Rich Neal: “I hope today that we will not diminish one of the most successful initiatives that has come from this city in the last…”

“I hope today that we will not diminish one of the most successful initiatives that has come from this city in the last 30 years, and that is the President's Corporation for National and Community Service. This legislation today proposes a significant decrease in what has been domestically one of the most successful initiatives that I can recall. AmeriCorp has served hundreds of domestic violence victims throughout the State of Massachusetts. It has been enormously successful. It seems to me it goes hand-in-hand with what the other side has been talking about for the last decade about personal responsibility, a better and higher sense of citizenship, but, most importantly, and it has been inclusive, it suggested to millions of young Americans that the opportunity for some sort of tuition assistance down the road will be there if they only give back to this Nation the opportunity that the Nation has granted to them. Mr. Chairman, I would hope that in this supplemental that is being proposed today we would resist any effort along the way to curtail what I think has been an enormously successful Presidential initiative, and that has been the President's proposal for National Service Learning.”