[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 52 (Thursday, March 26, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3934-S3937]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           TEXT OF AMENDMENTS

                                 ______
                                 
  SA 721. Mr. BAUCUS submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to 
amendment SA 687 proposed by Ms. Mikulski (for herself and Mr. Isakson) 
to the bill H.R. 1388, entitled ``The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America 
Act, an Act to reauthorize and reform the national service laws.''; as 
follows:

       At the appropriate place, insert the following:

     SEC. --. SENSE OF THE SENATE.

       (a) Findings.--The Senate finds the following:
       (1) President John F. Kennedy said, ``The raising of 
     extraordinarily large sums of money, given voluntarily and 
     freely by millions of our fellow Americans, is a unique 
     American tradition . . . Philanthropy, charity, giving 
     voluntarily and freely . . . call it what you like, but it is 
     truly a jewel of an American tradition''.
       (2) Americans gave more than $300,000,000,000 to charitable 
     causes in 2007, an amount equal to roughly 2 percent of the 
     gross domestic product.
       (3) The vast majority of those donations, roughly 75 
     percent or $229,000,000,000, came from individuals.
       (4) Studies have shown that Americans give far more to 
     charity than the people of any other industrialized nation--
     more than twice as much, measured as a share of gross 
     domestic product, than the citizens of Great Britain, and 10 
     times more than the citizens of France.
       (5) 7 out of 10 American households donate to charities to 
     support a wide range of religious, educational, cultural, 
     health care, and environmental goals.
       (6) These charities provide innumerable valuable public 
     services to society's most vulnerable citizens during 
     difficult economic times.
       (7) Congress has provided incentives through the Internal 
     Revenue Code of 1986 to encourage charitable giving by 
     allowing individuals to deduct contributions made to tax-
     exempt charities.
       (8) 41,000,000 American households, constituting 86 percent 
     of taxpayers who itemize deductions, took advantage of this 
     deduction to give to the charities of their choice.
       (b) Sense of the Senate.--It is the sense of the Senate 
     that Congress should preserve the income tax deduction for 
     charitable contributions through the Internal Revenue Code of 
     1986 and look for additional ways to encourage charitable 
     giving.
                                 ______
                                 
  SA 722. Mr. BURR proposed an amendment to amendment SA 687 proposed 
by Ms. Mikulski ( for herself and Mr. Isakson) to the bill H.R. 1388, 
entitled ``The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, an Act to 
reauthorize and reform the national service laws.''; as follows:

       On page 213, line 21, strike ``Code.'.'' and insert the 
     following: ``Code.
       ``(d) Special Rule for Individuals Working With Vulnerable 
     Populations.--
       ``(1) In general.--Notwithstanding subsection (b) or any 
     other provision of law, on and after the date that is 2 years 
     after the date of enactment of the Serve America Act, a 
     criminal history check under subsection (a) for each 
     individual described in paragraph (2) shall, except in a case 
     approved for good cause by the Corporation, include--
       ``(A) a drug test for controlled substances, as defined in 
     section 102 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 802);
       ``(B) the searches described in subsection (b)(1) and 
     subparagraph (A) of subsection (b)(2); and
       ``(C) the background check described in subsection 
     (b)(2)(B).
       ``(2) Individuals with access to vulnerable populations.--
     An individual described in this paragraph is an individual 
     who--
       ``(A) serves in a position in which the individual receives 
     a living allowance, stipend, national service educational 
     award, or salary through a program receiving assistance under 
     the national service laws; and
       ``(B) as a result of such individual's service in such 
     position, has or will have access, on a recurring basis, to--
       ``(i) children age 17 years or younger;
       ``(ii) individuals age 60 years or older; or

[[Page S3935]]

       ``(iii) individuals with disabilities.''.
                                 ______
                                 
  SA 723. Mr. FEINGOLD (for himself and Mr. Voinovich) submitted an 
amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill H.R. 1388, 
entitled ``The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, an Act to 
reauthorize and reform the national service laws.''; which was ordered 
to lie on the table; as follows:

       Strike title V and insert the following:

               TITLE V--VOLUNTEERS FOR PROSPERITY PROGRAM

     SEC. 5101. FINDINGS.

       Congress makes the following findings:
       (1) Americans engaged in international volunteer service, 
     and the organizations deploying them--
       (A) play critical roles in responding to the needs of 
     people living throughout the developing world; and
       (B) advance the international public diplomacy of the 
     United States.
       (2) In light of the barriers many Americans face to 
     volunteering overseas--
       (A) paid fellowships would help reduce financial barriers 
     for Americans otherwise unable to afford volunteer service; 
     and
       (B) flexibility in the duration of volunteering 
     opportunities would reduce another barrier, helping to expand 
     the number of Americans able to participate in international 
     volunteering opportunities.
       (3) The Volunteers for Prosperity Program has successfully 
     promoted international volunteer service by skilled American 
     professionals.
       (4) In its first 4 years, the VfP Program helped to 
     mobilize thousands of skilled Americans, including doctors, 
     nurses, engineers, businesspeople, and teachers, through a 
     network of 250 nonprofit organizations and companies in the 
     United States, to carry out development and humanitarian 
     efforts for those affected by great global challenges in 
     health, the environment, poverty, illiteracy, financial 
     literacy, disaster relief, and other challenges.
       (5) The VfP Program has undertaken activities, including--
       (A) direct outreach to leading nonprofit organizations and 
     companies in the United States;
       (B) promotion of the work of skilled Americans and 
     nonprofit organizations and companies in the United States as 
     it relates to international volunteer service;
       (C) public recognition of skilled American volunteers;
       (D) support for organizations that utilize skilled 
     Americans as volunteers;
       (E) participation in the development of special initiatives 
     to further opportunities for skilled Americans; and
       (F) leadership of an innovative public-private partnership 
     to provide eligible skilled Americans with financial 
     assistance for volunteer assignments.

     SEC. 5102. DEFINITIONS.

       In this title:
       (1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
     ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
       (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on 
     Appropriations of the Senate; and
       (B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on 
     Appropriations of the House of Representatives.
       (2) VfP office.--The term ``VfP Office'' means the Office 
     of Volunteers for Prosperity of the United States Agency for 
     International Development.
       (3) VfP program.--The term ``VfP Program'' means the 
     Volunteers for Prosperity Program established through 
     Executive Order 13317.
       (4) VfPServe.--The term ``VfPServe'' means a program 
     established by the VfP Office, in cooperation with the USA 
     Freedom Corps, to provide eligible skilled professionals with 
     grants to offset the travel, living, and other related costs 
     of volunteering abroad.
       (5) VfP leaders.--The term ``VfP Leaders'' means a program 
     established by the VfP Office created for those who wish to 
     apply for grants of up to 80 percent of volunteers' expenses 
     to offset travel, living, and other related costs of 
     volunteering abroad and who commit to sharing their volunteer 
     experiences with their communities when they return. VfP 
     Leaders shall be selected from applicants by the 
     Administrator of the United States Agency for International 
     Development based on criteria developed by the Administrator.

     SEC. 5103. VOLUNTEERS FOR PROSPERITY PROGRAM.

       (a) Establishment.--The President is authorized to 
     establish, under the auspices of the United States 
     International Agency for Development, the Volunteers for 
     Prosperity Program, to promote long-term, sustainable, and 
     broad based development by addressing the needs of those 
     living in the poorest areas of the world.
       (b) Office of Volunteers for Prosperity.--The President may 
     establish an Office of Volunteers for Prosperity to carry out 
     the purpose of subsection (a).
       (c) Functions.--The VfP Office shall pursue the objectives 
     of the VfP Program described in subsection (d) by--
       (1) implementing the VfPServe Program to provide eligible 
     skilled professionals with matching grants to offset the 
     travel, living, and other related costs of volunteering 
     abroad with nonprofit organizations;
       (2) implementing the VfP Leaders Program to provide those 
     Americans who are accepted into the program with grants of up 
     to 80 percent of volunteer's expenses to offset travel, 
     living, and other related costs of volunteering abroad;
       (3) otherwise encouraging participating nonprofit 
     organizations to promote short- and long-term international 
     volunteer service by skilled American professionals, 
     including connecting such professionals with nonprofit 
     organizations, to achieve such objectives;
       (4) helping nonprofit organizations in the United States 
     recruit and effectively manage additional skilled American 
     professionals for volunteer assignments throughout the 
     developing world;
       (5) providing recognition for skilled American volunteers 
     and the nonprofit organizations deploying them;
       (6) helping nonprofit organizations and corporations in the 
     United States to identify resources and opportunities in 
     international volunteer service utilizing skilled Americans;
       (7) encouraging the establishment of international 
     volunteer programs for employees of United States 
     corporations; and
       (8) encouraging international voluntary service by highly 
     skilled Americans to further the objectives set forth in 
     subsection (d).
       (d) VfP Program Objectives.--The objectives of the VfP 
     Program should include--
       (1) eliminating extreme poverty;
       (2) reducing world hunger and malnutrition;
       (3) increasing access to safe potable water;
       (4) enacting universal education;
       (5) reducing child mortality and childhood disease;
       (6) combating the spread of preventable diseases, including 
     HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis, as well as providing general 
     medical and dental healthcare and prevention;
       (7) providing educational and work skill support for girls 
     and empowering women to achieve independence;
       (8) creating sustainable business and entrepreneurial 
     opportunities, including developing global partnerships in 
     the areas of economic growth, microenterprise, asset 
     development, and agricultural and rural development;
       (9) increasing access to information technology;
       (10) contributing to disaster and humanitarian response 
     efforts; and
       (11) promoting cross-cultural exchange, including citizen 
     diplomacy and improving international and intercultural 
     understanding, language education, and conflict management 
     and resolution.
       (e) Volunteers for Prosperity Serve Program.--To further 
     carry out the purpose of subsection (a), the President may 
     establish the Volunteers for Prosperity Serve (VfPServe) 
     Program to provide eligible skilled professionals with grants 
     to offset the travel, living, and other related costs while 
     volunteering abroad.
       (f) Volunteer Leaders Program.--To further carry out the 
     purpose of subsection (a), the President may establish the 
     Volunteers for Prosperity Leaders (VfP Leaders) Program to 
     provide eligible individuals who commit to sharing their 
     volunteer experiences with their communities when they return 
     and are selected by the Administrator of the United States 
     Agency for International Development with grants of up to 80 
     percent of the travel, living, and other related costs while 
     volunteering abroad.
       (g) Management.--The VfP Program shall be managed by the 
     Administrator of the United States Agency for International 
     Development and shall be operated by employees of the Office 
     of Volunteers for Prosperity and may not be managed on a 
     contracting basis by a nongovernmental entity.
       (h) Use of Funds.--
       (1) In general.--The VfP Office may provide grants to 
     offset the travel, living, and other related costs of 
     volunteering abroad to any participating nonprofit 
     organization that has members who possess skills relevant to 
     addressing any objective described in subsection (d) and--
       (A) provides a dollar-for-dollar match for VfPServe grants 
     --
       (i) through the nonprofit organization with which the 
     individual is serving; or
       (ii) by raising or providing private funds; or
       (B) has been selected to participate in the VfP Leaders 
     Program.
       (2) Nondiscrimination requirement.--The VfP Office may not 
     provide a stipend to an individual under paragraph (1) unless 
     the nonprofit organization to which the individual is 
     assigned has certified to the VfP Office that it does not 
     discriminate with respect to any project or activity 
     receiving Federal financial assistance, including a stipend 
     under this title, because of race, religion, color, national 
     origin, sex, political affiliation, or beliefs.
       (3) Compliance with ineligible service categories.--Service 
     carried out by a volunteer receiving funds under this section 
     may not provide a direct benefit to any--
       (A) business organized for profit;
       (B) labor union;
       (C) partisan political organization; or
       (D) religious or faith-based organization for the purpose 
     of proselytization, worship or any other explicitly religious 
     activity.

     SEC. 5104. COORDINATION AND REPORT.

       (a) Coordination.--The VfP Office shall coordinate its 
     efforts with other United States Government and private 
     efforts that aim to send skilled professionals to serve in 
     developing countries.

[[Page S3936]]

       (b) Reports.--
       (1) Fiscal year 2010.--Not later than 180 days after the 
     date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the 
     United States Agency for International Development shall 
     submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report 
     detailing plans to establish the VfP Program as a program 
     operated under the United States Agency for International 
     Development for the first year of operations in fiscal year 
     2010.
       (2) Fiscal years 2011 through 2014.--Not later than one 
     year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
     Administrator of the United States Agency for International 
     Development shall submit to the appropriate congressional 
     committees a report detailing plans to implement the VfP 
     Program for fiscal years 2011 through 2014 and ongoing 
     activities of the program.
       (3) Content of planning reports.--The reports required 
     under this subsection shall describe--
       (A) the budget needs and expectations for the VfP Program;
       (B) the annual objectives for the VfP Program;
       (C) the number of volunteers to receive programming 
     services from the VfP Program or grants from VfPServe and VfP 
     Leaders;
       (D) a system of financial accountability to ensure that 
     grants provided under VfPServe and VfP Leaders are provided 
     to volunteers to enable individual volunteer service;
       (E) the creation of systems to ensure that each volunteer's 
     activities meet the objectives of the VfP Program identified 
     in section 5103;
       (F) the systems of coordination with other Federal 
     agencies; and
       (G) the personnel and staff needs for the following fiscal 
     year.

     SEC. 5105. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       (a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated to 
     carry out this title $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2010, and 
     such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 
     2011 through 2014.
       (b) Allocation of Funds.--Not more than 10 percent of the 
     amounts appropriated pursuant to subsection (a) may be 
     expended for the administrative costs of the United States 
     Agency for International Development to manage the VfP 
     Program, and the remainder shall be divided evenly between 
     VfPServe and VfP Leaders grants.
       On page 26, line 25, strike ``for this part'' and insert 
     ``for this subtitle''.
       On page 60, line 11, strike ``the report'' and insert ``the 
     report described in subsection (c)''.
       On page 67, line 15, strike ``places'' and insert 
     ``place''.
       On page 81, line 4, insert before the semicolon the 
     following: ``, and sending care packages to Members of the 
     Armed Forces who are deployed''.
       On page 92, line 25, strike ``heath'' and insert 
     ``health''.
       On page 103, lines 16 and 17, strike ``subtitles B and C'' 
     and insert ``subtitle B''.
       On page 272, line 17, strike ``be focused'' and insert 
     ``propose to focus''.
       On page 272, line 21, strike ``be focused'' and insert 
     ``propose to focus''.
       On page 276, line 6, strike ``the highest'' and insert 
     ``high''.
                                 ______
                                 
  SA 724. Mr. COBURN submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by 
him to the bill H.R. 1388, entitled ``The Edward M. Kennedy Serve 
America Act, an Act to reauthorize and reform the national service 
laws.''; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

                    TITLE VII--MILLIONAIRE EXEMPTION

     SEC. 701. EXEMPTION FOR MILLIONAIRES.

       (a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
     this Act, no wealthy individual who participates in a program 
     under this Act may receive stipend, living allowance, 
     education award, or other compensation by virtue of such 
     participation.
       (b) Wealthy Individual.--In this section, the term 
     ``wealthy individual'' means an individual who is from a 
     family with a taxable annual income of more than $1,000,000.
                                 ______
                                 
  SA 725. Mr. LAUTENBERG submitted an amendment intended to be proposed 
by him to the bill H.R. 1388, entitled ``The Edward M. Kennedy Serve 
America Act, an Act to reauthorize and reform the national service 
laws.''; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       Subtitle F of title I of the National and Community Service 
     Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12631 et seq.), as amended by section 
     1612, is further amended by adding at the end the following:

     ``SEC. 189E. SEX EDUCATION PROGRAMS AND DISTRIBUTION OF 
                   MATERIALS.

       ``(a) Sex Education Programs.--Assistance made available 
     under the national service laws to develop or distribute 
     materials, or operate programs or courses of instruction, 
     related to sex education for young people shall be used for 
     materials, programs, or courses that--
       ``(1) include education on both abstinence and 
     contraception for the prevention of teenage pregnancy and 
     sexually transmitted infections, including HIV and AIDS; and
       ``(2)(A) are age appropriate and medically accurate;
       ``(B) stress the value of abstinence while not ignoring 
     those young people who have had or are having sexual 
     intercourse;
       ``(C) provide information about the health benefits and 
     side effects of all contraceptive methods (including barrier 
     methods) used--
       ``(i) as a means to prevent pregnancy; and
       ``(ii) to reduce the risk of contracting sexually 
     transmitted infections, including HIV and AIDS;
       ``(D) encourage family communication between a parent and a 
     child about sexuality;
       ``(E) teach young people the skills to make responsible 
     decisions about sexuality, including how to avoid unwanted 
     verbal, physical, and sexual advances and how to avoid making 
     verbal, physical, and sexual advances that are not wanted by 
     the other party;
       ``(F) teach young people the skills to develop healthy 
     relationships, including skills to prevent dating violence 
     and sexual violence;
       ``(G) teach young people how alcohol and drug use can 
     affect responsible decisionmaking; and
       ``(H) not teach or promote religion.
       ``(b) Distribution of Materials.--No assistance made 
     available under the national service laws shall be used to 
     distribute, or aid in the distribution by any organization 
     of, obscene materials to minors on school grounds.''.
                                 ______
                                 
  SA 726. Mr. HATCH submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to 
amendment SA 687 proposed by Ms. Mikulski (for herself and Mr. Isakson) 
to the bill H.R. 1388, entitled ``The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America 
Act, an Act to reauthorize and reform the national service laws.''; 
which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       On page 1, line 5, strike ``Serve America Act'' and insert 
     ``Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act''.
       On page 57, line 20, insert ``Edward M. Kennedy'' before 
     ``Serve America Act''.
       On page 65, line 10, insert ``Edward M. Kennedy'' before 
     ``Serve America Act''.
       On page 116, line 14, insert ``Edward M. Kennedy'' before 
     ``Serve America Act''.
       On page 196, line 16, insert ``Edward M. Kennedy'' before 
     ``Serve America Act''.
       On page 206, line 20, insert ``Edward M. Kennedy'' before 
     ``Serve America Act''.
       On page 223, line 9, insert ``Edward M. Kennedy'' before 
     ``Serve''.
       On page 227, line 4, insert ``Edward M. Kennedy'' before 
     ``Serve America Act''.
       On page 227, line 17, insert ``Edward M. Kennedy'' before 
     ``Serve America Act''.
       On page 237, line 24, insert ``Edward M. Kennedy'' before 
     ``Serve America''.
       On page 319, line 3, insert ``Edward M. Kennedy'' before 
     ``Serve America Act''.
       On page 320, line 16, insert ``Edward M. Kennedy'' before 
     ``Serve America Act''.
       On page 321, line 1, insert ``Edward M. Kennedy'' before 
     ``Serve America Act''.
       On page 325, line 19, insert ``Edward M. Kennedy'' before 
     ``Serve America Act''.
       On page 334, line 24, insert ``Edward M. Kennedy'' before 
     ``Serve America Act''.
       On page 335, line 3, insert ``Edward M. Kennedy'' before 
     ``Serve America Act''.
                                 ______
                                 
  SA 727. Mr. BURR (for himself and Ms. Mikulski) proposed an amendment 
to amendment SA 687 proposed by Ms. Mikulski ( for herself and Mr. 
Isakson) to the bill H.R. 1388, entitled ``The Edward M. Kennedy Serve 
America Act, and Act to reauthorize and reform the national service 
laws.''; as follows:

       On page 213, after line 21, insert the following:

     SEC. 1613. CRIMINAL HISTORY CHECKS FOR INDIVIDUALS WORKING 
                   WITH VULNERABLE POPULATIONS.

       (a) Amendment.--Section 189D, as added by section 1612, is 
     further amended by adding at the end the following:
       ``(d) Special Rule for Individuals Working With Vulnerable 
     Populations.--
       ``(1) In general.--Notwithstanding subsection (b), on and 
     after the date that is 2 years after the date of enactment of 
     the Serve America Act, a criminal history check under 
     subsection (a) for each individual described in paragraph (2) 
     shall, except for an entity described in paragraph (3), 
     include--
       ``(A) a name-based search of the National Sex Offender 
     Registry established under the Adam Walsh Child Protection 
     and Safety Act of 2006 (42 U.S.C. 16901 et seq.);
       ``(B) a search of the State criminal registry or repository 
     in the State in which the program is operating and the State 
     in which the individual resides at the time of application; 
     and
       ``(C) submitting fingerprints to the Federal Bureau of 
     Investigation for a national criminal history background 
     check.
       ``(2) Individuals with access to vulnerable populations.--
     An individual described in this paragraph is an individual 
     age 18 or older who--
       ``(A) serves in a position in which the individual receives 
     a living allowance, stipend, national service educational 
     award, or salary through a program receiving assistance under 
     the national service laws; and
       ``(B) as a result of such individual's service in such 
     position, has or will have access, on a recurring basis, to--
       ``(i) children age 17 years or younger;
       ``(ii) individuals age 60 years or older; or
       ``(iii) individuals with disabilities.
       ``(3) Exceptions.--The provisions of this subsection shall 
     not apply to an entity--

[[Page S3937]]

       ``(A) where the service provided by individuals serving 
     with the entity to a vulnerable population described in 
     paragraph (2)(B) is episodic in nature or for a 1-day period;
       ``(B) where the cost to the entity of complying with this 
     subsection is prohibitive;
       ``(C) where the entity is not authorized, or is otherwise 
     unable, under State law, to access the national criminal 
     history background check system of the Federal Bureau of 
     Investigation;
       ``(D) where the entity is not authorized, or is otherwise 
     unable, under Federal law, to access the national criminal 
     history background check system of the Federal Bureau of 
     Investigation; or
       ``(E) to which the Corporation otherwise provides an 
     exemption from this subsection for good cause.''.
       (b) Feasibility Study for a System of Criminal History 
     Checks for Employees and Volunteers.--
       (1) Feasibility study on efficiency and effectiveness 
     regarding criminal history check.--The Attorney General of 
     the United States shall conduct a study that shall examine, 
     to the extent discernible and as of the date of the study, 
     the following:
       (A) The state of criminal history checks (including the use 
     of fingerprint collection) at the State and local level, 
     including--
       (i) the available infrastructure for conducting criminal 
     history checks;
       (ii) the State system capacities to conduct such criminal 
     history checks; and
       (iii) the time required for each State to process an 
     individual's fingerprints for a national criminal history 
     background check through the Federal Bureau of Investigation, 
     from the time of fingerprint collection to the submission to 
     the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
       (B) The likelihood that each State would participate in a 
     nationwide system of criminal history checks to provide 
     information regarding participants to entities receiving 
     assistance under the national service laws.
       (C) The number of participants that would require a 
     fingerprint-based national criminal history background check 
     under the national service laws.
       (D) The impact of the national service laws on the 
     Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System of the 
     Federal Bureau of Investigation in terms of capacity and 
     impact on other users of the system, including the effect on 
     the work practices and staffing levels of the Federal Bureau 
     of Investigation.
       (E) The fees charged by the Federal Bureau of 
     Investigation, States, local agencies, and private companies 
     to collect and process fingerprints and conduct criminal 
     history checks.
       (F) The existence of model or best practice programs 
     regarding conducting criminal history checks that could 
     easily be expanded and duplicated in other States.
       (G) The extent to which private companies are currently 
     performing criminal history checks, and the possibility of 
     using private companies in the future to perform any of the 
     criminal history check process, including the collection and 
     transmission of fingerprints and fitness determinations.
       (H) The cost of development and operation of the technology 
     and the infrastructure necessary to establish a nationwide 
     fingerprint-based and other criminal background check system.
       (I) The extent of State participation in the procedures for 
     background checks under the National Child Protection Act of 
     1993 (42 U.S.C. 5119 et seq.).
       (J) The extent to which States provide access to nationwide 
     criminal history checks to organizations that serve children.
       (K) The extent to which States permit volunteers and other 
     individuals to appeal adverse fitness determinations, and 
     whether similar procedures are required at the Federal level.
       (L) Any privacy concerns that may arise from nationwide 
     criminal background checks for participants.
       (M) Any other information determined relevant by the 
     Attorney General.
       (2) Interim report.--Based on the findings of the study 
     under paragraph (1), the Attorney General shall, not later 
     than 6 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
     submit to the appropriate committees of Congress an interim 
     report, which may include recommendations regarding criminal 
     history checks for individuals that seek to volunteer with 
     organizations that work with children, the elderly, or 
     individuals with disabilities.
       (3) Final report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall submit to 
     the Committee on the Judiciary and the Committee on Health, 
     Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and to the 
     Committee on the Judiciary and the Committee on Education and 
     Labor of the House of Representatives, a final report 
     including recommendations regarding criminal history checks 
     for participants under the national service laws, which may 
     include--
       (A) a proposal for grants to States to develop or improve 
     programs to collect fingerprints and perform criminal history 
     checks for individuals that seek to volunteer with 
     organizations that work with children, the elderly, or 
     individuals with disabilities; and
       (B) recommendations for amendments to the National Child 
     Protection Act of 1993 and the Volunteers for Children Act so 
     that entities receiving assistance under the national service 
     laws can promptly and affordably conduct nationwide criminal 
     history background checks on their employees and volunteers.
       (4) Definitions.--In this subsection, the terms 
     ``authorizing committees'', ``participants'', and ``national 
     service laws'' have the meanings given such terms in section 
     101 of the National and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 
     U.S.C. 12511).
       (c) Effective Date.--Notwithstanding section 6101, 
     subsection (b) shall take effect on the date of enactment of 
     this Act.
                                 ______
                                 
  SA 728. Ms. MIKULSKI (for herself and Mr. Enzi) submitted an 
amendment intended to be proposed to amendment SA 687 proposed by Ms. 
Mikulski (for herself and Mr. Isakson) to the bill H.R. 1388, entitled 
``The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, an Act to reauthorize and 
reform the national service law.''; as follows:

       On page 26, line 25, strike ``for this part'' and insert 
     ``for this subtitle''.
       On page 60, line 11, strike ``the report'' and insert ``the 
     report described in subsection (c)''.
       On page 67, line 15, strike ``places'' and insert 
     ``place''.
       On page 81, line 4, insert before the semicolon the 
     following: ``, and sending care packages to Members of the 
     Armed Forces who are deployed''.
       On page 92, line 25, strike ``heath'' and insert 
     ``health''.
       On page 103, lines 16 and 17, strike ``subtitles B and C'' 
     and insert ``subtitle B''.
       On page 272, line 17, strike ``be focused'' and insert 
     ``propose to focus''.
       On page 272, line 21, strike ``be focused'' and insert 
     ``propose to focus''.
       On page 276, line 6, strike ``the highest'' and insert 
     ``high''.
                                 ______
                                 
  SA 729. Mr. HATCH proposed an amendment to the bill H.R. 1388, 
``Entitled The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, an Act to 
reauthorize and reform the national service law.''; as follows:

       Amend the title so as to read: Entitled The Edward M. 
     Kennedy Serve America Act, and Act to reauthorize and reform 
     and national service laws.''

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