Providing for Consideration of H.R. 1388, Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act

Floor Speech

PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 1388, GENERATIONS INVIGORATING VOLUNTEERISM AND EDUCATION ACT -- (House of Representatives - March 18, 2009)

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Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, H. Res. 250 provides for consideration of H.R. 1388, the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education, or the GIVE Act, under a structured rule. The rule provides 1 hour of general debate controlled by the Committee on Education and Labor.

The rule makes in order 11 amendments which are listed in the Rules Committee report accompanying the resolution. Each amendment is debatable for 10 minutes except the manager's amendment, which is debatable for 30 minutes. The rule also provides one motion to recommit with or without instructions.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of a vital piece of bipartisan legislation that directly affects all of our communities and the lives of millions of Americans.

Legislation that strengthens our communities helps educate our future generations, teaches our youth to prepare for and respond to unthinkable tragedies and fosters the growth of respect and compassion throughout our entire society.

The GIVE Act will help launch a new era of American service and volunteerism. The bill answers President Obama's call for Americans of all generations to help get the country through the economic crisis by serving and volunteering in their communities.

The GIVE Act reauthorizes, for the first time in 15 years, our country's investment in community service and volunteerism. As a cochair of the National Service Caucus, it is a pleasure to call attention to the tremendous work of those involved at every level and in every program of the corporation.

Service programs not only help each of our communities but also provide training that could lead to future careers. Many individuals who are involved in service at a young age continue in public service careers and in service programs throughout their lives.

Mr. Speaker, service and volunteerism are the bedrock of emergency preparedness and national security. In times of strife, the American people have always shown a spirit of service and ingenuity. Investing in service and volunteer programs prepares us to handle any crisis.

We must focus on building our national capacity, and harnessing the enterprising spirit of the American people is a good way to do so. In the wake of a catastrophe, a first responder is likely to be a civilian. A neighbor is likely to be the first one to provide assistance. By building up our service and volunteer programs, we are taking proactive steps to bolster our national security and capability to weather a disaster now and in the years to come.

We saw firsthand the importance of having trained volunteers in the wake of the 2005 hurricanes, Katrina and Rita. These forever changed thousands of lives and communities in the gulf coast. We also witnessed an outpouring of support and compassion from individuals who were touched by this immense tragedy.

Following the devastation in the gulf coast, more than 92,000 national service volunteers contributed over 3.5 million hours of work to the recovery effort. They repaired neighborhoods. They rebuilt lives.

Since September of 2005, over 4,070 National Civilian Community Corps--or NCCC--members have served more than 2.1 million hours in the gulf coast on over 830 relief and recovery projects. Through programs such as AmeriCorps State and national, Volunteers in Service to America--or VISTA--and NCCC, servicemembers address critical needs in our communities.

AmeriCorps and NCCC members are disaster trained and available for immediate deployment in the event of a natural disaster anywhere within the United States, just as they were to the gulf coast.

In fact, NCCC teams have responded to every national disaster, including the recent fires in my home State of California. Disaster relief and emergency response now accounts for over 60 percent of the NCCC portfolio. Over $42 million worth of hurricane recovery resources have come from AmeriCorps and NCCC alone, which is millions more than we have spent on the entire program nationwide. This is a clear return on our investment.

These exceptional young men and women are especially trained in disaster preparedness and organizing local volunteers into an effective recovery operation. These programs continually put more back into the community than we put into them. The GIVE Act shows Congress' support for their heroic and continued efforts and ensures these programs continue for years to come.

The GIVE Act of 2009 will strengthen the emergency preparedness and response training of our country's NCCC participants. The changes will also help the program continue to grow.

The legislation expands the scope of NCCC to specifically include disaster relief, infrastructure improvement, environmental and energy conservation and urban and rural development.

The GIVE Act also establishes four new service corps, including a Clean Energy Corps to encourage energy efficiency and conservation measures; an Education Corps to help increase student engagement, achievement and graduation; a Healthy Futures Corps to improve health care access; and a Veterans Service Corps to enhance services for veterans.

This bill includes a Call to Service Campaign to encourage all Americans to engage in service and to observe September 11 as a National Day of Service and Remembrance.

The bill seeks to tap the growing pool of baby boomers reaching retirement that wish to continue serving their country and provides real alternatives to traditional employment at a time when jobs are scarce. The GIVE Act also seeks to engage our future generations in lifetimes of service. Engaging young men and women is vitally important. The Education Awards, which will be increased in this bill, encourage our youth to apply the skills that they learn at volunteerism to a successful education and the lessons they learn in school to improving their communities.

The GIVE Act specifically seeks to make a difference, not only by the services that are provided but by who we are engaged in serving. It seeks to exponentially increase the numbers of disadvantaged and at-risk youth participating in service. Each one of these valuable young men and women will take the respect and compassion that they learn at service programs back to their schools and to their families and be a seed of inspiration amongst those who need it most.

We cannot pass up the opportunity to better our future generations. Service programs provide an opportunity to give our youth the most valuable lesson of all, positive personal experience.

Mr. Speaker, as a result of the great work of AmeriCorps members, extraordinary things are happening all around America. The corporation supports such important nonprofit organizations as Habitat for Humanity, City Year and the American Red Cross.

National service participants have built homes, healed wounds, worked in national parks and taught elementary school kids. These volunteers are part of the backbone of our country. With very little funding, service participants leverage millions of dollars and perform crucial work in classrooms and in areas of our Nation hit by disaster.

The service programs and new initiatives in H.R. 1388 help address some of our Nation's toughest problems, from poverty and unmet education needs to natural disasters. Just this week, The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal pointed to the rise in the number of volunteers nationwide. Many who have been laid off or are in between jobs have joined volunteer programs to stay connected to their community and learn new skills. Some have even benefited by gaining employment through their work as volunteers.

The GIVE Act will expand these opportunities as well as health care access, provide seniors with help living independently, enhance services for veterans, and help build a clean, green, energy-efficient economy.

As a result, I hope that my colleagues will support the rule and the underlying legislation. The spirit of service has been renewed at a time of economic challenges, and it is time for our government to foster a continued dedication to our country's prosperity through national service.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, before I yield to my next speaker, I'd like to make a couple of comments. First of all, we aren't paying volunteers, we're supporting an infrastructure that removes barriers to service. We're making volunteers more accessible and more effective by creating an infrastructure in which everyday citizens can volunteer and be effective, without having resources, prior experience, or formal training.

Also, one of the GIVE Act's major themes is to increase transparency and accountability in national service programs, particularly in showing program outcomes. Section 179 of the Act establishes performance measures for each national service program and a framework for ensuring that Federal dollars go to high-performing programs.

With that, I yield 3 minutes to my fellow Rules Committee colleague, the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Polis).

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Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, before I yield to the next speaker, let me just say this is not AIG. The bill on the floor today is the GIVE Act. And to compare AIG to the GIVE Act is absolutely, astoundingly ridiculous.

With that, I yield 3 minutes to my good friend, the gentlelady from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).

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Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I just want to say that both sides of this aisle are absolutely outraged about what happened at AIG, absolutely outraged. We agree with you on that, definitely. And we will be taking action immediately. In fact, I have been informed that we will be having a Rules meeting this afternoon. But let's get the GIVE Act through. Let's do the rule on this and move forward.

With that, I reserve my time.

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Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, this reauthorization, the first in 15 years, takes programs and infrastructure that touch so many lives and builds off its foundation to greatly increase the quantity and improve the quality of service that we, as a Nation, work to provide.

National Service is a proven return on our investments. With this bill, we will broaden those involved in service across the country, and in doing so, foster the values of civic engagement and duty that can change a life and a community.

This bipartisan legislation is truly a win-win for all those involved and for our country. It makes excellent improvements to an already successful Corporation for National and Community Service. It improves access and support for organizations and grant applicants, and most importantly, reassures our valued servicemembers that Congress supports them and their work in our communities.

I urge a ``yes'' vote on the previous question and on the rule.

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