[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 5]
[House]
[Pages 6755-6756]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



           SUPPORT BOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS IN BUDGET PRIORITIES

  (Mr. BARCIA asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BARCIA. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak on a subject that is very 
dear to my heart, the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. We all know that 
boys and girls who are involved in their local clubs are less likely to 
get into trouble and more likely to lead productive and successful 
lives. Simply put, the 2,850 Boys and Girls Club sites across the 
country, which are located in our Nation's most at-risk communities, 
help young people avoid many of the pitfalls into which so many of our 
youth fall. They provide a springboard for the young men and women to 
start the rest of their lives.
  Mr. Speaker, that is why I was so disappointed to learn that 
President Bush has cut the funding for the Boys and Girls Clubs. With 
the well-publicized troubles that many families are experiencing as a 
result of parents working longer hours each day, and increased concerns 
regarding juvenile crime, I can think of no better investment that the 
Federal Government can make than to provide young people with a safe 
environment in the after-school hours, when they are most vulnerable,

[[Page 6756]]

which is precisely what the Boys and Girls Clubs do.
  Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge all of my colleagues to think about the 
Boys and Girls Clubs when they consider their budget priorities, and 
give them the funding that they deserve.

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