National Service Reauthorization Act--Continued

Floor Speech

NATIONAL SERVICE REAUTHORIZATION ACT--Continued -- (Senate - March 25, 2009)

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Texas.

Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Senator Reed from Rhode Island be recognized first, for up to 5 minutes, and then I be recognized, following him, for up to 10 minutes.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

The Senator from Rhode Island.

Mr. REED. Mr. President, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1388, the Serve America Act. I particularly commend Senator Mikulski for her leadership on this very important initiative. She has done more than anyone to bring this bill to the floor and it being on the verge of successful passage. I say thank you, Madam Chairwoman as well as Senators Kennedy, Hatch, and Enzi for your excellent work on this bill.

This bipartisan legislation reauthorizes the National and Community Service Act for the first time since 1993. It strengthens our commitment to the importance and value of national and community service for individuals of all ages.

I was pleased the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that was signed into law last month included $154 million for AmeriCorps State and national programs and AmeriCorps VISTA. This funding is estimated to engage 13,000 additional individuals in service to their communities. In his address to Congress last month, President Obama encouraged ``a renewed spirit of national service for this and future generations'' and called for quick congressional action on the legislation we seek to pass today.

There are a variety of ways to serve your country. You can serve in the Armed Forces, as I did, or you can serve in your community, as so many Americans are doing today. More than ever, being a good citizen means not only working hard and providing for one's family but also being an engaged and contributing member of the community, and particularly to those most in need in your community.

We make ourselves better by engaging in service that gives back to our communities and makes our society better, through teaching, mentoring and tutoring children, cleaning up rivers and streams, building housing for the homeless, and addressing the medical needs of the ailing, to name a few endeavors that are so critical.

The AmeriCorps, Learn and Serve America, and Senior Corps programs have greatly benefitted my State. Rhode Island has a proud tradition of service and was one of the first States to embrace the AmeriCorps program. More than 14,000 Rhode Islanders participated in those programs last year.

Participants in these programs are given an opportunity to learn as well as an opportunity to serve. In the act of serving their community, participants often make a difference in their own lives--developing their own knowledge, skills, character, and self-esteem, and incorporating an ethic of civic responsibility for the rest of their lives.

As a cosponsor of this legislation, I am particularly pleased that this bill includes changes I advocated to maximize Rhode Island's funding through the AmeriCorps and Learn and Serve programs. The Serve America Act includes a statutory small State minimum for the AmeriCorps and Learn and Serve formula programs for the first time. It also includes a provision I authored to ensure that small, innovative AmeriCorps programs such as those found throughout Rhode Island get their fair share of competitive grant funding. Additionally, I am pleased that this legislation includes changes I sought to encourage volunteers to focus on helping low-income individuals find affordable housing.

This is legislation that is important. It is critical. It lives up to our highest traditions as a nation; that is, to be something more than one who enjoys their rights but also who discharges their responsibilities through service to the community and the Nation. I urge passage.

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