[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 127 (Tuesday, September 16, 2003)]
[House]
[Page H8226]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     AMERICORPS' OVERENROLLMENT AND QUESTIONABLE ACCOUNTING RECORDS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of 
January 7, 2003, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Stearns) is recognized 
during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, just as freedom and liberty are interwoven 
into the very fabric of our Nation, so too is the American pastime of 
volunteering. Recently, AmeriCorps' backers have been seeking an 
additional $100 million in supplemental funding, but I believe we 
should look carefully at their request.
  AmeriCorps was not able to place anywhere from 20,000 to 37,000 
employees, volunteers, and this is based upon a statement from them, 
the Save AmeriCorps Coalition, on September 4, because of its own muddy 
accounting records and overenrollment. Basically, what they did was 
overhire 20,000 plus volunteers without authorization.
  Of further interest, during the August recess we learned of the 
distribution of cash bonuses to 265 senior staff at the parent agency, 
which is the Corporation for National Community Service, CNCS. While 
the amounts are nominal to their overall budget, what is disturbing is 
the apparent lack of judgment from CNCS officials. This Congress has 
been engaged in over a year's worth of hearings and legislation on 
corporate misbehavior and disproportionate executive compensation in 
ailing companies. The public expresses outrage over such private sector 
firm actions and demands that Congress investigate and would probably 
refer to emergency funding, in the example of such firms as we have 
been examining, as a bailout. CNCS should be subject to no less 
scrutiny and adhere to no lower standards.
  Some of us question Federal funding of community service in the first 
place. AmeriCorps pays people to volunteer. Remuneration in exchange 
for choosing to contribute one's time, energy and/or money would seem 
to belie the very definition of the word ``volunteerism.''
  This country does indeed have many needs. Thankfully, through the 
work of volunteers, many of those needs are met and fulfilled every 
day. Americans share their hearts, weekends, muscles and wallets in a 
multitude of activities.
  To this end, a recent exhortation by the Save AmeriCorps Coalition 
should be mentioned here. This is what they say, ``Our generation is 
volunteering at unprecedented rates, making vital contributions to 
communities across the country through AmeriCorps. This opportunity, 
however, is at risk. Drastic cuts in Federal funding will result in the 
reduction of critical services for children, the elderly and hundreds 
of organizations that rely on AmeriCorps volunteers.''
  If AmeriCorps is suggesting volunteerism might collapse in the United 
States, one might forgive our skepticism. Reflect that America has 
relied on the contribution of volunteers for centuries. AmeriCorps has 
existed for all but a decade, whereas our Nation's charitable sector 
thrived since before its creation.
  After visiting America for the first time, the French social 
commentator Alexis de Tocqueville said, ``I have often admired the 
extreme skill with which the inhabitants of the United States succeed 
in proposing a common object to the exertions of a great many men, and 
in getting them voluntarily to pursue it.'' He wrote this in his book 
Democracy in America.
  Further, analysis published in October 2003 in the Reason magazine 
article on AmeriCorps quantifies that according to AmeriCorps' and 
Bureau of Labor Statistics' numbers on volunteers both as members of 
AmeriCorps and as Americans on their own, ``AmeriCorps cuts then 
represent about four-tenths of 1 percent of total American volunteer 
hours.''
  Even those of us who see the benefit in some Federal role in civic 
service question some of the endeavors in which AmeriCorps volunteers 
over the years have participated. While some of the activities 
undertaken by AmeriCorps members may be meritorious, AmeriCorps also 
has a history of participating in some activities of questionable 
value.
  That these programs may be described as worthy to some, while 
questionable to others, might be a needless debate at all were not the 
taxpayers who are being charged in the first place for this volunteer 
work. For a decade now, members on both sides of our aisle have sought 
to legislate whether AmeriCorps members could spend time with political 
activities, campaigns, faith-based initiatives or unions. If the 
Federal Government were not involved in what should be a personal 
preference in the first place, we would not have to have these 
discussions in the first place. Any American, go volunteer where he or 
she wants, end of message.
  Let us celebrate the pure volunteerism that occurs in our communities 
every day. Let us encourage it to flourish just as it was 200 years 
ago, selflessly and generously, from the heart.

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