S.Res. 461 – Reading Mode

III

109th CONGRESS

2d Session

S. RES. 461

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

May 2, 2006

Mr. Lott (for himself, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Lugar, and Mr. Biden) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to

RESOLUTION

Supporting and commending the supporters of the Jefferson Awards for Public Service for encouraging all citizens of the United States to embark on a life of public service and recognizing those citizens who have already performed extraordinary deeds for their community and country.

Whereas one of the defining traditions of the democracy of the United States is that each person can make a difference;

Whereas the value of public and community service was a founding principle of the Government of the United States;

Whereas, for generation after generation, the citizens of the United States have desired to pass to the youth of the Nation the tradition of neighbors helping neighbors through—

(1)

local community service;

(2)

volunteerism; and

(3)

public service;

Whereas, to build stronger communities, the youth of the United States should be inspired to seek career opportunities in—

(1)

the public sector;

(2)

the nonprofit sector;

(3)

the faith-based community; and

(4)

Federal, State, and local governments;

Whereas the Jefferson Awards for Public Service are a prestigious national recognition system that was created on a nonpartisan basis in 1972 by—

(1)

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis;

(2)

Senator Robert Taft, Jr.; and

(3)

Sam Beard;

Whereas the creators of the Jefferson Awards for Public Service sought to create an award similar to the Nobel Prize to encourage and honor individuals for their achievements and contributions in public and community service;

Whereas, for over 30 years, the supporters of the Jefferson Awards for Public Service have pioneered the promotion of civic engagement by using profiles of individual excellence, the media, and modern technology to attract and recruit all citizens of the United States to participate in the democratic processes of the Nation; and

Whereas the Jefferson Awards for Public Service have honored award recipients at—

(1)

the national level, by placing the recipients on a Who’s Who list of outstanding citizens of the United States; and

(2)

the local level, by naming the recipients Unsung Heroes who accomplish extraordinary deeds for the betterment of the United States while going largely unnoticed: Now, therefore, be it

That the Senate—

(1)

fully supports the goals and ideals that the creators instilled into the civic engagement initiatives of the Jefferson Awards for Public Service; and

(2)

salutes and acknowledges the American Institute for Public Service and the role played by the Jefferson Awards for Public Service in promoting public service in the United States.