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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR:	Regensberg		DATE TYPED:	01/25/02		HB	142
SHORT TITLE:		Maxwell At-Risk Youth Programs				SB
					ANALYST:		Dunbar

APPROPRIATION

Appropriation Contained

Estimated Additional Impact

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY02

FY03

FY02

FY03

$20.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

Responses Received

Children Youth and Families Department (CYFD)

State Department of Education (SDE)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Bill 142 appropriates $20.0 from the general fund to CYFD to provide or contract for summer programs for at-risk youth in the village of Maxwell in Colfax county.

Significant Issues

The bill does not describe the programs which will serve “at risk youth”.

SDE notes that the school district is on a four-day week and the present out-of-school program has only two volunteers for an hour at the end of the school day. A new school district structure in Maxwell has been earmarked as a community building. The building would house the summer program. The appropriation would expand a present volunteer program available to only a few of the at-risk children and would be utilized for staff salaries and supplies.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $20.0 contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general fund. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY 03 shall revert to the general fund.

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

Contract administration from within CYFD’s existing resources will be required.

TECHNICAL ISSUES

Consideration should be given to defining “at risk youth” and the types of programs that the bill will fund.

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

SDE reports that:

Programs are beneficial to children during non-school hours, particularly after-school hours, during holidays and summer.

Adults view out-of-school programs as an effective way of deterring violence by:

· providing school age children with safe environments;

· teaching respect for people different than themselves;

· providing structured adult supervision; and

· teaching ways to peacefully resolve conflicts

Young school age children left for many hours and days on their own in self-care during non-school hours exhibited poor behavior adjustment and academic performance in the sixth grade (Pettitt and Laird, Bates, Dodge, longitudinal report of 1997).
Students who spend 1-4 hours per week in extracurricular activities are 50% less likely to use drugs and 30% less likely to become teen parents (The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services).

POSSIBLE QUESTIONS

1. Are all “at risk youth” in the district eligible to participate in the program or will eligibility be limited to certain age groups?

2. How many youths will be served by this appropriation?

BD/ar