Mr. Speaker, today I am proud to introduce the Peace Corps Reauthorization Act of 2019. I want to thank my returned Peace Corps volunteers; Joe Kennedy and Donna Shalala, the co-chairs of the Peace…
Mr. Speaker, today I am proud to introduce the Peace Corps Reauthorization Act of 2019.
I want to thank my returned Peace Corps volunteers; Joe Kennedy and Donna Shalala, the co-chairs of the Peace Corps Caucus; as well as Mr. Graves, Mr. Sires, Mrs. Radewagen, and Ms. Shalala for their support as original cosponsors.
Like successive generations of young Americans, my wife, Patti, and I answered President John F. Kennedy's call and served in the Peace Corps in Ethiopia from 1966 to 1968. This foundational experience inspired our lifetime of service that continued into State government in California, the Clinton administration, and now the United States Congress.
Since the establishment of the Peace Corps in 1961, more than 230,000 Americans have volunteered and have served in 141 countries around the world. When the Africans fought for their independence, the Peace Corps volunteers came, and they were there to assist in the transition in countries throughout that continent. They were there as teachers, community development, and agriculture, and so that tradition carried on in countries all around the world. Today there are some 8,000 Peace Corps volunteers in 65 countries.
Now more than ever, Congress should and must support the Peace Corps mission and realize President Kennedy's vision of generations of young Americans, ready to serve their Nation and make the world a better place and return home to America and continue to educate all Americans about what is going on around the world.
Our Peace Corps Reauthorization Act of 2019 would do just this by providing additional Federal resources to better support current, returning, and former Peace Corps volunteers by doing the following: First, since 2002 the Peace Corps has not been reauthorized. So we would pick up that and make the Peace Corps reauthorization good for the next 5 years. We would authorize $450 million per fiscal year for the Peace Corps, an increase over the flat $410 million that has been provided in the current year.
We would also direct the Peace Corps to establish new volunteer opportunities that promote internet adoption and development in countries and engage tech savvy American volunteers.
We would increase the monthly allowance for Peace Corps volunteers and leaders to $417 per month of service completed to reflect the increase in the cost of living and provide $10,000 for the 2-year full term of service.
We would reform the Peace Corps National Advisory Council that has been in abeyance since 1980 by providing that donated funds from a qualified nonprofit organization would cover all administrative costs for the advisory council with no cost to the taxpayers.
We would include Respect for Peace Corps Volunteers Act, H.R. 1411, sponsored by Congressman Sires of New Jersey since 2013, allowing use of the Peace Corps logo in headstones and other funeral materials, in recognition of the meaning the deceased's Peace Corps service had for their lives.
We would codify President Kennedy's 1963 executive order affording returned Peace Corps volunteers a 12-month hiring preference for most Federal job openings and also deal with the shutdowns that occasionally occur.
We would require the Peace Corps and the U.S. State Department Bureau of Diplomatic Security to routinely update existing memorandums of agreement for Peace Corps volunteer security and consular protection in foreign countries.
We would clarify that American Samoans and other U.S. nationals have an opportunity to serve in the Peace Corps as volunteers as well as in leadership positions.
We would also increase the workers' compensation rate for Peace Corps volunteers.
This bipartisan bill builds upon the success of the Sam Farr and Nick Castle Peace Corps Reform Act of 2018, public law 115-256, sponsored by former Congressman Ted Poe of Texas.
Our bill also builds upon legislation sponsored by my California colleague Sam Farr, who served in the Peace Corps from 1964 to 1966.
As co-chairman of the Peace Corps Caucus, I am proud to continue the work in support of the Peace Corps mission, its volunteers, and the indelible impact of their service.
I ask all Members of Congress to cosponsor this legislation and support it. It is important, and I look forward to working with the Foreign Affairs Committee, Chairman Engel, and Ranking Member McCaul to advance the Peace Corps Reauthorization Act.
