Statement of Senator Paul S. Sarbanes in Strong Support of Americorps

STATEMENT OF SENATOR PAUL S. SARBANES (D-MD)IN STRONG SUPPORT OF AMERICORPS
"VOICES FOR AMERICA: 100 HOURS OF NATIONAL SERVICE TESTIMONY"

"I wanted to join you all today to add my voice to the chorus of those fighting to save AmeriCorps. Given the weak economy, our government should be supportive of any volunteer program that is succeeding. AmeriCorps members serve through more than 2,100 nonprofits, public agencies, and faith-based organizations, providing a wide variety of community needs.

"These include tutoring, mentoring, building affordable housing, teaching computer skills, cleaning parks and streams, running after-school programs, and helping communities respond to disasters. This list goes on and on. The people who volunteer through AmeriCorps programs throughout this country have shown a strong record of success. In my State of Maryland, AmeriCorps service members contribute at Boys and Girls Clubs, Habitat for Humanity, the Red Cross, public schools and universities, and numerous community organizations.

"In his 2002 State of the Union Address, President Bush pledged to increase the ranks of AmeriCorps service members by 50%. After the terrorist attacks of September 11 and the President's Call to Service, the number of volunteers soared. Unfortunately, mismanagement at the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), coupled with a dramatic rise in applications resulted in over-enrollment in AmeriCorps in 2002.

"I was proud that my colleague from Maryland, Senator Mikulski, worked to resolve mismanagement at the Corporation for National and Community Service by introducing the Strengthen AmeriCorps Program Act. We were pleased when the President signed it into law on July 3, 2003, yet AmeriCorps still needs funding to avert a 60% cut in services.

"Without these funds, 20,000 AmeriCorps members who provide critical services in so many communities will be told their services are no longer needed. Without additional funding, volunteers who desperately want to serve will be turned away. This is unacceptable in a time when many State and local governments have cut back on services due to budget constraints making the services of AmeriCorps volunteers even more necessary.

"Congress has shown its support for AmeriCorps. In June, the Senate overwhelmingly endorsed AmeriCorps by voting 71 to 21 to provide the $100 million emergency appropriation. A majority of House Members wrote to President Bush to request an emergency supplemental for AmeriCorps but the House leadership overruled the will of its majority and ignored the clear sentiment of the Senate when it passed a supplemental appropriations bill that did not include funding for AmeriCorps. Instead of increasing its ranks by 50% as President Bush himself called for, AmeriCorps programs will be slashed. In Maryland, this will result in a 36% reduction - from 447 full-time AmeriCorps members to 281.

"It is time for the President's actions to match his rhetoric. He must call for additional funding for AmeriCorps. The volunteers and communities they serve deserve no less."