George Miller: “For the second time in a row, the committee has recommended zero funding of the urban parks and rehabilitation program.…”

“For the second time in a row, the committee has recommended zero funding of the urban parks and rehabilitation program. As a result, once again we are seeing a long backlog of restoring the deteriorating urban recreation facilities and that backlog will continue to grow. In 1995, there were almost 200 applications filed for this inexpensive but important program. Failure to provide any funding for the urban parks program is unacceptable at a time when after-school recreational opportunities for millions of children have disappeared from our cities and suburban communities. We know the hours of 3 to 6 p.m. now are some of the most dangerous times not only for our children, but for our neighborhoods and for our families. The prime hours for gang activities, crime and violence are when children are without school, parental supervision, or constructive opportunities. A Carnegie task force report entitled 'A Matter of Time' found that, other than infancy, the period of early adolescence is the most critically important time for the development because so much physical, social, emotional, and moral development is compressed into such a short period of time with our adolescents.”