We Did It!

Mar 27, 2009 Posted by Kim Wollner

Yesterday, the Senate passed the Serve America Act 79-19.  This bipartisan vote was more than we could ever ask.  You can see just how your senator voted at Senate.gov.

    With the passing of this legislation you must give yourself a pat on the back.  No one organization or individual could have done this.  And we have every one of you to thank for making your voice heard in so many different ways.  

    You may be wondering what the next steps are.  Because there were two different versions that went through the House and the Senate they must be combined and approved again. The House will receive the Serve America Act sometime next week to approve the changes from the Senate.  Hopefully that vote will be just as bipartisan as the previous votes.  Once approved by the House the bill goes to President Barack Obama to be signed into law!

    Thank you again for all of your hard work ad support.  And please do not forget to thank your Senator/Representative.  Click the link to sign a thank you card to Congress.

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Senate, Serve America Act, House (all tags)

Service Legislation Gains Momentum, Big Week Ahead

Mar 25, 2009 Posted by Kim Wollner

Last week, the House of Representatives voted on the GIVE Act (HR 1388).  The vote was a huge bipartisan victory with 321-105.  You can see the press conference held outside the Capitol after the vote here on YouTube.

We are halfway there in our fight for service for America, but we cannot coast through what we have left.

The Senate has the Serve America Act (S277) on its agenda this week (the Senate companion to the GIVE Act).  After years of hard work, this is our week to get the bill passed!  We are hoping that we have as big of a bipartisan victory in the Senate as we did in the House to show that this legislation is not a party issue.

You can read an opinion piece about the Senate legislation at
The Boston Globe.

While our country is in a difficult economic state, some may be questioning why now for this service legislation.  Honestly, there is no better time for the Serve America Act to be passed.  This bill would help pull our nation out of this crisis by creating jobs and opportunities for scholarship for citizens of all ages.  We have seen with recent natural disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina, that service is a necessary asset in our communities and we must increase the population of people serving.  Everyday people talk about how they want to get involved with service, but they do not know where to turn for opportunities.  This bill will clearly lay out all of the service opportunities available.  All in all, this legislation will help pull our nation together to help one another.

Now it is your turn!  You can help in this crucial week by making a short phone call to your Senator.  We need as much grassroots support as possible so we are asking all of our supporters to take a second and visit The Youth Policy Action Center. There are simple instructions on where and how to call you Senator.

Every call is important so we also ask that you spread this call to your networks, no matter where they are from.

Thank you for your continued support!

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Senate, Serve America Act, House (all tags)

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