Category Archives: Legislation

03.18.09
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With Bipartisan Support, the House Passes GIVE Act

Update, April 21, 2009: President Obama signs the Serve America Act into law. To take effect October 1, 2009.

The U.S. House of Representatives today passed a major overhaul and expansion of national service.

The House passed H.R. 1388, the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act bill by strong bipartisan vote of 321 to 105. According to Alan Khazei, the founder of the Service Nation movement, this represents a 75% super-majority and broad bi-partisan support.

The vote came after a floor discussion where both Democratic and Republican Members of Congress cited numerous examples of volunteers and national service participants helping Americans in need through mentoring at-risk youth, building homes, teaching in under-served schools, caring for veterans and seniors, and helping survivors of Hurricane Katrina and other disasters.

According to Voices for National Service, here are some amendments to the legislation:

Amendment offered by Rep. Hill (D-IN) to make sending care packages to soldiers Continue reading →

03.17.09
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Lawmakers, Volunteers to Hold Press Conference to Urge Passage of Service Legislation

Update, April 21, 2009: President Obama signs the Serve America Act into law. To take effect October 1, 2009.

U.S. people of all ages who serve and volunteer will join members of the Congress for a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, March 18, at 10:30 am EST.

The House of Representatives will consider H.R. 1388, the GIVE Act, on the floor Wednesday, March 18th. You can watch the voting take place on C-SPAN.

The Congress members and volunteers will urge the House to pass the legislation that aims to “launch a new era of national service to help the nation get through the economic crisis.”

The bill will significantly expand national service (if enacted). Read more (PDF) about the bill. Follow the progress of the bill on Open Congress.

People to appear at the press conference include volunteers and national service participants; House Speaker Nancy Pelosi; House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer; U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman House Education and Labor Committee and co-sponsor of legislation; U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), cosponsor of legislation; U.S. Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV); and Capt. Scott Quilty, U.S. program manager, Survivor Corps.

The Senate is expected to consider similar legislation soon.

03.12.09
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GIVE Act Gets Robust Approval from the House Labor and Education Committee

Update, April 21, 2009: President Obama signs the Serve America Act into law. To take effect October 1, 2009.

March 11th, the House Education and Labor Committee approved H.R. 1388, the Generations InvigoratingVolunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act, on a 34-3 vote. The bill is expected to be sent to the full House for consideration during the week of March 16 and is the House companion bill to the Serve America Act (S. 277).

Rep. George Miller (D-CA), Committee Chair

Rep. George Miller (D-CA), Committee Chair

Chairman George Miller, Ranking Member Howard McKeon, Subcommittee Chair Rep. Carolyn McCarthy,  Rep. Todd Platts and others on the Committee issued a  Committee summary of the GIVE Act, outlined below:

“America is facing unprecedented challenges – the economy, health care, energy, schools in need of improvement and more. With our public needs intensifying in this recession, there’s no better time to support and energize community service and volunteerism to help our country get through this economic crisis, restore confidence and prepare our nation for the future. President Obama has called on Congress to create new opportunities for Americans to build a stronger country by helping students perform better in school, prepare Americans for green and innovative 21st century jobs, rebuild cities in times of disaster, improve communities and much, much more. This legislation answers his call. It will launch a new era of service that will give Americans of all ages an opportunity to invest through service in our nation’s recovery.”

Specifically, the House Education and Labor Committee’s bill will do the following things, as outlined by the Committee: Continue reading →

03.10.09
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Senate Hearing Today on the Kennedy-Hatch Serve America Act

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Shirley Sagawa

Update, April 21, 2009: President Obama signs the Serve America Act into law. To take effect October 1, 2009.

March 10th at 2:30 p.m. EST, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee will hold a hearing on S. 277, the bipartisan Serve America Act, introduced by Senators Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT).

Witnesses will include:

According to a statement released by Acting CEO of CNCS Nicola Goren, witness statements will be available when the hearing starts and the hearing will be streamed live over the Internet and archived for future viewing.  To watch, look for the Audio/Video Link on the HELP Committee Hearings page at 2:30 pm EST/11:30 am EST.

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02.24.09
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Service For All

RPCV Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS), and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) have introduced four bills that, taken together, emphasize access to service for people of all ages.

The legislators have called their initiative the Service for All Ages Initiative and it includes:

The Summer of Service Act would offer students making the transition from middle to high school an opportunity to participate in a structured community service program over the summer months. 100 hours of service would earn Continue reading →