Dodd Works to Expand National Service Opportunities

Press Release

Dodd Works to Expand National Service Opportunities
Introduces Bill to Raise AmeriCorps Education Award, Grant Cabinet-Level Authority to Corporation for National Service

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), a former Peace Corps volunteer and an outspoken advocate for national service programs, today announced he will introduce the AmeriCorps: Together Improving Our Nation (ACTION) Act of 2008. Dodd's bill would raise AmeriCorps' Segal Education Award to reflect the rising cost of college, make the award tax-exempt so AmeriCorps Members can apply the full amount of the award to their tuition, and elevate the Corporation for National and Community Service to Cabinet-level status, while empowering the Corporation to partner with other federal agencies.

"Because of AmeriCorps, our communities have been strengthened, and our democracy fortified," said Dodd. "Unfortunately, as the hours AmeriCorps members have contributed to our communities have increased, the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award created to help members pay for their college tuition has remained flat at $4,725. At the same time, the cost of college has skyrocketed. That is one of the reasons Senator Cochran and I are introducing the ACTION Act today, to help the AmeriCorps Education Award keep pace with 15 years of tuition increases.

"As a former Peace Corps volunteer, I know that national service ought not to simply be virtuous, but rather, a resource with which we can carry out our most urgent national priorities, from tackling poverty to making our communities cleaner and more vibrant. We need to recognize service as a national priority, and with passage of the ACTION Act, we will."

Since its establishment in 1994, AmeriCorps has encouraged citizens to volunteer, serve, and address the unmet needs of the nation. Since then, more than 500,000 people have become AmeriCorps members and have pledged "to get things done for America." These citizens have provided more than 705,000,000 hours of service, hard-work, and dedication to improve our communities. Since its inception, more than $5 billion of AmeriCorps funds have been invested back into our communities and have helped leverage hundreds of millions of dollars of additional funds and in-kind donations from outside sources.

Since AmeriCorps was created, more than 7,000 AmeriCorps members have served in Connecticut, contributing approximately 9.5 million hours and earning more than $20 million toward their education.

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