[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 38 (Monday, March 1, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E184]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    PEACE CORPS REAUTHORIZATION ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOHN GARAMENDI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, March 1, 2021

  Mr. GARAMENDI. Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to reintroduce the 
``Peace Corps Reauthorization Act'' on today, the 60th anniversary of 
the Peace Corps' founding and the start of National Peace Corps Week. I 
want to thank my fellow Congressional Peace Corps Caucus co-chair 
Representative Graves (R-LA), as well as Representatives Meng (D-NY), 
Radewagen (R-AS), Phillips (D-MN), Case (D-HI), and Sires (D-NJ), for 
their support as original cosponsors.
  Like successive generations of young Americans, my wife Patti and I 
answered President John F. Kennedy's call and served in the Peace Corps 
in Ethiopia from 1966 to 1968. This foundational experience inspired 
our lifetime of service that continued into California state 
government, the Clinton Administration, and now the United States 
Congress.
  Since the establishment of the Peace Corps in 1961, more than 230,000 
American volunteers have served in some 141 countries around the world. 
Due to the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, the Peace Corps was forced 
to recall all volunteers serving in 65 countries in March 2020. Now 
more than ever, Congress must support the Peace Corps' mission and 
realize President Kennedy's vision of generations of young Americans, 
ready to serve their nation and make the world a better place.
  Our ``Peace Corps Reauthorization Act'' would do just that by 
providing additional federal resources to better support current and 
returned volunteers. This bipartisan bill would also provide the 
funding necessary to redeploy Peace Corps volunteers once it is safe to 
do so after the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, with the goal of finally 
reaching 10,000 volunteers serving annually around the world.
  This bipartisan bill builds upon the Sam Farr and Nick Castle Peace 
Corps Reform Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-256) and the Kate Puzey Peace 
Corps Volunteer Protection Act of 2011 (Public Law 112-57) sponsored by 
former Congressman Ted Poe (R-TX). The bill also builds upon 
legislation sponsored by former Congressman Sam Farr (D-CA), who served 
in the Peace Corps in Colombia from 1964 to 1966.
  As co-chair of the Congressional Peace Corps Caucus, I continue 
working in support of the Peace Corps' mission, its volunteers, and the 
indelible impact their service has on the lives of needy people the 
world over. Congress last reauthorized the Peace Corps in 1999 (Public 
Law 106-30), expiring at the end of fiscal year 2003. So, my bipartisan 
``Peace Corps Reauthorization Act'' is long overdue.
  Madam Speaker, I look forward to working with the new Foreign Affairs 
Committee Chairman Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY) and Ranking Member Michael 
McCaul (R-TX) to pass the ``Peace Corps Reauthorization Act'' this 
Congress. I encourage all members of the House to cosponsor this 
bipartisan bill.

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