[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 78 (Tuesday, May 13, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H3715-H3717]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
AMERICORPS WEEK
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1173) recognizing AmeriCorps Week.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The text of the resolution is as follows:
H. Res. 1173
Whereas the AmeriCorps national service program, since its
inception in 1994, has proven to be a highly effective way to
engage Americans in meeting a wide range of local needs,
national response directives, and promote the ethic of
service and volunteering;
Whereas over $5,000,000,000 in AmeriCorps funds invested in
nonprofit, community, educational, and faith-based community
groups since 1994 have leveraged hundreds of millions of
dollars in additional funds and in-kind donations from other
sources;
Whereas each year, AmeriCorps provides opportunities for
75,000 citizens across the Nation to give back in an
intensive way to our districts, our States, and our Nation;
Whereas a total of 542,000 citizens since 1994 across the
Nation haven taken the AmeriCorps pledge to ``get things done
for America'' by becoming AmeriCorps members;
Whereas those same individuals have served a total of more
than 705,000,000 hours nationwide, helping to improve the
lives of our Nation's most vulnerable citizens, protect our
environment, contribute to our public safety, respond to
disasters, and strengthen our educational system;
Whereas AmeriCorps members last year recruited and
supervised more than 1,700,000 community volunteers,
demonstrating AmeriCorps value as a powerful volunteer
catalyst and force multiplier;
Whereas AmeriCorps members nationwide, in return for their
service, have earned nearly $1,430,000,000 to use to further
their own educational advancement at our Nation's colleges
and universities;
Whereas AmeriCorps members, after their terms of service
end, remain engaged in our communities as volunteers,
teachers, and nonprofit professional in disproportionately
high levels;
Whereas AmeriCorps members served 4,100 nonprofit
organizations, schools, and faith-based and community
organizations last year; and
Whereas 2008's AmeriCorps Week, observed May 11 through May
18, is an opportune time for the people of the United States
to salute current and former AmeriCorps members for their
powerful impact, thank all of AmeriCorps' community partners
in our Nation who make the program possible and bring more
Americans into service: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) encourages all citizens to join in a national effort to
salute AmeriCorps members and alumni, and raise awareness
about the importance of national and community service;
(2) acknowledges the significant accomplishments of the
AmeriCorps members, alumni, and community partners;
(3) recognizes the important contributions to the lives of
our citizens by AmeriCorps members; and
(4) encourages citizens of all ages to consider serving in
AmeriCorps.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Illinois (Mr. Davis) and the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle) each
will control 20 minutes.
[[Page H3716]]
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Illinois.
General Leave
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that
Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their
remarks and insert relevant material.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Illinois?
There was no objection.
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
might consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in full support of H. Res. 1173, which
recognizes the contributions of the national service program known as
AmeriCorps. Since 1994, AmeriCorps has engaged over 500,000 citizens of
all ages in national service programs, giving 705 million hours of
service to our Nation and their fellow citizens. AmeriCorps, which is
composed of AmeriCorps State and national programs, the National
Civilian Community Corps, or NCCC, and the Volunteers in Service to
America, or VISTA programs, engages 75,000 people each year in
intensive, results-driven service to help communities tackle the
toughest problems of education, poverty, illiteracy and the relief and
recovery efforts after disasters.
{time} 1545
AmeriCorps participants improve the lives of millions of our most
vulnerable citizens by implementing critical health services, building
low-income housing, making neighborhoods safer, and protecting the
environment.
AmeriCorps VISTA participants are America's poverty fighters, 6,000
strong, and fulfill their service term in low-income communities by
creating businesses, expanding access to technology, recruiting
literacy volunteers, strengthening anti-poverty groups, and creating
sustainable programs that help people rise out of poverty.
AmeriCorps NCCC participants serve as first responder in times of
national need and have responded to every nationally declared disaster
since 1994: floods, fires, tornadoes, and storms, and helped
communities prepare for the next emergency. In fact, 10,000-plus
AmeriCorps members have served millions of Katrina survivors in the
gulf and managed a quarter million other Katrina volunteers.
The impact of AmeriCorps goes beyond the community in which a
participant serves; it impacts the AmeriCorps member who is doing the
service. The alums of AmeriCorps programs are significantly more likely
to go into public-service careers in government and the nonprofit
sectors, especially minorities and people from low-income backgrounds.
So, Mr. Speaker, this week is AmeriCorps Week. This is a week in
which we as a Nation should thank those who have given of themselves
and who served our Nation through AmeriCorps to improve the lives of
our Nation's vulnerable and disadvantaged citizens and improve
communities across the country. We salute AmeriCorps members and alums
for giving of themselves to benefit others and their powerful impact on
our Nation's communities and the lives of our citizens and thank all
involved in making AmeriCorps a successful program.
I ask that my colleagues join me in full support of H. Res. 1173 and
salute those current and former AmeriCorps members through passage of
H. Res. 1173.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution
1173, recognizing AmeriCorps Week.
Throughout the history of the United States, Americans have valued an
ethic of service. As Alexis de Tocqueville wrote over a century and a
half ago, this ethic of service ``prompts Americans to assist one
another and inclines them willingly to sacrifice a portion of their
time and property to the welfare of the State.'' AmeriCorps gives
Americans an opportunity to make a difference in their own lives and in
the lives of others by meeting critical needs in the community.
In 1990, President George Herbert Walker Bush signed the National
Service Act, a network of national service programs that engage
Americans in intensive service to meet the Nation's vital needs in
education, public safety, health, and the environment. In 1993,
President Bill Clinton signed the National and Community Service Trust
Act which established the Corporation for National and Community
Service and brought the full range of domestic community service
programs under the umbrella of one central organization.
In September of 1994, the first class of AmeriCorps members, 20,000
strong, began serving in more than 1,000 communities. Today, AmeriCorps
offers 75,000 opportunities for adults of all ages and background to
address a myriad of needs in communities all across America such as
tutoring and mentoring disadvantaged youth, fighting illiteracy,
improving health services, building affordable housing, and managing
after-school programs, just to name a few.
This year's theme for AmeriCorps Week is ``Getting Things Done.''
This organization is doing just that. Since its inception, 542,000
citizens have taken the AmeriCorps pledge and have served a total of
more than 705 million hours in 4,100 nonprofits throughout the country.
Last year, AmeriCorps members recruited and supervised more than 1.7
million community volunteers demonstrating AmeriCorps value as a
volunteer channel. In return for their service, members have earned
$1.4 billion to further their educational advancement in our Nation's
colleges and universities and our communities.
Volunteerism is a way for Americans to connect to their communities,
learn more about the problems facing their communities, and to simply
make a difference. This week, we salute current and former AmeriCorps
members for their powerful impact, and we thank all community partners
who make the AmeriCorps program possible and bring more Americans into
service.
I want to take this opportunity to thank my colleagues, Ms. Matsui,
Mr. Shays, Mr. Platts, and Mr. Price for introducing this resolution
and ask my colleagues to support the resolution.
I reserve the balance of our time.
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield such time
as she might consume to the distinguished lady from California and the
sponsor of this resolution, Representative Matsui.
Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from
Illinois (Mr. Davis) for yielding me this time.
I rise today to offer the ``Recognizing AmeriCorps Week'' resolution
and give special thanks to AmeriCorps volunteers and organizations.
This week marks AmeriCorps Week, a nationwide acknowledgment and
celebration of all that America volunteers have done for our country.
The AmeriCorps program is vital to the growth and prosperity of our
Nation. AmeriCorps members can be found in our small towns and in our
big cities. They're motivated young men and women from every background
imaginable.
For the past 15 years, more than 540,000 men and women have given
over 705 million hours of service to our country and the citizens.
Equally valuable, these men and women are experts in mobilizing local
volunteers, allowing millions more to serve their communities in an
organized and effectual way.
Like AmeriCorps volunteers, AmeriCorps Week is important because it
inspires others to become involved. By recognizing the program and its
accomplishments, we motivate individuals to become engaged and add one
more person to the growing list of those offering optimism and aid.
Throughout this week, AmeriCorps organizations across this country
are hosting hundreds of special events, making it even easier to become
involved. In the gulf coast, for example, Habitat for Humanity and the
Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project will build tens of homes in a
single week. This single event will involve 700 AmeriCorps members and
thousands of other volunteers.
Additionally, this year's AmeriCorps Week pays special attention to
the life-long contribution of AmeriCorps alumni. A recent study of
AmeriCorps show that alumni of the program are much more likely to
remain involved in the community long after their service has ended.
Nearly 87 percent of former AmeriCorps members will go on to work in
public service. They become our future leaders, public servants,
government employees, and nonprofit organizers. Simply put, AmeriCorps
[[Page H3717]]
members learn to give for the rest of their lives.
AmeriCorps Week also provides a platform to highlight the valuable
community organizations that deserve our support. Earlier this week,
critical new AmeriCorps grants were announced. This funding provides
necessary resources to some of America's most innovative and effective
community organizations.
Those who support this resolution and AmeriCorps Week will be in good
company. Dozens of State governors have issued AmeriCorps Week
proclamations from local leaders to professional baseball teams.
Thousands of diverse Americans are expressing their support for the
AmeriCorps programs and its volunteers. These supporters recognize that
AmeriCorps members do more than volunteer their time. They are
ambassadors of hope, good will, and personal initiatives.
Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join with me, my fellow National
Service Caucus cochairs, and the 40 bipartisan cosponsors of this
resolution in support of AmeriCorps Week and these amazing volunteers.
Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Connecticut
(Mr. Shays) such time as he may consume.
Mr. SHAYS. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, when there were the great debates on TV between Vice
President Nixon and then-Senator John F. Kennedy, while my family were
Republicans and, as a young person in 8th grade, John F. Kennedy spoke
to me when he talked about serving our country and the world by being a
Peace Corps volunteer. I thought, wouldn't it be amazing to go to
college and afterwards join the Peace Corps; and that's what I did with
my wife. And that experience changed my life. That experience had a
tremendous impact on my life. In fact, Peace Corps volunteers will tell
you it was the greatest time of their life, not that the rest of our
lives hasn't been good.
And when President Clinton, building on what President Bush 41 had
done on national service, said, We need to create AmeriCorps, his
administration reached out to Republicans; and it was an amazing
experience to work with President Clinton and his administration
because they said they wanted this to be a bipartisan effort, and they
listened to Republicans.
Instead of a one-size-fits-all national program, they did something
Republicans really like, and that is they made it a local and State
effort. And the problem with that is that you could not only have
really great programs, you might have some that weren't so good. And it
would give people an opportunity to criticize AmeriCorps, as some
critics did, because there were literally hundreds and hundreds of
various programs meeting local and State needs.
But to President Clinton's credit and to his people who were bringing
this program forward, in spite of the fact a majority of Republicans
did not support it, they still allowed us to have significant input.
I have nothing but respect for AmeriCorps, nothing but respect for
the fact that we are talking, in some cases, young people who have
never had a work experience, and we're giving them experience with
individuals who can tutor them, in nongovernment organizations. What a
wonderful way for these young people to begin to become adults and
experience the incredible fulfillment that comes from being of service
to others.
I have never understood why some Republicans have criticized
AmeriCorps because they said you get paid. Well, Peace Corps volunteers
had a living wage. We were able to feed ourselves and we were provided
housing. It's something that you don't have under AmeriCorps. There
it's a minimum wage, but no housing. They have a stipend for education.
Republicans tend to think that you should earn what you get, and this
is a program where you earn what you get. You can't pocket the money.
You have to put it into bettering yourself with education, which is a
very logical thing to do. Frankly, it's something that most Republicans
would have argued for: not being given something; earning it.
So these AmeriCorps individuals, which we call volunteers, are
getting the best of the best. They are growing up with a meaningful
job, not a long-term job, they're earning educational credits, they're
getting an education, and they're, for the rest of their lives, going
to have that incredible memory of service that I think only strengthens
individuals and our country.
So I'm really grateful that we can recognize AmeriCorps for what it
is, an outstanding program initiated by President Clinton to his
credit, and to his credit, still working with Republicans in spite of
the fact they didn't deliver a majority of the votes.
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of our
time.
Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, at this time I yield back the balance of our
time and encourage everybody to support the resolution.
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I would urge passage of this
resolution. I, too, agree that when we give of ourselves, we give the
very best.
Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, in the Peace Corps we say, ``Once a volunteer,
always a volunteer.'' There was a time when I thought that those words
were just a slogan. However, over the years I've watched the friends I
made in the Peace Corps in Colombia continue to volunteer in their
communities and around the world. And this continuity of volunteerism
is not unique to the Peace Corps.
In fact, it has become clear to people who understand public service
and volunteerism, that to `'give back'' is a habit. And you can get
more of it, if you open up more opportunities to people involved in
volunteer service. There is a virtuous cycle in volunteerism and it is
a cycle that we do well to encourage.
AmeriCorps is one of the great innovations in public policy that has
created opportunities for Americans all across the country to
volunteer. From working in inner city schools to working in food back
in small towns, AmeriCorps opens the doors for people to volunteer and
in so doing provides a stepping stone to a life of service.
I commend AmeriCorps for all it does and for all the doors to service
it has opened. So, today as the House of Representatives recognizes
AmeriCorps, I encourage all those who can do so to find a way to
volunteer in their community and to give back.
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. I yield back the balance of our time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) that the House suspend the rules
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1173.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. SIMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a
quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not
present.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.
The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.
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