[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 15659-15660]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     INTRODUCTION OF THE STRENGTHEN AMERICORPS PROGRAM ACT OF 2003

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 19, 2003

  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing the Strengthen 
AmeriCorps Program Act of 2003, to strengthen the Corporation for 
National and Community Service's AmeriCorps program. This bill will not 
only address the Corporation's recent accounting problems, but more 
importantly, it will protect and expand volunteer service opportunities 
in my State of Maryland and across our Nation. It is identical to S. 
1276, which the Senate passed yesterday. S. 1276 was introduced by 
Senator Christopher Bond of Missouri and my colleague from Maryland, 
Senator Barbara Mikulski, and I appreciate their leadership. We must 
act now to save this important program.
  The President has asked every American to volunteer in their 
communities and has made the AmeriCorps program a central vehicle in 
meeting volunteer needs. The AmeriCorps program can play an important 
and effective role in improving the lives of many Americans and 
communities it serves.
  But I have heard from many of my constituents who are concerned about 
the potential cuts to the AmeriCorps program. If we fail to act, next 
year's Maryland program will be slashed from 452 AmeriCorps members to 
52 members. Nationwide the number of AmeriCorps members will be 
radically cut as well.
  Maryland's 8th District, which I am proud to represent, has a highly 
successful AmeriCorps program, Project CHANGE. Project CHANGE was 
developed in conjunction with the President of Montgomery College, 
Charlene Nunley, the Superintendent of Schools for Montgomery County, 
Jerry Weast, and leaders from the County's non-profit, immigrant and 
business communities. If we don't act, it is likely that Montgomery 
County will lose Project CHANGE together with the great work that its 
20 AmeriCorps members are performing on behalf of our neediest students 
and families.
  So what happened? The reason is simple--last year, the Corporation 
over-enrolled the AmeriCorps program by more than 20,000 and the Bush 
Administration took money from the National Service Education Trust, 
which is used to pay the education stipends of AmeriCorps members 
following their service. The OMB and GAO have declared that this money 
must be paid back using the coming year's appropriated funds.
  The GAO has identified several factors that led to the Corporation's 
incorrect accounting practice. The factors included inappropriate 
obligation practices, little or no communication among key Corporation 
executives, too much flexibility given to grantees regarding 
enrollments, unreliable data on the number of AmeriCorps participants, 
and not following the law in recording its legal liabilities.
  This legislation will help address the AmeriCorps problem, at least 
in the short term. It creates a budgeting mechanism that ensures the 
Corporation has the funds needed

[[Page 15660]]

to pay educational awards. Under this bill, the Corporation would be 
able to enroll about 50,000 AmeriCorps members, without the need for 
additional funds.
  We now know that recording obligations based on the approved level of 
AmeriCorps members in the program does not reflect the true performance 
of the program. Not all AmeriCorps volunteers successfully complete 
service, and not all AmeriCorps members who do complete service use 
their educational award benefit. Accordingly, this bill allows the 
Corporation to fund AmeriCorps grants based on estimates of the number 
of members who will likely complete and use their education award. 
Further, the bill requires an annual actuarial audit of the National 
Service Trust to ensure that the Federal Government is able to meet its 
liabilities. The bill also requires the chief executive officer to 
certify that the Corporation has properly recorded and tracked its 
obligations.
  We should pass this legislation as quickly as possible. Without it, 
uncertainty and disagreement will delay and limit the enrollment of 
AmeriCorps volunteers. Considering the demand and the need for this 
program, we cannot afford to wait.
  But I need to emphasize that this is not a permanent solution. We 
must restore the proper level of funding to allow AmeriCorps to operate 
at full strength. We must restore funding for both the National Service 
Education Trust and the AmeriCorps program. America's communities need 
AmeriCorps today more than ever, and the talented and dedicated 
AmeriCorps members need to receive their education stipends following 
their service.

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