Lawmakers Introduce Legislation to Launch New Era of American Service
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Reps. George Miller (D-CA) and Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) today introduced comprehensive legislation that would call generations of Americans to serve and volunteer in areas of national need that are intensifying with the recession.
In his address to a joint session of Congress last month, President Barack Obama made national service a key priority and asked Congress to take quick action. This legislation, the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act, answers his call. It builds on proposals Obama laid in his budget blueprint, similar legislation that has been introduced in the Senate by U.S. Sens. Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT), and a measure that was passed by the House Education and Labor Committee last year with unanimous bipartisan support. Miller, the chair of the committee, announced today that the committee will vote on the bill Wednesday. The House and Senate are expected to take act on it in the next few weeks.
“With this legislation, Congress will help President Obama create a new legacy for service and volunteerism in the same way that President Kennedy first did fifty years ago,” said Miller. “President Obama understands that we can harness Americans’ desire to serve to build a green economy, prepare workers for jobs, provide opportunities for older Americans who have been laid off or need additional employment post-retirement, and help students get a good education. This bill will help make Americans a part of the solution to get our country through this economic crisis.”
“The GIVE Act contains important provisions that will help strengthen communities and provide real opportunities for Americans to serve in meaningful ways. I am pleased to see that the bill has a strong focus on helping disadvantaged youth, strengthening mentoring programs and increasing service opportunities in cities and urban centers. The bill also includes a call for a National Day of Service and Remembrance on September 11, which uses national service as a sentimental memorial and a fitting tribute” said McCarthy. “The GIVE Act will create an important frame work to develop national service programs that will improve their communities while enriching the lives of all of those who answer the call to serve.”
The GIVE Act will launch a new era of national service by more than tripling the number of volunteers, from the current 75,000 to 250,000, and by increasing the education reward they receive to $5,350 for next year, the same as the maximum Pell Grant scholarship award. The education award would also be linked to match future boosts in the Pell Grant scholarship in order to keep up with rising college costs.
It would create a new national Call to Service campaign to encourage all Americans to get involved in service and would designate September 11th as a National Day of Service and Remembrance.
The legislation would also provide new incentives for middle and high school students to volunteer in their communities. It would create a Summer of Service program to engage students in service and allows them to earn a $500 education award to be used for college costs.
In addition, the legislation would:
- Strengthen existing service programs and create new innovative programs to help improve student achievement and graduation in low-income schools, expand health care access, provide seniors with help living independently, enhance services for veterans, and increase energy-efficiency and conservation;
- Expand the focus of the National Civilian Community Corps to infrastructure improvement, environmental and energy conversation, and urban and rural development, in addition to disaster relief;
- Create new opportunities for Baby Boomers and seniors to serve and volunteer;
- Recruit scientists and engineers into service to keep America competitive; and
- Build a nationwide community-based infrastructure to leverage investments in service.
In late February, the committee held a hearing to examine the importance of national and community service in meeting critical economic needs across the country. The hearing came a day after President Obama’s address to Congress where he called for bipartisan legislation “to encourage a renewed spirit of national service for this and future generations.”
For more information on the hearing and to watch witness testimony, click here.
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