News Alerts - Information

Last Friday, we sent you a legislative e-update to inform you that the legislative process for the GIVE Act and Serve America Act is moving quickly in the House and Senate, respectively.  It is apparent that we, ALL Senior Corps project directors, friends, and supporters, need to act with equal urgency as a united group to see certain provisions amended or eliminated in the GIVE Act.  A final vote is expected in the House on Tuesday and marked up in the Senate later in the week. Because we believe that these provisions could have detrimental effects on all Senior Corps programs, we respectfully submit that a final bill should not be passed containing these provisions as they are now in the GIVE Act.  While we greatly applaud Congress for trying to reauthorize national service, we must work with Congress to pass a bill that is an acceptable compromise for the Administration, Congress and Senior Corps programs, volunteers, and clients. We must ask the House Education and Labor Committee to include the changes (detailed below) in a Manager's Amendment.  We must also ask the Senate to incorporate these changes in their version of the bill.   
  
We need the voices of thousands of Senior Corps project directors, friends and supporters to make our voices heard.  Legislators have relayed to us that the more calls they receive, the more they can justify taking a position on a bill.
 
Today, you need to inform your Representatives and Senators that this legislation is important to you, THEIR constituent, and MUST BE CHANGED.  
 

1. Rally your Advisory Council, volunteers, and friends to make at least 10 phone calls to every Representative that represents you, your friends, and your program by close of business (EDT) today, Monday, 3/16.  Make it simple and to the point. Use the following script.  
    
   "Hello, I am your constituent, <name>, and I am a <program director/Board member/Advisory Council member/volunteer/friend/supporter> of the Senior Corps Program <program name>.  I am calling you concerning the GIVE Act which will come up for a vote as early as tomorrow.  I respectfully urge you to call Chairman Miller of the House Education and Labor Committee and urge him to offer a Manager's Amendment revising three provisions in the GIVE ACT.

• First, delete the provision in the GIVE Act that changes the funding of Programs of National Significance, and instead retain the existing law that requires one third of PNS funds go to existing programs.
• Second, amend the provision of the GIVE Act that creates recompetition for all Senior Corps programs, beginning with RSVP, so that those programs that consistently meet or exceed CNCS compliance standards will not be subject to recompetition.
• Third, eliminate the language that gives the CNCS CEO authority to shift program oversight to state commissions, because the language does not guarantee that the proposed funds for Senior Corps administered by states will be used solely for the purpose of FGP, RSVP and SCP.  

Your national service programs, including staff, volunteers and clients are counting on your support.  Thank you."

    2.  Call your Senators. Use the following script.      

"Hello, I am your constituent, <name>, and I am a <program director/Board member/Advisory Council member/volunteer/friend/supporter> of the Senior Corps Program <program name>.  I am calling you concerning the GIVE Act which will come up for a vote in the House as early as tomorrow.  The Senate will have a mark up of this bill this week.  I respectfully ask you to contact Chairman Kennedy's staff to urge him to amend three provisions from the House version of the GIVE ACT.   

• First, delete the provision in the House version of the GIVE Act funding Programs of National Significance, and instead retain the existing law that requires one third of PNS funds go to existing programs.   
• Second, amend the provision of the GIVE Act that creates recompetition for all Senior Corps programs, beginning with RSVP, so that those programs that consistently meet or exceed CNCS compliance standards will not be subject to recompetition. 
• Third, eliminate the language that in the House bill that gives the CNCS CEO authority to shift program oversight to state commissions, because the language does not guarantee that the proposed funds for Senior Corps administered by states will be used solely for the purpose of FGP, RSVP and SCP. 

Your national service programs, including staff, volunteers and clients are counting on your support.  Thank you." 

 

Background Information

In the bill marked up by the House Education and Labor Committee on March 11, Sec. 2208 states, "(4) To the maximum extent practicable, the Director shall ensure that at least 25 percent of the grants under this subsection are made to applicants not receiving assistance from the Corporation at the time of such grant and, when possible, from locations where no programs under part A, B, or C are in effect at the time of such grant.  In a fiscal year where less than 25 percent of the applicants are applicants not receiving such assistance, the Director may make more than 75 percent of such grants to applicants receiving such assistance.''
 
NSCA opposes this section in the House bill regarding PNS funding. 

 

Proposed language in the GIVE Act guarantees PNS money for new programs but guarantees nothing for expansion of existing programs. Existing law guarantees that 1/3 of all new funding allocated by Congress must be used to expand existing programs.  NSCA recommends that the existing law remain.   

NSCA opposes this section in the House bill regarding recompetition for Senior Corps programs.

 

Frequent sponsor changes could be harmful and disruptive to public awareness, volunteer recruitment and retention, staff consistency, and resource development.  In an effort to overcome this requirement, NSCA has offered a simple and sensible amendment to the House bill before it becomes law:  "Senior Corps programs that consistently meet or exceed CNCS compliance standards will not be subject to recompetition."

Consistent with section 193(c)(1) (42 U.S.C.2651d(c)(1)), the Chief Executive Officer may delegate to States specific programmatic authority upon a determination that such a delegation will increase efficiency in the operation or oversight of a program under the national service laws.
 
NSCA opposes delegation of authority to states, as presented in the GIVE Act, without consideration of the following:

• State Commissions operate under the auspices of the Governor.  This sole political oversight of federal resources would likely control the way in which funds are used and allocated.  There is no guarantee in the proposed language that the funds will be used solely for the purpose of FGP, RSVP or SCP.  For example, Title III funds under the Older American's Act are allocated through State Units on Aging, but the funding must be used for the sole purpose designated by the federal law.
• The intent of expanding authority to state administration may be to provide CNCS with flexibility in administering new programs proposed in both the GIVE Act and the Serve America Act.  However, the existing language in the bill may negatively impact existing programs, including Senior Corps.  NSCA requests that the GIVE Act require CNCS to complete a study to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of transfering the administration of existing programs to State Commissions.  We request that such a study include input from existing programs.
• If a commission is housed in a state agency, they are often bound by the same restrictions that other state agencies are.  In austere budget times (as these are), commissions are oftentimes under the same 'hiring freeze' restrictions as other state agencies, resulting in their inability to add additional staff as increasing their administrative responsibilities would require.