Recognizing and supporting the goals and ideals of "National Runaway Prevention Month".

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Duncan) for yielding me this time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my colleague, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Israel) in strong support of a resolution recognizing the goals and ideals of Runaway Youth Prevention Month, which is being sponsored by the National Network For Youth and the National Runaway Switchboard.

Within the last year, a number of highly publicized child abductions focused the attention of Americans on the plight of exploited and abducted children and the pain and agony suffered by the families left behind. Recognizing the serious threat that faces our children every day as they travel to and from school and play with friends in parks and neighborhoods, President Bush, in October of last year, convened a conference on missing, exploited, and runaway children. Again, the main focus was on abducted and exploited children, and rightly so. One child abduction is one too many.

But let us put the problem of child abductions into perspective. Five times as many children run away as are abducted in this country, and one runaway child is also one too many. There are approximately 1.3 million young Americans on the street every day as a result of running away and/or homelessness. One in seven children between the ages of 10 and 18 will run away. Some will return within a few days, while others will remain on the streets and never return. And each year, assault, illness, or suicide will take the lives of 5,000 runaway youth. That is 5,000 too many.

There are many reasons why children run away from home. Some are expelled from their homes by their families or separated from their parents because of death or divorce. As much as violence is involved in the abduction of a child, so too does physical, sexual, and emotional abuse at home often cause a child to run away. Having run away, these youth are now homeless, too poor to secure their own basic needs and often ineligible or unable to access medical or mental health resources.

Many runaway youth also have difficulty obtaining an education because they are homeless. Being a runaway or being without a home should not mean being without an education. Yet that is what homelessness means for far too many of our poor and runaway children and youth today.

Congress recognized the importance of educating homeless and runaway youth when it enacted in 1987 the McKinney Education program. But despite the progress made over the past decade, we know that homeless children continue to miss out on what is often the only source of stability and promise in their lives: school attendance.

That is why in the 107th Congress I introduced the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Act, which was included in the No Child Left Behind Act that became law at the beginning of 2002.

By incorporating the innovative provisions contained in the legislation, the No Child Left Behind Act strengthened the McKinney program, ensuring that homeless or runaway children are immediately enrolled in school when they desire an education. That means no red tape, no waiting for paperwork, and no bureaucratic delays. A school liaison helps runaway or homeless youth make certain decisions about their education and, upon enrollment, ensures that they have access to the special assistance and services available to runaway and homeless youth.

This is only one small way in which more is being done to help children who are runaways or who are homeless. There are many others, individuals and organizations, who are doing whatever they can to assist America's runaway youth by providing food, shelter, clothing, and counseling. Others are working with families to prevent a child from running away in the first place, and still others are intervening and advocating on behalf of children and giving them options other than running away.

One such organization is the National Runaway Switchboard, which provides crisis intervention and referrals to reconnect runaway youth with their families and to link young people to local resources that provide positive alternatives to running. I am compelled to call to the attention of my colleagues, just as the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) did, this important resource because it originated in Chicago.

Founded by a group of Chicago agencies, the National Runaway Switchboard was established in 1971 to provide comprehensive crisis intervention services for young people in the Chicago area. It was conceived as a centralized organization with free, 24-hour services, expertise in all youth-related issues, and as an information clearinghouse.

In 1974, it became a national resource and now is the federally designated national communication system for runaway and homeless youth. The Switchboard is still available 24 hours a day and fields more than 100,000 calls each year from the Nation's runaway and homeless youth; and through a partnership with Greyhound, the National Runaway Switchboard reunited approximately 1,000 families each year.

The National Runaway Switchboard, the National Network for Youth, an organization that my colleague, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Israel), will highlight, I am sure, have designated November as National Runaway Prevention Month. The purpose of this month is to call attention to the problem, its causes and impacts, and all of those organizations and services that exist to help both runaways and their families.

I want to thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Israel) for introducing this resolution. It has been an honor and a privilege to work with him in the last Congress, and now in this Congress, to bring this issue to the forefront. It is fitting for Congress to endorse the goals and ideals of National Runaway Prevention Month and to highlight those organizations that work so hard to help the youth of America who have left or who are seriously considering leaving their homes for a dangerous and uncertain life on the street.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 57) recognizing and supporting the goals and ideals of ``National Runaway Prevention Month''.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H. Res. 57.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 57, introduced by my distinguished colleague, the gentleman from the City of New York (Mr. Israel), recognizes and supports the goals and ideas of National Runaway Prevention Month.

Mr. Speaker, we all want every child in America to grow up in a safe, loving home and to realize his or her full potential in life. However, the plight of children who run away from their homes continues to plague American families. Sadly, the factors that prove to increase the chances that children will leave their homes seem so preventable. These factors include drug and alcohol abuse by a family member, severe neglect or mistreatment, and serious family unrest. I remember hearing after one of the school shootings a couple of years ago the national head of the YMCA on the CBS national news who said children were being neglected in this country like never before.

Even in this compassionate Nation, the challenges that today's youth face are many. But so too are the responsibilities that all Americans have to be aware of the conditions that encourage children to run away from home, and to address those conditions where they exist.

Hopefully, all Americans will pay more attention to the serious problem of runaway children. We can each act to enrich the lives of children in our communities by volunteering at a local school, or in a child-mentoring program, or in a faith-based organization that works with children or families. And in the most unfortunate cases in which children have left their homes, for whatever reason, it must be a priority of all Americans to work together to reunite parents with their runaway children.

Since nothing is more important than the safety and stability of the lives of our Nation's children, I urge all Members to support the adoption of House Resolution 57.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Israel) for introducing this worthwhile measure.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I will simply close by saying that I would also like to commend the gentleman from New York (Mr. Israel) and the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert).

The scope or magnitude of this problem is simply staggering. The gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert) mentioned that there are 1.3 million children on the streets, either because of running away or because of homelessness. Probably the most conservative study I have seen on this says there are a minimum of 450,000 children who run away from homes all across this Nation each year.

As I mentioned in my opening statement, I was so amazed when I heard, as I was driving to the airport one afternoon here in Washington, I heard on the CBS National Radio News that the national head of the YMCA said children are being neglected in this country today like never before. Unfortunately, children have more material wealth today than probably ever before, but there are also many, many, many children who are growing up without the love or discipline that they had in past years or, perhaps because of broken homes or parents working long hours, they are not getting the attention that they need and deserve.

I have said before that children today would be far better off with a few less toys and designer fashions and another brother or sister, or certainly more attention from their parents.

So this resolution is a small, but important, step in trying to do something about a very serious national problem; and I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time, and I also thank the distinguished gentlewomen from Illinois for her continued bipartisan leadership and compassion and concern on the issue of runaways.

The gentlewoman and I introduced this bill in February, 2003.

The National Network for Youth and the National Runaway Switchboard have designated November as National Runaway Prevention Month because many of the causes of runaways can be successfully addressed before the problem emerges. Unfortunately, many children do not realize that there are resources available to them, and they choose to run away because they think that there are no other options.

During National Runaway Prevention Month, the National Network for Youth and the National Runaway Switchboard publicizes the realities that runaways face on our streets. During this month, parents are reminded to keep communication with their children open. During November, the two organizations will reinforce the message that setting aside regular time for planned family activities is just critical.

These organizations also reach out to youth to educate them about how they can communicate more effectively with their parents. Young people can learn the techniques needed to adequately express their feelings. These organizations have the resources that can show youth that there are alternatives, which include counseling to address the unhappiness and a myriad of social services and youth groups.

The two main goals of National Runaway Prevention Month are to increase awareness of issues facing runaways and to educate the public about their role in preventing youth from running away.

Community programs in my district such as the Sanctuary Program in Huntington provide a safe haven for youth. They teach youth the value of trusted friends, family, adults, clergy, professionals. They teach teens how to listen, how to understand, and how to communicate.

Some people run away because of physical or sexual abuse in their

homes. In these cases, youth should know that there are options. They do not have to run and live on the streets. They can make the abuse stop. They can get counseling, they can continue their education, they can remain fully contributing members of society. There are alternatives. We need to educate our youth as to where those alternatives are.

That is what this bill helps do. The National Network for Youth and the National Runaway Switchboard use the month of November to publicize their efforts and educate people about those alternatives. National Runaway Prevention Month provides a vital service in informing both at- risk youth and their parents that communication is essential. This resolution before us demonstrates that the House of Representatives recognizes the service that these organizations provide.

I was very proud to introduce and cosponsor this resolution with the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert), and I urge the House to join us in passing it today so that we may save families and save lives.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in support of H. Res. 57, a bill recognizing and supporting the goals and ideals of National Runaway Prevention Month, and I commend the gentleman from New York (Mr. Israel) for its introduction.

Each year, more than 1 million teenagers run away in the United States, a rate of more than 1 every minute. Many of these young people leave their homes to escape abuse and neglect or because their parents could not or would not meet their basic needs for food, shelter, and a safe, supportive home environment.

While on the streets, America's children are vulnerable and may be exploited by drug dealers or become victims of crime or violence.

To survive, runaways may resort to shoplifting or prostitution to earn money for food and clothing. Medical conditions may go untreated or become aggravated by neglect, and those who drop out of school threaten their chances for economic independence.

The National Runaway Switchboard, which was founded by a group of Chicago agencies in 1971, gives help and hope to youth and their families by providing nonjudgmental, confidential crisis intervention and local and national referrals through a 24-hour hotline. The NRS, along with the National Network for Youth, are cosponsoring National Runaway Prevention Month during the month of November to increase awareness of the life circumstances of youths in high-risk situations and the need for a safe haven for these youths.

I also want to commend the Chicago public school system, the Chicago Board of Education for the work that it does of providing education for homeless children without their having to go through lots of changes in terms of identification of where they are and where they come from. This resolution supports NRS and NN4Y in their efforts to create National Runaway Prevention Month. I urge my colleagues to support H. Res. 57 and the runaway children it will help.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield such time as he may consume to the author of this resolution, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Israel).

Mr. Speaker, I would just again commend the gentleman from New York (Mr. Israel) and the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert) for the introduction of this resolution and the work that they have done on it. It is an important one.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.