Tag Archives: Serve America Act

03.31.09
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Kennedy Serve America Act/GIVE Act PASSES – On Its Way to Obama’s Desk

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

Guest contributor Put Barber is the Editor of the Nonprofit FAQ at Idealist.org.

The drama about a massive expansion in the national service programs is over. The House of Representatives adopted the Senate version of the Serve America Act on a vote of 275 to 149  at about 3 pm EST today. See how representatives voted on the Senate’s amendments to H.R. 1388.

The bill is the same as the version of the bill that passed the House last week, but the Senate version is different in several key ways.

Symbolically, the bill was renamed in honor of Senator Edward Kennedy, one of the original sponsors, who is currently undergoing treatment for a dangerous brain cancer.

Substantively, the restrictive language about advocacy that had been inserted into the House bill at the last minute was removed.

And interestingly, the Senate version includes start-up funding for a program of federal support for state-level nonprofit capacity-building centers across the country.

And, of course, at the headline level, the bill authorizes an increase from 75,000 to 250,000 in the numbers of enrollees in the various programs of the Corporation for National and Community Service — AmeriCorps, VISTA, and several others.

A good introduction to the details of the new programs can be found through the link on this Independent Sector website. Here is the text of the Serve America Act, as passed by the Senate (and approved today in the House) (PDF).

03.30.09
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How Will the National Service Legislation Affect You?

Serve Next asks for your stories about how the Serve America Act, if it passes, will affect you and your community.

Kim Wollner writes on the Serve Next blog:

With the most difficult tasks behind us, we now look forward to the effects the Serve America Act will have on the nation.  The legislation joins together numerous service organizations to increase their resources, numbers, and funding.  But what does that really mean?

I am in the process of collecting stories and expectations for the Serve America Act from these organizations and individuals involved in service at all levels.  These stories will explain how a piece of legislation will improve national service in the very near future.

She invites you to share your personal story, or your reaction to the Serve America Act with her, kim [at] servenext.org.

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03.30.09
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National Service Legislation Goes Back to the House for a Final Vote

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

According to Voices For National Service, the House could send the National Service Bill to President Obama this week.

Monday and Tuesday of this week, the House of Representatives will consider the version of the national service legislation that was amended and passed last week by the Senate. The legislation goes by the names The GIVE Act and the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, and is also known as H.R. 1388.

If the House passes the bill, the legislation will be sent to President Obama to be signed into law.

The House is considering H.R. 1388 on the Suspension Calendar, and debate will be limited to 40 minutes. Under suspension, no one can further amend the bill, or recommit it to the House Labor and Education Committee where it originated. The bill must get a two-thirds super majority to pass.

Because the Senate’s bill is more costly than the original bill passed in the House, getting it through the House with a super majority may prove challenging.

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03.26.09
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President Obama on the Serve America Act

Barack Obama

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

This evening President Obama issued this statement in the hours after the Senate passed the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act.

“I’m so pleased that the Senate overwhelmingly passed the bipartisan Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act — legislation that will usher in a new era of service. I want to applaud all those who have worked so hard to see this bill through, and I am eager to sign it into law.

“This legislation will help create new opportunities for millions of Americans at all stages of their lives. From improving service learning in schools to creating an army of 250,000 volunteers a year dedicated to addressing our nation’s toughest problems. From connecting working Americans to a variety of part-time service opportunities to better utilizing the skills and experience of our retirees and baby boomers. This legislation will help tap the genius of our faith based and community organizations, and it will find the most innovative ideas for addressing our common challenges and helping those ideas grow.

“It is fitting that this legislation is named after Ted Kennedy, a person who has never stopped asking what he could do for his country. This legislation is not just a tribute to the service to which he has dedicated his life, it is a call to action for the rest of us. Our work is not finished when I sign this bill into law – it has just begun. While our government can provide every opportunity imaginable for us to serve our communities, it is up to each of us to seize those opportunities. To do our part to lift up our fellow Americans. To realize our own true potential. I call on all Americans to stand up and do what they can to serve their communities, shape our history and enrich both their own lives and the lives of others across this country.”

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03.26.09
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Serve America Act Passes the Senate

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

Today in the U.S. Senate, the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act passed, 79-19.picture-43

The legislation re-authorizes and expands domestic and international service opportunities for all Americans. See how your senators voted. Last week the companion bill passed the House.

Senator Orrin Hatch added an amendment at the last minute to re-name the legislation after Senator Edward Kennedy.

The bill was amended on the Senate floor and the legislation was expanded to include the following:

  • Baucus Amendment to express the Sense of the Senate that Congress should preserve the income tax deduction for charitable contributions and look for ways to continue to encourage charitable giving.
  • Burr Modified Amendment to improve the provisions relating to criminal history checks.
  • Warner Amendment to conduct a study regarding the establishment of a Volunteer Management Corps program.

The bill is expected to be sent back to the House of Representatives for quick approval of the Senate’s changes, with the goal of getting the bill to President Obama for signature next week.

Senator Mikulski said, “I want to thank Senator Kennedy, Senator Hatch and Senator Enzi for their hard work crafting this Continue reading →