Support our Scouts Act of 2005

Support our Scouts Act of 2005 - Prohibits any Federal law from being construed to limit any Federal agency from providing any form of support for a youth organization (including the Boy Scouts of America or any group officially affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America) that would result in that Federal agency providing less support to that youth organization (or any similar organization chartered under Federal law relating to the Boy Scouts of America) than was provided during each of the preceding four fiscal years.

Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to prohibit any State or unit of general local government that has a designated open forum, limited public forum, or nonpublic forum and that is a recipient of assistance under the Act from denying equal access or a fair opportunity to meet to, or discriminate against, any youth organization, including the Boy Scouts of America or any group officially affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America, that wishes to conduct a meeting or otherwise participate in that designated open forum, limited public forum, or nonpublic forum.

[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 642 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 642

  To support certain national youth organizations, including the Boy 
               Scouts of America, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 16, 2005

   Mr. Frist (for himself, Mr. Alexander, Mr. Talent, Mr. Enzi, Mr. 
 Ensign, Mr. Sessions, Mr. Craig, Mr. Allen, Mr. Burns, Mr. Chambliss, 
    Mr. Bunning, Mr. Smith, Mr. Vitter, Mr. Graham, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. 
   Santorum, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. Brownback, Mr. Nelson of 
  Nebraska, and Mr. Nelson of Florida) introduced the following bill; 
  which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To support certain national youth organizations, including the Boy 
               Scouts of America, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Support our Scouts Act of 2005''.

SEC. 2. SUPPORT FOR YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section--
            (1) the term ``Federal agency'' means each department, 
        agency, instrumentality, or other entity of the United States 
        Government; and
            (2) the term ``youth organization'' means any organization 
        described under part B of subtitle II of title 36, United 
        States Code, that is intended to serve individuals under the 
        age of 21 years.
    (b) In General.--
            (1) Support for youth organizations.--No Federal law 
        (including any rule, regulation, directive, instruction, or 
        order) shall be construed to limit any Federal agency from 
        providing any form of support for a youth organization 
        (including the Boy Scouts of America or any group officially 
        affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America) that would result in 
        that Federal agency providing less support to that youth 
        organization (or any similar organization chartered under the 
        chapter of title 36, United States Code, relating to that youth 
        organization) than was provided during each of the preceding 4 
        fiscal years.
            (2) Types of support.--Support described under paragraph 
        (1) shall include--
                    (A) holding meetings, camping events, or other 
                activities on Federal property; and
                    (B) hosting any official event of such 
                organization.

SEC. 3. EQUAL ACCESS FOR YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS.

    Section 109 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 
(42 U.S.C. 5309) is amended--
            (1) in the first sentence of subsection (b) by inserting 
        ``or (e)'' after ``subsection (a)''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(e) Equal Access.--
            ``(1) Definition.--The term `youth organization' means any 
        organization described under part B of subtitle II of title 36, 
        United States Code, that is intended to serve individuals under 
        the age of 21 years.
            ``(2) In general.--No State or unit of general local 
        government that has a designated open forum, limited public 
        forum, or nonpublic forum and that is a recipient of assistance 
        under this chapter shall deny equal access or a fair 
        opportunity to meet to, or discriminate against, any youth 
        organization, including the Boy Scouts of America or any group 
        officially affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America, that 
        wishes to conduct a meeting or otherwise participate in that 
        designated open forum, limited public forum, or nonpublic 
        forum.''.
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