[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 106 (Friday, July 31, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1494]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




DEPARTMENTS OF VETERANS AFFAIRS AND HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, AND 
             INDEPENDENT AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 1999

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                               speech of

                         HON. THOMAS C. SAWYER

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 29, 1998

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 4194) making 
     appropriations for the Departments of Veterans Affairs and 
     Housing and Urban Development, and for sundry independent 
     agencies, boards, commissions, corporations, and offices for 
     the fiscal year ending September 30, 1999, and for other 
     purposes:


  Mr. SAWYER. Mr. Chairman, here we go again.
  I rise today in opposition to this bill because it fails to fund the 
AmeriCorps National Service program.
  Despite the public's consistently strong support of AmeriCorps, 
critics in Congress consistently strive to eliminate this important 
program. So far, they have not succeeded.
  Last year, this destructive idea took the form of a funding reduction 
amendment that passed the House by voice vote. Fortunately for America, 
the Senate rightly included full funding--in fact, increased funding--
for the program in its version of the bill. The program was ultimately 
retained in the conference report but funded at 75% of the previous 
year.
  Eliminating this program would be a tragedy for our country. The 
AmeriCorps program, which has had a long history of bipartisan support, 
has effectively demonstrated our nation's strong commitment to 
community service and higher education. The program has helped more 
than 50 thousand young adults (1,844 in my state alone) earn trust 
awards to put towards college and has provided opportunities for 
seniors to remain active within their communities. Despite these 
achievements, some in this Congress continue to criticize.
  Over the past few years, these critics have cited allegations of cost 
overruns and inefficiencies in the program. They have looked for every 
opportunity to criticize the program and, at the same time, criticize 
the President.

  Early in the last Congress, the Oversight Subcommittee of the 
Committee on Economic and Educational Opportunities held a series of 
hearings on the AmeriCorps program to address the concerns of its 
critics. As Ranking Member of that subcommittee at the time, I had the 
opportunity to investigate the allegations and to hear the truth about 
the progress that has been made to correct any problems.
  I, too, was initially concerned about cost overruns, political 
abuses, and other teething problems with the AmeriCorps program. 
However, we learned at our first hearing that the Corporation for 
National Service, of which AmeriCorps is a part, has taken aggressive 
action to correct any problems. Where political activity was evident, 
AmeriCorps has cut off funding. In its first year, AmeriCorps also 
raised almost triple the amount dictated by law from non-Corporation 
sources.
  The Corporation took additional steps to address the concerns of its 
critics. Former Senator Harris Wofford, now CEO of the Corporation for 
National Service, and Senator Charles Grassley announced a 10-point 
plan to reform the AmeriCorps program.
  That bipartisan effort made clear, enforceable commitments to contain 
costs. It also resulted in an increase in the AmeriCorps private sector 
match from 25 to 33 percent of progam costs. The 10-point plan also 
called for further steps to prohibit any kind of lobbying and to 
improve the grant review and evaluation process. AmeriCorps also agreed 
to expand its commitment to service and volunteerism. Finally, the 10-
point plan called for increased collaboration with national non-
profits, special scholarships to reward volunteerism, and efforts to 
increase occasional volunteerism nationwide.
  Indeed, the Corporation heard the voices of its critics and has taken 
successful steps to cut its costs, leverage more volunteers, and 
improve its financial management.
  Mr. Chairman, despite the widely-known successes of the program, 
reflected in its public support, some in Congress continue to attack 
its funding. That leads me to believe that the motives behind the 
criticism were never constructive, nor intended to produce a model 
government program. Instead, these critics' real goal was ultimately to 
defund a program that has been a target of theirs for years, no matter 
how well it is working today.
  The President has announced that he will veto this bill--in large 
part because it zeroes out funding for this important effort. I urge my 
colleagues not to terminate an AmeriCorps that has provided many 
Americans with constructive options to prepare for the future and to 
better their communities through volunteering. AmeriCorps, through its 
own valuable projects and its example to the work of others, is making 
our nation a better place for everyone. Please, oppose this bill.




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