110th CONGRESS
1st Session

H. R. 854

To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to eligible entities to prevent or alleviate the effects of youth violence in eligible urban communities by providing violence-prevention education, mentoring, counseling, and mental health services to children and adolescents in such communities.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

February 6, 2007

Mr. LARSON of Connecticut (for himself, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Ms. DELAURO, Ms. MATSUI, Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. KENNEDY, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. NADLER, Mr. BERMAN, Mr. ROTHMAN, Mr. MOORE of Kansas, Mr. CAPUANO, Mr. KUCINICH, Ms. WOOLSEY, Ms. LEE, Mr. WEXLER, Mr. SERRANO, Ms. CASTOR, Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of California, Ms. WATSON, Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania, Mr. SPRATT, Mr. AL GREEN of Texas, Mr. FATTAH, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr. ENGEL, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Ms. SHEA-PORTER, Ms. SLAUGHTER, Mr. STARK, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. COHEN, Mr. BACA, and Mr. ELLISON) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

A BILL

To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to eligible entities to prevent or alleviate the effects of youth violence in eligible urban communities by providing violence-prevention education, mentoring, counseling, and mental health services to children and adolescents in such communities.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the `City Youth Violence Recovery Act'.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:

      (1) The mental health of young people is essential to their overall well-being. Mental health affects how young people think, feel, and act; their ability to learn and engage in relationships; their self-esteem; their ability to evaluate situations and make choices; and their ability to handle stress, relate to other people, and acquire the skills and training needed for adulthood.

      (2) Each year many children and adolescents sustain injuries from violence, lose friends or family members because of violence, or are adversely affected by witnessing violence.

      (3) Youth violence, perpetrated both by and against young people, results in enormous physical, emotional, social, and economic consequences.

      (4) The National Institutes of Health has found that inner-city children experience the greatest exposure to violence, and youngsters who have been exposed to community violence are more likely to exhibit aggressive behavior or depression within the following year.

      (5) Any event that can cause a person to feel fear, helplessness, horror, and a sense that life or safety is in danger puts a person, especially children, at risk for posttraumatic stress.

      (6) Many cities lack the resources to provide the appropriate youth counseling and therapy services to minimize the long-term emotional harm of community violence.

SEC. 3. GRANTS TO PREVENT OR ALLEVIATE THE EFFECTS OF YOUTH VIOLENCE.

    (a) Grants- The Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the Attorney General of the United States, may award grants to eligible entities to prevent or alleviate the effects of youth violence in eligible urban communities by providing violence-prevention education, mentoring, counseling, and mental health services to children and adolescents in such communities.

    (b) Priority- In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary shall give priority to applicants that agree to use the grant in one or more eligible urban communities that lack the monetary or other resources to address youth violence.

    (c) Limitation- The Secretary may not make a grant to an eligible entity under this section unless the entity agrees to use not more than 15 percent of the funds provided through the grant for violence-prevention education.

    (d) Definitions- In this section:

      (1) The term `eligible entity' means a partnership between a State mental health authority and one or more local public or private providers, such as a city agency, State agency, educational institution, or nonprofit or for-profit organization.

      (2) The term `eligible urban community' means an urban community with a high or increasing incidence of youth violence.

      (3) The term `Secretary' means the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

    (e) Authorization of Appropriations- To carry out this section, there is authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2013.

END