This bill directs the Assistant Attorney General (acting through the Office of Justice Programs) to award annual grants to the National Police Athletic/Activities League (National PAL) for fiscal years 2028 through 2032. The grants must help establish 250 new local PAL chapters (50 per year) in public housing and other distressed areas and expand existing chapters. The bill includes application rules, program standards, reporting requirements, and definitions for terms like "distressed area" and "high-risk youth." It requires each assisted PAL chapter to run at least two non-school-hour programs, including at least one program such as mentorship, academic help, sports, technology training, or character and leadership training. Other allowable activities include drug- and gang-prevention, health counseling, cultural programs, conflict resolution, job skills, and safety skills. The National PAL must submit a strategy showing where new chapters will be placed, certify local coordination, and explain how chapters will keep operating after federal funds stop. The Assistant Attorney General must act on applications within 120 days. National PAL must report on use of funds to the Assistant Attorney General, and the Assistant Attorney General must report progress to congressional judiciary committees by May 1 each year.
If you live in or work with a community that has or could get a PAL chapter, this bill would create federal grant support for more local after-school and non-school-hour programs run by or with law enforcement and community volunteers. The programs are meant to offer mentorship, school help, athletics, technology training, and other youth services. Local PAL chapters would need to involve youth in designing activities, recruit volunteers, and coordinate with local agencies to avoid duplicating services. The bill aims to expand PAL presence in public housing and distressed areas but does not detail how individual communities will be chosen beyond the application materials the National PAL must submit.
The bill authorizes $16,000,000 to be appropriated for each of fiscal years 2028 through 2032 to carry out the program. The Attorney General may also allocate other Department of Justice funds to the program if allowed by law. Of each year’s funding, at least 2% must go to research and evaluation, at least 1% to technical assistance, and at least 1% to management and administration; total administration spending may not exceed 6% of the funds. No publicly available information on overall federal budget impacts or CBO estimates is provided in the bill text.
The bill’s findings and stated purpose say National PAL programs increase academic success, build trust between youth and law enforcement, reduce juvenile crime and police calls involving juveniles during non-school hours, teach online safety, provide healthy alternatives to harmful activities, and strengthen neighborhoods. Supporters frame National PAL as a long-standing, volunteer-driven organization with over 200 chapters serving about 2,000,000 youths, and seek to expand services to more distressed areas.
No publicly available information.