HR 1388 IH

To authorize funding for the National 4-H Program Centennial Initiative.

To authorize funding for the National 4-H Program Centennial Initiative.

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- Subject to the availability of appropriations, the Secretary of Agriculture shall make a grant to the National 4-H Council to be used 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.

(c) REPORT- The National 4-H Council shall submit the 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) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS- There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2002.