[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 15]
[House]
[Pages 20192-20194]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     SUPPORTING THE GOALS AND IDEALS OF ``LIGHTS ON AFTERSCHOOL!''

  Mr. KUHL of New York. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 478) supporting the 
goals and ideals of ``Lights On Afterschool!'', a national celebration 
of after-school programs.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 478

       Whereas high-quality after-school programs provide safe, 
     challenging, engaging, and fun learning experiences to help 
     children and youth develop their social, emotional, physical, 
     cultural, and academic skills;
       Whereas high-quality after-school programs support working 
     families by ensuring that their children are safe and 
     productive after the regular school day ends;
       Whereas high-quality after-school programs build stronger 
     communities by involving the Nation's students, parents, 
     business leaders, and adult volunteers in the lives of the 
     Nation's young people, thereby promoting positive 
     relationships among children, youth, families, and adults;
       Whereas high-quality after-school programs engage families, 
     schools, and diverse community partners in advancing the 
     well-being of the Nation's children;
       Whereas ``Lights On Afterschool!'', a national celebration 
     of after-school programs on October 12, 2006, promotes the 
     critical importance of high-quality after-school programs in 
     the lives of children, their families, and their communities;
       Whereas more than 28,000,000 children in the United States 
     have parents who work outside the home, and 14,300,000 
     children have no place to go after school; and
       Whereas many after-school programs across the Nation are 
     struggling to keep their doors open and their lights on: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring), That the Congress supports the goals and ideals 
     of ``Lights On Afterschool!'', a national celebration of 
     after-school programs.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Kuhl) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) each will 
control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.


                             General Leave

  Mr. KUHL of New York. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their 
remarks on H. Con. Res. 478.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. KUHL of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 478, offered by 
my colleague, the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Lowey). This 
resolution seeks to support the goals and the ideals of Lights on 
Afterschool!, a national celebration of after-school programs. This 
year's Lights on Afterschool! rally, which takes place on October 12, 
2006, is expected to include more than 7,000 events in the United 
States and at military bases around the world. This event is aimed at 
bringing attention to the need for high-quality after-school programs 
that keep kids safe, help working families, and improve academic 
achievement.
  I support this resolution because after-school programs are an 
important part of many American's student lives. High-quality after-
school programs provide safe, challenging and fun learning experiences 
that help children and youth develop their social, emotional, physical, 
cultural and academic skills.
  I am pleased that we are able to bring attention to the critical 
importance of after-school programs. I commend the communities across 
the Nation that engage in innovative after-school programs and 
activities and ensure that the doors stay open and the lights stay on 
for all children after school.
  This resolution is simple and straight forward. It supports the goals 
and ideals of Lights on Afterschool!, a nationwide celebration of 
after-school programs.
  I commend my colleague, Mrs. Lowey, for her leadership in authoring 
H. Con. Res. 478. I urge my colleagues to support it.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may 
consume to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs.

[[Page 20193]]

Lowey), who is the sponsor of this resolution.
  Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Con. Res. 478 to 
highlight the goals of the seventh annual Lights on Afterschool! 
celebration. This event organized by the Afterschool Alliance is the 
only national celebration of after-school programs and the important 
role they play in the lives of children, families and communities.
  On October 12, more than 1 million Americans, representing thousands 
of after-school initiatives across the country, including more than 100 
programs in my home State of New York, are expected to open their doors 
to parents, neighbors, business leaders and elected officials to 
showcase their accomplishments.
  In my own district, events will take place in Tarrytown, White 
Plains, and Yonkers, and more programs are registering each day.
  While there is growing enthusiasm for this year's Lights On 
celebration, we need more than just one day a year to highlight the 
importance of after-school programs. That is why I joined with 
Representatives Ros-Lehtinen and Kildee to form the bipartisan 
Congressional Afterschool Caucus last year. Our mission is simple: to 
build support for these programs within Congress and to translate that 
support into sufficient funding to meet the growing demand for after-
school initiatives.
  For years, we have known that what our kids do after school can have 
as great an impact as what they do in school.
  In 1996, from my seat on the Appropriations Committee, I helped 
create the 21st Century Community Learning Centers, the first-ever 
Federal after-school initiative.
  Since then, I have watched it grow from a million dollar 
demonstration project to a billion dollar permanent program today, 
because there is astonishing demand and tremendous unmet need for it.
  According to a study conducted by the Afterschool Alliance, 40 
percent of middle school children, the age when kids are most 
vulnerable to engaging in dangerous activities, are unsupervised for a 
good portion of the day. Parents are crying out for safe, structured 
environments where their kids can learn and play, make friends and 
develop new interests. Yet Congress is not doing what it should to 
ensure that our kids are safe and engaged while their parents are at 
work.
  The Congressional Afterschool Caucus and the Lights On celebration 
will focus on changing that. We will share the lessens we have learned 
to make sure after-school does not become an afterthought in our 
Federal education priorities.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution, to join 
the Caucus, to fight tooth and nail for every dollar available so that 
kids and their parents have access to these desperately needed 
programs.
  I thank you, I thank my colleague from New York.
  Mr. KUHL of New York. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
might consume to close for our side.
  Again, I want to commend the gentlewoman from New York for her 
introduction of this resolution. I rise in support of H. Con. Res. 478, 
a resolution supporting the goals and ideals of Lights on Afterschool!, 
a national celebration of after-school programs.
  Lights on Afterschool! is a project of the Afterschool Alliance. As 
many of you may know, the Afterschool Alliance is a nonprofit 
organization dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of after-
school programs for all children. The Alliance was created to conduct 
this public awareness and advocacy work and to serve as a national 
voice for after-school programs.
  Consistent with the work of the Alliance, they have created the 
Lights on Afterschool! projects that will host nationwide celebrations 
this October. These celebrations are a way of highlighting and bringing 
attention to the importance of after-school programs.
  I think every single Member of Congress here can speak to the 
importance of these programs. I myself have seen the important and 
necessary role that after-school plays, especially in the everyday 
lives of working families. Nationwide, 14.3 million children take care 
of themselves after the school day ends. Of these, 6.5 million children 
are in after-school programs.
  We all know that these programs provide not only a place for young 
people to be after school but also provide a tremendous benefit. Some 
of us have probably even visited after-school programs in our district. 
We appreciate the role that they have played and will continue to play 
in providing a safe place for our youth to be after school and provide 
them with the opportunity to grow and to learn.

                              {time}  2130

  Every statistic that you can look at and find generally depicts the 
fact that when young people get in trouble the most it is when they are 
without supervision, have nothing meaningful to do and are left to 
their own environs.
  As a matter of fact, my parents used to say it differently. They used 
to say that an idle mind is the devil's workshop. I guess what they 
really meant was that if young people did not have something created 
for them to do, that we would create our own things, and oftentimes 
those things would not be in the best interests not only of our 
individual development but not in the best interests of the communities 
where we were.
  So when the gentlewoman from New York introduces such a resolution, 
she is really doing all of America a great favor by helping us to 
remember that if we do not provide positive things for young people to 
do, oftentimes they will create the negative. So I thank Mrs. Lowey for 
her introduction of this resolution and strongly support it.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. HOLT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 478, 
supporting the goals and ideals of the Lights On Afterschool! program. 
According to the Afterschool Alliance's survey, 14.3 million children 
are left alone and unsupervised after school. Lights On provides 
children with a safe place to go after school and promotes healthy 
opportunities for growth and learning.
  I believe that after school programs provide vital services to our 
youth and we must make a commitment to continue to fund these programs. 
Communities and schools can help by promoting after-school programs 
that engage teenagers in a thoughtful and safe manner. Encouraging high 
school students to join after-school clubs, sports teams, and band or 
chorus also gives teenagers purposeful extra-curricular activities that 
diminish their chances of causing trouble in their community.
  Our children deserve the very best chance to succeed in a turbulent 
global community, a world where economic competitors grow more numerous 
and powerful everyday. To ensure American leadership in the future, 
children today must be afforded comprehensive education and enrichment 
through well-funded schools and after-school activities.
  There are many after school programs that are benefiting the children 
of my district. The Trenton After School Program has been serving our 
community for over 20 years. It not only provides our children with a 
safe place to go after school, but also provides culturally enriching 
programs including arts education.
  Lights On provides children with fun, educational, and entertaining 
activities when the school day ends. I am proud to rise in support of 
this resolution.
  Mr. KUHL of New York. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for 
time at this moment. Once again, I would like to commend my colleague 
Mrs. Lowey for bringing this important resolution to the floor, and I 
thank my colleague Mr. Davis for expounding upon the very need for it, 
and with that, Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Kuhl) that the House suspend the rules and 
agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 478.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the concurrent resolution was 
agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

[[Page 20194]]



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