[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 144 (Thursday, October 6, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: October 6, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
 APPOINTMENT OF NOMINEES TO THE CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY 
                                SERVICE

  Mr. DURENBERGER. Mr. President, I rise today to discuss briefly the 
nominations the President has sent to us for confirmation to the Board 
of the new Corporation for National and Community Service.
  I have some serious concerns about some of the nominees, concerns I 
have expressed directly to the administration. In particular, I believe 
the President left out some very important perspectives in making these 
appointments. And, I believe there are several nominees whose 
perspectives would be more appropriately considered by the 
Corporation's Board--in the course of its work--rather than directly 
represented on that Board.
  As members of this body know only too well, my commitment to this law 
and the programs it authorizes stems largely from my own personal 
experiences and from the leadership on community service and service 
learning that has come from my own State of Minnesota.
  Mr. President, I've said many times before that I came to this issue 
several years ago with a much narrower vision of what we've 
traditionally called ``volunteerism.''
  My vision was limited by my own experience as a community volunteer, 
as president of the South St. Paul Jaycees, as president of the 
Burroughs Elementary School PTA, as an active participant in the 
Citizens League, as a leader in youth sports activities, county and 
regional park agencies, and a mile long list of other community 
projects and community organizations--all beginning many years before I 
even thought of running for public office.
  My vision was also defined as ``volunteerism'' by my years as a 
director of volunteers, the National Center for Voluntary Action, and 
by my work in the 1970's on the National Study Commission on 
Volunteering in America.
  I did my own ``volunteering'' out of a strong sense of public service 
and civic duty. And, I still believe that promoting what President Bush 
called a thousand points of light is an important part of what 
promoting national and community service is all about.
  But, from people like Jim Kielsmeier at the National Youth Leadership 
Council, Mary Jo Richardson at the Minnesota Department of Education, 
and a lot of teachers and students in Minnesota, I've also learned that 
integrating community service into the school curriculum, often known 
as ``service learning, must be an essential element in preparing our 
children for a lifetime of good citizenship. It is also a critical 
aspect of education reform.
  I'm especially indebted to my Minnesota mentors on this subject--
individuals like Dan Conrad, a teacher at Hopkins High School and one 
of the Nation's leading experts on service learning--and Wayne Meisel 
and Reatha Clark King, two of the four Minnesotans who were appointed 
several years ago by President Bush to the first Commission on National 
and Community Service.
  And, finally, I've learned a great deal from Minnesotans like Larry 
Fonnest of the Minnesota Conservation Corps that service corps and 
other forms of stipended service can be an effective education 
alternative for students who are not well-suited for more traditional 
forms of schooling based only on textbooks used in the classroom.
  This growing awareness of the links between community service and 
education is one reason I became the first Republican to cosponsor the 
National and Community Service Act when it was introduced in 1989.
  And, it was a major factor in my decision to become the lead 
Republican cosponsor of President Clinton's national service proposal, 
as well as the Wofford-Durenberger Service Learning Act of 1993.
  I mention all of this personal history--and what I've learned about 
national and community service from Minnesotans--as a back drop for 
expressing the very serious concerns I've had about at least some of 
the President's nominees now before us. I should also note that my 
general approach as a Senator over the past 16 years has been to give 
considerable deference to whomever the President nominates to positions 
of responsibility like the Board of this new corporation.
  Absent real evidence of incompetence or ethical or legal 
improprieties, I have generally supported the nominations of all four 
Republican and Democratic Presidents with whom I have served.
  But I leave the Senate this month. If 16 years means anything, I must 
say I don't want endorsing the status quo to be my last act. Let me say 
first, Mr. President, that a Board that oversees and manages the 
operation of a program that is supposed to serve young people, should 
without question reflect two critical things--a personal commitment to 
service and the views of young people, themselves. That clearly was the 
intent of Congress in writing the law. But, I'm sorry to say that taken 
as a whole, this slate of nominee falls short on both those counts.
  In Minnesota we have what one might call a service ethic that begins 
at a very early age, at a point when young people have the opportunity 
to develop a sense of responsibility, citizenship, and leadership that 
can last a lifetime.
  In order to reinforce that service ethic on a national level, I 
believe that the membership of this Corporation Board should reflect 
the interests of youth, both in terms of age and service experience, as 
well as a variety of perspectives. Unfortunately, Corporation Board 
with a few exceptions, is exactly what this board looks like.
  The relevant statutory language requires, and I quote:

       There shall be in the Corporation a board of directors that 
     shall be composed of 15 members, including an individual 
     between the ages of 16 and 25 who has served in a school 
     based or community-based service learning program or was a 
     participant or a supervisor in a program.

  The statute continues:

       To the maximum extent practicable, the President shall 
     appoint members, who have extensive experience in volunteer 
     or service activities, which may include programs funded 
     under more than one of the national service laws and in State 
     government; who represent a broad range of viewpoints; who 
     are experts in the delivery of human, educational, 
     environmental or public safety services; so that the Board 
     shall be diverse according to age, ethnicity, gender and 
     disability characteristics and so that no more than 50 
     percent of the appointed members of Board, plus one 
     additional appointed member, are from the same political 
     party.

  Mr. President, I have carefully examined the biographies of President 
Clinton's nominees. And, while most have impressive backgrounds that 
clearly show a commitment to service, some do not meet the requirements 
set forth in the statute as I believe they should be interpreted.
  In addition, there are no current or retired local government 
officials; no one living, volunteering or teaching service in a 
nonurban setting, much like the small rural towns that all of our 
Presidents have come from; no native Americans; no service deliveries.
  The list does include one very qualified young woman--age 19--who 
fulfills the youth slot. However, she is the only young person, the 
next youngest person is 29. The average age of this group of nominees 
is 51 years.
  Let me acknowledge, Mr. President, that it's my understanding that 
four other nominees will be brought before us later on this or perhaps 
even next session. That group includes a 38- and a 40-year-old who, 
when added to the others, bring the average age of the group down to 
50. I'm particularly disappointed at the lack of youth representation 
on this Board in light of the many young people the President has hired 
and appointed to lead in other parts of his administration. Nobody has 
a greater stake in addressing all the challenges we face as a nation 
than our children and our youth. As a nation that thrives on tough 
challenges, we can't afford to leave this tremendous resource untapped.
  It seems to me that the National and Community Service Board should 
at the very least, include the same healthy representation of young 
people that is so prevalent in this administration.
  Again, a number of these nominees are well qualified. I'm extremely 
pleased that one of those individuals is Reatha Clark King--a long-time 
educator and current president of the General Mills Foundation. As I 
noted earlier, Reatha Clark King was appointed to the board of the 
Corporation's predecessor. She is an outstanding asset to the youth and 
community service movement in Minnesota and throughout the entire 
country.
  Mr. President, I will not be around in future years to comment on or 
impact the work of the Corporation. While it is not my intent to hold 
up the ability of the Board to begin its business, I hope that 
President Clinton will take my comments and recommendations seriously. 
I care very deeply about this program and believe that it has the 
potential to achieve some truly remarkable things.
  But, realizing that potential depends in large part on the ability of 
the Board to define the Corporation's mission, set priorities and work 
toward a realistic and focused course for the future.
  Part of that course includes defining what this program is and is 
not. And, I continue to strongly believe that national service should 
not become a huge new program to pay for college. I'm also concerned 
that national stipended service will get a disproportionate share of 
the Corporation's attention and that too little value continues to be 
placed on non-stipended service and service learning.
  The law itself, Mr. President, includes strong links between 
community service and education, better known as service learning. And, 
the law provides flexibility for those at the State and local level to 
carry out the program as they see fit and allows for a stipended 
service program that won't grow faster than its support system. The 
Corporation needs to make sure that these aspects of its law--backed up 
by strong support in Congress--get their fair share of attention and 
financial resources.
  Let me say finally, Mr. President, that I continue to be pleased that 
Eli Segal was selected to head the Corporation. He has earned this 
opportunity. From the very beginning, he has demonstrated a very 
healthy willingness to compromise and to include the views of others 
without losing sight of where he is headed.
  I especially appreciate the numerous opportunities he has given me to 
provide input and advice as the Corporation begins its work. I can only 
hope that the new Corporation's board will take advantage of his 
leadership, experience and thoughtfulness in carrying out its important 
and challenging responsibilities.
  I ask unanimous consent to include in the Record at this point a 
letter to Mr. Segal and his response in reliance on which I recommend 
confirmation of these candidates.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

         U.S. Senate, Committee on Labor and Human Resources,
                                     Washington, DC, Oct. 4, 1994.
     Mr. Eli Segal
     Chief Executive Officer, The Corporation for National and 
         Community Service, Washington, DC.
       Dear Eli: During the past couple of weeks we have discussed 
     my concerns regarding the slate the President has nominated 
     to serve on the Board of Directors of the new Corporation for 
     National and Community Service. And, as you know, I am now 
     prepared to allow the proposed list of nominees to go forward 
     with the following stipulations.
       First, I request that future appointments to the Board 
     include individuals who at a minimum, fulfill the statutory 
     requisites for service. The particular section I have in mind 
     states that: ``the President shall appoint members who have 
     extensive experience in volunteer or service activities, 
     which may include programs funded under more than one of the 
     national service laws and in state government; who represent 
     a broad range of view-points; who are experts in the delivery 
     of human, educational, environmental or public safety 
     services * * *''.
       Second, it is my understanding that the current nominees 
     and the four in progress, will be appointed to terms lasting 
     one, two or three years. Based on our conversation about a 
     number of the nominees, I request that the President appoint 
     the individuals about whom I have expressed concerns 
     regarding statutory qualifications to one-year terms.
       Third, I request that when the terms of the one-year board 
     members expire, you will actively work to increase the 
     diversity of the Board. Most urgent is the need to appoint 
     more young people with current or recent service experience. 
     I also strongly believe the board would benefit from stronger 
     representation from rural America and from state or local 
     government.
       As my own service in the United States Senate now draws to 
     a close, I want to again affirm my strong support for the 
     Corporation, for its enabling legislation, and for the 
     inspiration and leadership you have personally given to this 
     exciting new initiative.
       With a clear focus on service and its links to education--
     and with the direct and active involvement of young people 
     themselves--I'm confident that our common goals for the 
     Corporation can and will be realized.
           Sincerely,
                                                 Dave Durenberger,
                                                     U.S. Senator.
                                  ____



                             Corporation for National Service,

                                     Washington, DC, Oct. 5, 1994.
     Hon. David Durenberger,
     U.S. Senate,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Durenberger: Thank you for yesterday's letter. 
     I have enjoyed our recent conversations and am appreciative 
     of your abiding interest in national service. As you know, we 
     share many beliefs about the evolution of the Board of the 
     Corporation for National and Community Service. In 
     particular, we will pay increased attention to the statutory 
     guidance you have quoted, regarding service experience.
       I also concur that future vacancies on the Board should be 
     filled with an eye toward further expansion of the diversity 
     of backgrounds and experiences available to that body. I 
     share your belief that this goal would be advanced by 
     reflecting the involvement of young people and rural 
     residents in service, and I will actively work toward that 
     result. One of the President's nominees offers the state 
     government experience you have also called for in your 
     letter, and we would try in the future to bring the 
     additional perspective of mayors to bear on our work. And 
     regarding your central desire that national service be 
     informed by the views of young people, who will be the 
     largest age cohort in AmeriCorps, you will be pleased to know 
     that we have energized our youth advisory board, and I am 
     regularly meeting with our young program staff, the gain the 
     benefit of their experiences and insights.
       We will achieve your objectives with respect to the 
     individuals about whom you have expressed concerns.
       We look forward to your continuing counsel in the years 
     ahead; without your commitment and guidance, national service 
     would never have become a reality, and we hope you will stay 
     close to your dream as AmeriCorps and our other community 
     service programs grow. This coming year offers particularly 
     exciting opportunities, as we can focus on building the links 
     between service and education that you have so eloquently 
     championed during your distinguished career in public life.
           Sincerely,
                                                     Eli J. Segal,
     Chief Executive Officer.

                          ____________________