 
Literacy program, TRIO program, and the GEAR UP and Dropout Prevention 
programs. It would be ironic to have the PART tool used to provide a 
rationalization for eliminating programs to help youth rather than 
expanding their reach and effectiveness.
  It is my hope that our focus on accountability for programs will 
remain with the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993, our 
public law that provides for an open public process for developing 
objective information on the effectiveness and efficiency of Federal 
programs and spending.
  In closing, I would like to encourage my colleagues to support this 
legislation, H.R. 856, to coordinate our Federal youth programs. May it 
spark an even greater sustained investment in our young people.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. OSBORNE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner), the chairman of the Committee on 
Education and the Workforce.
  Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this 
time, and thank him for his work on bringing this bill to the floor. He 
and I have talked about the idea that we ought to take all of these 
programs that the Federal Government has that affect disadvantaged 
youth and try to bring some coordination to the overall effort.
  As many of us know, Congress gets in the business of duplicating 
programs coming from different committees and different agencies of the 
Federal Government. Before we know it, we have a proliferation of 
programs, many of them not connected to each other in any way, shape, 
or form.
  I think the proposal brought to us by the gentleman from Nebraska 
creating this coordinating council really will, in fact, help us 
achieve what we are attempting to achieve by closer coordination of 
these 30 different programs.
  I can go through a lot of different areas, but I can talk about the 
Workforce Investment Act, for example. A little different example, but 
I looked up, along with the gentleman from California (Mr. McKeon) some 
10 years ago, and we found 63 Federal job training and retraining 
programs scattered across the different agencies of the government that 
we were able to bring together under one roof to serve those who needed 
training and retraining. We have one-stop-shop centers now all over the 
country.
  This is a little different example of trying to reorganize how we do 
what we do, well meaning, well intentioned; but when we have all of 
these different programs working on their own without the kind of 
coordination that this council would bring, I do not think we bring as 
much of an impact to these children who need our help as we could.
  I think the goal here is pretty clear from Mr. Osborne, myself, and 
others that this coordinating council would be there to see that these 
programs are working, that they are working together to help those 
disadvantaged youth who need help.
  I do not think there is any effort here to consolidate programs, but 
I think the effort here ought to be making sure that they are effective 
and making sure that they work together for the advantage of these 
disadvantaged youth who so desperately need our help. I congratulate my 
colleague from Nebraska for his work and ask my colleagues to support 
the bill.
  Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Davis).
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 
856. I commend the gentleman from Nebraska for introducing this 
legislation, as well as for many of the other creative ideas and 
thoughts that I have seen and heard him express in the Education 
Committee.
  I also want to commend my colleague from Texas for yielding to me and 
for the leadership he displays as the ranking member on one of our 
subcommittees.
  I think that coordination, while it does not necessarily appear to be 
earth-shaking or earth-shattering, is a tremendous concept that is 
greatly needed. Unfortunately, many of our programs operate in 
isolation. Unfortunately, there are instances where there is 
duplication and things oftentimes get missed.
  When we can bring together all of these tremendous resources we have 
at

[[Page H10182]]

our disposal so they are coordinated in such a way that the recipients 
become the beneficiaries of this coordinated approach, then I think it 
will tremendously aid in the development of our young people. It is a 
great piece of legislation. It is a great idea. It is a great concept. 
I simply want to add my voice to those who are in support of it and 
urge that we support it.
  Mr. OSBORNE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. 
Boehner) for his support and comments and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. 
Hinojosa) for his support, as well, and the support of the gentleman 
from Illinois (Mr. Davis). I have enjoyed working with these gentlemen 
on this project and the staff.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, it is always a pleasure to work with 
Congressman Osborne, and I want to say that I think this piece of 
legislation is one that is going to be very beneficial.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Cole of Oklahoma). The question is on 
the motion offered by the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne) that 
the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 856, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those present have voted in the affirmative.
  Mr. PENCE. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this question will 
be postponed.

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