[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 85 (Thursday, June 29, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1150]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 INTRODUCTION OF THE NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE AMENDMENTS ACT OF 
                                  2000

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOHN B. LARSON

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 28, 2000

  Mr. LARSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of The National and 
Community Service Amendments Act of 2000, of which I am a proud 
original co-sponsor, was introduced last week in the House by two of my 
distinguished colleagues, Mr. Shays of Connecticut and Mr. Andrews of 
New Jersey. The bill would reauthorize the Corporation for National 
Service and the programs it administers: the National Senior Service 
Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America. The bill has been 
drafted in close consultation with more than 200 community service 
groups.
  This legislation is a simple extension of the existing program with a 
few improvements:
  Codifies the cost-cutting agreement reached with Senator Grassley in 
1996. The Corporation for National Service has lowered its cost per-
member to $15,000 for FY 99, including a $4,725 education award to 
finance college or repay student loans; and a mere $7,421 for a living 
allowance.
  Expands the cost-cutting ``Education Award Only'' model, where the 
Corporation provides only the education award, and the sponsoring 
organization provides all other support.
  Eliminates controversial AmeriCorps grants to other federal agencies.
  AmeriCorps, the domestic Peace Corps, engages more than 40,000 
Americans in intensive, results-driven service each year. AmeriCorps 
members are tackling critical problems like illiteracy, crime and 
poverty. They have taught, tutored or mentored more than 2.6 million 
children, served 564,000 at-risk youth in after-school programs, 
operated 40,500 safety patrols, rehabilitated 25,179 homes, aided more 
than 2.4 million homeless individuals, and immunized 419,000 people.
  In Connecticut, more than 1,200 residents have served their 
communities through AmeriCorps.
  AmeriCorps helps solve critical problems in an effective way. It 
creates $1.66 worth of benefits for each $1.00 spent. And for every 
full-time AmeriCorps member, 12 regular and occasional unpaid 
volunteers are recruited and mobilized. AmeriCorps is, indeed, 
effectively preparing young people for the future and strengthening 
local communities.
  Furthermore, AmeriCorps also funds a great number of important 
projects that foster involvement and learning in technology by children 
and adults. One of these is Project FIRST (Fostering Instructional 
Reform through Service and Technology Initiatives), whose role it is to 
increase access to technology and its educational benefits in the 
nation's least-served schools. Another way AmeriCorps is involved with 
technology is through TechCorps, a national non-profit organization 
that is driven and staffed primarily with technologically proficient 
volunteers.
  I believe these programs are important, because even though American 
technology is propelling the nation's economy to unprecedented heights, 
growing concern remains for those who are not benefiting from this 
prosperity. For those left behind by the advancing technology, the 
divide growing between the ``haves'' and ``have-nots'' is increasing at 
an alarming rate, as demonstrated by the Department of Commerce in its 
July 1999 report, ``Falling through the Net.''
  These AmeriCorps programs bring technology to underserved populations 
and address weaknesses in our economy, such as unequal access to 
technology, teacher training, and evaluation.
  However, I do not believe AmeriCorps is essential just because it can 
help close the ``digital divide.'' It is essential because it exposes 
young people to the ideal of serving their community and their nation. 
Collin Powell has succinctly captured this idea of community service by 
stating, ``For some of our young people, preserving our democratic way 
of life means shouldering a rifle or climbing into a cockpit or 
weighing anchor and setting out to sea. For others, it means helping a 
child to read or helping that child to secure needed vaccinations or it 
means building a park or helping bring peace to a troubled neighborhood 
or helping communities recover from natural disasters or reclaiming the 
environment.''
  Harris Wofford, former United States Senator and now head of the 
Corporation for National Service, echoes Powell's thoughts, ``Our 
country needs more . . . patriotism. AmeriCorps encourages and inspires 
this patriotism on the home front.''
  Finally, a quote by Vaclav Havel, I believe, explains the need to 
have an AmeriCorps, ``The dormant goodwill in people needs to be 
stirred. People need to hear that it makes sense to behave decently or 
to help others, to place common interest above their own, to respect 
the elementary rules of human coexistence. Goodwill longs to be 
recognized and cultivated.''
  This, I believe, is the essential value of national service, and by 
extension, of AmeriCorps. Serving is as important and rewarding as 
being served. Therefore, I urge my colleagues to support this bill and 
hope that the House Leadership allows us to act quickly on this 
critical legislation.

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