Bipartisan legislation would expand youth sports facilities & support student mental health
Washington D.C. — U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is introducing bipartisan legislation to build more sports facilities for Georgia kids and families.
This week, Sens. Ossoff and Todd Young (R-IN) introduced the bipartisan Youth Sports Facilities Actto help build and upgrade sports facilities across Georgia, giving kids and families safe spaces to play while also supporting student mental health and boosting economic growth.
The bipartisan legislation would make youth sports facilities eligible for grants through the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA), giving educational agencies, local governments, and nonprofits more funding opportunities to create and upgrade sports facilities while growing local economies at the same time.
The bipartisan bill would also give preference to rural communities and projects that aim to create new sports facilities in low-income and underserved communities.
“Georgia families deserve modern and safe sports facilities where their kids can play, grow, and thrive,” Sen. Ossoff said. “This bipartisan bill will help Georgia communities expand youth sports facilities, strengthen local economies, and foster mental and physical health for the next generation.”
“Youth sports play a vital role in promoting healthy lifestyles from an early age while teaching essential life skills like teamwork and discipline. This bill would empower communities to use existing grant funds to improve youth sports facilities for children living in areas of need, encouraging greater youth sports participation in Indiana and across the nation,” said Senator Young.
Georgia is home to nearly 1.7 million K-12 public school students and 219 school systems.
Sen. Ossoff continues working to support the health of Georgia’s children.
Last month, Sen. Ossoff delivered over 1.7 million through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act to help hire and train more mental health counselors for students in Georgia schools.
In October, Sen. Ossoff introduced the Fresh Food Act of 2024 to address food insecurity across Georgia by helping attract more grocery stores to Georgia communities with limited access to fresh foods, and to help support Georgia farmers.
In July, Sen. Ossoff delivered over $2.8 million in Federal grant funding through the Drug-Free Communities Support Programs (DFC) for communities across Georgia.
In March, Sen. Ossoff delivered $1,205,656 in Federal funding through the Children’s Hospital Graduate Medical Education (CHGME) program to help Egleston Children’s Hospital at Emory University train and retain more pediatric physicians.
Click here to read the Youth Sports Facilities Act.
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