[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 49 (Monday, March 23, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E733]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        GENERATIONS INVIGORATING VOLUNTEERISM AND EDUCATION ACT

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                               speech of

                             HON. PHIL HARE

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 18, 2009

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 1388) to 
     reauthorize and reform the national service laws:
  Mr. HARE. Mr. Chair, President Obama has set high goals for this 
nation to improve public education, combat climate change, extend 
quality affordable health care to all Americans, and honor our 
veterans. I believe renewing our nation's commitment to service will be 
the vehicle through which we meet these challenges.
  Under the leadership of Chairman Miller and Subcommittee Chair, 
Congresswoman McCarthy, the GIVE Act (H.R. 1388) answers the 
President's call to service, and I am proud to be an original cosponsor 
of this legislation.
  Mr. Chair, very important to me as a veteran of the Army Reserves and 
the veterans' community is a provision I worked to secure in the GIVE 
Act that establishes a Veterans' Corps.
  Last Congress when we considered legislation similar to H. R. 1388, I 
offered an amendment to create a grant program to enhance service 
opportunities for veterans and military families. The GIVE Act builds 
upon this effort by establishing a separate Veterans' Corps.
  As more and more troops return from Iraq and Afghanistan, fulfilling 
our promise to them will be an even greater challenge and priority for 
our nation. Through the Veterans' Corps we can recruit and mobilize 
veterans into service projects that provide educational and economic 
opportunities, job training, mentoring and outreach to other veterans.
  Mr. Chair, our nation's veterans have already demonstrated a profound 
commitment to service. The Veterans' Corps aims to harness that spirit 
and in the process give back to those who have sacrificed so much for 
us.
  I would like to acknowledge the work of my friend and colleague, 
Congressman John Sarbanes of Maryland. Together, we introduced H.R. 
1401, the VET Corps Act, which was the foundation for the Veterans' 
Corps in the GIVE Act.
  I ask my colleagues to vote yes on the GIVE Act.

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