Kids activity funding backed
Berny Morson, Rocky Mountain News
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Law enforcement agencies are backing a House bill that would provide more than $3 million for before- and after-school programs for kids in kindergarten through eighth grade.
The measure, House Bill 1363 by Rep. Debbie Benefield, D-Arvada, could come up for a debate before the full House this morning.
"We're seeing all the data that reflects when you keep young people in a safe environment from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., the crime rate drops, drug use drops - it reduces juvenile crime across the board," Benefield said Wednesday.
Her bill would provide grants to school districts to start programs in sports, fitness, culture, the arts, character development and leadership.
The money would come from a $75 surcharge on some criminal fines, and from money the state receives from a settlement with tobacco companies of health-related lawsuits.
Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey said anything that keeps kids off the streets after school will reduce problems.
"That's when they're doing things out there that are getting them into trouble, and they sometimes have very long-term effects on them," Morrissey said. "A teen pregnancy to somebody who's 14 or 15, that's going to have a long-term effect."
After-school programs were cut during the state's fiscal difficulties in the early part of the decade, Morrissey said.
Under the bill, school districts would apply for funding for the after-school programs. The districts could then seek more funds from businesses or foundations.
The number of children who will be served "depends on how clever the school districts are," Benefield said.
The bill drew opposition in committee from lawmakers who oppose growth in state spending.
Referendum C, passed by voters in November, suspended the state spending cap for five years.
Rep. Keith King, R-Colorado Springs, said bills like Benefield's raise the level of state spending that will be the basis for a new cap in five years.
King said he supports after- school programs, but will vote against the bill.
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