INTRODUCTION OF THE YOUNGER AMERICANS ACT
SEN. MAX CLELAND (June 7, 2001)

From the Congressional Record

.Mr. CLELAND. Mr. President, I am very pleased to once again join Senator
JEFFORDS as a cosponsor of the Younger Americans Act. The Senator from
Vermont has done yeoman's work on this legislation, which seeks to offer the
same kind of comprehensive and coordinated support to America's young people
that the landmark 1965 Older Americans Act provides to our nation's seniors.
By creating an Office of National Youth Policy in the White House, by
authorizing over $5 billion over the next five years to help local community
organizations provide needed services and supports to their youth, the
Younger Americans Act forges a national youth policy which prioritizes the
needs of our young people and helps to provide them with the critical
resources they need to achieve their full potential and become contributing
members of their communities.

The recently released 2001 KIDS COUNT Data Book, a State-by-State report
on the conditions facing America's children, found that the well-being of
our youth improved over the past decade on seven of ten key KIDS COUNT
measures. The national rate of teen deaths by accident, homicide and suicide
fell by a substantial 24 percent. The number of teens ages 16-19 who dropped
out of high school declined from 10 percent in 1990 to 9 percent in 1998.
And there has been a steady decline in the rate of teenage births, which
fell by a significant 19 percent between 1990 and 1998.

On the other hand, the 2001 KIDS COUNT Data Book also reports that more
than 16 million children have parents who, despite being employed full time,
struggle from paycheck to paycheck. In addition, the report finds that the
number of single parent households in this country is on the rise. In 1998,
27 percent of families with children were headed by a single parent, up from
24 percent in 1990--and every State but three experienced an increase.

According to the 2000 Census, there was a 14 percent increase in the
number of children in America in the last decade--the largest increase in
the number of children living in this country since the decade of the 1950s.
This significant increase in the under-18 population will undoubtedly mean
new challenges and new demands on ``our already struggling public education,
child care, and family support systems,'' as Douglas Nelson, president of
the Annie E. Casey Foundation which publishes the KIDS COUNT report, points
out. The Younger Americans Act will help this nation meet these new demands
by providing a framework which fosters the positive development of all our
nation's youth. This is a strategy in marked contrast to previous government
policies which respond to youngsters only after they have gotten into
trouble. It is a significant fact that more than 200 young people took part
in drafting the original legislation. As some of my colleagues have pointed
out, these youngsters were telling us that it is time to redirect our focus
on what is right with our young people, not what is wrong.

The Younger Americans Act will support community-based efforts that
provide young people access to five core resources: ongoing relationships
with caring adults; safe places with structured activities; services that
promote healthy lifestyles; opportunities to acquire marketable skills; and
opportunities for community service and civic participation. Such a positive
support system ideally comes from strong families, but communities and
government can play a part. The successful Head Start and 21st Century
Community Leaning Centers programs have provided support systems for parents
of America's younger children. The Younger Americans Act will provide
support structure for our adolescents during the vulnerable years between
ages 10 and 19. It stresses the pivotal role of the family and emphasizes
the critical importance of parental involvement.

James Agee once said: ``As in every child who is born, under no matter
what circumstances and of no matter what parents, the potentiality of the
human race is born again.'' The Younger Americans Act recognizes and affirms
that an investment in our children is an investment in America's future.