Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. REED. Mr. President, I believe that Americans are ready and willing to answer the call to serve and come together to meet the challenges that we face at the local, national, and international level. We just need to create the conditions to mobilize them. That is why I am proud to join Senators Young and Coons and Representatives Houlahan, Panetta, Bacon. and Bergman in introducing the Unity through Service Act.

Our bipartisan legislation is based on the recommendations of the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service. The Commission was established in the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act. Back then, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain and I were trying look at how we could encourage the most qualified individuals of all backgrounds to volunteer for military service. We quickly understood that the question was also about something bigger. What does it mean for the Nation when so many people do not have the common experience of service, whether in the military or in their communities? And what happens when those who want to serve do not have the opportunity to do so? With those thoughts in mind, we established the Commission to look at the issue of service comprehensively.

One of the statutory mandates of the Commission was to explore the ``means by which to foster a greater attitude and ethos of service among United States youth.'' We as a government must be prepared to invest in what is truly one of our Nation's greatest assets--our public servants. This has been an urgent matter for decades, but it is ever more urgent today.

The Commission published its final report and recommendations just as the COVID-19 pandemic began to grip the Nation. It set a 10-year goal for 5 million Americans to begin participating in military, national, or public service each year. Additionally, the Commission set targets for ensuring there are more than enough qualified individuals seeking to serve in the Armed Forces, and it called for modernizing government personnel systems to attract and enable Americans with critical skills to enter public service. The Unity through Service Act would help to implement those recommendations, providing the architecture and focus to mobilize a whole-of-government approach.

Specifically, the Unity through Service Act would establish an Interagency Council on Service to coordinate and lead initiatives that extend across military, national, and public service. The Council would be tasked with preparing and submitting to the President a national strategy on service, including a review of current programs, initiatives, and online content. The legislation would promote cross- service marketing, recruitment, and retention through joint advertising campaigns and shared market research. It would also ensure that transitioning military members and AmeriCorps members are informed about other service opportunities open to them.

The Unity through Service Act would elevate all forms of service, leveraging the strengths of existing programs and would provide a roadmap for bringing a new generation of Americans together in service to our Nation. Americans want to serve. We just need to provide the opportunities and the connections for them to do so.

I urge my colleagues to join us in reaffirming our national culture of service by working with Senator Young and me to take up and pass the Unity through Service Act.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source