Tuesday, March 24, 2009

U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA)
Floor Statement on National Service
Remarks as Delivered on the Senate Floor

Mr. President, I am glad the Senator from Connecticut and the Senator from Utah are on the Senate floor. I rise to speak in favor of the National Service Act and to commend the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee for the diligent work they did on this reauthorization.

There are a lot of people who will poke fun at voluntarism or at programs or say we are always creating new things and spending more. This bill, with a bipartisan effort by Senators Enzi, Dodd, Mikulski, and others, is to ensure that the 40 programs we had under the National Service Act are brought down to 24 programs and to see that meaningful, good programs are empowered.

This bill doesn't pay people to volunteer. It provides capital for the infrastructure for communities to develop the programs for volunteers; for example, Hands on Georgia and Hands on Atlanta. Hands on Atlanta is a program of volunteers that addresses the 52 percent of the young children in Atlanta elementary schools who are not reading at grade level. Volunteers have been mobilized over the last 4, 5 years to give the greatest gift of all--the gift of literacy--and improve the standing of our children.

It is no small secret that one of the reasons our school superintendent in Atlanta was selected the superintendent of the year recently by the national association was because of the dramatic program of bringing people into the school system to help uplift our students. So voluntarism is important to us in the United States, and it is important to our reputation around the world.

Secondly, I support this legislation because I have an affinity for a young lady named Michelle Nunn. A former U.S. Senator from Georgia, Sam Nunn, was a distinguished leader here for 24 years and served our State well. He is personally a good friend of mine. His daughter Michelle has dedicated her life to the organization of volunteer efforts in this country to improve the plight of other people. She now heads the Points of Light Foundation, started by George Herbert Walker Bush, which helps people around the country. For Michelle's everlasting support and contribution to voluntarism, I give her credit.

I also want to take a minute--Senator Dodd served in the Peace Corps, and I wanted him to hear this because I want to acknowledge his support on this effort, along with Senators Hatch and Kennedy. This past Saturday, I attended one of the most moving ceremonies of my life--moving in a sad way but also in an uplifting way.

Unfortunately, a wonderful young lady, 24 years old, from Cumming, GA, Kate Puzey, was killed in Benin, Africa, on March 11. She was a Peace Corps worker who graduated first in her class in high school, was an honors graduate from William and Mary, and she studied French in Paris to learn the language that led her to be able to go to this part of the world and teach this poor African nation about agriculture and other skills. She served since July of 2007 and was in the last 2 months of her service in Benin.

I went to this service because I felt moved. I am ranking member of the African Subcommittee on Foreign Relations. Paul Coverdell, who served in the seat I now hold, was a director of the Peace Corps. I felt moved that morning when I got to go to the service and sit in the back of the room and pay my respects to a great American. I left having listened to 12 eulogies by young people whose lives were changed by Kate. The acting director of the Peace Corps, Ms. Jody Olsen, delivered a beautiful eulogy.

I realized how much voluntarism means to the United States, not just on our shores but in Africa and on continents around the world. I commend people such as Senator Dodd who have given time in the Peace Corps. I ask the Senate to give its unanimous support to this legislation. I dedicate this speech in honor of Kate Puzey, to her life, and what she did as a Georgian and as a volunteer. She joined the Peace Corps and changed the plight, the lives, the hopes, and in fact the future of children in that small country on the west coast of Africa.

God bless the Peace Corps and the life of Kate Puzey. And thanks to those who have volunteered and to the committee that has brought this National Service Act reauthorization to the floor of the Senate.

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Mr. President, the Senator and I are precisely the same age, and he and I were both inspired by President Kennedy's inaugural address and the establishment of the Peace Corps. It is ironic that the next President who embraced voluntarism in his office happened to be George Herbert Walker Bush. So we had a great Democrat and a great Republican who encouraged us to volunteer to help the plight of others. It is a great tribute to this bill and to America.