Press Release

Contact: Sabrina Siddiqui 202-226-6476

Washington, Jul 29 - With the Senate finishing their version of the Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations bill, Congressman Dave Loebsack praises Senator Harkin’s work to fund AmeriCorps programs. Included in the Senate appropriations bill is $267 million in additional funds for national and community service programs, and $8 million for the Volunteer Generation Fund, a Loebsack volunteer recruitment initiative.

Congressman Loebsack has been a tireless advocate for volunteer programs, and added provisions in the House for the creation of the Volunteer Generation Fund to recruit and train millions of new volunteers, particularly in rural and disaster stricken areas. These provisions were accepted in the initial House version of the bill. Congressman Loebsack lauds Senator Harkin’s work to add funding for the Volunteer Generation Fund and hopes to continue to work to get funding in the final version of the bill.

“My experiences working side by side with AmeriCorps members after the devastating floods of 2008 have shown me first-hand what dedicated citizens can do to transform a community,” said Loebsack. “As we put together the service bill, I wanted to do something to thank the countless volunteers who made Iowa stronger and better. That’s why I created the Volunteer Generation Fund – a program that will help train and recruit more volunteers and provide tireless volunteer coordinators with the funding and resources they need to change lives. I thank Senator Harkin for his work to fund the Volunteer Generation Fund and his work to strengthen volunteer programs nationwide. ”

“We saw how volunteers helped rebuild Cedar Rapids after the historic flooding and with this funding, we take that spirit of giving back to the community nationwide so that education initiatives, environmental needs and disaster response are met,” said Harkin. “This new federal injection of dollars will greatly boost volunteerism in every state, including Iowa, and sends a strong message that we will incentivize volunteerism in this county.”  

Before the appropriations bills get sent to the President’s desk for signing, the House and the Senate versions of the bill will be combined during a conference committee. Congressman Loebsack vows to continue his efforts to increase funding for the Volunteer Generation Fund that will enable our volunteers to recruit and train millions of new volunteers. For more information on the Volunteer Generation Fund, click here.