IV 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. RES. 193 Recognizing the contributions of AmeriCorps members and alumni and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers to the lives of the people of the United States. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MARCH 8, 2021 Ms. MATSUI (for herself and Mr. PRICE of North Carolina) submitted the fol- lowing resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor RESOLUTION Recognizing the contributions of AmeriCorps members and alumni and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers to the lives of the people of the United States. Whereas, since their inceptions, each of the AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Seniors national service programs have prov- en to be a highly effective way— (1) to engage the people of the United States in meeting a wide range of local and national needs; and (2) to promote the ethics of service and vol- unteerism; Whereas, each year, nearly 270,000 individuals serve in AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Seniors at 40,000 locations across the United States to give back in an intensive way VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:56 Mar 10, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR193.IH HR193 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 193 IH to communities, States, Tribal nations, and the United States; Whereas AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Seniors funds have been invested in nonprofit, community, educational, and faith-based groups, and those funds leverage hundreds of millions of dollars in outside funding and in-kind dona- tions each year; Whereas AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors vol- unteers have provided millions of hours of service nation- wide, helping— (1) to improve the lives of the most vulnerable peo- ple of the United States; (2) to protect the environment; (3) to contribute to public safety; (4) to respond to disasters; (5) to strengthen the educational system of the United States; and (6) to expand economic opportunity; Whereas AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors vol- unteers recruit and supervise millions of community vol- unteers, demonstrating the value of AmeriCorps as a powerful force for encouraging people to become involved in volunteering and community service; Whereas, for more than 5 decades, AmeriCorps Seniors vol- unteers in the RSVP, Foster Grandparent, and Senior Companion programs have played an important role in strengthening communities by sharing their experience, knowledge, and accomplishments with the individuals they serve; Whereas, since 1994, more than 1,200,000 individuals have taken the AmeriCorps pledge to ‘‘get things done for VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:56 Mar 10, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR193.IH HR193 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 193 IH America’’ by becoming AmeriCorps members through the AmeriCorps State and National, AmeriCorps VISTA, and AmeriCorps NCCC programs; Whereas AmeriCorps members nationwide, in return for the service of those members, have earned more than $4,000,000,000 to use to further their own educational advancement at colleges and universities across the United States; Whereas AmeriCorps is a proven pathway to employment, providing members with valuable career skills, experience, and contacts to prepare them for the 21st century work- force and to help close the skills gap in the United States; Whereas, in 2009, Congress passed the bipartisan Serve America Act (Public Law 111–13; 123 Stat. 1460), which authorized the expansion of national service, ex- panded opportunities to serve, increased efficiency and accountability, and strengthened the capacity of organiza- tions and communities to solve problems; Whereas national service programs have engaged millions of people in the United States in results-driven service in the most vulnerable communities of the United States, providing hope and help to individuals with economic and social needs; Whereas national service and volunteerism demonstrate the best of the spirit of the United States, with people turn- ing toward problems and working together to find com- munity solutions; and Whereas AmeriCorps Week, observed in 2021 from March 7 through March 13, is an appropriate time for the people of the United States— VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:56 Mar 10, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR193.IH HR193 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HRES 193 IH (1) to salute current and former AmeriCorps mem- bers and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers for their positive impact on the lives of people in the United States; (2) to thank the community partners of AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Seniors for making the programs pos- sible; and (3) to encourage more people in the United States to become involved in service and volunteering: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) encourages the people of the United States 2 to join in a national effort— 3 (A) to salute AmeriCorps members and 4 alumni and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers; and 5 (B) to raise awareness about the impor- 6 tance of national and community service; 7 (2) acknowledges the significant accomplish- 8 ments of the members, alumni, and community part- 9 ners of AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Seniors; 10 (3) recognizes the important contributions 11 made by AmeriCorps members and alumni and 12 AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers to the lives of the 13 people of the United States; and 14 (4) encourages individuals of all ages to con- 15 sider opportunities to serve in AmeriCorps and 16 AmeriCorps Seniors. 17 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:56 Mar 10, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR193.IH HR193 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS