House bill expands ways to enter public service
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WASHINGTON - The US House yesterday gave final congressional approval - and sent to President Obama for his signature - a bill that would dramatically expand public service opportunities.
The legislation is named for Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, who coauthored an initial version with sometime political ally Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah.
Kennedy returned to Washington last week, in part to vote for the bill, and received a standing ovation from his colleagues at the conclusion of the vote. "This legislation will enable many more Americans to do something for their country to meet the many challenges facing us," Kennedy said in a statement yesterday.
Obama said he will sign the bill when he returns from Europe and urged Americans to step up, saying in a statement that "while our government can provide every opportunity imaginable for us to serve our communities, now it is up to each of us to seize those opportunities."
At a cost of $5.7 billion over five years, the bill would triple the size of AmeriCorps, started in 1993 under President Clinton, from 75,000 to 250,000 slots over eight years. It would also expand incentives for students and seniors to volunteer and create five groups to create service options in helping poor people, improving education, encouraging energy efficiency, widening access to healthcare, and assisting veterans.
The House vote was 275 to 149, with all 10 Massachusetts Democrats supporting the measure. It won bipartisan support, though some Republicans criticized it as unnecessary government involvement in volunteerism. Obama strongly backs the bill, saying his time as a community organizer in Chicago in his early 20s helped give his life direction.
With the nation plunging deeper into a recession, Obama and backers of the effort see it as a way to channel a rising desire among Americans to help their neighbors. Applications to AmeriCorps have exploded with the plunging employment market. Last month, there were 9,731 applications submitted to the AmeriCorps online system, more than triple the 3,159 submitted in February 2008.
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Christopher Hill, whose lack of diplomatic experience in the Middle East led some Republicans to question his suitability for the Baghdad post, could face opposition when his nomination reaches the Senate floor.
The administration has put a high priority on getting Hill to Baghdad quickly at a delicate stage of its effort to stabilize the country.
The committee also approved Lieutenant General Karl Eikenberry's nomination to be the next ambassador to Kabul, succeeding William B. Wood.
Eikenberry has said that if confirmed by the full Senate he would retire from the Army. He served two tours in Afghanistan, including one as the top US commander.
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