Providing for consideration of the Senate amendments to the bill (H.R. 1388) to reauthorize and reform the national service laws.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 296, I move to take from the Speaker's table the bill (H.R. 1388) to reauthorize the reform of the national service laws, with the Senate amendments thereto, and I have a motion at the desk.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the matter under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, we are here today to vote on a bill that proudly bears the name of a champion and true advocate of national service. The bill is aptly named the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, and will provide the most significant expansion of national service since Senator Kennedy's brother, President John F. Kennedy, issued his call to serve almost 50 years ago.

This bipartisan legislation is needed now more than ever. It will give Americans of all ages, from middle school students through retirement, the chance to be part of the solution to our greatest challenges--health care, education, and energy--and help us emerge from this crisis stronger.

It will put Americans to work in their communities--in classrooms and churches and homeless shelters, and beyond. It will help Americans engage in projects that matter--feeding the hungry, helping seniors live independently, cleaning up trails and building bridges, and providing for the infrastructure of this country and our public lands.

History has shown that in times of crisis, Americans turn to service and

volunteering for healing, for rebuilding, and for hope. The spirit of generosity in the American people is one of the greatest assets of our Nation. We see this every single day.

In the past week, North and South Dakota have been in a state of emergency, with communities facing severe flooding as the snow melts. As they have in so many other times of disaster, Americans showed up to help.

Officials estimate that there are tens of thousands of volunteers who have already been on the ground for days, lining the shores of the river with over 1.5 million sandbags to help stop the flooding. In Fargo, a city with a population of 90,000, 80,000 volunteers showed up to help.

They've driven through treacherous conditions from Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois, and beyond, ready to serve and ready to help. Today, we are acting to help them.

This bill recognizes that service is an American value. It builds upon what Americans are already doing in their communities and across the country.

We all know the urgency of this crisis--workers are losing their jobs, families are losing their income, our public infrastructure is crumbling. Communities are losing revenues and vital services.

Our public needs are growing while our resources for meeting them are disappearing. This bill will help meet some of those very urgent needs. President Obama has recognized this. He has made national service a top priority, in part because he knows it can help meet his three key priorities: Health care, energy, and education. He has asked us to usher in a new era of service, to launch a 21st century generation of volunteers and to structure a new economy for the future and sustainable growth.

He knows that volunteers play many roles. They can teach in our classrooms, they can green our communities and our schools, they can rebuild and weatherize our homes, help the uninsured find treatment in health clinics, and more. All the while, they learn valuable skills that will help them in schools and jobs throughout their lives.

Just 2 weeks ago on the steps of the Capitol I was lucky enough to meet retired Army Captain Scott Quilty, who proudly served our country in Iraq. He told us that the Service had saved his life twice--the first while in Iraq when he suffered an explosion and lost his right arm and right leg. His fellow soldiers carried him to safety and saved his life.

The second time was during his recovery at a military medical center where he relearned how to walk and how to continue on with his life. As he says, his body was shattered but his eagerness to serve remained unshaken.

Service is Captain Scott Quilty. Service is the volunteers in North Dakota and South Dakota. Service is the Americans who volunteered after 9/11, after Katrina, after Rita, and the fires and the earthquakes and the floods of California.

It is the church groups, the retired, the college students, and displaced workers all coming together to respond to the need in this country, no matter what their personal plight is. Service is giving without looking back. It's the American community. It dots our entire landscape. The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act is just what this country needs at this pivotal moment in our history.

Just like any volunteer who can't do it alone, this bill could not have happened without the tireless efforts of our staff. With that, I would like to thank Denise Forte, Alex Ceja, Sarah Dyson, Stephanie Moore, Kim Zarish-Becknell, Margaret Young, Adrienne Dunbar, Fred Jones, Rachel Racuhson, Melissa Salmanowitz, and Jessica Kahawneck, and all the people from Mr. McKeon's staff. I want to thank Amy Jones, Susan Ross, Rob Borden, and James Berjeron.

I also want to thank Mr. McKeon for all of his support as the senior Republican on this committee. This has been an effort that we've worked on over the last couple of years in a bipartisan fashion.

I would also like to thank Frank Trinity, the General Counsel at the Corporation for National Service, and the staff of Senator Kennedy, Senator Hatch, and Senator Enzi.

I am so proud that this bill has already received overwhelming bipartisan support in this Chamber and in the Senate. It's because we all recognize that it isn't a Republican or Democratic issue, it's not a black or white or gray or blue or red issue. It's an American issue. I urge my colleagues to stand with me on the right side of history and support this legislation.

The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act establishes four new corps, including the Clean Energy Corps, to address key needs in low-income communities. The goal of the Clean Energy Corps is to encourage energy efficiency and conservation through activities such as building energy- efficient housing units in low-income communities; providing clean energy-related services designed to meet the needs of rural communities; and working with schools and youth programs to educate students and youth about ways to reduce home energy use and improve the environment.

The Clean Energy Corps also builds upon Congress' commitment to supporting America's National Parks. The bill allows for projects carried out in partnership with the National Park Service and supports projects to renew and rehabilitate national parks, like the Presidio Trust in San Francisco. Presidio is a former military base that is now a national park and has long been a site for public and community service. The Serve America Act recognizes that national parks, like the Presidio Trust, provide opportunities to not only inspire individuals through community service, but also to preserve natural treasures.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Loebsack), a member of the committee.

I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).

I yield the gentlewoman an additional 30 seconds.

I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Andrews).

(Mr. ANDREWS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

I yield myself the remainder of my time.

I want to again thank all of those who participated in the drafting, the support, the writing and the negotiations for this act.

As my colleagues have said on both sides of the aisle, this is a very important piece of legislation. It is about American values. It is about the spirit of this country. It is about our communities. And it is going to provide, with the expansion that is provided for in this legislation and supported by this administration, it is going to provide a continuum of opportunities to volunteer, to participate in community activities, to support our communities and to help those in need in so many different situations. It is going to provide them that opportunity from middle school all the way to retirement and after retirement where we are encouraging the alumni, people who participated in AmeriCorps in the past and now have picked up a lifetime of skills, talents and experience that they can, once again, turn back into service for America.

It is going to provide an opportunity for young people to not only help those in our communities but to be able to explore the career opportunities in clean energy, in green jobs, in health care, in teaching, in mentoring and social services and all of the various occupations that are available in our community where additional assistance and volunteerism has been a tradition but also needs to be expanded.

So we think this is a very rich expansion of the American values, of the volunteer system in the country. It is as old as the country, and it is as new as the future, as occupations change and opportunities change within our economy. I want to thank Carolyn McCarthy for her leadership in offering this legislation and to all of those who have supported it.

Finally, I just once again would like to say how proud I am that this legislation is named for Edward Kennedy, Senator Kennedy, not only Senator Kennedy but a family name that screams out ``service'' across this country, across generations, for the benefit, so many times over and over again, of the citizens of America.

I'm very proud to have participated in the legislative shepherding of this legislation. And I hope that all of our colleagues will join us on both sides of the aisle in support of this legislation.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

I thank the Speaker, and I thank Mr. Miller and his committee.

I think it is important to note that this Congress and the leadership of this government has allegedly or in numbers been only in office less than 4 months. And the good that has been done is one that should be recognized.

Alongside of the stimulus package now, as we move forward to frame how taxpayer dollars we spend to help Americans are moving forward in the appropriations process to restore hardworking Americans, now we come to address the passion and the love of America.

I want to thank Mr. Miller. I would like to thank our good friend on the Senate side, Mr. Kennedy, my good friend Carolyn McCarthy from New York, and I want to thank them for allowing me to contribute language that allows the outreach to be broad and widespread throughout our historically and Hispanic-serving institutions of higher learning.

I was just a few days ago in an elementary class, and I was talking about what the government does. I was speaking on behalf of Teach for America. It is great fun. I love the work that our teachers do, and I was so honored for them to allow me just a small amount of time to teach those beautiful kids. We should pay tribute to our teachers.

But when I asked the question, how many of them would like to work for their country, serve their country,

clean up, help people who are suffering in the Dakotas, suffering from floods, or help the Katrina victims or Hurricane Ike victims, or be able to help, God forbid, in some tragic incident facing America, and those children raised their hands. That is what America is about.

So I rise to support this legislation, H.R. 1388, that will help improve or expand AmeriCorps, Learn and Serve America, VISTA, National Civilian Community Corps and Senior Corps. It will give the opportunity for green jobs. It will have America feeling good about herself because we will be out serving and improving the conservation of energy and environmental protection.

I am also very pleased that language was added in the Senate to give the opportunity to youngsters in foster care. I have worked for them. I used to be the cochair of foster care in Harris County along with a former Member of Congress, my good friend, Mike Andrews. And our job was to bolster up foster care parents and to be able to give them comfort in the care of young foster care children. Now, again, we add status to them by allowing them to further participate along with those who have disabilities.

This is a critical step for America. Every year more than 70,000 Americans participate in the AmeriCorps program alone, which provides relief to cities during national disasters and reinvigorates communities.

I thank the gentleman.

Over 50 million American volunteers build homes, organize food drives, and improve schools through national service programs. The GIVE Act will broaden the opportunities for students and activists.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Miller, this is a great day for America. It only gives them the infrastructure of what they have been crying out to do, the very question we raised with the past administration: Where there is benefit, there must be sacrifice, there must be burden. And we now have an opportunity, no matter who we are, what our capabilities, what our intellect, what our physical capabilities are, to give back to America. This is a good thing that is happening in this country, a good thing that is happening today. I rise to support H.R. 1388.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1388, the ``Generations of Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act or the `GIVE Act'.'' I would like to thank my colleague Congresswoman McCarthy for introducing this important legislation, as well as the Chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor, Congressman George Miller, for his leadership in bringing this bill to the floor today.

Mr. Speaker, this legislation will expand the already highly successful volunteer programs that empower community activists and improve the education and economic conditions of cities throughout the United States. It supports and increases funding for key community services programs, including AmeriCorps, Learn and Serve America, VISTA, National Civilian Community Corps, and Senior Corps.

The GIVE Act creates opportunities for green jobs that will contribute to energy conservation and environmental protection. It will create critical educational opportunities for disadvantaged youth and will create incentives for students to improve their communities.

Every year, more than 70,000 Americans participate in the AmeriCorps program alone, which provides relief to cities during natural disasters and reinvigorates communities. Over 50 million American volunteers build homes, organize food-drives, and improve schools through national service programs. The GIVE Act will broaden the opportunities for students and activists to participate in national service via education rewards that keep up with soaring costs of universities and Summer Service programs. After Ike and Katrina, thousands of local students worked to help rebuild communities and provide necessary services to distressed families. The GIVE Act is the critical lynchpin in sustaining this civic activism.

The Senate Amendments to the GIVE Act would expand opportunities for youth in foster care; and allow for more participation for persons with disabilities. The GIVE Act will provide job opportunities for Volunteers in Service to America, or VISTA, to re-integrate youth into society, increase literacy in communities through teaching opportunities in before and after-school programs, and to provide health and social services to low-income communities. VISTA is a critical step toward poverty alleviation, and the GIVE Act will equip it with the resources to fulfill its obligations.

The Senate's additions would require the Corporation for National and Community Service, to enter into a contract with an entity that is not a recipient of Learn and Serve funding to conduct a 10-year longitudinal study on the impact of the service-learning activities. The entity would submit a final report to the Corporation containing the results of the study and information on best practices. The Corporation would submit the report to the authorizing committees, and would make the report available to the public on the Corporation's Web site. This provides greater transparency and accountability in the administration of these important programs.

I am pleased to see that the GIVE Act will create 4 new service opportunities including a Clean Energy Corps, an Education Corps, a Healthy Futures Corps, and a Veteran Service Corps. These volunteer opportunities will further improve environmental protection, health- care access, and services for veterans. These new service corps will address critical concerns in low-income communities. I am very happy that the revised legislation aids veterans in their pursuit of education and professional opportunities, and help veterans with the claims process, and assist rural, disabled, and unemployed veterans with transportation needs. Moreover, the GIVE Act will recognize colleges and universities that are strongly engaged in service through grants and rewards that will in turn improve educational access in the United States.

I am pleased to see the Retention of my Language from the 110th Congress that gives special consideration to historically Black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribal universities, and colleges serving predominantly minority populations.

The GIVE Act will create a Campuses of Service Program that will encourage and assist students in pursuing public service careers. It will also focus on recruiting scientists and engineers to keep America competitive for years to come. The Act will expand the Senior Corps as a way to keep Older Americans including seniors engaged in public service, and will create a Youth Engagement Zone to increase the number of young students in volunteer services.

Moreover, it expands the focus of The National Civilian Community Corps to include disaster relief efforts and infrastructure improvement to allow quicker and more effective responses to disasters like Katrina and Ike that devastated numerous communities in the United States. Finally, the GIVE Act will launch a nation-wide Call to Service Campaign that encourages all Americans to engage in national service and to recognize September 11th as a National Day of Service and Remembrance.

I am honored to cosponsor this legislation that will add service before self to America's future leaders. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 296 and ask for its immediate consideration.

For the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Florida, my good friend, Mr. Diaz-Balart. All time yielded during consideration of the rule is for debate only.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

General Leave

I also ask unanimous consent that all Members be given 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on House Resolution 296.

Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 296 provides for consideration of Senate amendments to the bill H.R. 1388. The rule makes in order a motion by the chairman on the Committee on Education and Labor to concur in Senate amendments to H.R. 1388. The rule provides 1 hour of debate on the motion controlled by the Committee on Education and Labor.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of a vital piece of bipartisan legislation, legislation that directly affects all of our communities and the lives of millions of Americans, legislation that has seen broad support in both this House and by our colleagues in the Senate. This legislation strengthens our communities, helps educate future generations, teaches our youth to prepare for and respond to natural disasters, and fosters a growth of respect and compassion throughout our entire society.

The Senator Edward M. Kennedy Serve America 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 bill has been named after the ``lion in the Senate,'' Edward Kennedy, to recognize his lifetime commitment to national service and to making America a stronger, more collective nation. The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America 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.

Mr. Speaker, service and volunteerism are the bedrock of our 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 saw firsthand the importance of having trained volunteers in the wake of the 2005 hurricanes Katrina and Rita. 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 homes, neighborhoods and lives.

The assistance from trained volunteers following the devastating storms represents only one example of the many accomplishments that our service volunteers achieve every single day. Since September of 2005, over 4,070 National Civilian Community Corps, or as we call it NCCC, members have served more than 2.1 million hours in the gulf coast on over 830 relief and recovery projects.

Last year, NCCC members from my hometown of Sacramento served thousands of hours to help fight the fires that devastated the lives and livelihoods of thousands of Californians, and in doing so helped protect thousands more. AmeriCorps 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 in the gulf coast and in California.

Through programs such as AmeriCorps State and national, Volunteers in Service to America, or VISTA,

and NCCC, service members address critical needs in our communities. In fact, these programs continually put back more into the community than we put into them. The Serve America Act shows Congress' support for their heroic and continued efforts and ensures these programs continue for years to come.

The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America 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 green, energy-efficient economy.

Mr. Speaker, in 2007, more than 61 million Americans spent over 8 billion hours volunteering. Overall, about 27 percent of Americans volunteer, and the number of volunteers increased by 1 million from 2002 to 2007. Additionally, with increased numbers of Americans losing jobs, many are turning to service as a way to contribute to their communities and learn new skills. Now is precisely the time when we should make national service more accessible to the millions of Americans who want to serve their country by contributing to their communities.

As a result, I hope that my colleagues will support the rule and the underlying legislation. I look forward to the passage of this bill and the historic moment when President Obama signs this into law.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. McCarthy).

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

National service is a proven return on our investment. With this bill, we

will broaden those involved in service across the country, and in doing so, foster the value of civic engagement and duty that can change a life in a community.

This bipartisan legislation is truly a win-win for all those involved and for our country. It makes excellent improvements in 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.

I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.

The previous question was ordered.

I rise in support of H.R. 1388, and yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, this bill is largely the same as the GIVE Act, a bipartisan bill that this Chamber passed overwhelmingly 2 weeks ago. The other Chamber took up our version of the bill and made a few minor changes, including some that significantly improved the bill.

I would like to address a few of the key Republican provisions that were in the House bill and still remain in this bill. Additionally, I will discuss those improvements made by the Senate.

First, this bill still encourages the spirit of volunteerism--that great American trait--by updating decades-old national service programs for the 21st century. We know that national service programs can work. In fact, in the last 3 years, more than 4 million service hours have been spent helping gulf coast communities recover and rebuild after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. That's 4 million hours of service made possible by the organizations and the individuals who choose to participate in national service.

But we also know these programs can be made stronger. The House bill started us down the road by ensuring that taxpayer dollars are being used effectively and efficiently. This is important, because national service programs are an investment in America's future.

By design, the service and giving by individuals and organizations over time will be worth much more than the cost of the bill today. However, despite the great returns on this investment, the system must be held accountable, and it will be through regular evaluations and audits.

Another Republican priority reflected in this legislation is the creation of a new Veterans' Corps. This new corps gives former soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines a chance to serve this Nation once again, and it gives us a chance to serve them.

Of course, Republicans are directly responsible for many of the most critical parts of this legislation before us today. Last week, we offered a motion to recommit to amend this bill. We did it in such a way that would ensure taxpayer dollars would not be used for activities that we and many Americans find objectionable. We won that vote, and as we negotiated with the other chamber we insisted that the heart of these safeguards remain in place. Because of those negotiations, I can say that no Federal money will be used to perform or promote abortions; no money will go to for-profit companies, campaigns, or lobbyists; no money will be used to support voter registration drives; and, no national service participants will replace employed workers or private volunteers working on a particular project.

The Senate also strengthened the motion to recommit from the 110th Congress through an amendment offered by Senator Richard Burr. That

motion required criminal background checks for participants in the national service programs. Senator Burr's proposal strengthened this provision by requiring mandatory FBI fingerprinting for certain national service participants.

The MTR approved by the House also prohibited recipients of funding under this act from co-locating with organizations that engage in prohibited activities. This was a thoughtful and well-intentioned provision intended to ensure that organizations that would otherwise be ineligible for funding would not be able to set up dummy nonprofits in order to apply for funding.

Unfortunately, that provision would have had harmful, unintended consequences on small charities and faith-based organizations that rely on larger, unaffiliated entities for office space. Our intent was not to discriminate against small nonprofits, faith-based organizations, or charities. That is why we have revised the language to ensure that funding will never be used for the objectionable activities we have identified; but, at the same time, smaller and faith-based organizations will not be cut out of these programs simply because of where their offices are located.

Finally, the other chamber included one more change. It added a sense of Congress that calls on us to preserve the income tax deduction for charitable contributions. The national service programs depend upon substantial support from the private sector in order to work.

On top of that, if we are trying to inspire a spirit of volunteerism beyond this bill, we must provide incentives for corporations to keep up their charitable giving in these tough economic times.

Mr. Speaker, I support this bill because Americans who step forward and say ``I want to help'' should be given the opportunity to do so. This bill is largely the same as the bill this chamber overwhelmingly supported a few weeks ago. Republican ideas have been adopted in this legislation in both the House and the Senate, and the bill, H.R. 1388, is stronger because of it.

I thank Chairman Miller for working together on this and making this a good bill we can all be proud of.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the subcommittee ranking member on the Healthy Families and Communities Subcommittee, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Platts), such time as he may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Dedicating one's time to helping others is an American trait, and a great one at that. As we said the last time this bill was before us, H.R. 1388 helps people who would like to contribute their time to help others. When these individuals see a problem or injustice, they don't look away, they step forward and say, ``I want to help.''

As their representatives, we should help these people participate in the national service programs as well, and that is why I am voting for this bill. Once again, I want to thank Chairman Miller and Chairwoman McCarthy for ensuring such an open, bipartisan process in crafting this legislation. I would also like to recognize senior Republican Platts of the subcommittee and Representative Hoekstra for their leadership. Finally, I want to recognize the hardworking staff on both sides of the aisle.

In particular I would like to thank Amy Jones, Mandy Schaumburg and Susan Ross on my staff for their efforts.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1388, the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act. And I want to thank the leadership of my colleague for offering me this opportunity to speak. I want to also thank Chairman Miller for his leadership and dedication to national service after moving this important bill towards passage. I would also like to thank the full committee ranking member, Mr. McKeon, and the ranking member on my subcommittee, Mr. Platts, and I would like to thank all the staff that have worked so hard on this.

I am pleased that the Senate has moved this bill so quickly and that we are getting closer to being able to send it to President Obama for his signature. I'm also glad to see that we have renamed the bill in honor of Senator Edward Kennedy, a man who has demonstrated a lifelong commitment to public service.

Last month President Obama stood in this Chamber and called on Congress to pass legislation that would inspire a new generation of service and volunteerism in our Nation. This bill answers that call. Since the bill was passed in this body 2 weeks ago, there has been a public outpouring and interest in public service and volunteerism from citizens throughout this Nation.

Public service and volunteerism provide the means through which Americans can give back to their communities while gaining the tools that they need to achieve their own goals. The Serve America Act will create a framework to help develop national service programs that will improve their communities and enrich the lives of all those who answer the call to serve.

I am pleased to see that in this compromised version of the bill before us that we retain the competition provisions in the Senior Corps program. I'm also pleased this bill permits our Silver Scholars to transfer their education awards to their children, foster children or grandchildren. The Serve America Act contains important provisions that will help strengthen communities and provide real opportunities for Americans to serve in meaningful ways.

I am proud of the focus that the bill places in providing opportunities for disadvantaged youth, strengthening mentoring programs, increasing service opportunities in cities and urban centers, vets and people with disabilities. Under the Serve America Act, volunteer and service opportunities are made available to people of all ages. This will give thousands of older Americans the opportunity to share their knowledge and skills for the benefit of their communities while offering young people guidance and support.

I am proud that this bill contains an important focus on disadvantaged youth. By providing the right types of outlets, young people coming from difficult circumstances will have a chance to lift themselves up through service. The Serve America Act will build a national infrastructure for service and volunteerism and makes an historical investment in the way our service programs are administered.

The bill focuses on building our national service participation while providing much-needed streamlining to reduce administrative burdens. This bill requires States to ensure outreach to local government such as cities and counties when preparing national service plans. Better outreach will result in being able to target program funds to where local folks think they need to go.

I'm also pleased that this bill includes an investment in mentoring partnerships. I would like to thank Susan Davis for her hard work on this issue. Mr. Chairman, this is a good bill, and I certainly hope we can pass it.