National Service Reauthorization Act--Continued

Floor Speech

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AMENDMENT NO. 712 TO AMENDMENT NO. 687

Mrs. SHAHEEN. I ask unanimous consent to set aside the pending amendment so amendment No. 712 can be called up for consideration.

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Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I appreciate your assistance in moving this amendment forward and certainly appreciate the Senator from South Dakota and, of course, the Senator from Maryland for helping me move forward with this amendment.

I bring this amendment forward on behalf of my colleague from New Hampshire, Senator Gregg, and myself. The Shaheen-Gregg amendment would simply add to the menu of activities that can be included in the Education Corps. It would include musicians and artists to promote arts in education. That, very simply, is the amendment.

I would also like to speak briefly to the pending legislation, S. 277, the Serve America Act. I want to begin by commending my colleagues, Senator Kennedy and Senator Hatch, for their leadership in working on this legislation and bringing it forward and, of course, Senator Mikulski and Senator Enzi for their work in making sure the discussion on this bill can go forward, so hopefully we can pass this legislation this week.

This Serve America Act clearly embodies the spirit of America--a spirit that calls on all of us to give back to our country and to work together to build a nation that can continue to offer endless opportunity to generations to come.

This bill could not come at a more critical time in our Nation's history. More and more people need help getting by in this tough economic climate, while more and more of even the most generous among us have less and less to contribute to charitable activities. That is what makes this legislation so special. It has nothing to do with status, with background, with privilege or circumstance. Every American is equal in their ability to give of themselves and their time. As Martin Luther King said so eloquently: Every American can be great because every American can serve--to paraphrase what he said a little bit. The Serve America Act encourages voluntarism at every stage of life--from students, to full-time workers, to senior citizens.

Throughout American history, the compassion of our people has gotten us through the most difficult of times. That spirit exists today in communities across America, and the Serve America Act taps into the strong desire of Americans to do their part to help our country recover and prosper.

No deed is too small. While the average American may not be able to save struggling banks from financial crisis, they can help a family to weatherize their home so they can save money on their heating or cooling bills. They can mentor a child so that child can reach his or her greatest potential, so they can hopefully go to college and compete in this global economy.

The Serve America Act will usher in a new era of service and civic engagement in our country, where we can solve our most difficult social challenges by using entrepreneurial spirit to bring about social change. It will build upon great success stories in voluntarism, such as AmeriCorps, by increasing the numbers of volunteers involved in volunteer programs nationwide from 75,000 to 250,000.

It also creates several new volunteer organizations with missions in specific areas of national deed, including a Clean Energy Corps. While Congress works to position America as a leader in clean energy and energy efficiency, this group of volunteers will enhance our efforts by encouraging efficiency and conservation measures in communities and neighborhoods. It is an idea that makes so much sense. In New Hampshire, I know volunteers stand ready, for example, to make homes more energy efficient, or work to preserve our State's many parks, trails, and rivers for future generations to enjoy.

As Governor of New Hampshire, I saw firsthand the difference that programs such as AmeriCorps and other volunteer programs can make. Plus Time New Hampshire is one of those programs. It provides afterschool help to vulnerable students who would otherwise go home to empty houses. And New Hampshire's City Year program has been successful in decreasing the high school dropout rate.

I just point out that City Year was started by a New Hampshire native, Alan Khazei, who, with some of his friends from Harvard, was able to start a wonderful program that has now expanded across the country.

One young volunteer in New Hampshire for City Year, Jennifer Foshey, volunteered at Hampton Academy through the City Year program. During her year of service, she worked with sixth grade boys who were struggling academically and failing most of their classes. Jennifer provided one-on-one academic support, individual mentoring, and encouraged these students to get involved in extracurricular activities.

Because of her hard work, the boys' grades improved dramatically, and one of them joined the community service afterschool club Jennifer ran. He was later quoted in the school paper as saying:

There are kids in our neighborhoods that need help, and it's our job to help them.

There could not be a better testament to the ripple effect programs such as City Year that are supported in this legislation have in our communities.

I have long been an advocate for national service because I have seen the power of these volunteers--power not only to help those in need but to empower citizens and strengthen communities. There is no question that the Serve America Act expands opportunities for all Americans to become involved in service in a wide range of areas of need.

Today, this amendment I offer will further extend the work of the service corps by offering opportunities for skilled musicians and artists to expand educational opportunity, promote greater community unity, and bridge cultural divides through the use of music and arts engagement.

The Serve America Act is so important to those in New Hampshire and across the country. I am very pleased and honored to join with Senators Kennedy, and Hatch, and Mikulski, to cosponsor such an important piece of legislation that invests in new, innovative solutions to our Nation's most persistent social problems, and I urge my colleagues to join me in support of the Serve America Act. I hope they will also support the amendment Senator Gregg and I are offering.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

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