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Reauthorization Legislation
March 2006 Update
by Alan Lopatin,
Washington
Representative,
NARSVPD
Prospects for national service
reauthorization 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. No 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), modifying current income
guidelines in SCP and FGP to permit low income
seniors with incomes up 200 percent of the
poverty level (rather than the current law
limitation of 125 percent) and maintaining the
administrative structure currently in place for
Senior Corps management and reporting
(Corporation State Offices).
In the House of Representatives,
jurisdiction over national service legislation
lies with the Committee on Education and the
Workforce, chaired by California Republican
Congressman Buck McKeon. 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. The committee is chaired by
Wyoming Republican Mike Enzi. Massachusetts
Democrat Ted Kennedy is the Ranking Member on
the Committee.
The House and Senate authorizing
committees will likely consider legislation to
reauthorize the Older Americans Act. Some
hearings have already been held on the issue,
including a round table discussion by the Senate
Select Committee on Aging (jurisdiction over
Older Americans Act legislation rests with the
Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and
Pensions). During the week of March 6, House
and Senate staff from both parties met with
officials from the Administration on Aging to
discuss priorities, including their “Choices For
Independence” initiative to modernize the Older
Americans Act.
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