Barbara Mikulski

I hope that it will be the first step of many, but you've really responded to our call for not only reform, but for transformation.

We don't want more bureaucracy. We've had a dismal experience with the drug czar concept.

Well, this has been a wonderful hearing, Senator Bond. Thank you for providing the leadership for us to organize it.

Alzheimer's disease affects millions of Americans and their families, and we must find solutions.

I want to thank everyone for being here today to discuss this critical issue.

Yes, and they have also filed suits. What we are concerned with is this bill will preempt those suits. They will be thrown out. They will be dismissed and the families will face yet another injustice at the hands of the Congress.

Continuing my argument, there is ambiguity and there is honest disagreement. I know the Senator from Idaho might bring us a CRS opinion saying the cases might survive. My colleague from Rhode Island has an earlier CRS opinion that says the…

I want to begin by thanking the Chairman Christopher Bond and Ranking Minority Member Barbara Mikulski

I was really pleased to see that you want to spend an additional $5 million on training and technical assistance to recruit the volunteers and money.

We believe in the State programs. We believe that ultimately while we look at these wonderful new programs, the large ones, that ultimately the heart and soul of AmeriCorps is what goes on at the local level.

Well, that would be pretty phenomenal. Well, we want to watch this and see how you go as you then deal with this.

We understand, in the Challenge Grants--then I want to get to the Next Generation Grants--that you received about $36 million worth of requests.

Is the $36 million you have gotten in requests, are these real organizations that could use real help for which we have modest resources?

Thank you. This, too, will go to my last round of questions.

I am so pleased that you are going to allow $2 million to upgrade some of the facilities at the NCCC Training programs.

It is your intent to reduce them.

Today the ground is the momentum of reform and renewal.

I just want to make a comment about the Professional Corps. We encouraged the concept in the 2004 appropriations.

What I want to be clear about is that sustainability is not only about money and not a desire to be a micro-manager.

But in us it was that it would be--sustainability was that there was a quality of the program, that it could be financially maintained over time, and that it could be also--have the potential for replication, perhaps, in another State or…

I support that while you have a CFO and a COO, we believe in today's modern world you do particularly when you are also managing such a diverse set of grantees.

I oppose earmarking the AmeriCorps account.

This program has attracted a large number of applicants.

The system is not built for anywhere near 25 million veterans.

I believe that they are going to turn more and more to VA because of the failure of health care in other areas.