[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 50 (Tuesday, May 2, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S3902]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 461--SUPPORTING AND COMMENDING THE SUPPORTERS OF THE 
JEFFERSON AWARDS FOR PUBLIC SERVICE FOR ENCOURAGING ALL CITIZENS OF THE 
  UNITED STATES TO EMBARK ON A LIFE OF PUBLIC SERVICE AND RECOGNIZING 
THOSE CITIZENS WHO HAVE ALREADY PERFORMED EXTRAORDINARY DEEDS FOR THEIR 
                         COMMUNITY AND COUNTRY

  Mr. LOTT (for himself, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Lugar, and Mr. Biden) 
submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 461

       Whereas one of the defining traditions of the democracy of 
     the United States is that each person can make a difference;
       Whereas the value of public and community service was a 
     founding principle of the Government of the United States;
       Whereas, for generation after generation, the citizens of 
     the United States have desired to pass to the youth of the 
     Nation the tradition of neighbors helping neighbors through--
       (1) local community service;
       (2) volunteerism; and
       (3) public service;
       Whereas, to build stronger communities, the youth of the 
     United States should be inspired to seek career opportunities 
     in--
       (1) the public sector;
       (2) the nonprofit sector;
       (3) the faith-based community; and
       (4) Federal, State, and local governments;
       Whereas the Jefferson Awards for Public Service are a 
     prestigious national recognition system that was created on a 
     nonpartisan basis in 1972 by--
       (1) Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis;
       (2) Senator Robert Taft, Jr.; and
       (3) Sam Beard;
       Whereas the creators of the Jefferson Awards for Public 
     Service sought to create an award similar to the Nobel Prize 
     to encourage and honor individuals for their achievements and 
     contributions in public and community service;
       Whereas, for over 30 years, the supporters of the Jefferson 
     Awards for Public Service have pioneered the promotion of 
     civic engagement by using profiles of individual excellence, 
     the media, and modern technology to attract and recruit all 
     citizens of the United States to participate in the 
     democratic processes of the Nation; and
       Whereas the Jefferson Awards for Public Service have 
     honored award recipients at--
       (1) the national level, by placing the recipients on a 
     ``Who's Who'' list of outstanding citizens of the United 
     States; and
       (2) the local level, by naming the recipients ``Unsung 
     Heroes'' who accomplish extraordinary deeds for the 
     betterment of the United States while going largely 
     unnoticed: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) fully supports the goals and ideals that the creators 
     instilled into the civic engagement initiatives of the 
     Jefferson Awards for Public Service; and
       (2) salutes and acknowledges the American Institute for 
     Public Service and the role played by the Jefferson Awards 
     for Public Service in promoting public service in the United 
     States.

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