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President, Voices for National Service

This Week in National Service – 6/25/2018

June calls for sunshine, sand and Appropriations mark-ups! Thank you to everyone who has met with Appropriations committee staff members, organized sign-on letters, and called in support of AmeriCorps and Senior Corps.  It all matters!
 
The House Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee introduced an FY19 spending bill that would fund CNCS at $1.06 billion, the same funding level Congress approved for the agency last year. The full House Appropriations Committee postponed last week’s review of the bill until tomorrow, Tuesday, June 26, and we anticipate that Democrats will offer amendments. If you haven’t already, PLEASE join us in thanking Representatives Cole and DeLauro on Facebook and Twitter for protecting CNCS funding. 
Tomorrow is a very busy day on Capitol Hill—the Senate Labor H subcommittee will mark up their FY19 bill tomorrow as well. The Senate LHHS bill has a $179.3 billion allocation, which is slightly higher than the FY18 enacted level and $2.2 billion more than the House’s $177.1 billion allocation. 
 
Stay tuned for more updates from us as the Appropriations process moves forward. And remember, we should all keep the pressure on to GROW AmeriCorps and Senior Corps, not just protect it. PLEASE stay engaged!
 
Here are some additional highlights from last week:  
 
Thank you to Myung Lee and Karen Dahl from Cities of Service for organizing a letter from 13 mayors in support of CNCS funding.  
 
-Last week, in conjunction with the Points of Lights National Conference for Volunteering and ServiceDentons hosted a panel with Go Beyond Profit to engage corporations in support of national and community service. Check out this fantastic article by Eric Tanenblatt of Dentons andRick Jackson of Go Beyond Profit for more about how AmeriCorps and Senior Corps are models of public-private partnerships as a force for good! 
 
-AmeriCorps members are playing a key role in helping those affected by the Kilauea eruptions in Hawaii. Congresswoman Colleen Hanabusa has expressed her gratitude for AmeriCorps and FEMAin their efforts to “provide accurate and timely information about the resources and assistance available to our communities.” 
 
-The PAARI USA AmeriCorps program was  recognized as a best practice for battling the opioid crisis at the annual U.S. Mayors Conference in Boston this month. 
 
-Thanks to our friends at Teach for America for engaging elected officials on social media in support of expanding AmeriCorps funding—we loved seeing this Twitter interaction  between TFA and Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard, where the Congresswoman indicated her support for national service. 
 
-Congratulations to the Corps Network on a successful Outdoor Service Day – the Voices team was so glad to join CNCS CEO Barbara StewartDeputy Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt, and 150 members from Conservation Corps in eliminating invasive plan species and beautifying our national parks!  
 
Senator Ted Cruz took to the basketball court this week with AmeriCorps NCCC members serving at Generation One at Kimmel vs Cruz’s Blobfish Classic. Senator Cruz played on behalf ofGeneration One, a Houston nonprofit and AmeriCorps VISTA site focused on childhood education.  
 
There is a lot going on, and we are so grateful to all of you for staying engaged and continuing to raise your voices! 
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