Chief Deputy Whip
Rep. Diana DeGette
DeGette is a fourth generation Coloradoan, educated at Denver's South High School and Colorado College. Read More...

The Daily WhipLine

Thursday, March 6, 2008

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Floor Schedule and Procedure

• H. Res. 1015-Rule providing for consideration of H.R. 2857 - Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act (Rep. Matsui-Rules):   The structured rule provides one hour of general debate equally divided and controlled by the Chairman and Ranking Minority Member of the Committee on Education and Labor.  The rule provides that the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on Education and Labor, now printed in the bill, shall be considered as an original bill for the purpose of amendment and shall be considered as read.  The rule provides one motion to recommit with or without instructions.  Debate on the rule will be managed by Rep. Matsui, and consideration will proceed as follows: 
  • One hour of debate on the rule.
  • Possible vote on a Democratic Motion ordering the previous question. Democrats are urged to vote yes.
  • Vote on adoption of the rule. Democrats are urged to vote yes.

• H.R. 2857 - Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act (Rep. McCarthy-Education and Labor):  Pursuant to the rule, debate on the bill will be managed by Education and Labor Committee Chair Rep. George Miller, or his designee, and will proceed as follows:
  • One hour of debate on the bill.
  • Debate and votes on amendments to the bill.
  • Possible debate and vote on a Republican Motion to recommit the bill.
  • Vote on passage of the bill.

Bill Summary and Key Issues

H.R. 2857 – Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act

Increases Number of AmeriCorps Volunteers to 100,000

• Sets a goal of 100,000 AmeriCorps volunteers by 2012, putting 25,000 additional volunteers into our communities.
  
  
• Promotes recruitment of disadvantaged youth, baby-boomers, and veterans into national and community service opportunities through the new Office of Outreach and Recruitment.

Engages Youth Through ‘Summer of Service’

• Fosters a sense of civic engagement for youth in grades 5-12, as well as introducing them to the benefits of volunteering in their community during the summer.
  
  
• Provides supervised and constructive service participation for young people in their communities to discourage ‘summer slide’ and promote leadership development.
  
  
• Includes a $500 education award to be used for college preparatory work or college costs.

Keeps America Competitive

• Encourages national service programs to recruit scientists, technicians, mathematicians, and engineers to address our nation’s community needs through the STEM fields.
  
  
• Encourages innovative efforts to address unmet education and human needs and help close the digital divide in low-income communities.

Helps Achieve National Priorities for Disaster Preparedness

• Encourages collaborative efforts at the national, state, and local level to provide service in the areas of disaster preparedness, response, and relief.
  
  
• Strengthens the emergency response and disaster preparedness efforts of the National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) to increase the programs effectiveness during times of national need.

Brings AmeriCorps Alumni Back Into Service

• Establishes a “Reserve Corps” of AmeriCorps alumni ready for deployment in times of national need.

Enhances Program Accountability

• Reserves 1% of total funds appropriated in a fiscal year to support program accountability activities.
  
  
• Requires the Corporation to establish in consultation with grantees, outcome-based performance measures for achieving high performance.

Invests in the Future of Service

• Includes a total authorization level of $1 billion for FY 2008 to support national service activities, including $324 million for the AmeriCorps program.  This represents a $158 million (18.5 percent) increase above the 2008 Omnibus. 

SUMMARY OF AMENDMENTS

1. McCarthy (NY): The Manager's amendment makes various technical changes and clarifications to H.R. 2857, the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act.  The amendment includes the following key changes: Makes various technical changes to Learn and Serve America (Subtitle B); Clarifies matching requirements of AmeriCorps State/National (Subtitle C); Strengthens Senior Corps by phasing in competition for the Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) by 2013 and creating incentive grants to encourage high performance among the Senior Corps programs with a priority for RSVP programs; and Provides New Service Initiatives including a new national service pilot program to support individuals seeking to do service for small, eligible entities and a Silver Scholarship program for individuals 55 years of age and older who perform 600 hours of service.  Expands scope to include community colleges serving predominantly minority student populations.  Gives priority to areas which the President has declared to be major disaster areas.  (10 minutes)
   
   
2. McKeon (CA):  The amendment would require the Corporation to establish priorities for programs funded under the national service laws for programs that recruit veterans into service opportunities, promote community-based efforts to meet the needs of military families while a family member is deployed, and promote community-based efforts to meet the needs of military families when a member of the family returns from a deployment.  The amendment also would require the Corporation to annually report to Congress on the number and percentage of national service positions eligible for the education award that are filled by veterans, and to establish annual goals for increasing those numbers and percentages.  (10 minutes)
   
   
3. Matsui (CA)/Shays (CT): The amendment would integrate two competitive funding streams and seek to improve collaboration between state and national entities. (10 minutes)
   
   
4. McDermott (WA)/Farr (CA)/Shays (CT): The amendment would establish a temporary Congressional Commission on Civic Service within the Legislative Branch.  The Commission would be tasked with making recommendations to Congress about how to improve opportunities for public service. (10 minutes)
   
   
5. English (PA): The amendment would add a section at end of bill that it is the Sense of Congress that the Corporation for National and Community Service should make the maximum effort possible to coordinate the recruiting and assignment procedures of their various programs to allow senior citizens and their grandchildren to share volunteer opportunities and/or be assigned to the same geographic areas during their period of service. (10 minutes)
   
   
6. English (PA): The amendment would add a section to bill that it is the Sense of Congress that the Corporation for National and Community Service should make the maximum effort possible to coordinate with the National Endowment for the Humanities to provide opportunities for young people enrolled in NACS programs to collect oral histories from senior citizens in the communities where they serve.  (10 minutes)
   
   
7. English (PA): The amendment would require the Board of Directors of the Corporation for National and Community Service to coordinate with veterans’ organizations serving veterans with disabilities to provide opportunities for young people enrolled in existing NACS programs to serve as drivers in the DAV Transportation Network on a full-time, part-time, or as-needed basis. (10 minutes)
   
   
8. Sutton (OH):  The amendment would require the Corporation for National and Community Service to consider whether an area has a mortgage foreclosure rate greater than the national average when considering applications from States and other eligible entities. (10 minutes)
   
   
9. Sutton (OH): The amendment would require the Corporation for National and Community Service to conduct a study to identify specific areas of need for displaced workers and how existing programs and activities carried out under the national service laws can better serve displaced workers and communities affected by plant closings and job losses.  The amendment also would require the Corporation to develop and carry out a pilot program based on the findings of the study.  (10 minutes)
   
   
10. Flake (AZ): The amendment would strike the "summer of service" grant program and reduce the authorized amount designated for the program. (10 minutes)
    
    
11. Inslee (WA)/Sarbanes (MD): The amendment would add an Energy Conservation Corps, which would seek to address the nation’s energy and transportation infrastructure needs while providing work and service opportunities. (10 minutes)

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