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by Alan Lopatin, Washington Representative, NARSVPD
National Service
Reauthorization |
Prospects in the
109th Congress remain very uncertain. While
President Bush has proclaimed his support for
national service, AmeriCorps, and the Senior
Corps in various events over the course of his
presidency, the White House has not made
national service reauthorization a priority. Nor
has a new national service reauthorization bill
been introduced in the House or Senate.
Senior Corps advocates have supported changes in
legislation to make age requirements consistent
across the three Senior Corps programs (reducing
the eligibility age for SCP and FGP to age 55)
and maintaining the administrative structure
currently in place for Senior Corps management
and reporting (Corporation State Offices).
Vigilance on the part of Senior Corps directors
is the only way to ensure that changes best for
the Senior Corps are enacted as part of national
service reauthorization.
In the House of Representatives, jurisdiction
over national service legislation lies with the
Committee on Education and the Workforce,
chaired by Ohio Republican Congressman John
Boehner. California Democrat George Miller is
the Ranking Member of the Committee. In the
Senate, the Senate Committee on Health,
Education, Labor and Pensions is responsible for
national service reauthorization. A new chairman
has been named for the Committee: Wyoming
Republican Mike Enzi. Massachusetts Democrat Ted
Kennedy is the Ranking Member on the Committee.
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