II

106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION S. 1874

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.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

NOVEMBER 5, 1999

Mr. GRAHAM (for himself, Mr. BINGAMAN, and Mrs. FEINSTEIN) introduced

the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee

on the Judiciary

A BILL

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.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Police Ath5 letic League Youth Enrichment Act of 1999’’.

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

7 Congress makes the following findings:
2

•S 1874 IS

1 (1) The goals of the Police Athletic League are

2 to—

3 (A) increase the academic success of youth

4 participants in PAL programs;

5 (B) promote a safe, healthy environment

6 for youth under the supervision of law enforce7 ment personnel where mutual trust and respect

8 can be built;

9 (C) increase school attendance by pro10 viding alternatives to suspensions and expul11 sions;

12 (D) reduce the juvenile crime rate in par13 ticipating designated communities and the num14 ber of police calls involving juveniles during

15 nonschool hours;

16 (E) provide youths with alternatives to

17 drugs, alcohol, tobacco, and gang activity;

18 (F) create positive communications and

19 interaction between youth and law enforcement

20 personnel; and

21 (G) prepare youth for the workplace.

22 (2) The Police Athletic League, during its 55-

23 year history as a national organization, has proven

24 to be a positive force in the communities it serves.
3

•S 1874 IS

1 (3) The Police Athletic League is a network of

2 1,700 facilities serving over 3,000 communities.

3 There are 320 PAL chapters throughout the United

4 States, the Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth

5 of Puerto Rico, serving 1,500,000 youths, ages 5 to

6 18, nationwide.

7 (4) Based on PAL chapter demographics, ap8 proximately 82 percent of the youths who benefit

9 from PAL programs live in inner cities and urban

10 areas.

11 (5) PAL chapters are locally operated, volun12 teer-driven organizations. Although most PAL chap13 ters are sponsored by a law enforcement agency,

14 PAL chapters receive no direct funding from law en15 forcement agencies and are dependent in large part

16 on support from the private sector, such as individ17 uals, business leaders, corporations, and founda18 tions. PAL chapters have been exceptionally success19 ful in balancing public funds with private sector do20 nations and maximizing community involvement.

21 (6) Today’s youth face far greater risks than

22 did their parents and grandparents. Law enforce23 ment statistics demonstrate that youth between the

24 ages of 12 and 17 are at risk of committing violent
4

•S 1874 IS

1 acts and being victims of violent acts between the

2 hours of 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.

3 (7) Greater numbers of students are dropping

4 out of school and failing in school, even though the

5 consequences of academic failure are more dire in

6 1999 than ever before.

7 (8) Many distressed areas in the United States

8 are still underserved by PAL chapters.

9 SEC. 3. PURPOSE.

10 The purpose of this Act is to provide adequate re11 sources in the form of—

12 (1) assistance for the 320 established PAL

13 chapters to increase of services to the communities

14 they are serving; and

15 (2) seed money for the establishment of 250

16 (50 per year over a 5-year period) additional local

17 PAL chapters in public housing projects and other

18 distressed areas, including distressed areas with a

19 majority population of Native Americans, by not

20 later than fiscal year 2005.

21 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

22 In this Act:

23 (1) ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL.—The

24 term ‘‘Assistant Attorney General’’ means the As-
5

•S 1874 IS

1 sistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice

2 Programs of the Department of Justice.

3 (2) DISTRESSED AREA.—The term ‘‘distressed

4 area’’ means an urban, suburban, or rural area with

5 a high percentage of high-risk youth, as defined in

6 section 509A of the Public Health Service Act (42

7 U.S.C. 290aa–8(f)).

8 (3) PAL CHAPTER.—The term ‘‘PAL chapter’’

9 means a chapter of a Police or Sheriff’s Athletic/Ac10 tivities League.

11 (4) POLICE ATHLETIC LEAGUE.—The term

12 ‘‘Police Athletic League’’ means the private, non13 profit, national representative organization for 320

14 Police or Sheriff’s Athletic/Activities Leagues

15 throughout the United States (including the Virgin

16 Islands and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico).

17 (5) PUBLIC HOUSING; PROJECT.—The terms

18 ‘‘public housing’’ and ‘‘project’’ have the meanings

19 given those terms in section 3(b) of the United

20 States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437a(b)).

21 SEC. 5. GRANTS AUTHORIZED.

22 (a) IN GENERAL.—For each of fiscal years 2000,

23 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004, the Assistant Attorney Gen24 eral shall award a grant to the Police Athletic League for

25 the purpose of establishing PAL chapters to serve public
6

•S 1874 IS

1 housing projects and other distressed areas, and expand2 ing existing PAL chapters to serve additional youths.

3 (b) APPLICATION.—

4 (1) SUBMISSION.—In order to be eligible to re5 ceive a grant under this section, the Police Athletic

6 League shall submit to the Assistant Attorney Gen7 eral an application, which shall include—

8 (A) a long-term strategy to establish 250

9 additional PAL chapters and detailed summary

10 of those areas in which new PAL chapters will

11 be established, or in which existing chapters will

12 be expanded to serve additional youths, during

13 the next fiscal year;

14 (B) a plan to ensure that there are a total

15 of not less than 570 PAL chapters in operation

16 before January 1, 2003;

17 (C) a certification that there will be appro18 priate coordination with those communities

19 where new PAL chapters will be located; and

20 (D) an explanation of the manner in which

21 new PAL chapters will operate without addi22 tional, direct Federal financial assistance once

23 assistance under this Act is discontinued.

24 (2) REVIEW.—The Assistant Attorney General

25 shall review and take action on an application sub-
7

•S 1874 IS

1 mitted under paragraph (1) not later than 120 days

2 after the date of such submission.

3 SEC. 6. USE OF FUNDS.

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—

5 (1) ASSISTANCE FOR NEW AND EXPANDED

6 CHAPTERS.—Amounts made available under a grant

7 awarded under this Act shall be used by the Police

8 Athletic League to provide funding for the establish9 ment of PAL chapters serving public housing

10 projects and other distressed areas, or the expansion

11 of existing PAL chapters.

12 (2) PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS.—Each new or

13 expanded PAL chapter assisted under paragraph (1)

14 shall carry out not less than 4 programs during non15 school hours, of which—

16 (A) not less than 2 programs shall

17 provide—

18 (i) mentoring assistance;

19 (ii) academic assistance;

20 (iii) recreational and athletic activi21 ties; or

22 (iv) technology training; and

23 (B) any remaining programs shall

24 provide—
8

•S 1874 IS

1 (i) drug, alcohol, and gang prevention

2 activities;

3 (ii) health and nutrition counseling;

4 (iii) cultural and social programs;

5 (iv) conflict resolution training, anger

6 management, and peer pressure training;

7 (v) job skill preparation activities; or

8 (vi) Youth Police Athletic League

9 Conferences or Youth Forums.

10 (b) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS.—In carrying out

11 the programs under subsection (a), a PAL chapter shall,

12 to the maximum extent practicable—

13 (1) use volunteers from businesses, academic

14 communities, social organizations, and law enforce15 ment organizations to serve as mentors or to assist

16 in other ways;

17 (2) ensure that youth in the local community

18 participate in designing the after-school activities;

19 (3) develop creative methods of conducting out20 reach to youth in the community;

21 (4) request donations of computer equipment

22 and other materials and equipment; and

23 (5) work with State and local park and recre24 ation agencies so that activities funded with amounts

25 made available under a grant under this Act will not
9

•S 1874 IS

1 duplicate activities funded from other sources in the

2 community served.

3 SEC. 7. REPORTS.

4 (a) REPORT TO ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL.—

5 For each fiscal year for which a grant is awarded under

6 this Act, the Police Athletic League shall submit to the

7 Assistant Attorney General a report on the use of amounts

8 made available under the grant.

9 (b) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than May 1

10 of each fiscal year for which amounts are made available

11 to carry out this Act, the Assistant Attorney General shall

12 submit to the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate

13 a report that details the progress made under this Act in

14 establishing and expanding PAL chapters in public hous15 ing projects and other distressed areas, and the effective16 ness of the PAL programs in reducing drug abuse, school

17 dropouts, and juvenile crime.

18 SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be appro20 priated to carry out this Act $16,000,000 for each of fiscal

21 years 2000 through 2004.

22 (b) FUNDING FOR PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION.—Of

23 the amount made available to carry out this Act in each

24 fiscal year—
10

•S 1874 IS

1 (1) not less than 2 percent shall be used for re2 search and evaluation of the grant program under

3 this Act;

4 (2) not less than 1 percent shall be used for

5 technical assistance related to the use of amounts

6 made available under grants awarded under this Act;

7 and

8 (3) not less than 1 percent shall be used for the

9 management and administration of the grant pro10 gram under this Act, except that the total amount

11 made available under this paragraph for administra12 tion of that program shall not exceed 6 percent.

13 SEC. 9. EFFECTIVE DATE.

14 This Act shall take effect on October 1, 1999.

Æ