I
103D CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 4034
To amend the Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Act of 1978 to authorize
grants for the expansion of recreation opportunities for at risk youth
in urban areas with a high prevalence of crime, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 15, 1994
Mr. MILLER of California (for himself, Mr. VENTO, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia,
Mr. MARTINEZ, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. GEJDENSON, Mr. DE LUGO, Mr.
LEHMAN, Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA, Ms. SHEPHERD, Ms. MCKINNEY, and
Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota) introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Natural Resources
A BILL
To amend the Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Act
of 1978 to authorize grants for the expansion of recre-
ation opportunities for at risk youth in urban areas
with a high prevalence of crime, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Urban Recreation and
At-Risk Youth Act of 1994’’.
HR 4034 IH
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Section 1002 of the Urban Park and Recreation Re-
covery Act of 1978 is amended by striking ‘‘and’’ at the
end of subsection (d), by striking the period at the end
of subsection (e) and inserting ‘‘; and’’ and by adding the
following at the end thereof:
‘‘(f) the quality of life in urban areas has suffered
because of decline in the availability of park and recreation
and systems, including land, facilities, and services;
‘‘(g) the deterioration of urban park and recreation
facilities is due in part to underfunding of Federal grant
programs which assist in the revitalization of urban recre-
ation facilities;
‘‘(h) the urban neighborhoods eligible for assistance
under this title have deteriorated, in part, due to the rapid
increase in violent crime among youth;
‘‘(i) accessible, well-maintained recreational facilities
and services have been shown to significantly decrease the
incidence of violent crime among youth and can be an ef-
fective tool in efforts to prevent crime, increase public
safety and improve the quality of life of urban residents;
and
‘‘(j) urban sport and recreation programs teach im-
portant values and life skills including teamwork, individ-
ual responsibility, respect, leadership, and self-esteem
HR 4034 IH
which help prevent young people from engaging in crimi-
nal behavior.’’.
SEC. 3. PURPOSE OF ASSISTANCE.
Section 1003 of the Urban Park and Recreation Re-
covery Act of 1978 is amended by adding the following
at the end thereof: ‘‘It is further the purpose of this title
to improve recreation facilities and expand recreation serv-
ices in urban areas with a high incidence of crime and
to help deter crime through the expansion of recreation
opportunities for at-risk youth. It is the further purpose
of this section to increase the security of urban parks and
to promote collaboration between local agencies involved
in parks and recreation, law enforcement, youth social
services, and the juvenile justice system.’’.
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.
Section 1004 of the Urban Park and Recreation Re-
covery Act of 1978 is amended by inserting the following
new subsection after subsection (c) and by redesignating
subsections (d) through (j) as (e) through (k) respectively:
‘‘(d) ‘at-risk youth recreation grants’ means—
‘‘(1) rehabilitation grants,
‘‘(2) innovation grants, or
‘‘(3) matching grants for continuing program
support for programs of demonstrated value or suc-
cess in providing constructive alternatives to youth
HR 4034 IH
at risk for engaging in criminal behavior, including
grants for operating, or coordinating recreation pro-
grams and services;
in neighborhoods and communities with a high prevalence
of crime, particularly violent crime or crime committed by
youthful offenders; in addition to the purposes specified
in subsection (b), rehabilitation grants referred to in para-
graph (1) of this subsection may be used for the provision
of lighting, emergency phones or other capital improve-
ments which will improve the security of urban parks;’’.
SEC. 5. CRITERIA FOR SELECTION.
Section 1005 of the Urban Park and Recreation Re-
covery Act of 1978 is amended by striking ‘‘and’’ at the
end of paragraph (6), by striking the period at the end
of paragraph (7) and inserting ‘‘; and’’ and by adding the
following at the end thereof:
‘‘(8) in the case of at risk youth recreation
grants, the Secretary shall give a priority to each of
the following criteria:
‘‘(A) Programs which are targeted to
youth who are at the greatest risk of becoming
involved in violence and crime.
‘‘(B) Programs which teach important val-
ues and life skills, including teamwork, respect,
leadership, and self-esteem.
HR 4034 IH
‘‘(C) Programs which offer tutoring, reme-
dial education, mentoring, and counseling in ad-
dition to recreation opportunities.
‘‘(D) Programs which offer services during
late night or other nonschool hours.
‘‘(E) Programs which demonstrate collabo-
ration between local park and recreation, juve-
nile justice, law enforcement, and youth social
service agencies and nongovernmental entities,
including the private sector and community and
nonprofit organizations.
‘‘(F) Programs which leverage public or
private recreation investments in the form of
services, materials, or cash.
‘‘(G) Programs which show the greatest
potential of being continued with non-Federal
funds or which can serve as models for other
communities.’’.
SEC. 6. PARK AND RECREATION ACTION RECOVERY PRO-
GRAMS.
Section 1007(b) of the Urban Park and Recreation
Recovery Act of 1978 is amended by adding the following
at the end thereof: ‘‘In order to be eligible to receive ‘at
risk youth recreation grants’ a local government shall
amend its 5-year action program to incorporate the goal
HR 4034 IH
of reducing crime and juvenile delinquency and to provide
a description of the implementation strategies to achieve
this goal. The plan shall also address how the local govern-
ment is coordinating its recreation programs with crime
prevention efforts of law enforcement, juvenile corrections,
and youth social service agencies.’’.
SEC. 7. MISCELLANEOUS AND TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS.
(a) PROGRAM SUPPORT.—Section 1013 of the Urban
Park and Recreation Recovery Act of 1978 is amended
by inserting ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—’’ after ‘‘1013’’ and by
adding the following new subsection at the end thereof:
‘‘(b) PROGRAM SUPPORT.—Not more than 25 per-
cent of the amounts made available under this title to any
local government may be used for program support.’’.
(b) EXTENSION.—Section 1003 of the Urban Park
and Recreation Recovery Act of 1978 is amended by strik-
ing ‘‘for a period of five years’’ and by striking ‘‘short-
term’’.
Æ