Rep. David Young and Rep. Albio Sires Introduce Bill to Honor Members of the Peace Corps

Statement

On the 56th Birthday of the Peace Corps this week, Representatives Albio Sires (D-NJ) and David Young (R-IA) introduced H.R. 1295, the Respect for Peace Corps Volunteers Act. This bill would afford former volunteers and staff of the Peace Corps the dignity of using the name and logo of the Peace Corps in an obituary or on their gravestone.

"This is a fitting way to allow families and friends to pay their respect to those who have given their time to make the world a better place by serving in the U.S. Peace Corps," said Congressman Young.

"Over 5,000 New Jerseyans have proudly served in the Peace Corps since its founding in 1961," said Congressman Sires. "The current restrictions on the use of the Peace Corps' logo create an unnecessary burden when it comes time to honor the deeds of these dedicated men and women. Their global service brings honor to our Nation and they have earned their right to proudly display their insignia."

This bipartisan measure is a simple, commonsense fix to remove unnecessary restrictions on the use of the logo of the Peace Corps. Under current law, unauthorized use of the Peace Corps logo, even for memorial purposes, carries the risk of a $500 fine or jail time. H.R. 1295 repeals the unnecessary barriers to allow former Peace Corps volunteers and staff the ability to display their service for memorial purposes.

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