§ 28-3-1702 — Legislative declaration

(1) The general assembly hereby finds
and declares that:

(a) The need for educating at-risk or disruptive youth is well established;

(b) Recognizing the need for special programs to address positive youth
development, the United States congress authorized and appropriated moneys for
the use of National Guard or other facilities and equipment for the provision of a
program designed to improve the employment potential and life skills of eligible
youth through National Guard youth challenge corps programs; and

(c) An evaluation of similar programs for eligible youth operating in other
states indicates that:

(I) Eighty percent of the students accepted into these programs went on to
graduate from the programs;

(II) Eighty percent of the students in these programs were placed in schools
or employed at the time of graduation from the programs;

(III) Eighty percent of the students in these programs successfully
completed a high school equivalency examination, either during the time in which
they were participating in the programs or within one year after graduating from
the programs; and

(IV) Less than one percent of the students who participated in these
programs were incarcerated within one year after graduating from the programs.

(2) Therefore, the general assembly hereby finds and declares that it would
be in the best interest of the people of the state of Colorado to authorize the
department to operate a youth challenge corps program and to take advantage of
the opportunity to use National Guard or other facilities and equipment and any
federal funding that may be available for such a program as authorized by federal
law.

Legislative History

Source: L. 2009: Entire part added, (HB 09-1280), ch. 384, p. 2083, � 1, effective August 5. L. 2014: (1)(c)(III) amended, (SB 14-058), ch. 102, p. 384, � 20, effective April 7.