Date: 2001-06-20
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker. I would like to commend the gentleman from Florida . my colleague. for bringing H. Res. 124 forward today. The ideals embodied in this resolution promoting American Youth Day that children and youth are to be valued and that we have a responsibility to provide them with the resources they need to secure a healthy and promise future are not to be taken lightly. Too often. Congress overlooks the needs of our Nations young people. We somehow fail to make the issues of young people a priority. and we somehow fail to make an adequate investment in their development and well being. Too often. we also find public programs for young people focus on the problems of youth. In turn. we wind up with a lot of programs and policies that react to the negative behaviors. like juvenile delinquency or teenage pregnancy. That is not to say that we should ignore these problems. nor can we. In the communities across the country. children are faced with numerous obstacles which prevent them from reaching their full potential. If you just look at the children in this Nation who are impoverished. in 1999 there were over 12 million youth under the age of 18 who were poor. In spite of low unemployment. my own State of California has one of the highest rates of child poverty among the States. ranking 45th out of the 50 States and the District of Columbia. The gap between high- and lowwage earners in California is the fifth largest among the States. With much of the job growth that we have in the next 5 years concentrated in lowpaying positions. six out of 10 of those jobs are expected to pay under $8 an hour. many working families will continue to have a difficult time making ends meet and to provide for their children. Affordable housing. nutritious food. quality childcare. quality health care. in fact. are out of reach of many of these families. In the area of health care. California youth have less access to health care than their counterparts in other States. 21 percent of the children and teens are uninsured as compared to 15 percent nationally. Less access to health care means that children are less likely to be immunized and less likely to receive wellchild care. One study found that uninsured children are 3 times as likely as insured children to go without needed health care. including medical. surgical. dental care. prescription drugs. eyeglasses and mental health care. all of the things that we know are important to children performing well in our schools. to take an advantage of the opportunities for success that were presented to them. . Without this kind of health care coverage. without access to this kind of diagnosis. these childrens chances to succeed are greatly diminished. Two out of three California youth in need of mental services do not receive those services. The teen unemployment rate for youth is 13.1 percent. particularly troubling is the unemployment rate for black teens of 24.7 percent. In 1999. one out of six of the 16yearolds to 19yearolds in California who were looking for work could not find a job. That is why this resolution is important to call attention to these matters. In the area of youth crime. nationally we see the juvenile crime rate is declining. but yet again. my home Stateof California ranks 48 out of 50 States and the District of Columbia for the percentage of youth detained in the California Youth Authority. county camps. juvenile halls. and private institutions. For too many of these youth. this incarceration will greatly diminish their chances in later life. Twentytwo percent of the violent crimes in the U.S. are juveniles. and children under the age of 12 make up approximately a quarter of the juvenile victims known to police. Tomorrow. the Subcommittee on Select Education will begin work on reauthorizing the Juvenile Justice and the Delinquency Prevention Act to address several of these issues. Yet the need for these programs take a more positive approach to youth still exists. We must accentuate the positive possibilities that we can bring to these childrens lives. An overwhelming body of research has demonstrated that we need to do more to foster positive youth development. to build social and emotional competence and to link young people with adult mentors. H. Res. 124 is a step in the right direction. and Congress has the opportunity to do even more to ensure that all of these children and the purposes of this resolution are carried out and have access to the core five principles stated in this resolution. H.R. 17. the Younger Americans Act. which I have introduced with the gentlewoman from New Jersey (Mrs. RouKEMA). represents the next step. The Younger Americans Act was built around the same five pillars of youth development as found in H. Res. 124. .helping youth to access ongoing relations with caring adults. to have safe places. to have a healthy start and future. and education and community service activities. H.R. 17 provides communities the resources they need to achieve the very goals we are setting out for them in todays resolution. H.R. 17 has 49 cosponsors. Democrats and Republicans. and there is a companion measure in the Senate. The Younger Americans Act establishes a national policy on youth development and assists communities in developing an infrastructure and network for local initiatives that promote the positive goals and outcomes for youth. The Younger Americans Act promotes youth development programs that work. such as mentoring. teen employment programs. afterschool learning activities. and recreational activities. It encourages youthled activities that encourage selfesteem and character development. It does not create new programs. instead. it reinforces. reinforces youth development initiatives that already exist at the local levels in the communities all across this country. The bill has a vast national coalition of supporters. including Secretary of State and former Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell. the Boys and Girls Club of America. Big Brothers/Big Sisters. the National Urban League. Americas Promise. the Child Welfare League of America. the United Way. the National Mental Health Association and many. many other organizations. The Younger Americans Act ensures that all children and youth can benefit from youth development programs and have access to education. health and economic resources they need to realize their potential. Mr. Speaker. if we are to call upon the communities to celebrate American Youth Day. then Congress must do its part. This resolution should be just the beginning. and I commend the gentleman from Florida for his efforts. and I hope that this resolution will receive unanimous support in the House of Representatives today. Mr. Speaker. I also invite the gentleman and many of our other colleagues to join me and the gentlewoman from New Jersey in supporting the next step. passage of the Younger Americans Act. The Younger Americans Act will ensure that every day is American Youth Day. This is a commitment that this Nation must make. It is a commitment that this Nation cannot afford not to make. Mr. Speaker. I want to again say how much I appreciate this resolution being brought to the floor. because it is time for this Congress to stop. think and to reflect. and for this Nation to -stop. think and reflect about the opportunities. the potential that exist in each of our children as they are born. and then the question will be whether or not that child will be in a position to take advantage of the opportunities for success. Because almost each and every one of these children is capable of doing that. Mr. Speaker. if they do not have the access to a caring adult. if they do not have access to health. to education. to civic involvement in our communities. then their chances for those opportunities and taking advantage of those op-. portunities are greatly diminished. That is why we should pass this resolution today. and that is why the Congress should then take the next step. which is the passage of the Younger Americans Act. Mr. Speaker. I reserve the balance of my time.