Kennedy promotes national service bill
February 23, 2009
(Excerpts from an article appearing on Boston.com by Susan Milligan, Globe Staff)
WASHINGTON -- A national service bill aimed at drawing Americans from elementary school children to retirees won bipartisan plaudits today from key senators, who said they are hoping to get the measure passed before Easter.
The measure -- a joint effort by Senators Edward M. Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat, and Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican -- would provide $5 billion over five years to fund 250,000 volunteers in energy, the environment, healthcare, and education. President Obama mentioned the Serve America Act in his address to Congress last month.
While US soldiers are serving overseas, "Americans should be able to serve on the homefront as well, addressing the national problems of our times,´´ Michael Brown, CEO of the Boston-based City Year community service program, told the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Kennedy did have a statement entered into the record. "Americans young and old are looking for new ways to serve their communities and give back to their country." The full statement and summary of the bill, provided by Kennedy´s office, is below:
THE SERVE AMERICA ACTA Legislative Initiative to Expand and Improve Domestic and International Service Opportunities for All Americans by Senator Edward M. Kennedy and Senator Orrin Hatch
Use service to meet specific national challenges. Put service to work to solve our most pressing challenges, such as tackling the dropout crisis and strengthening our schools; improving energy efficiency; safeguarding the environment; improving health care in low-income communities; expanding economic opportunities for low-income individuals; and preparing for and responding to disasters and emergencies.
I. Ask Many More Americans to Give a Year to Solve Specific Challenges: Building on the success of AmeriCorps, the legislation will create new, effective “Corps” focused on areas of national need. It will ask 175,000 Americans to give a year of service through these corps as part of a new national commitment to solve these challenges, expanding the number of national service participants to 250,000.
II. Increase Opportunities to Serve by People of All Ages: For Students, Increase Service Early in Life: Service early in life will put more and more youth on a path to a lifetime of service. The legislation will improve opportunities for young people in low income, high-need communities to engage in service to improve their own communities.
To read the full artice, click here.
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