Federal Legislation Introduced this Session

Addressing Juvenile Justice Issues

Sponsor: Rep. Tom Osborne - H.R. 1501

To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize competitive grants to support local mentoring programs by adults for children in need. Eligible for such grants include: local educational agencies; non-profit community based organizations and partnerships between such agencies and such an organization. The bill requires at least one grant in each State for which there is a qualified applicant.

Sponsor: Rep. Peter DeFazio - H.R. 1397- The Youth Violence Act of 2001

This legislation amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize the use of drug control (Bryne) grants to develop or expand a state’s instant criminal background check system that includes allowing a person who sells a firearm and who is not a licensed dealer only limited access of the system regarding the eligibility status of a proposed firearm purchaser.

Prohibits the manufacture of a handgun in the United States unless a child safety lock is attached to or is an integral part of the firearm.

Provides fines and imprisonment sentences for any person who keeps a loaded firearm or an unloaded firearm and ammunition where a juvenile can access it, if the juvenile obtains access and causes death or bodily injury or illegally exhibits the firearm in school or a public place.

Sponsor: Rep. Lamar Smith - H.R. 863 - Consequences of Juvenile Offenders Act of 2001

This legislation provides grants to promote greater accountability in the juvenile justice system, including grants to develop, implement and administer graduated sanctions; build, expand, renovate or operate juvenile facilities; provide funding to enable prosecutors to address drug, gang, and youth violence problems more effectively and to establish and maintain programs designed to enhance school safety, restorative justice programs and programs to enable juvenile courts and juvenile probation officers to be more effective in holding juvenile offenders accountable and reducing recidivism and to hire and provide training programs for detention and corrections personnel.

Sponsor: Sen. Tom Daschle - S.B. 19 - Civil Rights for All Americans Act

This legislation is very extensive.  It covers educational provisions, hate crimes generally, racial profiling, discrimination on the basis of genetic information, prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation,

Concerning juveniles, it directs the Office of Justice Programs of the Department of Justice to award grants to state and local programs designed to combat hate crimes committed by juveniles.  It directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to study the adult recruitment of juveniles to commit hate crimes; and it includes provisions to strengthen delinquency prevention.

Copyright © 2001 Juvenile Justice Coalition