[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 7 (Wednesday, January 19, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E69]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  BIPARTISAN CASE FOR NATIONAL SERVICE

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. TODD RUSSELL PLATTS

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 19, 2011

  Mr. PLATTS. Mr. Speaker, I submit the following.

                     [From POLITICO, Jan. 17, 2011]

                  Bipartisan Case for National Service

                          (By Eric Tanenblatt)

       You wouldn't think that new Republican Govs. Nathan Deal of 
     Georgia and Sam Brownback of Kansas would have much in common 
     with the Democratic governor of Massachusetts, Deval Patrick. 
     But all three have made volunteer ``days of service'' a 
     centerpiece of their inaugurations.
       They are asking citizens to join them in feeding the 
     hungry, assisting the jobless and helping their neighbors in 
     a host of other ways. They join a growing number of governors 
     and mayors who are rediscovering the untapped power of 
     citizen service.
       These inaugural service events are not ceremonial gestures. 
     They remind us that citizen service crosses all boundaries--
     and has always been at the heart of what it means to be an 
     American.
       America's story is the story of volunteers. Since the early 
     days of our nation, volunteers have helped us meet our 
     greatest challenges: patriots who fought for our founding 
     ideals, women who reached for the ballot, civil rights foot 
     soldiers who risked their lives for equality, firefighters 
     who rushed into burning towers, ordinary citizens who came to 
     the aid of a disaster stricken coast.
       Last year, in the middle of the Great Recession, 
     approximately 63.4 million Americans volunteered in some way 
     in their communities--the largest increase since 2003. That's 
     63.4 million citizens from all backgrounds and walks of life 
     tilting toward problems instead of running away from them.
       But America faces tough challenges requiring a new 
     generation of service and service leaders.
       National service, as embodied in the three major programs 
     of the Corporation for National and Community Service--
     AmeriCorps, Senior Corps and Learn and Serve America--engages 
     millions of Americans of all ages and backgrounds in 
     addressing issues of poverty, illiteracy, disasters, public 
     safety, independent living and more throughout the country.
       One the crucial ingredient of this federal program's 
     success has been its support across the political spectrum. 
     In fact, in a spirit of bipartisanship rarely seen in 
     Washington these days, it took Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and 
     the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), working with 
     leaders in the House, just weeks to rally the votes and pass 
     the Serve America Act in 2009.
       I am a lifelong Republican--let me give you three reasons 
     why this modest investment in service is consistent with 
     conservative principles and has a powerful catalytic effect 
     on citizen empowerment.
       First, national service recognizes that the best solutions 
     come from outside Washington. It invests in citizens to solve 
     problems, tapping the energy and ingenuity of our greatest 
     resource--the American people. In the long run, this is 
     likely to reduce reliance on government.
       Second, an investment in national service is a good deal 
     for taxpayers. AmeriCorps was built to be a public-private 
     partnership. It leverages substantial private investment--
     more than $375 million in non-federal funds each year--to 
     fund such programs as Teach for America and Habitat for 
     Humanity.
       Third, while the primary purpose of national service is to 
     get things done for people in need, it has important side 
     benefits. One is the transforming effect it has on those who 
     serve--exposing them to society's problems, bringing people 
     from different races and backgrounds together, empowering 
     them to act and often putting them onto a lifelong path of 
     civic engagement.
       The modern service movement is built on these principles, 
     shared by people of every political persuasion and all walks 
     of life.
       We salute Deal, Brownback and Patrick for leading the way. 
     We hope that their actions send a signal that will spread and 
     carry forward through this year and beyond.
       We can--and should--have a robust debate about the role and 
     size of government. But in the course of that debate, we 
     should recognize that there are important areas, like 
     volunteer service, where we can find common ground.

                          ____________________