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“AUTHORIZING FUNDING FOR NATIONAL 4-H PROGRAM CENTENNIAL INITIATIVE” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Agriculture was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H3479-H3481 on June 25, 2001.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
AUTHORIZING FUNDING FOR NATIONAL 4-H PROGRAM CENTENNIAL INITIATIVE
Mr. LUCAS of Oklahoma. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 657) to authorize funding for the National 4-H Program Centennial Initiative.
The Clerk read as follows:
S. 657
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. NATIONAL 4-H PROGRAM CENTENNIAL INITIATIVE.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
(1) the 4-H Program is 1 of the largest youth development organizations operating in each of the 50 States and over 3,000 counties;
(2) the 4-H Program is promoted by the Secretary of Agriculture through the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service and land-grant colleges and universities;
(3) the 4-H Program is supported by public and private resources, including the National 4-H Council; and
(4) in celebration of the centennial of the 4-H Program in 2002, the National 4-H Council has proposed a public-private partnership to develop new strategies for youth development for the next century in light of an increasingly global and technology-oriented economy and ever-changing demands and challenges facing youth in widely diverse communities.
(b) Grant.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary of Agriculture may provide a grant to the National 4-H Council to pay the Federal share of the cost of--
(A) conducting a program of discussions through meetings, seminars, and listening sessions on the National, State, and local levels regarding strategies for youth development; and
(B) preparing a report that--
(i) summarizes and analyzes the discussions;
(ii) makes specific recommendations of strategies for youth development; and
(iii) proposes a plan of action for carrying out those strategies.
(2) Cost sharing.--
(A) In general.--The Federal share of the cost of the program under paragraph (1) shall be 50 percent.
(B) Form of non-federal share.--The non-Federal share of the cost of the program under paragraph (1) may be paid in the form of cash or the provision of services, material, or other in-kind contributions.
(3) Amount.--The grant made under this subsection shall not exceed $5,000,000.
(c) Report.--The National 4-H Council shall submit any report prepared under subsection (b) to the President, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives, and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate.
(d) Funding.--The Secretary may fund the grant authorized by this section from--
(1) funds made available under subsection (e); and
(2) notwithstanding subsections (c) and (d) of section 793 of the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996
(7 U.S.C. 2204f), funds from the Account established under section 793(a) of that Act.
(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $5,000,000.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Lucas) and the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Mrs. Clayton) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Lucas).
Mr. LUCAS of Oklahoma. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise today to urge my colleagues to support S. 657, a bill that authorizes funding for the National 4-H Program Centennial Initiative. 4-H has been a guiding force for America's youth for over the past century. It has taught countless numbers of youth responsibility and a sense of community.
This bill is identical to a House version, H.R. 1388, that the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Ganske) and the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Mrs. Clayton) and I strongly support. S. 657 will provide the money for the 4-H programs in all 50 States to conduct meetings, seminars, and listening sessions on the national, State and local levels regarding strategies for youth development. Most importantly, it requires a report that Congress and the President can use to help determine what avenues and programs are best suited to helping the youth of this country.
S. 657 will allow the Secretary of Agriculture to provide a $5 million grant to the National 4-H Council. The bill sets up a cost-
share structure so that the private sector will match the grant up to
$5 million.
For those of my colleagues that are wondering why my Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Rural Development and Research is so concerned, let me get right to the point. The rural development and research programs that my subcommittee is responsible for overseeing are stretched very thin, and the loss of young people in our rural areas is extremely disturbing. The best thing about the 4-H youth program is that it not only helps youth in rural communities but urban and suburban communities as well, because 4-H programs are present in over 3,000 counties in the United States.
The National 4-H Program Centennial Initiative is good for America's youth and for America's future. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this important piece of legislation.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. CLAYTON. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I also rise in support of this bill, S. 657, which provides funding to support the National 4-H Program Centennial Initiative. For 100 years, the 4-H program has served the youth of this Nation by providing leadership training and education in a wide array of life skills. Our Nation has changed. The 4-H program has changed as well. While many may think that the 4-H program is for rural youth only, the fact is that now over 35 percent of the programs for youth are really, indeed, in urban and suburban areas. Without abandoning their original core constituency, the 4-H program and its thousands of volunteers have expanded their program throughout our Nation.
So as the 4-H program celebrates its 100 years of service to American youth, this bill will play an important part. S. 657 will authorize funding for a grant, as has been mentioned, which will be administered by the USDA to help the National 4-H Council plan a national convention to develop critical youth-development strategies for the next century. The $5 million provided by this act will be paid out in a 50-50 Federal-private matching grant, so it will also be a tool to leverage additional private resources or resources from non-Federal sources.
Helping to shape the future of our Nation's youth is one of the most important investments this Congress can make. This is one good effort we can make in that regard. I thank the gentleman for bringing this bill to the floor, and I am delighted to encourage my colleagues to support its passage.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. LUCAS of Oklahoma. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Ganske).
{time} 1515
Mr. GANSKE. Madam Speaker, I am thankful that the House is taking up this legislation today which is the companion bill to the Ganske 4-H bill, H.R. 1388, which has wide bipartisan support.
In April, a group of 4-H'ers from Iowa asked me to introduce this legislation in the House of Representatives. Since 4-H has been working to serve both rural and urban kids for over 100 years, I was proud to help them.
Madam Speaker, this is the 4-H logo. It stands for head, heart, hands and health: Head for clearer thinking, heart for greater loyalty, hands for larger service, and health for better living. These are goals that are laudatory.
4-H is active in all 50 States and the District of Columbia. It has chapters in over 3,000 counties, and has almost 7 million members. There are over 600,000 4-H volunteer leaders around the country, and I want to thank them for their efforts and for the countless hours they have put in. I know that those volunteers also recognize that their own lives are enriched by the time they spend with kids in 4-H.
Madam Speaker, 4-H is often seen as a rural organization, and it has served rural areas very successfully through its history. But the organization is very active in serving youth in our urban areas and cities. Over a third of its members are from the suburbs and cities.
Madam Speaker, 4-H is undertaking an ambitious plan to use the celebration of its 100th anniversary to foster a new initiative in youth development, culminating in a plan of action for families, communities and youth leaders around America to implement strategies for youth development to lead us into the next century. I strongly encourage my colleagues to support 4-H by voting for this legislation.
I am honored that I was able to play a role in bringing this legislation forward, and I thank the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Lucas) and the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Mrs. Clayton) for their important contributions as well. Vote for this legislation.
Mrs. CLAYTON. Madam Speaker, I do not have any additional requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. LUCAS of Oklahoma. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Pence).
Mr. PENCE. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time.
Madam Speaker, as a proud Hoosier representing proud 4-H'ers across Indiana, and as a former 4-H'er myself, I am proud to stand in favor of S. 657 to authorize funding for the National 4-H Program Centennial Initiative. I want to thank the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Lucas), the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Mrs. Clayton) and the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Ganske) for their seminal work on this project, and for their efforts to raise the national profile of 4-H through this study.
Madam Speaker, think of it: 50 States, 3,000 counties, and just as many county fairs, 4-H is making a difference in the lives of America's youth. In the year 2002, 4-H will celebrate 100 years of having fun and making a difference for kids in both rural areas and, in increasing measure, in urban areas around the United States of America.
The grant authorized by this legislation for the Secretary of Agriculture will not only provide the opportunity to study strategies for youth development, but as the gentleman from Oklahoma stated, it will require a report to the President. It will require leadership in 4-H, both public and private, to think clearly about the next 100 years of youth development in 4-H.
Madam Speaker, $5 million may not seem like a lot of money in this town, but all across America $5 million is very serious money. It gives us a genuine opportunity to assist 4-H in developing new strategies to face the new horizons for America's youth increasingly beset by distractions of a destructive nature that lead them down a path of unproductive lives.
Madam Speaker, 4-H is fun. But as the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Ganske) stated so eloquently, it is much more than just fun. It is head, heart, hands and health. It is teaching the habits of good living to young boys and girls across America.
Madam Speaker, 4-H makes a difference, and so I stand in strong support and urge all of my colleagues to support this bill to authorize funding for the National 4-H Program Centennial Initiative.
Mr. LUCAS of Oklahoma. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, this is one of those occasions where as a Member of Congress, we have an opportunity to return something to one of the organizations that gave us the opportunities that we now enjoy.
I think back to my days at Crawford Public School as a member of the Crawford Junior 4-H Club when I had my first opportunity to participate in leadership experience, my first opportunity to be a president of anything. This is my opportunity to return to 4-H, this body's opportunity to return to 4-H, part of what it has provided all of us with.
Mr. CHAMBLISS. Madam Speaker, I support this bill to authorize funding for the National 4-H Program Centennial Initiative. From its beginnings as the Corn Club for Boys and Tomato Canning Club for Girls, the 4-H program has grown to one of the largest youth organizations in the United States with more than 6.8 million participants. Today 4-
H'ers can be found building model rockets, organizing canned food drives for the needy, showing livestock, delivering a speech before local government officials on issues critical to youth, and much more.
In celebration of the centennial of the 4-H Program in 2002, the National 4-H Council has proposed a public-private partnership, to develop new strategies for youth development for the next century. As our world becomes increasingly global and technology-oriented, the demands and challenges facing youth continue to change. This bill will allow the program to change as well. The bill calls for the federal government to provide a $5 million federal grant that may be matched by non-federal sources.
Today, as a former 4-H member I ask for your support of the youth of America by passing this bill and allowing this great youth organization to evolve into the next century.
Mr. MORAN of Kansas. Madam Speaker, on behalf of over 94,101 Kansas youth involved in the 4-H program, I rise today in support of the National 4-H Program Centennial Initiative. 2002 marks the 100th anniversary of 4-H and it is only fitting that today we take action to recognize the important contributions that this organization has made in the development of our youth.
In my home state of Kansas, 4-H is the largest youth organization outside of school. Almost 100,000 youth between the ages of 7-19 are involved in 3,065 4-H clubs and groups. 4-H reaches 1 in 7 Kansas youth, helping them develop important life skills such as teamwork, cooperation, time management, and communication.
4-H is a diverse organization, in both its membership and programming. 4-H is traditionally thought of as being targeted to
``farm kids.'' Yet 55% of 4-Her's in Kansas, a very rural state, reside in suburban and urban areas. Of the 6.8 million youth in 4-H nationwide, 30% represent minority racial, cultural, and ethnic populations. In fact, minority youth are the fastest growing segment of 4-H membership.
While 4-H has expanded to meet the needs and interests of youth with diverse backgrounds in all types of communities, at the same time it continues to honor its historic connection with America's rural communities. In Kansas, 45% of 4-H participants live on farms or in rural areas. As a member of the Agriculture Committee and the Congressional Rural caucus, I understand and appreciate the leadership and opportunity 4-H has provided to millions of our rural youth over the past century.
The purpose of 4-H is illustrated in the 4 H's--head, heart, hands and health--which make up the symbolic 4-H clover. As the pledge states, 4-H does indeed teach youth to think more clearly, to value loyalty, to engage in service, and to follow a healthy lifestyle so that they may become better citizens who will enrich the lives of others and improve our society.
The occasion of a centennial is a significant milestone for any organization, and I am proud of the century of service 4-H has given to our nation. I encourage my colleagues to recognize the contributions and value of 4-H youth development by supporting the National 4-H Program Centennial Initiative.
Mr. HAYES. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of House bill 1388 to authorize funding for the National 4-H Program Centennial Initiative. For 100 years 4-H programs across the United States have been producing exemplary citizens. I believe that programs such as 4-H that promote healthy lifestyles, good decision making skills, and loyalty to one's self, community, country and world are vital to the development of our nation's youth. The program has successfully reached our youth in over 3,000 counties in all 50 states. Through conferences, exchanges, and camps in North Carolina, 4-H is making a difference in the lives of young people.
Through federally-funded grants, this bill will make it possible to conduct meetings and seminars to determine what youth development programs are needed and/or currently working and allow this important program to succeed another one hundred years.
4-H participants in North Carolina and across the country benefit from the relationships formed and the timeless values taught through the program. The 4-H program teaches young people skills that will last a lifetime, and reaches students in both rural and urban areas, while not misplacing the values the organization was founded upon. Thank you and I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Madam Speaker, I rise this evening to offer my full support of funding for the National 4-H Program Centennial Initiative. 4-H is the youth education branch of the Cooperative Extension Service, which is also a program of the United States Department of Agriculture. The 4-H program is one of the nation's largest youth development organizations operating in over 3,000 counties throughout each of the fifty states. Texas has one of the largest memberships which includes more than 1.1 million children and teenagers. In and around the district I am privileged to represent, the 28th District of Texas, more than 72,000 young people are enrolled in the 4-H program.
In anticipation of its centennial in 2002, the National 4-H Council has proposed the creation of a public-private partnership to develop new strategies for youth development that will reflect the fast-
changing realities of life in the 21st Century. Among other things, 4-H hopes to examine the impact of expanding globalization and the role of emerging high technology businesses.
The National 4-H Program Centennial Initiative will promote program discussions on the national, state, and local levels. These programs, whether meetings, seminars, or listening sessions, will promote new strategies for youth development and education. This legislation will provide grants up to $5 million to the National 4-H Council to federal share of program costs. Funding for these planning strategies will help address the issues facing millions of youth all across America.
During these sessions, which will begin at the county level, interested young people will be able to raise issues or questions that face them and their future, such as how the 4-H program can best use emerging technologies to meet tomorrow's challenges. The results of these county sessions will form the foundation of a national strategic plan to implement changes and better prepare for the future. The diverse backgrounds and needs of Texas' counties will be reflected in these reports, helping 4-H members all across the nation understand and adapt to our changing world.
Funding for this program will greatly benefit America's future by helping today's youth. We always say that our children are our future. Let's give them the chance to speak out and address the concerns of our changing world.
Mr. LUCAS of Oklahoma. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Biggert). The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Lucas) that the House suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill, S. 657.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor thereof) the rules were suspended and the Senate bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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