I
106TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 5250
To provide assistance to mobilize and support United States communities
in carrying out youth development programs that assure that all youth
have access to programs and services that build the competencies and
character development needed to fully prepare the youth to become adults
and effective citizens.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
SEPTEMBER 21, 2000
Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California (for himself, Mrs. ROUKEMA, Mr. FROST,
and Mr. GILMAN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Education and the Workforce
A BILL
To provide assistance to mobilize and support United States
communities in carrying out youth development programs
that assure that all youth have access to programs and
services that build the competencies and character devel-
opment needed to fully prepare the youth to become
adults and effective citizens.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
TITLE I—SHORT TITLE; POLICY;
FINDINGS; DEFINITIONS
SEC. 101. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Younger Americans
Act’’.
SEC. 102. A NATIONAL YOUTH POLICY.
Congress hereby resolves, in keeping with the tradi-
tional United States concept that youth are the Nation’s
most valuable resource, that youth of the Nation need, and
it is the joint and several duty and responsibility of gov-
ernments of the United States, of the several States and
political subdivisions, and of Indian tribes, to assure that
all youth have access to the full array of core resources,
including—
(1) ongoing relationships with caring adults;
(2) safe places with structured activities;
(3) access to services that promote healthy life-
styles, including those designed to improve physical
and mental health;
(4) opportunities to acquire marketable skills
and competencies; and
(5) opportunities for community service and
civic participation.
SEC. 103. FINDINGS.
Congress finds that—
(1) young people under 18 years of age are now
our most impoverished age group with 1 of every 5
living in poverty, a higher proportion than in 1968,
with the percentage for minority children being
about twice as high;
(2) more than 1 of 4 families is headed by a
single parent and the percentage of such families
headed by such single parents has risen steadily over
the past few decades, rising 13 percent since 1990;
(3) approximately 8,000,000 school-age children
under 14 years of age spend time without adult su-
pervision on a regular basis;
(4) an estimated 11,000,000 American children
have no health insurance and 9 out of 10 of such
children have parents who work;
(5) a need exists to address the developmental
needs of all youth while providing more intensive
support for youth in communities where need is
greatest;
(6) there is a need to engage youth as active
participants in decision-making that affects their
lives, including design, development, implementation,
and evaluation of youth development programs at
the Federal, State, and community levels;
(7) existing outcome driven youth development
strategies, pioneered by community-based organiza-
tions, hold real promise for promoting positive be-
haviors and preventing youth problems;
(8) formal evaluations of youth development
programs have documented significant improvements
in interpersonal skills, quality of peer and adult rela-
tionships, self-control, cognitive competencies, com-
mitment to schooling, and academic achievement;
(9) formal evaluations of youth development
programs have documented significant reductions in
drug and alcohol use, school misbehavior, aggressive
behavior, violence, truancy, high-risk sexual behav-
ior, and smoking;
(10) compared to American youth generally,
youth participating in community-based organiza-
tions are more than 26 percent more likely to report
having received recognition for good grades than
American youth generally and nearly 20 percent
more likely to rate the likelihood of their going to
college as ‘‘very high’’;
(11) a partnership between the public and pri-
vate sector to promote access to the full array of
core resources for youth who need such resources is
(B) is engaged in providing services to the
community.
(4) COMMUNITY BOARD.—The term ‘‘commu-
nity board’’ means a community board established in
accordance with section 307(a).
(5) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means
the Director of the Office on National Youth Policy.
(6) FUNDING AND COORDINATING AGENCY.—
The term ‘‘funding and coordinating agency’’ means
an organization directed by a board with a wide rep-
resentation from the community which generates
and distributes charitable health and human service
funds for diverse human service programs and co-
ordinates the efforts of multiple agencies as needed
or called upon but does not itself provide direct serv-
ices to children, youth, or their families.
(7) INDIAN.—The term ‘‘Indian’’ has the mean-
ing given the term in section 4(d) of the Indian Self-
Determination and Education Assistance Act (25
U.S.C. 450b(d)).
(8) NATIVE AMERICAN
ORGANIZATION.—The
term ‘‘Native American organization’’ means—
(A) a tribal organization, as defined in sec-
tion 4(l) of the Indian Self-Determination and
Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 450b(l));
(B) a Native Hawaiian Organization, as
defined in section 4009(4) of the Augustus F.
Hawkins-Robert T. Stafford Elementary and
Secondary School Improvement Amendments of
1988 (20 U.S.C. 4909(4));
(C) an Alaska Native Village Corporation
or Regional Corporation as defined in or estab-
lished pursuant to the Alaskan Native Claims
Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.); or
(D) a private nonprofit organization estab-
lished for the purpose of serving youth who are
Indians or Native Hawaiians.
(9) NATIVE HAWAIIAN.—The term ‘‘Native Ha-
waiian’’ has the meaning given the term in section
4009(1) of the Augustus F. Hawkins-Robert T.
Stafford Elementary and Secondary School Improve-
ment Amendments of 1988 (20 U.S.C. 4909(1)).
(10) OFFICE.—The term ‘‘Office’’ means the
Office of National Youth Policy.
(11) 
SECRETARY.—The 
term 
‘‘Secretary’’
means the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
(12) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of
the several States of the United States, the District
of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
(13) UNIT OF GENERAL PURPOSE LOCAL GOV-
ERNMENT.—The term ‘‘unit of general purpose local
government’’ means—
(A) a political subdivision of a State whose
authority is general and not limited to only 1
function or combination of related functions; or
(B) a Native American organization.
(14) YOUTH.—The term ‘‘youth’’ means an in-
dividual who is not younger than age 10 and not
older than age 19.
(15) YOUTH DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION.—
The term ‘‘youth development’’, used with respect to
an organization, means a public or private youth-
serving organization with a major emphasis on pro-
viding youth development programs.
(16) YOUTH
DEVELOPMENT
PROGRAMS.—The
term ‘‘youth development programs’’ means pro-
grams that prepare youth to contribute to their com-
munities and to meet the challenges of adolescence
and adulthood through a structured, progressive se-
ries of activities and experiences that (in contrast to
deficit-based approaches that focus solely on youth
problems)—
(A) help the youth obtain social, emotional,
ethical, physical, and cognitive competencies;
and
(B) address the broader developmental re-
sources all children and youth need, such as the
core resources described in section 101.
(17) 
YOUTH-SERVING
ORGANIZATION.—The
term ‘‘youth-serving’’, used with respect to an orga-
nization, means a public or private organization with
a primary focus on providing youth development pro-
grams, or health, mental health, fitness, education,
workforce preparation, substance abuse prevention,
child welfare, psychological, parenting, recreation,
teen pregnancy prevention, rehabilitative, or residen-
tial services, to youth.
TITLE II—COORDINATION OF
NATIONAL YOUTH POLICY
SEC. 201. OFFICE ON NATIONAL YOUTH POLICY.
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the
Executive Office of the President an Office of National
Youth Policy.
(b) ADMINISTRATION.—The Office of National Youth
Policy established under subsection (a) shall be adminis-
tered by a Director who shall be appointed by the Presi-
dent with the advice and consent of the Senate.
(c) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Director appointed
under subsection (b) shall—
(1) establish, in cooperation with the Associate
Commissioner, policies, objectives, and priorities for
programs funded under this Act;
(2) serve as an effective and visible advocate for
youth in the Federal Government, and with other
departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the
Federal Government, by actively reviewing and com-
menting on all Federal policies affecting youth;
(3) develop mechanisms to resolve administra-
tive and programmatic conflicts between Federal
programs that would be barriers to parents, commu-
nity-based, youth-serving, and youth development or-
ganizations, local government entities, education en-
tities, older adult organizations, faith-based organi-
zations, and organizations supporting youth in serv-
ice related to the coordination of services and fund-
ing for programs promoting access to the full array
of core resources described in section 102 of this
Act; and
(4) consult with and assist State and local gov-
ernments with respect to barriers they encounter re-
lated to the coordination of services and funding for
programs under this Act.
(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For the
purposes of carrying out this title, there are authorized
to be appropriated $500,000 for fiscal year 2001 and such
sums as may be necessary for each of the 4 succeeding
fiscal years, to remain available until expended.
SEC. 202. COUNCIL ON NATIONAL YOUTH POLICY.
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—There is hereby established
in the Office a Council on National Youth Policy
(referred to in this section as the ‘‘Council’’).
(2) COMPOSITION.—
(A) NUMBER.—The Council shall be com-
posed of 12 members.
(B) 
QUALIFICATIONS.—The 
President
shall appoint the 12 members of the Council
from among—
(i) individuals who have expertise or
experience with youth development or
youth-serving programs, especially those
serving rural and inner-city urban youth;
(ii) representatives of national organi-
zations with an interest in youth develop-
ment programs;
(iii) representatives of business;
(iv) representatives of minorities; and
(v) parents.
(C) AGE.—At least 1⁄3 of the individuals
appointed shall be younger than age 21 at the
time of appointment.
(D) LIMITATIONS.—No full-time officer or
employee of the Federal Government may be
appointed to be a member of the Council.
(b) APPOINTMENT AND TERMS.—
(1) TERMS.—Except as otherwise provided in
this section, a member of the Council shall serve for
a term of 3 years, which shall end on March 31 re-
gardless of the actual date of the appointment of the
member.
(2) SERVICE.—Members of the Council shall
serve without regard to the provisions of title 5,
United States Code.
(c) SERVICE DURING VACANCIES.—Any member ap-
pointed to fill a vacancy occurring prior to the expiration
of the term for which such member’s predecessor was ap-
pointed shall be appointed for the remainder of such term.
Members shall be eligible for appointment and may con-
tinue to serve after the expiration of their terms until their
successors have taken office.
(d) VACANCIES.—Any vacancy in the Council shall
not affect the powers of the Council, but shall be filled