| Younger
Americans Act Bill Summary - 106th Congress S. 3085 |
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| The
Younger Americans Act has been introduced into the 107th Congress as well.
Click here for links to information on the latest incarnation of the bill. (From Sen. Jeffords Floor Statement Introducing the Younger Americans Act in the Senate) The Younger Americans Act provides a framework for a cohesive national policy on youth. Loosely based on the Older Americans Act, this legislation is an opportunity to better coordinate the services, activities and programs that help our young people make a successful transition from childhood to adulthood. The bill includes a block grant program to support local communities in their efforts to strengthen the resources that are available to youth. But perhaps most importantly, The Younger Americans Act is about forging partnerships between parents, youth, government, and youth serving organizations. The Younger Americans Act begins with a statement of national youth policy that youth need to have access five core resources:
Safe places with structured activities; Services that promote healthy lifestyles, including those designed to improve physical and mental health; Opportunities to acquire marketable skills and competencies; and Opportunities for community service and civic participation. Reflecting the high priority which youth need to occupy on the national agenda, the legislation establishes an Office of National Youth Policy within the White House. This office will serve as an effective advocate for youth within the federal government and assist in resolving administrative and programmatic conflicts between federal programs that are barriers to parents, youth, communities, and service providers in accessing the full array of core resources for youth. Funds for this Office are authorized for $500,000 a year. The Younger Americans Act creates a Council on National Youth Policy to advise the President, the Director of the Office of National Youth Policy and the Department of Health and Human Services on the developmental needs of youth, youth participation, and federal youth policies. The membership of the Council ensures that youth are active participants in the finding solutions to many of their own problems. The Council is authorized to conduct public forums for discussion and serve as an information conduit between policy makers, youth, and others involved in the provision of youth services. It is authorized for $250,000 per year. The Younger Americans Act creates a formula-based state block grant to support community-based youth development programs, activities and services. Ninety-seven percent of the funds will be distributed to states, Native American tribes and organizations, and outlying territories. The Department of Health and Human Services is authorized to use the remainder of the funds to conduct demonstration program for youth populations that are particularly vulnerable. Funds are distributed to states based on the population of youth aged 10-19, and the number of children and youth receiving free- or reduced priced lunches. There is a small state minimum of .4 percent. To implement the block grant, states are required to divide the state into geographical regions called planning and mobilization areas. States are encouraged to utilize existing state administrative or programmatic regions. States may use up to 4 percent of the funds for program review, monitoring, and technical assistance; and no more than 3 percent of the funds to address the needs of particularly vulnerable youth populations, including youth in out-of-home residential settings, such as foster care, communities with high concentrations of poverty, rural areas, and youth that have been abused or neglected. The remaining 93 percent of the funds allotted to the states must be equitably distributed among the planning and mobilization areas, based on the same population and school lunch program participation formula used for the distribution of the federal funds. An ``area agency for youth'' will be designated to administer the funds, under the direction of a community board. States are encouraged to build on existing community resources and systems. After assessing the available assets for youth, as well as gaps in and barriers to services in the community, a plan to address the needs of local youth in the five core resources is developed for each region of the state. At least 30 percent of the funds provided to the area agency for youth must be used to address the needs of the most vulnerable youth populations in the region. As part of the planning process, area agencies for youth and community boards must identify measures of program effectiveness upon which future progress will be evaluated. Funds are distributed, on a competitive basis, to community-based youth serving organizations and agencies in such a manner as to build a cohesive network of programs, services and activities for local youth. Provisions in the legislation ensure the participation of youth and their families in decisions about how best to meet the needs of local youth. There is a state or local match requirement of 20 percent for the first two years, increasing to 50 percent by the fifth and subsequent years. The match can meet through cash or in-kind contributions, fairly evaluated. The legislation contains an illustrative list of youth development activities, programs and services that may receive funds from the Younger American's Act. That list includes a broad variety of effective youth development activities such as youth mentoring, community youth centers and clubs, character development, non-school hours programs, sports and recreation activities, academic and cultural enrichment, workforce preparation, community service, and referrals to health and mental health services. The block grant is authorized for $500 million the first year, ramping up to $2 billion in the fifth year of the legislation, for a total of $5.75 billion over five years. Although research has demonstrated the effectiveness of positive youth development programs, accountability and evaluation must be part of any significant investment of federal funds. The legislation requires the Department of Health and Human Service to conduct extensive research and evaluation of the programs, services and activities funded under the Act. The Department also has responsibility for funding professional development activities for youth workers and other training and education initiatives to increase the capacity of local boards, agencies and organizations to implement the block grant. These efforts are authorized for $7 million per year. |
© 2001, The National Assembly and The National Collaboration for Youth
