Bill Pascrell: “In the book of Isaiah, chapter 6, the question is very specific: Who shall I send? Volunteers come forward all the time.…”

“In the book of Isaiah, chapter 6, the question is very specific: Who shall I send? Volunteers come forward all the time. They come through for us every time. Three thousand of them came through after 9/11. Thousands and thousands came through after Hurricane Katrina. As we go to the very heart and soul of this great Nation, let us serve these volunteers. Let us serve. I have spoken with these volunteers not only in New Jersey but throughout this great Nation. They always respond after these tragedies, and I said 'thank you.' We are saying thank you, and we mean it. We are willing to put it in a law, a law of this Nation. How we respond to catastrophes shows the character of our Nation. How we treat our emergency responders shows who we are as people. We take them for granted. Let's be honest. Congress must do everything in its power to help those who help others. But, simply put, volunteers should not be penalized when they are off protecting lives of their fellow citizens.”