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Don't Count out 'Mandatory' Service Yet
 HB 1388 "quietly" passed the Senate last week. Now, this bill is working itself through the process.A proposal in Congress to study whether "mandatory" service should be required of all young people in the United States has suddenly disappeared from a bill that would reauthorize other national service programs such as AmeriCorps. But the plan has appeared in another bill at just about the same time. WND reported more than a week ago on a plan in the U.S. House of Representatives to determine whether "a workable, fair, and reasonable mandatory service requirement for all able young people" should be developed across the United States. But the language that was included in H.R. 1388 suddenly disappeared. At about the same time, H.R. 1444 by U.S. Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash., appeared and was assigned to the House Committee on Labor and Education. The bill, under Section 4 (b)6, states: Whether a workable, fair, and reasonable mandatory service requirement for all able young people could be developed, and how such a requirement could be implemented in a manner that would strengthen the social fabric of the Nation and overcome civic challenges by bringing together people from diverse economic, ethnic, and educational backgrounds. It raised immediate concerns that the effort, which is intended to include 250,000 "volunteers," is the beginning of what President Obama called his "National Civilian Security Force" in a speech last year in which he urged creating an organization as big and well-funded as the U.S. military. He has declined since then to elaborate. The newest plan says the aim is "to establish the Congressional Commission on Civic Service to study methods of improving and promoting volunteerism and national service, and for other purposes." It would be directed to identify how issues that deter volunteerism "and national service" can be overcome, determine what role should government have "in overcoming" those issues, evaluate the "existing databases" for linking "would-be volunteers and service providers," and referred to the "workable, fair, and reasonable mandatory service requirement." The proposal also speculates on a "public service academy, a four-year institution that offers a federally funded undergraduate education with a focus on training future public sector leaders." Like the provisions in the earlier bill, it also includes children down to primary school, requiring a review of "the means to develop awareness of national service and volunteer opportunities at a young age by creating, expanding and promoting service options for primary and secondary school students and by raising awareness of existing incentives." Posted by: Sherry 2009-03-29 |
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