[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 20 (Monday, May 24, 1999)]
[Pages 957-958]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on Signing Legislation Authorizing Appropriations for the 
Peace Corps

May 21, 1999

    Today I am pleased to sign into law H.R. 669, a bill authorizing 
appropriations for the Peace Corps for Fiscal Years 2000 through 2003, 
which passed the Congress with bipartisan support. This legislation 
represents a major step toward a goal that the Congress established for 
the Peace Corps in 1985, and that I reaffirmed in January 1998: 
expanding the Peace Corps to 10,000 volunteers. This is an important day 
in the history of the Peace Corps, and I wish to thank the many

[[Page 958]]

Members of the Congress who helped make passage of this legislation 
possible. I also wish to congratulate Mark Gearan for his leadership and 
outstanding work as the Director of the Peace Corps.
    The Peace Corps and the women and men who serve our country as 
volunteers embody some of our finest traditions and values--a spirit of 
service, a strong sense of altruism, and an enduring commitment to make 
the world a better place. Peace Corps volunteers have touched the lives 
of many people in more than 130 countries, and every American can take 
great pride in their service.
    This bill will help ensure that many more of our citizens can offer 
their skills and serve our country as Peace Corps volunteers. This 
legislation is a strong statement of our Government's continued, 
bipartisan support for the work of our volunteers and their 
contributions to international understanding. In particular, I thank 
Senators Jesse Helms, Joseph Biden, and Paul Coverdell, who served as 
Director of the Peace Corps under President Bush, and Christopher Dodd, 
who served as Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic. I also 
express my appreciation to Representatives Ben Gilman, Sam Gejdenson, 
Tom Campbell, David Bonior, Donald Payne, and Earl Pomeroy. I also want 
to express my gratitude to the other returned Peace Corps volunteers who 
have continued their service to our country as Members of Congress: 
Representatives Tony Hall, Sam Farr, James Walsh, Christopher Shays, and 
Tom Petri.
    Finally, I wish to thank the thousands of Peace Corps volunteers who 
are serving our country around the world. At the end of this fiscal 
year, more volunteers will be serve overseas than at any time in the 
last 25 years. Our country owes you a debt of gratitude for your 
service.
                                            William J. Clinton
The White House,
May 21, 1999.

Note: H.R. 669, approved May 21, was assigned Public Law No. 106-30.