[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 75 (Tuesday, May 18, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H3495-H3496]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  JUVENILE ACCOUNTABILITY BLOCK GRANTS PROGRAM REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 
                                  2009

  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 1514) to amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe 
Streets Act of 1968 to reauthorize the juvenile accountability block 
grants program through fiscal year 2014.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 1514

       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 ``Juvenile Accountability 
     Block Grants Program Reauthorization Act of 2009''.

     SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF JUVENILE ACCOUNTABILITY BLOCK 
                   GRANTS PROGRAM THROUGH FISCAL YEAR 2014.

       Part R of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe 
     Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3796ee et seq.) is amended--
       (1) in section 1801A(a), by striking ``section 1810(b)'' 
     and inserting ``section 1810(c)'';
       (2) in section 1810(a), by striking ``2009'' and inserting 
     ``2014''; and
       (3) in section 1810(b), by inserting ``and each of the 
     fiscal years 2009 through 2014'' after ``2004''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Virginia (Mr. Scott) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Rooney) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Virginia.


                             General Leave

  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Virginia?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, this bill reauthorizes the Juvenile Accountability Block 
Grant program for an additional 3 years.
  I worked with my Republican colleagues in 1997 to develop and pass 
the legislation that created this important initiative. This program 
directs the Department of Justice to make grants to States and units of 
local government to strengthen their juvenile justice systems.
  The program allows funds to be used for a broad range of purposes 
that help reduce juvenile crime, such as establishing programs to 
assess the needs of juvenile offenders in order to facilitate provision 
of comprehensive services; establishing programs to reduce recidivism 
amongst juveniles; hiring juvenile court judges, court-appointed 
defenders and advocates; and developing systems of graduated sanctions 
for juvenile offenders.
  The Juvenile Accountability Block Grant has been an important part of 
the Federal Government's funding of juvenile justice programs. When we 
worked together on a bipartisan basis to develop this program, Members 
recognized that success in preventing juvenile crime and reducing 
recidivism by juvenile offenders requires something other than tough-
sounding slogans and sound bites.
  When it comes to dealing with issues of juvenile justice, we're 
fortunate that there is more and more information available showing 
that we need to make sure that we approach this problem based on 
evidence, and we know that that evidence shows what works and what 
doesn't work.
  Those studies show that comprehensive prevention and early 
intervention programs directed towards youth at risk of involvement, or 
those already involved in the juvenile justice system, will 
significantly reduce crime.
  For example, we've seen in this program that this program has funded 
a chemical dependency program in Idaho serving at-risk youth with 
mental health issues and substance abuse and related offenses.
  And in Ohio, the program funded a system of graduated sanctions that 
provided alternatives to secure detention for pre-adjudicated youth.
  These are just two examples of how the program successfully provides 
juvenile justice professionals with alternatives they need so that 
there is not a one-size-fits-all system of sanctions, regardless of the 
needs and situation of each juvenile.
  We extend and strengthen grants to ensure more accountability for 
juvenile crime, and so we need to make sure that these principles are 
kept in mind, and we do more to help communities prevent juvenile crime 
from occurring in the first place.
  I am pleased that this program continues to have bipartisan support. 
This bill is cosponsored by the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, 
the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers); the ranking member of the 
Judiciary Committee, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith); and the 
Crime Subcommittee ranking member, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. 
Gohmert).
  I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROONEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I support H.R. 1514, the Juvenile Accountability Block 
Grants Program Reauthorization Act of 2009. I am encouraged the 
Judiciary Committee has devoted its time and resources to such an 
important piece of legislation.
  This bipartisan legislation is sponsored by Crime Subcommittee 
chairman Mr. Bobby Scott. Other notable cosponsors include Judiciary 
Committee chairman and ranking member John Conyers and Lamar Smith, and 
Crime Subcommittee ranking member Louie Gohmert.
  Crimes committed by children strike at the very core of our 
communities. Our children are the promise of a better and brighter 
tomorrow and hope for future generations. Reducing juvenile crimes and 
improving the juvenile justice system is a vital step in preserving and 
protecting the future of our children.
  H.R. 1514 amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 
1968 to extend through fiscal year 2014 the authorization of 
appropriations for the Juvenile Accountability Block Grant program.
  The goal of the Juvenile Accountability Block Grant program is to 
equip communities with the financial resources to reduce juvenile 
delinquency and increase the accountability of juvenile offenders in 
the justice system. The Juvenile Accountability Block Grant program 
awards Federal block grants to the 50 States, the District of Columbia 
and the five U.S. Territories, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, 
Guam, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands.
  Grants from this program have helped provide communities with 
restorative justice programs, police and probation partnerships, drug 
and teen courts, and other programs which facilitate the successful re-
entry of juvenile offenders from custody back into the community.
  In 2009, the Juvenile Accountability Block Grant program provided 
local communities in my home State of Florida with over $2 million to 
assist them in their efforts to make our families and neighborhoods 
safer. These Federal grants were used to combat gang violence, curb 
juvenile drug use, and provide mediation services to juvenile offenders 
and their victims.
  Meeting the challenge of reducing juvenile crime extends beyond the 
traditional punitive criminal justice system. It requires a 
comprehensive approach to ensuring that juveniles not only receive 
punishment proportional to their crime, but also receive the support 
that they need to get back on the right track.
  The Juvenile Accountability Block Grant program is an essential tool 
for the States and communities across the Nation. I support the 
reauthorization of this program and urge my colleagues to support this 
legislation.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his 
support. I urge colleagues to support this bill.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 1514.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.

[[Page H3496]]

  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. 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 motion will be 
postponed.

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