[House Report 106-859]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



106th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session                                                     106-859

======================================================================



 
      NATIONAL POLICE ATHLETIC LEAGUE YOUTH ENRICHMENT ACT OF 2000

                                _______
                                

 September 18, 2000.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on 
            the State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

 Mr. Hyde, from the Committee on the Judiciary, submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 3235]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on the Judiciary, to whom was referred the 
bill (H.R. 3235) to improve academic and social outcomes for 
youth and reduce both juvenile crime and the risk that youth 
will become victims of crime by providing productive activities 
conducted by law enforcement personnel during nonschool hours, 
having considered the same, reports favorably thereon with an 
amendment and recommends that the bill as amended do pass.

                           TABLE OF CONTENTS

                                                                  

                                                                 Page
The Amendment..............................................           2
Purpose and Summary........................................           4
Background and Need for the Legislation....................           4
Committee Consideration....................................           5
Vote of the Committee......................................           5
Committee Oversight Findings...............................           5
Committee on Government Reform Findings....................           5
New Budget Authority and Tax Expenditures..................           5
Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate..................           5
Constitutional Authority Statement.........................           7
Section-by-Section Analysis and Discussion.................           7
    The amendment is as follows:
    Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the 
following:

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``National Police Athletic League 
Youth Enrichment Act of 2000''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The goals of the Police Athletic League are to--
                    (A) increase the academic success of youth 
                participants in PAL programs;
                    (B) promote a safe, healthy environment for youth 
                under the supervision of law enforcement personnel 
                where mutual trust and respect can be built;
                    (C) increase school attendance by providing 
                alternatives to suspensions and expulsions;
                    (D) reduce the juvenile crime rate in participating 
                designated communities and the number of police calls 
                involving juveniles during nonschool hours;
                    (E) provide youths with alternatives to drugs, 
                alcohol, tobacco, and gang activity;
                    (F) create positive communications and interaction 
                between youth and law enforcement personnel; and
                    (G) prepare youth for the workplace.
            (2) The Police Athletic League, during its 55-year history 
        as a national organization, has proven to be a positive force 
        in the communities it serves.
            (3) The Police Athletic League is a network of 1,700 
        facilities serving over 3,000 communities. There are 320 PAL 
        chapters throughout the United States, the Virgin Islands, and 
        the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, serving 1,500,000 youths, ages 
        5 to 18, nationwide.
            (4) Based on PAL chapter demographics, approximately 82 
        percent of the youths who benefit from PAL programs live in 
        inner cities and urban areas.
            (5) PAL chapters are locally operated, volunteer-driven 
        organizations. Although most PAL chapters are sponsored by a 
        law enforcement agency, PAL chapters receive no direct funding 
        from law enforcement agencies and are dependent in large part 
        on support from the private sector, such as individuals, 
        business leaders, corporations, and foundations. PAL chapters 
        have been exceptionally successful in balancing public funds 
        with private sector donations and maximizing community 
        involvement.
            (6) Today's youth face far greater risks than did their 
        parents and grandparents. Law enforcement statistics 
        demonstrate that youth between the ages of 12 and 17 are at 
        risk of committing violent acts and being victims of violent 
        acts between the hours of 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.
            (7) Greater numbers of students are dropping out of school 
        and failing in school, even though the consequences of academic 
        failure are more dire in 1999 than ever before.
            (8) Many distressed areas in the United States are still 
        underserved by PAL chapters.

SEC. 3. PURPOSE.

    The purpose of this Act is to provide adequate resources in the 
form of--
            (1) assistance for the 320 established PAL chapters to 
        increase of services to the communities they are serving; and
            (2) seed money for the establishment of 250 (50 per year 
        over a 5-year period) additional local PAL chapters in public 
        housing projects and other distressed areas, including 
        distressed areas with a majority population of Native 
        Americans, by not later than fiscal year 2006.

SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Assistant attorney general.--The term ``Assistant 
        Attorney General'' means the Assistant Attorney General for the 
        Office of Justice Programs of the Department of Justice.
            (2) Distressed area.--The term ``distressed area'' means an 
        urban, suburban, or rural area with a high percentage of high-
        risk youth, as defined in section 509A of the Public Health 
        Service Act (42 U.S.C. 290aa-8(f)).
            (3) PAL chapter.--The term ``PAL chapter'' means a chapter 
        of a Police or Sheriff's Athletic/Activities League.
            (4) Police athletic league.--The term ``Police Athletic 
        League'' means the private, nonprofit, national representative 
        organization for 320 Police or Sheriff's Athletic/Activities 
        Leagues throughout the United States (including the Virgin 
        Islands and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico).
            (5) Public housing; project.--The terms ``public housing'' 
        and ``project'' have the meanings given those terms in section 
        3(b) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 
        1437a(b)).

SEC. 5. GRANTS AUTHORIZED.

    (a) In General.--Subject to appropriations, for each of fiscal 
years 2001 through 2005, the Assistant Attorney General shall award a 
grant to the Police Athletic League for the purpose of establishing PAL 
chapters to serve public housing projects and other distressed areas, 
and expanding existing PAL chapters to serve additional youths.
    (b) Application.--
            (1) Submission.--In order to be eligible to receive a grant 
        under this section, the Police Athletic League shall submit to 
        the Assistant Attorney General an application, which shall 
        include--
                    (A) a long-term strategy to establish 250 
                additional PAL chapters and detailed summary of those 
                areas in which new PAL chapters will be established, or 
                in which existing chapters will be expanded to serve 
                additional youths, during the next fiscal year;
                    (B) a plan to ensure that there are a total of not 
                less than 570 PAL chapters in operation before January 
                1, 2004;
                    (C) a certification that there will be appropriate 
                coordination with those communities where new PAL 
                chapters will be located; and
                    (D) an explanation of the manner in which new PAL 
                chapters will operate without additional, direct 
                Federal financial assistance once assistance under this 
                Act is discontinued.
            (2) Review.--The Assistant Attorney General shall review 
        and take action on an application submitted under paragraph (1) 
        not later than 120 days after the date of such submission.

SEC. 6. USE OF FUNDS.

    (a) In General.--
            (1) Assistance for new and expanded chapters.--Amounts made 
        available under a grant awarded under this Act shall be used by 
        the Police Athletic League to provide funding for the 
        establishment of PAL chapters serving public housing projects 
        and other distressed areas, or the expansion of existing PAL 
        chapters.
            (2) Program requirements.--Each new or expanded PAL chapter 
        assisted under paragraph (1) shall carry out not less than 4 
        programs during nonschool hours, of which--
                    (A) not less than 2 programs shall provide--
                            (i) mentoring assistance;
                            (ii) academic assistance;
                            (iii) recreational and athletic activities; 
                        or
                            (iv) technology training; and
                    (B) any remaining programs shall provide--
                            (i) drug, alcohol, and gang prevention 
                        activities;
                            (ii) health and nutrition counseling;
                            (iii) cultural and social programs;
                            (iv) conflict resolution training, anger 
                        management, and peer pressure training;
                            (v) job skill preparation activities; or
                            (vi) Youth Police Athletic League 
                        Conferences or Youth Forums.
    (b) Additional Requirements.--In carrying out the programs under 
subsection (a), a PAL chapter shall, to the maximum extent 
practicable--
            (1) use volunteers from businesses, academic communities, 
        social organizations, and law enforcement organizations to 
        serve as mentors or to assist in other ways;
            (2) ensure that youth in the local community participate in 
        designing the after-school activities;
            (3) develop creative methods of conducting outreach to 
        youth in the community;
            (4) request donations of computer equipment and other 
        materials and equipment; and
            (5) work with State and local park and recreation agencies 
        so that activities funded with amounts made available under a 
        grant under this Act will not duplicate activities funded from 
        other sources in the community served.

SEC. 7. REPORTS.

    (a) Report to Assistant Attorney General.--For each fiscal year for 
which a grant is awarded under this Act, the Police Athletic League 
shall submit to the Assistant Attorney General a report on the use of 
amounts made available under the grant.
    (b) Report to Congress.--Not later than May 1 of each fiscal year 
for which amounts are made available to carry out this Act, the 
Assistant Attorney General shall submit to the Committees on the 
Judiciary of the Senate and the House of Representatives a report that 
details the progress made under this Act in establishing and expanding 
PAL chapters in public housing projects and other distressed areas, and 
the effectiveness of the PAL programs in reducing drug abuse, school 
dropouts, and juvenile crime.

SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated to carry 
out this Act $16,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2001 through 2005.
    (b) Funding for Program Administration.--Of the amount made 
available to carry out this Act in each fiscal year--
            (1) not less than 2 percent shall be used for research and 
        evaluation of the grant program under this Act;
            (2) not less than 1 percent shall be used for technical 
        assistance related to the use of amounts made available under 
        grants awarded under this Act; and
            (3) not less than 1 percent shall be used for the 
        management and administration of the grant program under this 
        Act, except that the total amount made available under this 
        paragraph for administration of that program shall not exceed 6 
        percent.

                          Purpose and Summary

    H.R. 3235 would authorize the creation of a program that 
would direct the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) of the United 
States Department of Justice to award grants to the Police 
Athletic League (PAL) for the purposes of establishing PAL 
chapters to serve public housing projects and other distressed 
areas and expanding existing chapters to serve additional 
youth. The bill would authorize the appropriation of $16 
million a year for 5 years beginning with fiscal year 2001 for 
this purpose. The money would be used to enhance the services 
provided by the 320 established PAL chapters and provide seed 
money for the establishment of 250 (50 per year over a 5-year 
period) additional PAL chapters in public housing projects and 
other distressed areas, including distressed areas with a 
majority population of Native Americans.
    In order to be eligible to receive a grant, the bill would 
require PAL to submit to the Assistant Attorney General for OJP 
an application which includes: (1) a long-term strategy to 
establish 250 additional chapters and a detailed summary of 
those areas in which new chapters will be established, or in 
which existing chapters will be expanded to serve additional 
youths, during the next fiscal year; (2) a plan to ensure that 
there is a total of not less than 570 chapters in operation 
before January 1, 2003; (3) a certification that there will be 
appropriate coordination with those communities where new 
chapters will be located; and (4) an explanation of the manner 
in which new chapters will operate without additional, direct 
Federal financial assistance once assistance under this act is 
discontinued. The bill directs the Assistant Attorney General 
to review, and take action on, an application within 120 days 
after the date of its submission.

                Background and Need for the Legislation

    The Police Athletic League was founded by police officers 
in New York City in 1914. Its mission is to offer an 
alternative to crime, drugs and violence for our nation's most 
at-risk youth. Since its founding, PAL has grown into one of 
the largest youth-crime prevention programs in the nation, with 
a network of 320 local chapters and 1,700 facilities that serve 
more than 3,000 communities and 1.5 million young people. Local 
chapters are staffed by off-duty police officers, and they 
receive most of their funding from private sources. In 
partnership with local law enforcement agencies, PAL chapters 
help to narrow the gap in trust between children and the 
police, especially in low-income and high-crime neighborhoods. 
PAL offers after-school athletic, recreational, and educational 
programs designed to give children an alternative to gangs, 
drugs and crime, and to reinforce the values of responsibility, 
hard work and community. These programs are geared to the 
after-school hours of 3:00 to 8:00 p.m., the peak hours for 
juvenile crime and other antisocial behavior.

                        Committee Consideration

    On July 25, 2000, the Committee on the Judiciary met in 
open session and ordered reported favorably the bill H.R. 3235 
by voice vote with an amendment in the nature of a substitute, 
a quorum being present.

                         Vote of the Committee

    Vote on final passage: passed by voice vote.

                      Committee Oversight Findings

    In compliance with clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules 
of the House of Representatives, the committee reports that the 
findings and recommendations of the committee, based in 
oversight activities under clause 2(b)(1) of rule X of the 
Rules of the House of Representatives, are incorporated in the 
descriptive portions of this report.

                Committee on Government Reform Findings

    No findings or recommendations of the Committee on 
Government Reform and Oversight were received as referred to in 
clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives.

               New Budget Authority and Tax Expenditures

    Clause 3(c)(2) of House Rule XIII is inapplicable because 
this legislation does not provide new budgetary authority or 
increased tax expenditures.

               Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate

    In compliance with clause 3(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules 
of the House of Representatives, the committee sets forth, with 
respect to the bill H.R. 3235, the following estimate and 
comparison prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget 
Office under section 403 of the Congressional Budget Act of 
1974:

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                    Washington, DC, August 4, 2000.
Hon. Henry J. Hyde, Chairman,
Committee on the Judiciary,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 3235, the National 
Police Athletic League Youth Enrichment Act of 2000.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contacts are Mark 
Grabowicz (for federal costs), who can be reached at 226-2860, 
and Shelley Finlayson (for the state and local impact), who can 
be reached at 225-3220.
            Sincerely,
                                  Dan L. Crippen, Director.

Enclosure
cc:
        Honorable John Conyers Jr.
        Ranking Democratic Member
H.R. 3235--National Police Athletic League Youth Enrichment Act of 
        2000.

                                SUMMARY

    H.R. 3235 would authorize the appropriation of $16 million 
for each of fiscal years 2001 through 2005 for the Department 
of Justice to make a grant to the Police Athletic League (PAL). 
The PAL would use these funds to expand its current program 
that serves disadvantaged youths.
    Assuming appropriation of the authorized amounts, CBO 
estimates that implementing H.R. 3235 would cost $80 million 
over the 2001-2005 period. This legislation would not affect 
direct spending or receipts; therefore, pay-as-you-go 
procedures would not apply. H.R. 3235 contains no 
intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the 
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) and would not directly 
affect state, local, and tribal governments.

                ESTIMATED COST TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

    For this estimate, CBO assumes that the amounts authorized 
by the bill will be appropriated by the start of each fiscal 
year. Based on information from the Department of Justice, we 
expect that these amounts will be spent in the same year that 
they are appropriated. The estimated budgetary impact of H.R. 
3235 is shown in the following table. The costs of this 
legislation fall within budget function 750 (administration of 
justice).

                                     By fiscal year, in millions of dollars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                       2001     2002     2003     2004     2005
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHANGES IN SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION
Authorization Level                                                       16       16       16       16       16
Estimated Outlays                                                         16       16       16       16       16
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                     PAY-AS-YOU-GO CONSIDERATIONS:

    None.

              INTERGOVERNMENTAL AND PRIVATE-SECTOR IMPACT

    H.R. 3235 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in UMRA and would not directly affect 
state, local, and tribal governments.

                         ESTIMATE PREPARED BY:

Federal Costs: Mark Grabowicz (226-2860)
Impact on State, Local, and Tribal Governments: Shelley 
        Finlayson (225-3220)
Impact on the Private Sector: Patrice Gordon (226-2940)

                         ESTIMATE APPROVED BY:

Peter H. Fontaine
Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis

                   Constitutional Authority Statement

    Pursuant to 3(d)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House 
of Representatives, the committee finds the authority for this 
legislation in Article I, section 8 of the Constitution.

               Section-by-Section Analysis and Discussion

Sec. 1. Short Title.
    This section provides that the short title of the bill is 
the ``National Police Athletic League Youth Enrichment Act of 
2000.''
Sec. 2. Findings.
    This section contains findings made by Congress in support 
of H.R. 3235.
Sec. 3. Purpose.
    This section states the purpose of the act, which is to 
provide grant money to the 320 established PAL chapters to 
increase services to the communities they are serving, and to 
provide seed money for the establishment of 250 (50 per year 
over a 5-year period) additional local PAL chapters in public 
housing project and other distressed areas, including 
distressed areas with a majority population of Native 
Americans, by not later than fiscal year 2006.
Sec. 4. Definitions.
    This section defines several terms used in the act.
Sec. 5. Grants Authorized.
    This section would direct the Assistant Attorney General 
for the Office of Justice Programs of the Department of Justice 
to award a grant to the Police Athletic League for each of 
fiscal years 2001 through 2005 for the purpose of establishing 
PAL chapters to serve public housing projects and other 
distressed areas, and expanding existing PAL chapters to serve 
additional young people. Section five establishes guidelines 
that PAL must meet to be eligible to receive a grant.
Sec. 6. Use of Funds.
    This section establishes guidelines for how grant money 
awarded to PAL may be used. Each new or expanded PAL chapter 
that receives assistance under the act shall carry out not less 
than four programs during non-school hours, of which not less 
than two programs shall provide mentoring assistance, academic 
assistance, recreational and athletic activities or technology 
training. Several additional programs may be offered as well, 
including drug, alcohol, and gang prevention activities, health 
and nutrition counseling, cultural and social programs, and job 
preparation activities. Section six would also require that, to 
the maximum extent possible, PAL chapters use volunteers from 
businesses, academia, social organizations, and law enforcement 
organizations to serve as mentors or to assist in other ways. 
Additionally, PAL chapters would be required to work with State 
and local park recreation agencies so that activities funded 
with amounts made available under a PAL grant will not 
duplicate activities funded from other sources in the community 
served.
Sec. 7. Reports.
    This section would require that the Police Athletic League 
report to the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of 
Justice Programs on the use of grant money for each fiscal year 
in which a grant was awarded. Section 7 would also require that 
the Attorney General report to the House and Senate Committees 
on the Judiciary each year on the progress made under the act 
in establishing and expanding PAL chapters and the 
effectiveness of PAL programs in reducing drug abuse, school 
dropouts, and juvenile crime.
Sec. 8. Authorization of Appropriations.
    This section would authorize the appropriation of $16 
million a year for 5 years beginning with fiscal year 2001 to 
carry out the purposes of the act.

                                  
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