[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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