Political Quotes

“I am pleased to offer my strong support for legislation just introduced with my distinguished colleague, the gentleman from New Jersey [Mr. Payne]. It is a youth development block grant, and the legislation would provide much needed funds to community-based organizations for the coordination and expansion of development programs for young people from 6 to 19 years of age. Too often, we focus attention on our young people only when their behavior becomes a problem to society. Daily newspaper and broadcast reports highlight the plight of troubled youth who overdose on drugs, bring weapons to school, and get involved in robberies and carjackings. Even the President reacted to the shootings at Eastern High School in the District of Columbia recently when a student brought a gun to school and shot two classmates. We, in Congress, are passing legislation to provide funds to local school systems for crime prevention equipment, such as metal detectors, and training programs for teachers in conflict resolution. We are introducing amendments to major education legislation to devise specific penalties for students who bring weapons to school. We are doing little, however, to find alternatives for at-risk youth that will help them grow into productive citizens. The main goal of the Youth Development Block Grant Act is to promote and support positive programs for young people.”