H.R. 9059

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9059 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 9059

To direct the Assistant Attorney General to award grants to the 
National Police Athletic/Activities League to improve academic and 
social outcomes for youth and reduce both juvenile crime and the risk 
that youth will become victims of crime by providing productive 
activities conducted by law enforcement personnel during non-school 
hours.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

May 29, 2026

Mr. Gottheimer (for himself, Mr. Rutherford, Mr. Bishop, Mr. Bacon, Mr. 
Suozzi, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mr. Davis of North Carolina, Mr. Cuellar, and 
Mr. Carbajal) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To direct the Assistant Attorney General to award grants to the 
National Police Athletic/Activities League to improve academic and 
social outcomes for youth and reduce both juvenile crime and the risk 
that youth will become victims of crime by providing productive 
activities conducted by law enforcement personnel during non-school 
hours.

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 ``National Police Athletic/Activities 
League Youth Enrichment Reauthorization Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress finds the following:
(1) The goals of the National Police Athletic/Activities 
League and its member chapters are to--
(A) increase the academic success of youth 
participants in Police Athletic/Activities League 
programs, including in science, technology, 
engineering, and mathematics;
(B) promote a safe, healthy environment for youth 
under the supervision of law enforcement personnel 
where mutual trust and respect can be built;
(C) develop life-enhancing character and leadership 
skills in young people;
(D) increase school attendance by providing 
alternatives to suspensions and expulsions;
(E) reduce the juvenile crime rate in participating 
designated communities;
(F) reduce the number of police calls involving 
juveniles during non-school hours;
(G) teach youth protection skills, particularly 
those geared to the online world;
(H) provide youths with alternatives to drugs, 
alcohol, tobacco, gangs, and other activity that is 
harmful to such youths and their communities;
(I) create positive communication and interaction 
between youth and law enforcement personnel;
(J) prepare youth for the workplace; and
(K) strengthen neighborhoods by bringing youth, 
families, and law enforcement together around shared 
programs and goals.
(2) The National Police Athletic/Activities League and its 
member chapters, during its over 85-year history as a national 
organization, has proven to be a positive force in the 
communities it serves.
(3) The National Police Athletic/Activities League has over 
200 chartered Police Athletic/Activities League chapters 
throughout the United States, including the United States 
Virgin Islands, serving 2,000,000 youths, ages 5 to 18, 
nationwide.
(4) Based on National Police Athletic/Activities League 
chapter demographics, approximately 75 percent of the youths 
who benefit from Police Athletic/Activities League programs 
live in inner cities and urban areas.
(5) National Police Athletic/Activities League chapters are 
locally operated, volunteer-driven organizations. Although most 
Police Athletic/Activities League chapters are sponsored by a 
law enforcement agency, National Police Athletic/Activities 
League chapters rarely receive funding from law enforcement 
agencies and are dependent in large part on support from the 
private sector, such as individuals, business leaders, 
corporations, and foundations. National Police Athletic/
Activities League chapters have been exceptionally successful 
in balancing public funds with private sector donations and 
maximizing community involvement.
(6) Today's youth face far greater risks than did their 
parents and grandparents. Law enforcement statistics 
demonstrate that youth between the ages of 12 and 18 are at 
risk of committing violent acts and being victims of violent 
acts after school hours, between the hours of 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.
(7) Greater numbers of students are dropping out of school 
and failing in school, even though the consequences of academic 
failure are more dire in 2026 than ever before.
(8) The National Police Athletic/Activities League is the 
premier model for modern community policing and connecting cops 
to kids, based on the belief that young people, if reached 
early enough, are more likely to become productive adults and 
agents of change. It is dedicated to fostering positive 
relationships between law enforcement and youth through 
recreational, educational, and mentorship programs.
(9) Many distressed areas in the United States are still 
underserved by Police Athletic/Activities League chapters.

SEC. 3. PURPOSE.

The purpose of this Act is to provide adequate resources in the 
form of--
(1) assistance for the 200 established National Police 
Athletic/Activities League chapters to increase services to the 
communities they are serving;
(2) seed money for the establishment of 250 (50 per year 
over a 5-year period) additional local Police Athletic/
Activities League chapters in public housing projects and other 
distressed areas, including distressed areas with a majority 
population of Native Americans, by not later than fiscal year 
2032; and
(3) support of an annual gathering of Police Athletic/
Activities League chapters and designated youth leaders from 
such chapters to participate in a 3-day conference that 
addresses national and local issues impacting the youth of 
America and includes educational sessions to advance character 
and leadership skills.

SEC. 4. GRANTS AUTHORIZED.

(a) In General.--For each of fiscal years 2028 through 2032, the 
Assistant Attorney General shall award a grant to the National Police 
Athletic/Activities League to--
(1) establish PAL chapters to serve public housing projects 
and other distressed areas; and
(2) expand existing PAL chapters to serve additional 
youths.
(b) Application.--
(1) Submission.--To be eligible to receive a grant under 
this section, the National Police Athletic/Activities League 
shall submit to the Assistant Attorney General an application, 
which shall include--
(A) a long-term strategy to establish 250 
additional PAL chapters and a detailed summary of those 
areas in which such new PAL chapters will be 
established, or in which existing chapters will be 
expanded to serve additional youths, during the next 
fiscal year;
(B) a plan to ensure that there are not fewer than 
500 PAL chapters in operation by January 1, 2032;
(C) a certification that there will be appropriate 
coordination between new PAL chapters and those 
communities where such new PAL chapters will be 
located; and
(D) an explanation of how new PAL chapters will 
operate without additional Federal financial assistance 
once assistance under this Act is discontinued.
(2) Review.--Not later than 120 days after the date of 
submission of an application under paragraph (1), the Assistant 
Attorney General shall take action on such application.

SEC. 5. USE OF FUNDS.

(a) In General.--The National Police Athletic/Activities League 
shall use grant funds awarded under this Act to provide funding for--
(1) the establishment of PAL chapters serving public 
housing projects and other distressed areas; and
(2) the expansion of existing PAL chapters.
(b) Program Requirements.--Each PAL chapter assisted under 
paragraph (1) shall carry out not less than 2 programs during non-
school hours, of which--
(1) not less than 1 program shall provide--
(A) mentorship assistance and opportunities;
(B) academic assistance;
(C) recreational and athletic activities;
(D) technology training; or
(E) character development and leadership training; 
and
(2) any remaining programs shall provide--
(A) activities to prevent use of drugs and alcohol 
and participation in gangs;
(B) health and nutrition counseling;
(C) cultural and social programs;
(D) conflict resolution training, anger management, 
and peer pressure resistance training;
(E) job skill preparation activities;
(F) safety skills conveying; or
(G) Youth Police Athletic League Conferences or 
Youth Forums.
(c) Additional Requirements.--In carrying out the programs required 
under subsection (b), a PAL chapter shall, to the maximum extent 
practicable--
(1) recruit volunteers from businesses, academic 
communities, social organizations, and law enforcement 
organizations to serve as mentors or to otherwise assist with 
such programs;
(2) ensure that youth in the local community participate in 
designing the after-school activities;
(3) develop creative methods of conducting outreach to 
youth in the community served;
(4) request donations of computer equipment and other 
materials and equipment; and
(5) work with State and local parks and recreation agencies 
to ensure that activities funded with grant funds awarded under 
this Act do not duplicate otherwise funded activities in the 
community served.

SEC. 6. REPORTS.

(a) Report to Assistant Attorney General.--For each fiscal year in 
which a grant is awarded under this Act, the National Police Athletic/
Activities League shall submit to the Assistant Attorney General a 
report on the use of grant funds awarded under this Act.
(b) Report to Congress.--Not later than May 1 of each fiscal year 
for which amounts are made available to carry out this Act, the 
Assistant Attorney General shall submit to the Committees on the 
Judiciary of the Senate and of the House of Representatives a report 
that details the progress made under this Act in establishing and 
expanding PAL chapters in public housing projects and other distressed 
areas, and the effectiveness of PAL programs in reducing drug misuse, 
school dropout rates, and juvenile crime.

SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

(a) In General.--There is authorized to be appropriated to carry 
out this Act $16,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2028 through 2032.
(b) Additional Funds.--The Attorney General may allocate funding 
appropriated to, or collected by the Department of Justice as 
determined appropriate by the Attorney General and the Assistant 
Attorney General, to the extent that such allocations are not 
prohibited by law.
(c) Funding for Program Administration.--Of the amount made 
available to carry out this Act in each fiscal year--
(1) not less than 2 percent shall be used for research and 
evaluation of the grant program under this Act;
(2) not less than 1 percent shall be used for technical 
assistance related to the use of grant funds awarded under this 
Act; and
(3) not less than 1 percent shall be used for the 
management and administration of the grant program under this 
Act, except that the total amount made available under this 
paragraph for administration of such grant program may not 
exceed 6 percent.

SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS.

In this Act:
(1) Assistant attorney general.--The term ``Assistant 
Attorney General'' means the Attorney General, acting through 
the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice 
Programs of the Department of Justice.
(2) Distressed area.--The term ``distressed area'' means an 
urban, suburban, or rural area in which the percentage of high-
risk youth residing in such area equals or exceeds 40 percent.
(3) High-risk youth.--The term ``high-risk youth'' means an 
individual--
(A) who has not attained 21 years of age;
(B) who is at high risk of becoming, or has become, 
a drug abuser or an alcohol abuser; and
(C) who--
(i) is identified as a child of a substance 
abuser;
(ii) is a victim of physical, sexual, or 
psychological abuse;
(iii) has dropped out of school;
(iv) has become pregnant;
(v) is economically disadvantaged;
(vi) has committed a violent or delinquent 
act;
(vii) has experienced mental health 
problems;
(viii) has attempted suicide; or
(ix) is disabled by injuries.
(4) PAL chapter.--The term ``PAL chapter'' means a chapter 
of a Police or Sheriff's Athletic/Activities League that is a 
member of the National Police Athletic/Activities League.
(5) National police athletic/activities league.--The term 
``National Police Athletic/Activities League'' or ``National 
PAL'' means the private, nonprofit representative organization 
for Police or Sheriff's Athletic/Activities Leagues throughout 
the United States, including the United States Virgin Islands.
(6) Public housing; project.--The terms ``public housing'' 
and ``project'' have the meanings given those terms in section 
3(b)(1) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 
1437a(b)(1)).
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