[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 164 (Wednesday, September 22, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1009]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





  COMMEMORATING THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE PEACE CORPS SEPTEMBER 22, 
                                  2021

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOHN GARAMENDI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 22, 2021

  Mr. GARAMENDI. Madam Speaker, today marks a very important event--the 
60th anniversary of the Peace Corps. On September 22, 1961, President 
John F. Kennedy signed the Peace Corps Act (Public Law 87-293). To 
date, more than 240,000 Americans have served as Peace Corps volunteers 
in 142 countries around the world. Prior to the global COVID-19 
pandemic, there were nearly 8,000 Peace Corps volunteers serving in 61 
countries. Today, Peace Corps volunteers stand ready to return to their 
crucial work once it is safe and prudent to do so.
  Like successive generations of young Americans, my wife Patti and I 
answered President Kennedy's call and served in the Peace Corps in 
Ethiopia from 1966 to 1968. As co-chair of the Congressional Peace 
Corps Caucus, I am proud to continue working in support of the Peace 
Corps' mission, its volunteers, and the indelible impact their service 
has on the lives of so many around the world.
  And so today we commemorate 60 years of Peace Corps. We celebrate 
over 240,000 Peace Corps volunteers who have served around the world, 
and we celebrate those who have worked to fulfill the three goals both 
during and after their volunteer service: 1) To help the people of 
interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women; 
2) To help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of 
the peoples served; and 3) To help promote a better understanding of 
other peoples on the part of Americans.
  As Peace Corps volunteers have returned to America, they have 
continued to serve over their lifetimes. They serve as volunteers at 
twice the rate of other Americans. They are in our nation's schools as 
educators. They are in community programs as leaders and mentors across 
the country. And a few are even found in the United States Congress.
  Today, there are global leaders of many countries who have been 
taught by Peace Corps volunteers in their high schools, in their 
grammar schools, or in their universities. They have a very special 
understanding of America because of the Peace Corps. They know 
Americans. They know that Americans have a big heart, and they have a 
desire to see progress, economic and social progress, in every country 
of this world.
  The benefits of the Peace Corps at home and abroad are undeniable. 
Congress last reauthorized the Peace Corps in 1999 (Public Law 106-30), 
which expired at the end of fiscal year 2003. 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.
  The bipartisan ``Peace Corps Reauthorization Act of 2021'' (H.R. 
1456), which I introduced earlier this year on National Peace Corps Day 
(March 1), would do just that by providing additional federal resources 
to better support current, returning, and former Peace Corps 
volunteers. This critical legislation will help the agency and 
volunteers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
  H.R. 1456 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). The bill 
guarantees additional health insurance coverage for returned volunteers 
immediately following their service and requires the Peace Corps to 
better facilitate long-term public and private health insurance 
coverage options for returned volunteers. The bill also increases the 
federal workers' compensation rate for all Peace Corps volunteers 
injured or disabled during their service and strengthens protections of 
volunteers against reprisals or retaliations for reporting wrongdoing 
or malfeasance.
  President Kennedy understood in 1961 that the Peace Corps would 
``permit our people to exercise more fully their responsibilities in 
the great common cause of world development.'' I can think of no better 
way to honor the 60 years of Peace Corps service than for this Congress 
to pass the bipartisan ``Peace Corps Reauthorization Act of 2021'' 
(H.R. 1456) to advance that vision into the 21st century.
  To all the current and returned Peace Corps volunteers, I thank them 
for their commitment to serving others on this, the 60th anniversary. 
Our work continues.

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