I 111th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 1066 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES February 13, 2009 Mr. Farr (for himself, Mr. Driehaus, Mr. Honda, Mr. Petri, Ms. McCollum, Ms. Kaptur, Mr. Rahall, Mr. Olver, Mr. Welch, Mr. Waxman, Mr. George Miller of California, Mr. Van Hollen, Mrs. Capps, Mr. Tierney, Mr. McDermott, Ms. Eshoo, Mr. Faleomavaega, Mr. Visclosky, Mr. Rangel, Mr. Etheridge, Mr. Price of North Carolina, Mr. Calvert, Mr. Taylor, Mr. Engel, Mr. Hastings of Florida, Mr. Berry, Mr. Fattah, Mr. Pierluisi, Ms. DeLauro, Mrs. Halvorson, Mr. Meeks of New York, Ms. Zoe Lofgren of California, Mr. Perlmutter, Ms. Solis of California, Ms. Schakowsky, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Jackson of Illinois, Mr. Connolly of Virginia, Mr. Hare, Mr. Teague, and Mr. Kagen) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs A BILL To amend the Peace Corps Act to provide continued funding for the Peace Corps, to increase the readjustment allowances for Peace Corps volunteers and volunteer leaders, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Peace Corps Expansion Act of 2009.

2.

Findings

The Congress finds the following: (1)On October 14, 1960, then Senator John F. Kennedy addressed students on the steps of the University of Michigan Union to enlist their effort to make the world a better place by serving their country abroad. (2)On March 1, 1961, then President John F. Kennedy signed an Executive Order establishing a Peace Corps that was designed to permit our people to exercise more fully their responsibilities in the great common cause of world development. (3)Since President Kennedy established the Peace Corps, more than 190,000 volunteers have served in 139 countries. (4)The Peace Corps is focused on grassroots, bottom-up development, with volunteers working side-by-side with community members in the most humble communities around the world. (5)The Peace Corps has an impressive record of engendering good will through the service that American volunteers provide. (6)President Obama and Vice President Biden have articulated their intent to double the size of Peace Corps in an expeditious and considered manner. (7)13,011 Americans applied in 2008 to volunteer their service to serve the world’s poorest communities in the Peace Corps, a 16 percent increase over the 11,246 received in 2007. (8)At the budget level, the Peace Corps is able to provide placements for fewer than 4,000 Americans seeking the opportunity to serve their country and the world. (9)Several countries have requested Peace Corps volunteers to work together with their people to advance economic development and human flourishing, but have not yet received volunteers.

3.

Funding for the Peace Corps

Section 3 of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2502) is amended— (1)in subsection (b)(1)— (A)by striking $270,000,000 and all that follows through the end period and inserting the following: $450,000,000 for fiscal year 2010, $600,000,000 for fiscal year 2011, and $750,000,000 for fiscal year 2012.; and (B)by redesignating subsection (h) as subsection (e).

4.

Readjustment allowances for Peace Corps volunteers and volunteer leaders

(a)

Volunteers

Section 5(c) of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2504(c)) is amended in the first sentence by striking $125 and inserting $250. (b)

Volunteer leaders

Section 6(1) of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2505(1)) is amended by striking $125 and inserting $250.