“I am proud to have authored this legislation that increases the resources available to help at-risk children. This bill provides both emergency short-term assistance, as well as long-term programs that will help keep children off the streets and out of danger,” said Gingrey. “It was a great honor, as a freshman member, to see my bill pass the House by a wide, bipartisan margin in May.

“I look forward to President Bush’s signature that will make this bill law and see a lot of hard work pay off.”

The Runaway, Homeless, and Missing Children’s Protection Act (H.R. 1925 in the House) authorizes two separate Acts, the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act and the Missing Children’s Assistance Act.  The Runaway and Homeless Youth Protection Act reauthorization increases the funding available to serve these at-risk youth by approximately $17 million, bringing the total funding available to $105 million, an increase of nearly 17 percent in funding over FY03.  The  majority of those funds are distributed in the form of grants to centers that then run three major programs: the Basic Centers Program, which provides short-term food, shelter and counseling in an attempt to reunite runaway youth with their families; the Transitional Living Programs, an 18-month program to provide housing, food, shelter and education to transition homeless young people into self-sufficiency and the Street Outreach Program, which provides street-based outreach and education and offers emergency shelter and related services to young people who have been, or are at risk of being, sexually abused or exploited.   

The Act also authorizes funding for the Presidential initiative that created maternity group homes, transitional living programs for young mothers and their children.  The homes, which would be included in the Transitional Living Program, provide pregnant youth and young mothers aged 16-21 with food and shelter, as well as an extensive array of parenting programs.  Mothers participating in these group homes learn about child development, family budgeting, health and nutrition, and parenting skills, in order to prepare them to be self-sufficient and economically independent mothers.

The second portion of the reauthorization, the Missing Children’s Assistance Act, reauthorizes the funding for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) for a full five years.  The NCMEC was reauthorized for two years and its funding doubled by the PROTECT Act, signed into law by President Bush on April 30, but the Missing Children’s Assistance Act extends the reauthorization for a full five years.