Senate Approves National Service Bill

[Nonno]

Senate Approves National Service Bill - The Caucus Blog - NYTimes.com

"The Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly approved a bill to broadly expand national community service programs, increasing the number of positions to 250,000 from 75,000 and creating new cadres of volunteers focused on education, clean energy, health care, and veterans.

The vote was 78 to 20, and the Senate renamed the bill the Senator Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, in honor of the Massachusetts Democrat who was a main architect of the legislation and has been undergoing treatment for brain cancer.

After the vote was tallied, Mr. Kennedy received a standing ovation on the Senate floor, his son, Representative Patrick Kennedy, Democrat of Rhode Island, was in the chamber for the occasion. And the elder Mr. Kennedy got a huge round of congratulations include a hug from Senator Orrin G. Hatch, Republican of Utah, who was also a main author of the service bill.

“The whole Kennedy family has been a service family,” Mr. Hatch said.

The Senate measure will now be sent to the House, which approved a different version of the legislation last week. Officials said they expected the House to adopt the measure next week and send it on to President Obama, a huge proponent of community service programs, who will sign into law.

The service legislation is also a top priority of First Lady Michelle Obama who has said that promoting volunteerism will be a major focus of her time in the White House.

The legislation, which had broad bipartisan support, would expand the ranks of AmeriCorps, which was created by President Bill Clinton in 1993 to bring federal volunteer programs under a single umbrella.

In addition to adding positions to the 75,000 existing AmeriCorps slots, the bill would create four new service corps, specializing in areas that largely align with President Obama’s early agenda.

The expansion would cost about $6 billion over five years. The bill would raise the education stipend paid to volunteers to $5,350, the same amount as a Pell grant college scholarship.

And the more than tripling of the number of federal service positions, at a time when the deep recession is expected to vastly increase the demand for volunteer work among college graduates, amounts to the boldest expansion of service opportunities since President Kennedy called for national service corps in 1963.

The bill also seeks to encourage volunteer work among retirees, and would offer senior citizens a $1,000 educational award that they could transfer to a child or grandchild.

“The American habits of the heart are shining through,” declared Senator Barbara A. Mikulski, Democrat of Maryland, who helped shepherd the bill to final passage. “All across America, people want to volunteer if they have the opportunity to do so.”"

[aps45819]

Originally Posted by Nonno

“The American habits of the heart are shining through,” declared Senator Barbara A. Mikulski, Democrat of Maryland, who helped shepherd the bill to final passage. “All across America, people will volunteer weather they want to or not.”"

Will their brown uniform shirts be made in China?

Originally Posted by aps45819

Will their brown uniform shirts be made in China?

I can picture thousands of them in a crowd giving stiff-arm salutes to their leader as he dazzles them with his oration skills.

[aps45819]

Originally Posted by Libertarian

I can picture thousands of them in a crowd giving stiff-arm salutes to their leader as he dazzles them with his oration skills.

that was the campaign video from his German "foreign policy" tour

[Lenny]

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2009-...0Force.gif.jpg

....Sometimes We Even Act Tough.

[ItalianScallion (Premo)]

Originally Posted by Nonno

"The Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly approved a bill to broadly expand national community service programs...
...President Obama, a huge proponent of community service programs...

FINALLY!!
A job that Obama is qualified to do!!! Hooray for the Dumb Dems!!!