[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 69 (Monday, April 29, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H3296-H3297]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   OPPOSING TRANSFORMATION PLAN OF THE CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND 
                           COMMUNITY SERVICE

  (Mr. LANGEVIN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to the 
decision by the Corporation for National and Community Service, or 
CNCS, to close all State and territorial offices and replace them with 
eight regional offices.
  If this plan is implemented, just by way of example, the office in my 
home State of Rhode Island will close. If this happens, we will lose 
the local experts who understand the histories and cultures of the 
communities they serve, and with them, the years-long relationships 
that they have built up in our communities.
  The closures will particularly harm smaller organizations that rely 
on CNCS, like New Urban Arts, the Rhode Island Free Clinic, Federal 
Hill House, and Riverzedge Arts.
  That is why I have joined my colleagues in sending a letter to CEO 
Barbara Stewart opposing the plan, and why I am cosponsoring 
Representative

[[Page H3297]]

McCollum's Keep Community Service Local Act.
  At a time when Americans, particularly our young people, report 
feeling evermore disconnected from their government, programs like 
national service and civics education are crucial in helping to repair 
the fabric of our democracy.
  Let's not let this decision stand. Let's see it turned around. Keep 
these offices open.

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