[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 83 (Thursday, June 20, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1113-E1114]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              PEACE CORPS CHARTER FOR THE 21ST CENTURY ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 20, 2002

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, today my colleague Representative 
Sam Farr and I are introducing the Peace Corps Charter for the 21st 
Century Act. I thank my colleague for working so closely with me on 
this important bill.
  I also thank Senator Christopher Dodd for introducing a companion 
bill in the Senate and working with us every step of the way in this 
effort. I look forward to continuing communication between the House 
and Senate and with the Administration to ensure the product that 
emerges from the legislative process is one that has strong bipartisan 
support as well as the support of returned and current Peace Corps 
volunteers everywhere.
  My own background as an educator and director at Outward Bound for 
twenty years taught me about the importance of national and community 
service. But I also have strong connections to the Peace Corps--through 
my great state of Colorado and through my family. Colorado has one of 
the highest levels of recruitment of Peace Corps volunteers nationwide, 
and returned Peace Corps Volunteers in the 2nd Congressional District 
alone number over 500. Of course, the most important

[[Page E1114]]

Peace Corps connection for me is my mother, who served as a volunteer 
in Nepal decades ago.
  Because of these connections I have a special interest in advancing 
the ability of the Peace Corps to play an important role in these new 
times.
  As Americans, we have never been more proud of our country, our 
freedoms, our democracy, our diversity. We know how fortunate we are to 
live in the United States. And yet we were sent a clear message on 
September 11th that we are not necessarily viewed abroad the way we 
view ourselves at home. Why is this so? More importantly, how can we 
change this?
  One way is to take multilateral action against terrorism, which we 
have done with the help of our allies in the months since 9-11. Another 
way is to continue to promote world peace and friendship through the 
people-to-people approach of the Peace Corps.
  For over forty years, Peace Corps volunteers around the world have 
taught English and other subjects to foreign students, worked with 
small farmers to increase harvests, taught local people how to monitor 
their environment, and raised community awareness of health issues, 
among other things. The Peace Corps is one of the most admired and 
successful initiatives ever put in place.
  But the Peace Corps's first director, Sargent Shriver, said in a 
speech at Yale last November that its founders made one mistake when 
they created the Peace Corps: They didn't go far enough or dream big 
enough. As he put it, ``Our present world cries out for a new Peace 
Corps--a vastly improved, expanded, and profoundly deeper enterprise. . 
. . Peace is much more than the mere absence of war. Peace requires the 
simple but powerful recognition that what we have in common as human 
beings is more important and crucial than what divides us.''
  I think he was right. And the bill we are introducing today echoes 
that vision. The Peace Corps mission reflects the fact that with 
economic development and mutual understanding come greater 
opportunities for peace. And every small step we take to help and 
understand people in other countries has its own rewards.
  A pebble tossed into a still pond creates ripples that begin small 
and grow larger. Peace Corps volunteers have had this same effect on 
the people they have touched. The Peace Corps experience exemplifies 
how individuals can make a tremendous difference in the lives and 
perceptions of people in developing countries as well as people right 
here at home.
  More than 166,000 Americans have served in 135 countries over the 
past 40 years. Many more are prepared to serve; since the beginning of 
this year, requests for Peace Corps applications have increased by 77 
percent. This is good news, as we are finally building solid support 
behind the idea of doubling the size--as well as the impact--of the 
Peace Corps.
  It was the Reagan Administration that first articulated the notion of 
expanding the size of Peace Corps to 10,000 volunteers. We're pleased 
that President Bush has embraced this important goal and has pledged to 
seek to double the size to 15,000 in five years. The bill we're 
introducing today builds on that concept and goes beyond it to propose 
a new post-9-11 ``Charter'' for the Peace Corps.
  The ``Peace Corps Charter'' strengthens the Peace Corps in a number 
of ways. It restates and further promotes its goals--to provide 
technical assistance to those in need around the world, to promote 
better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served, 
and to bring the world home to America. It authorizes funding to allow 
for a Peace Corps expansion to 15,000 volunteers in five years. It 
reaffirms the independence of the Peace Corps. It authorizes a number 
of reports, such as one on host country security. It spells out a 
commitment to recruit and place Peace Corps volunteers in countries 
where they could help promote mutual understanding, particularly in 
areas with substantial Muslim populations. It establishes training 
programs for Peace Corps volunteers in the areas of education, 
prevention, and treatment of infectious diseases, such as HIV/AIDS. It 
streamlines and empowers the Peace Corps Advisory Council, with an 
added focus of making use of the expertise of Returned Peace Corps 
Volunteers. Finally, the bill creates a grant program to enable 
Returned Peace Corps Volunteers to use their experience and expertise 
to continue to carry out the goals of the Peace Corps through specific 
projects.
  As Sargent Shriver stated in his November speech, we need a new world 
of peace. Today we join with the Administration in its call for an 
expanded and refocused Peace Corps that can take on the new challenges 
that September 11th has presented to us, a Peace Corps that can be ``a 
pragmatic and dramatic symbol of America's commitment to peace.'' I 
believe that passage of the Peace Corps Charter for the 21st Century 
will help us head in this direction.
  I look forward to working with our colleagues in the House as we move 
forward with this vital legislation.

                          ____________________