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Statement of Administration Policy: H.R. 4330 - National Service Act of 1990

September 13, 1990

STATEMENT OF ADMINISTRATION POLICY

(House)
(Hawkins (D) CA and 26 others)

The President strongly supports the concept of community service. He has challenged all individuals and institutions to make service central to their lives and work.

The Administration, however, strongly opposes H.R. 4330 because it is incompatible with the President's concept of voluntary service. If H.R. 4330 were presented to the President in its current form, his senior advisers would recommend a veto.

H.R. 4330 would:

—  Provide unnecessary financial incentives for service. It includes unjustified deferment and cancellation of certain student loan payments for full-time professional staff in drug counseling, prevention and treatment programs and full-time volunteers. These costly provisions extend the concept of "volunteer" far beyond reasonable bounds.

—  Attempt to direct community service efforts from the Federal level rather than from the community.

—  Emphasize short-term volunteer participation and financial rewards, concepts inconsistent with a sustained commitment to volunteerism. The reward for voluntary service should never be seen as financial.

—  Authorize $212 million for FY 1991 for unwarranted new Federal programs and expansion of existing programs (excluding the costs of the loan deferment and cancellation provisions and the costs of administering the new programs).

—  Establish an American Conservation Corps that would substantially recreate outdated programs previously offered through the Youth Conservation Corps and Youth Adult Conservation Corps. Such programs are costly and based on the discredited approach to youth employment that relies on temporary public sector employment rather than preparing youth for long-term, private sector employment.

George Bush, Statement of Administration Policy: H.R. 4330 - National Service Act of 1990 Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/328949

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