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103D CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 422
To provide grants to reduce the number of homicides and the incidents
of violence by students, ages 13 to 21, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JANUARY 5, 1993
Mr. TOWNS introduced the following bill; which was referred jointly to the
Committees on Education and Labor and the Judiciary
A BILL
To provide grants to reduce the number of homicides and
the incidents of violence by students, ages 13 to 21,
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 ‘‘Youth Homicide Vio-
lence Reduction and Mediation Act of 1993’’.
SEC. 2. PURPOSES.
The purposes of this Act are to establish education,
behavior modification, conflict negotiation programs with
community and parental participation—
(1) to reduce the incidence of homicide and vio-
lence of students ages 13 to 21;
(2) to reduce the use of guns by such age
group; and
(3) promote anti-gun education.
SEC. 3. PROGRAM AUTHORIZATION.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the Bureau of
Justice Assistance may make grants to local educational
agencies to provide assistance to such agencies most di-
rectly affected by crime and violence.
(b) PRIORITY.—The Director shall give priority con-
sideration to local educational agencies in urban areas in
which the homicide rate for youth has increased by more
than five percent in comparison to the preceding year or
exceeds the State or national homicide rate for youth by
more than seven percent.
SEC. 4. ELIGIBILITY.
To be eligible to receive a grant under this Act, a
local educational agency shall give assurances that it has
developed, or is in the process of developing, violence re-
duction and peer counseling programs as part of the edu-
cational curriculum at each school.
SEC. 5. USES OF FUNDS.
Grants made by the Director under this Act may be
used—
(1) to fund training programs for teachers and
counseling staff to assist students in the effective
use of interpersonal and negotiation skills, with pri-
ority given to minority teachers and counselors and
to teachers and counselors who work with a diverse
ethnic student population or in a school with re-
peated violence problems;
(2) for counseling programs for victims and wit-
nesses of crime in schools;
(3) to develop programs for conflict resolution
and peer mediation counseling for students, teach-
ers, and other personnel in regular contact with stu-
dents at school; and
(4) to train parents and community members in
effective techniques that reduce violence and pro-
mote mediation.
SEC. 6. APPLICATIONS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—In order to be eligible to receive
a grant under this Act in any fiscal year, a local edu-
cational agency shall submit an application to the Director
in such form and containing such information as the Di-
rector may reasonably require.
(b) REQUIREMENTS.—Each application under sub-
section (a) shall include—
(1) a request for funds for the purposes de-
scribed in section 5;
(2) a description of the schools and commu-
nities to be served by the grant, including the nature
of the crime and violence problems within such
schools;
(3) a plan that describes how to reduce violence
and minimize the number of repeat offenders;
(4) assurances that Federal funds received
under this Act shall be used to supplement, not sup-
plant, non-Federal funds that would otherwise be
available for activities funded under this Act; and
(5) statistical information in such form and
containing such information that the Director may
require regarding violence, violent threats, and homi-
cides within the schools served by such local edu-
cational agency.
SEC. 7. REPORTS.
(a) REPORT.—Local educational agencies that receive
funds under this Act shall submit to the Director a report
not later than July 31 of each year in which grants are
made available under this Act that describes progress
achieved in carrying out the purposes of this Act.
(b) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—The Director shall sub-
mit to the Congress a report by August 31 of each year
in which grants are made available under this Act which
shall contain a detailed statement regarding grant awards,
activities of grant recipients, a compilation of statistical
information submitted by applicants, and an evaluation of
programs established under this Act.
SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS.
For the purpose of this Act—
(1) the term ‘‘Director’’ means the Director of
the Bureau of Justice Assistance;
(2) the term ‘‘local educational agency’’ has the
same meaning given such term under section
1471(12) of the Elementary and Secondary Edu-
cation Act of 1965; and
(3) the term ‘‘youth’’ means individuals age 13
through 21.
SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated $25,000,000
for 1994 and 1995 and such sums as may be necessary
for fiscal year 1996 to carry out this Act.
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