[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 189 (Monday, December 14, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H14839-H14840]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           RECOGNIZING IMPORTANCE OF YOUTH RUNAWAY PREVENTION

  Mr. LYNCH. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the resolution (H. Res. 779) recognizing and supporting the goals and 
ideals of National Runaway Prevention Month, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 779

       Whereas the prevalence of runaway and homelessness among 
     youth is staggering, with studies suggesting that every year, 
     between 1,600,000 and 2,800,000 youth live on the streets of 
     the United States;
       Whereas running away from home is widespread, and youth 
     aged 12 to 17 are at a higher risk of homelessness than 
     adults;
       Whereas runaway youth most often are youth who have been 
     expelled from their homes by their families; physically, 
     sexually, and emotionally abused at home; discharged by State 
     custodial systems without adequate transition plans; 
     separated from their parents by death and divorce; too poor 
     to secure their own basic needs; and ineligible or unable to 
     access adequate medical or mental health resources;
       Whereas effective programs supporting runaway youth and 
     assisting youth and their families in remaining at home 
     succeed because of partnerships created among families, 
     community-based human service agencies, law enforcement 
     agencies, schools, faith-based organizations, and businesses;
       Whereas preventing youth from running away from home and 
     supporting youth in high-risk situations is a family, 
     community, and national priority;
       Whereas the future well-being of the Nation is dependent on 
     the opportunities provided for youth and families to acquire 
     the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary for youth to 
     develop into safe, healthy, and productive adults;
       Whereas the National Network for Youth and its members 
     advocate on behalf of runaway and homeless youth, and provide 
     an array of community-based support to address their critical 
     needs;
       Whereas the National Runaway Switchboard provides crisis 
     intervention and referrals to reconnect runaway youth to 
     their families and link youth to local resources that provide 
     positive alternatives to running away from home; and
       Whereas the National Network for Youth and National Runaway 
     Switchboard are cosponsoring National Runaway Prevention 
     Month in November to increase public awareness of the life 
     circumstances of youth in high-risk situations, and the need 
     for safe, healthy, and productive alternatives, resources, 
     and support for youth, families, and communities: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) recognizes the importance of youth runaway prevention; 
     and
       (2) urges support for greater public awareness efforts and 
     effective runaway youth prevention programs.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Massachusetts (Mr. Lynch) and the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. 
Biggert) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Massachusetts.


                             General Leave

  Mr. LYNCH. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks and add any extraneous materials.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Massachusetts?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. LYNCH. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, on behalf of the House Committee on Oversight and 
Government Reform, I am pleased to present House Resolution 779 for 
consideration. This resolution recognizes the importance of youth 
runaway prevention and at-risk youth programs. House Resolution 779 was 
introduced by my friend and colleague, Representative Judy Biggert of 
Illinois, on September 25, 2009, and was favorably reported out of the 
Oversight Committee December 10, 2009, by unanimous consent. Notably, 
this measure enjoys the support of 55 Members of Congress.
  Madam Speaker, according to the National Runaway Switchboard, between 
1.6 million and 2.8 million young people run away from home every year. 
As additionally noted by The New York Times in an October 25, 2009, 
article on this issue of runaway youth, this societal problem is 
growing. Specifically, The New York Times reported that the number of 
contacts made by federally financed outreach programs with runaways 
increased to 761,000 in 2008, and that was up from 550,000 in 2002, the 
year that the current methods of counting began.
  Notably, National Runaway Switchboard reports that among those young 
people at greatest risk of running away and facing homelessness are 
those that have been expelled from school, those that have suffered 
domestic abuse, and those that have been discharged by State custodial 
systems without the benefit of an adequate transitional planning 
program. Additionally, young people who have separated from their 
parents by death or divorce, live in poverty, and/or are unable to 
access adequate or mental health resources are similarly at risk of 
running away and becoming homeless. And the National Runaway 
Switchboard also reports that youth homelessness affects males and 
females equally, although females are more likely to seek help through 
shelters and hotlines.
  Despite these concerning reports and statistical programs, there are 
efforts, such as The National Network for Youth and the National 
Runaway Switchboard, that provide effective support to runaway youth 
and assist young people and their families in remaining together by 
developing partnerships with families, community-based agencies, 
schools, and faith-based organizations.
  These two programs offer invaluable services, including advocacy on 
behalf of the runaway youth and their families, crisis intervention, 
and various forms of community-based support to address critical needs. 
In addition, the two programs have worked together to cosponsor 
National Runaway Prevention Month, which occurs in November, and 
attempts to increase public awareness of the life circumstances of 
youth in high-risk situations and the need for safe, healthy, and 
productive alternatives, resources and support for runaway youth and 
their families.
  Madam Speaker, in light of the prevalence of the problem of runaway 
youth as well as youth homelessness,

[[Page H14840]]

let us take this opportunity to join Mrs. Biggert of Illinois to pass 
House Resolution 779 and recognize the important role that youth 
runaway prevention and at-risk youth programs play in addressing these 
issues.
  Accordingly, I urge my colleagues to join Mrs. Biggert in supporting 
H. Res. 779, and I reserve the balance of our time.
  Mrs. BIGGERT. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of House Resolution 
779, the resolution recognizing the goals and ideals of National 
Runaway Prevention Month. This initiative is sponsored by my good 
friends at the National Runaway Switchboard and the National Network 
for Youth.
  As the gentleman from Massachusetts mentioned, between 1.6 and 2.8 
million youth run away from home each year. According to the National 
Runaway Switchboard, crisis calls citing economic distress have 
increased 200 percent since 2006. Incredibly, one in every 50 children 
will experience homelessness at some point in their lives. And although 
some youth will return within a few days of running away, others will 
remain on the streets, never to return. In far too many cases, these 
children will fall prey to the worst forms of exploitation, including 
the sex industry. In fact, 30 percent more youth are using the sex 
industry as a means of survival today than in the year 2000.
  There are many reasons why children run away from home. Some are 
expelled from their homes by their families or separated from their 
parents because of death or divorce. In other cases, the child may be 
fleeing from physical, sexual, and emotional abuse at home. Having run 
away, these youths are now homeless, without means to secure their own 
basic needs, and are often ineligible or unable to access medical or 
mental health resources.
  There are many individuals and organizations that are doing whatever 
they can to assist America's runaway youth by providing food, shelter, 
clothing, and counseling. Others are working with families to prevent a 
child from running away in the first place. And still others are 
intervening and advocating on behalf of the children and giving them 
options other than running away.
  With congressional support, the National Runaway Switchboard provides 
crisis intervention and referrals to reconnect the runaway youth with 
their families.

                              {time}  1700

  It also helps link young people to local resources that provide 
positive alternatives to running away.
  Founded in the Chicago area in 1971, the NRS now provides 
comprehensive crisis intervention services for at-risk youth 
nationwide, including a 24-hour crisis hotline.
  In 1974, the National Network for Youth was founded to coordinate the 
work of community-based organizations that now represent hundreds of 
youth-oriented organizations and advocate at the Federal level, provide 
information on available services, and train organizations in best 
practices.
  I want to thank Mr. Wolf, Mr. Stupak and Ms. Lofgren, my fellow co-
Chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Missing, Exploited and Runaway 
Children for joining me on this important effort, and I thank the 
gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Lynch) for managing this bill. And I 
want to thank Mr. Israel, who has worked with me on this important 
resolution for years.
  It is fitting for Congress to endorse the goals and ideals of 
National Runaway Prevention Month and to highlight the effort of those 
organizations that work so hard to help the youth of America who have 
left or who are considering leaving their homes for a dangerous and 
uncertain life on the street.
  I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
  If the gentleman has no further speakers, I yield back the balance of 
my time
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise before you today in 
support of H. Res. 779, ``Recognizing and supporting the goals and 
ideals of National Runaway Prevention Month.'' I would like to thank my 
colleague Representative Judy Biggert for introducing this very 
important piece of legislation.
  It is appalling that in the United States of America, the greatest 
country in the world, there is a staggering number of runaway and 
homeless youth. Studies suggest that every year, between 1,600,000 and 
2,800,000 youth live on the streets of the United States. Running away 
from home is a widespread epidemic, and youth aged 12 to 17 are at a 
higher risk of homelessness than adults. What is terrifying is that 
traffickers exploit abused runaways or so-called ``throwaways''--
children abandoned by their parents and living on the streets.
  Runaway youth most often are youth who have been expelled from their 
homes by their families; physically, sexually, and emotionally abused 
at home; discharged by State custodial systems without adequate 
transition plans; separated from their parents by death and divorce; 
too poor to secure their own basic needs; and ineligible or unable to 
access adequate medical or mental health resources.
  There are effective programs supporting and assisting runaway youth. 
These programs succeed because of partnerships created among families, 
community-based human service agencies, law enforcement agencies, 
schools, faith-based organizations, and businesses. We must support and 
create more of these organizations in order to save the future of this 
nation.
  Preventing youth from running away from home and supporting those in 
high-risk situations should be a family, community, and national 
priority. The future well-being of the Nation is dependent on the 
opportunities provided for youth and families to acquire the knowledge, 
skills, and abilities necessary for youth to develop into safe, 
healthy, and productive adults.
  I want to recognize the National Network for Youth and its members 
for advocating on behalf of runaway and homeless youth, and for 
providing an array of community-based support to address their critical 
needs. Additionally I would like to recognize the National Runaway 
Switchboard for providing crisis intervention and referrals to 
reconnect runaway youth to their families and link youth to local 
resources that provide positive alternatives to running away from home.
  I urge my colleagues to support this legislation and to support 
National Runaway Prevention Month in November to increase public 
awareness of the life circumstances of youth in high-risk situations, 
and the need for safe, healthy, and productive alternatives, resources, 
and support for youth, families, and communities.
  Mr. LYNCH. Madam Speaker, I want to thank Mrs. Biggert for her 
leadership on this very important issue, and I want to urge my 
colleagues to support House Resolution 779.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Lynch) that the House suspend the 
rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 779, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. LYNCH. Madam 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 motion will be 
postponed.

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