[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (1999, Book II)]
[October 15, 1999]
[Pages 1800-1801]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Memorandum on the White House Council on Youth Violence
October 15, 1999

Memorandum of the Attorney General, the Secretary of Labor, the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of Education, the 
Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy
Subject: White House Council on Youth Violence

    Violence by youth and against youth is an issue that deeply concerns 
us all. Youth violence can be thought of as a juvenile crime issue, as a 
public health issue, and as a school safety issue. It affects every 
region and demographic group. As many recent incidents have made us 
aware, it is a problem that can strike with unexpected force--and that 
now demands uncommonly unified responses. That is why I announced, on 
August 17, 1999, that a nonprofit, nonpartisan ``National Campaign 
Against Youth Violence'' had been established to bring together all 
segments of society to help prevent youth violence.
    The Federal Government already addresses many aspects of youth 
violence through its programs. I am particularly proud of the joint 
efforts of the Attorney General, the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services, and the Secretary of Education in developing the Safe Schools/
Healthy Students initiative. These agencies also worked well together to 
help us respond quickly to the Columbine High School incident. I have 
read with interest the report of the Attorney General's Coordinating 
Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. I look forward 
to the report that the Surgeon General in response to my May request is 
preparing on the causes of youth violence. The Secretary of Labor's 
efforts to address the needs of youth are also about to bear fruit, as 
high-poverty communities implement our new Youth Opportunity Grants, and 
as the Secretary and the Attorney General finalize their agreement for 
cooperative work on those grants and on Labor's Youth Offender grant 
program.
    With so many agencies and programs involved, and with the need for 
my Administration to work closely with different elements of State and 
local governments, tribes, schools, community groups, and families, it 
has become increasingly clear to me that the Federal Government needs a 
more effective policy coordination strategy for youth violence issues. 
Therefore, today I direct the Assistant for Domestic Policy to form a 
White House Council on Youth Violence to provide this policy 
coordination, to provide flexible and timely responses to the challenge 
of youth violence, and to ensure that our Nation's citizens are able to 
benefit from the Federal Government's many antiviolence initiatives.

Structure of the Council

    The Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy will chair the 
Council. The Office of the Vice President and the Office of Management 
and Budget will be regular participants. Four agency heads will be the 
regular program members of the Council:
    The Attorney General, responding to the juvenile crime 
            aspects;
    The Secretary of Health and Human Services, responding to 
            the public health aspects, including mental health aspects, 
            and to family issues;
    The Secretary of Education, responding to the school safety 
            issues; and
    The Secretary of Labor, responding to youth employment and 
            out-of-school youth issues.
    The Chair of the Council may add such other officials as he deems 
appropriate to further the purposes of this overall effort or to 
participate in specific aspects of it. For example, matters relating to 
public health aspects would involve

[[Page 1801]]

the Surgeon General. Matters relating to firearms control or drug abuse 
would involve the Secretary of the Treasury and the Director of National 
Drug Control Policy, respectively. Implications for economic development 
policies would call for involvement of the Secretary of Housing and 
Urban Development, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the Secretary of 
Commerce. Comparable policies for Indian country would engage the 
Secretary of the Interior. Issues relating to community service 
opportunities for youth would involve the Chief Executive Officer of the 
Corporation for National and Community Service.
    The Chair, after consultation with Council members, will appoint 
staff members to coordinate the Council's efforts. The Chair may call 
upon the participating agencies for logistical support to the Council, 
as necessary.

Duties of the Council

    1. Develop a citizen's information hub. The Council will develop and 
maintain a coordinated inventory of relevant agency programs and provide 
analyses of their effectiveness. It will make this inventory widely 
available in summary form--and upon request in more detail--through the 
services of the appropriate Council member, to elected officials, 
community groups, police organizations, school systems, parents, and 
others working on local solutions to these issues. The inventory and 
full texts of program reports and evaluations should be available on an 
easily accessible website. The availability of this compilation will be 
widely publicized.
    2. Produce reports on youth violence. The Council will prepare or 
have prepared reports on various aspects of the problem of youth 
violence, describing, for instance, best practices in combating the 
problem. In doing so, the Council should consult with nonprofits, 
foundations, and other organizations that have conducted research and/or 
developed resources on the prevention of youth violence. In addition, 
the Surgeon General is now carrying out a broad study of the potential 
causes of youth violence. I ask that the Surgeon General consult closely 
with the Council in the development of the study so that I may have the 
benefit of participation of all the involved agencies in its analysis 
and findings.
    3. Expand the Safe Schools/Healthy Students model of collaboration. 
This initiative of the Departments of Justice, Education, and Health and 
Human Services has evolved into a highly effective collaboration among 
the agencies. The Council will oversee this effort and examine options 
for improving its operations and applying the model to other 
governmental efforts. The Secretary of Labor will begin participation in 
the initiative through establishing linkages to Youth Opportunities and 
Youth Offender grants.
    4. Provide tools for parents to deal with the issue. Many Federal 
programs address issues relating to strengthening the family and helping 
parents raise children. The Council will explore the possibility of 
devising a cross-program strategy to help parents address youth 
violence. It will also report on new tools emerging in both the private 
and public sectors to assist parents.
    5. Coordinate the Federal research agenda. The Council will oversee 
coordination of agency research agendas and the development of needed 
cross-agency research collaborations. I ask the Council to seek to have 
this structure in place to support the planning for FY 2001 research 
funds, and where feasible, to improve the planned use of funds available 
from prior years.
    6. Develop further policy responses. The Council will meet at the 
call of the Chair to discuss new findings from analyses of the youth 
violence issue and to consider new or modified Administration responses 
to it, especially those that involve more than one agency. 
Recommendations for initiatives will be discussed in the Council for 
consistency with overall coordinated policy before being presented for 
formal decision in the budget process. From time to time, the Council 
will report to me directly on the results of its efforts.

                                                      William J. Clinton

cc: The Vice President

The Secretary of the Treasury

The Secretary of the Interior

The Secretary of Agriculture

The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development

The Director of the Office of Management and Budget

The Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy