[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 198 (Tuesday, December 22, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S13787-S13788]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. LEAHY (for himself, Mr. Hatch, Mr. Kohl, and Mr. 
        Sessions):
  S. 2924. A bill to reauthorize the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, in 
the wake of its Centennial, and its programs and activities; to the 
Committee on the Judiciary.
  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I am pleased today to introduce legislation 
to reauthorize the Department of Justice grant program for Boys & Girls 
Clubs. I thank Senator Hatch, Senator Kohl and Senator Sessions for 
joining me in this effort.
  I have partnered with Senator Hatch for many years on issues 
concerning the Boys & Girls Clubs, and this bipartisan bill shows the 
commitment of both Democrats and Republicans to the good work done by 
Boys & Girls Clubs across the Nation.
  Children are the future of our country, and we have a responsibility 
to make sure they are safe and secure. I know firsthand how well Boys & 
Girls Clubs work, and the real impact they have in our communities. In 
my home State of Vermont, we are fortunate to have 6 Boys & Girls Clubs 
operating in 25 locations. These clubs serve more than 14,000 youth in 
the State. I often hear from parents, educators, law enforcement 
officers and others in Vermont about just how successful these Clubs 
are, and how they inspire youth to reach their full potential.
  As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I have 
pushed for more Federal funding for Boys & Girls Clubs. This year, I 
recommended additional funding for youth mentoring programs, so that 
youth-serving organizations like the Boys & Girls Clubs of America are 
able to continue making a substantial and real difference in the lives 
of vulnerable children. I was pleased that Congress included $100 
million for competitive youth mentoring grants in the recently passed 
consolidated appropriations bill.
  The current recession has hit many organizations around the country, 
threatening their financial health, and the Boys & Girls Clubs are no 
different. At the same time, participation in these clubs has never 
been higher, and it continues to increase. I believe funding is well 
spent at the community level, however, where the positive impact on our 
youth is felt most directly.
  In the 108th Congress, Senator Hatch and I worked together to pass a 
bill to reauthorize and extend the programs of the Boys & Girls Clubs 
of America through fiscal year 2009. Due in part to the support of 
Congress, there now exist over 4,300 Boys & Girls Clubs in all 50 
states, serving more than 4.8 million young people. The bill we 
introduce today will help us continue to support these important 
programs by authorizing Justice Department grants through 2015.
  We need safe havens where our youth--the future of our country--can 
learn and grow up free from the influences of drugs, gangs and crime. 
That is why Boys & Girls Clubs are so important to our children.
  I hope all Senators will support this bipartisan bill to provide 
Federal support for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Our greatest 
responsibility is to our children, and supporting Boys & Girls Clubs is 
just one way in which we can show our commitment to their future.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimour consent that the text of the bill be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                S. 2924

       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 ``Boys & Girls Clubs 
     Centennial Reauthorization Act of 2009''.

     SEC. 2. BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF AMERICA.

       Section 401 of the Economic Espionage Act of 1966 (42 
     U.S.C. 13751 note) is amended--
       (1) in subsection (a), by striking paragraph (1) and 
     inserting the following:
       ``(1) Findings.--Congress finds that--
       ``(A) for over 100 years, the Boys & Girls Clubs of 
     America, a national organization chartered by an Act of 
     Congress, has proven itself as a positive force in the 
     communities it serves;
       ``(B) Boys & Girls Clubs and the programs and services 
     implemented therein by over 50,000 professional staff, and 
     194,000 volunteers promote and enhance the development of 
     boys and girls by instilling a sense of competence, 
     usefulness, belonging and influence thereby making Boys & 
     Girls Clubs a safe place to learn and grow;
       ``(C) the purpose of the program established by this 
     section has been to provide adequate resources in the form of 
     seed money for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America to assist 
     local communities to form partnerships in a collaborative 
     manor so education, youth development and prevention programs 
     could be available for the youth in those communities;
       ``(D) in 1990 there were 1,810 Boys and Girls Clubs 
     facilities throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, and the 
     United States Virgin Islands, serving 2,400,000 youths 
     nationwide;
       ``(E) due to the public investment via the program 
     established pursuant to this section, resulting congressional 
     appropriations, and private partnership support, there are 
     now 4,387 Boys & Girls Clubs facilities throughout the United 
     States, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands, 
     serving 4,500,000 youths nationwide;
       ``(F) with the assistance of the Federal Government, local 
     communities have collaborated to establish and operate the 
     Clubs in schools, parks, parks and recreation facilities, 
     libraries, and community centers;
       ``(G) these new partnerships have resulted in 33 percent of 
     the Boys & Girls Clubs located in or on school campuses where 
     Club programs enhance and enrich the learning opportunities 
     for youth;
       ``(H) the growth of Boys & Girls Clubs also includes an 
     increase in Clubs located in public housing sites across the 
     Nation, having grown from 289 in 1990 to 440 in 2009;
       ``(I) the growth of Boys and Girls Clubs also includes the 
     growth of Boys & Girls Clubs on Native American land, having 
     grown from 0 in 1990 to 225 in 2009 serving 140,000 Native 
     American youth;
       ``(J) investment in our school partnerships has positively 
     impacted graduation rates as demonstrated in recent survey of 
     Clubs conducted by BGCA's CareerLaunch career preparation 
     program, in which 96.68 percent of participants progressed 
     successfully to the next grade level at the end of the 2008-
     2009 school year;
       ``(K) public housing projects and Native American land in 
     which there is an active Boys and Girls Club have experienced 
     a reduction in the presence of crack cocaine, and a reduction 
     in juvenile crime and gang violence;
       ``(L) Boys & Girls Clubs are locally run and have been 
     exceptionally successful in balancing public funds with 
     private sector donations and maximizing community involvement 
     as evidenced by collaborations and partnerships with schools, 
     cities, counties, Sea Research, other youth providers such as 
     Big Brothers Big Sisters, Police Athletic League (PAL), Cal 
     Ripken Sr. Foundation, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, 4-H, and 
     public libraries; and
       ``(M) further investment in Boys & Girls Clubs, which 
     celebrated 100 years of service in 2006 will--
       ``(i) inure to our collective national benefit;
       ``(ii) continue to assist in the effort to reduce crime and 
     drug use among our Nation's youth by teaching young people 
     how to avoid gangs, resist alcohol, tobacco, and other drug 
     use;
       ``(iii) continue to assist in improving educational 
     opportunities and create centers of learning in and with 
     schools thereby reducing the drop out rate and helping to 
     improve the economy (if the national male graduation rate 
     were increased by only 5 percent, the Nation would see an 
     annual savings of $4,900,000,000 in crime related costs);
       ``(iv) continue in the efforts of reducing childhood 
     obesity by teaching young people about the benefits of 
     healthy habits such as eating right and being physically 
     active;
       ``(v) continue to serve youth in rural communities 
     including Native American land, by engaging and creating 
     partnerships in those communities;
       ``(vi) continue to serve youth in urban and suburban 
     communities including Public Housing by engaging and creating 
     partnerships in those communities;
       ``(vii) continue to provide outdoor and environmental 
     education programs for kids that would otherwise not have 
     those educational and enriching opportunities;
       ``(viii) continue to develop job training programs for 
     teens; and
       ``(ix) better equip communities to continue to sustain and 
     improve the quality of these programs through effective use 
     of existing resources, merging operations, and working 
     collaboratively within communities to provide the highest 
     quality programs for the youth in the Boys & Girls Clubs.'';
       (2) in subsection (c)(1)--
       (A) by striking ``2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010'' and 
     inserting ``2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015''; and
       (B) by striking ``establishing and extending Boys & Girls 
     Clubs facilities where needed, with particular emphasis 
     placed on establishing clubs in and extending services to 
     public housing projects and distressed areas'' and inserting 
     ``improving the quality of youth development and educational 
     programs, health, physical fitness, and prevention services 
     for youth at existing and new

[[Page S13788]]

     Boys & Girls Clubs facilities with special emphasis on 
     reducing high school drop out rates'';
       (3) in subsection (c)(2)--
       (A) by striking subparagraphs (A) and (B); and
       (B) by redesignating subparagraphs (C) and (D) as 
     subparagraphs (A) and (B), respectively; and
       (4) by amending subsection (e) to read as follows:
       ``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--
       ``(1) In general.--There are authorized to be appropriated 
     to carry out this section--
       ``(A) $85,000,000 for fiscal year 2011;
       ``(B) $85,000,000 for fiscal year 2012;
       ``(C) $85,000,000 for fiscal year 2013;
       ``(D) $85,000,000 for fiscal year 2014; and
       ``(E) 85,000,000 for fiscal year 2015.''.
                                 ______