FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, April 09, 2002
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The White House - USA Freedom Corps
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President Announces Principles for Citizen Service Act |
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Strengthening Opportunities to Serve In America's Communities
During his State of the Union Address, President Bush called on all Americans
to give at least two years of their lives - the equivalent of 4,000 hours - to
service to their neighborhoods, communities and Nation.
Today, the President will travel to Bridgeport, Connecticut to outline his
principles for reforming and strengthening the community service programs
operated by the Corporation for National and Community Service.
The President's principles are outlined in a package that he will send to
Congress today calling for a Citizen Service Act. They include:
- Supporting and encouraging greater engagement of citizens in volunteering
by reforming and enhancing national and community service programs to increase
the quantity and quality of service opportunities for Americans.
- Making Federal funds more responsive to state and local needs by giving
state, local and community officials more authority and flexibility to provide
service opportunities to the citizens they represent.
- Making Federal support more accountable and effective by investing in
opportunities that will produce results for the communities they serve.
- Providing greater assistance to secular and faith-based community
organizations by including more such organizations in national and community
service programs.
Background on Citizen Corps
President Bush is calling on Congress to pass a Citizen Service Act this
legislative session that will encompass reforms and principles he will outline
today. Together, these reforms and principles will create meaningful changes in
the domestic service programs that are administered primarily by the Corporation
for National and Community Service - an independent Federal agency created to
administer most of the major federally funded domestic volunteer and community
service programs.
The National and Community Service Act is the statute that originally
authorized several of the programs administered by the Corporation including:
AmeriCorps, Learn and Serve America and the National Civilian Community Corps.
The Domestic Volunteer Service Act authorizes the Corporation's Volunteers in
Service to America (VISTA) program and the National Senior Volunteer Corps -
known as Senior Corps. Both statutes have been pending reauthorization by
Congress since the end of fiscal year 1996. As a result, none of the
Corporation's programs has had the benefit of a thorough review and discussion
by the Congress for nearly a decade.
The programs fall into three groups:
- AmeriCorps grants support a network of community and volunteer
service opportunities for participants to work with community service
organizations working to meet the educational, public safety or environmental
needs of America's communities. Since the President's call to service,
applicant interest in the AmeriCorps program is up dramatically, with online
applications increasing 73 percent.
- Senior Corps includes the Foster Grandparent Program, the Senior
Companion Program, and the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, each of which
is designed to utilize the skills of senior citizens within their communities.
Since the President's call to service, interest in Senior Corps is also up,
with hits to its web site increasing 437 percent .
- Learn and Serve America includes three service-learning programs:
community based programs for school-age children, school-based programs for
K-12 students, and higher education initiatives to involve college and
university students in community service. Service-learning is a teaching
method by which students or participants learn and develop skills and concepts
through active participation in service activities that meet the needs of
their communities.
Principles and Reforms
In his 2003 budget, the President requested a more than $290 million increase
in funding over 2002 levels for the Corporation's programs. His proposal will
support:
- 25,000 new AmeriCorps participants, who will supervise and train at least
75,000 additional community volunteers;
- 100,000 new Senior Corps volunteers; and
- an estimated 200,000-300,000 students in colleges and universities who
participate in the Federal Work-Study program administered by the U.S.
Department of Education.
The principles and reforms he announced today are intended to make certain
those increased resources will go to support stronger and more effective
volunteer service programs, and are based upon four main principles:
- Support and encourage greater engagement of citizens in volunteering by
reforming and enhancing national and community service programs to increase
the quantity and quality of service opportunities for Americans.
- Make Federal funds more responsive to state and local needs by giving
state, local and community officials more authority and flexibility to provide
service opportunities to the citizens they represent.
- Make Federal support more accountable and effective by investing in
opportunities that will produce results for the communities they serve.
- Provide greater assistance to secular and faith-based community
organizations by including more such organizations in national and community
service programs.
The principles and reforms the President is proposing today would:
- Make maximum community impact and involvement hallmarks of each of the
Corporation's service programs.
- Expand the role of the states in sponsoring these service programs, while
offering them greater administrative flexibility in receiving and using
federal funds.
- Establish accountability systems for the service organizations that
receive federal funds that will include performance goals, measurement of
progress toward those goals, and sanctions or corrective actions when those
goals are not met.
- Help community and faith-based organizations gain access to volunteers
supported by the Corporation's programs.
- Encourage more students to embark upon a lifetime commitment to service by
making the Federal Work-Study program for college and university students more
supportive of service activities, and by helping America's youngest students
to participate in effective service-learning programs.
- Offer volunteers more flexible education awards that may be transferred
for the benefit of others, by working with Congress to improve the tax
treatment and other features of the new and existing awards, and by
eliminating age and income barriers to participation in service programs.
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