House Committee to re-Invigorate volunteerism for older Americans...Mark-Up of Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act (H.R. 2857) includes time banking, service incentives and educational scholarships

WASHINGTON, June 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. House Committee on Education and Labor yesterday reported the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act (the GIVE Act, H.R. 2857) out of committee, which will reauthorize the national service programs with a special focus on the baby boomer generation.

The GIVE Act is one of the first bills the 110th Congress has considered that could potentially harness the time, talent, skills, abilities and values of the baby boom generation in community service. The national service programs authorized under the GIVE Act will play an important role in shaping the values of young people who participate through programs such as AmeriCorps, and now may give older people the same opportunities to give back to their communities.

In 2006, the first of the baby boomers turned 60 and will begin retiring in the next few years. Baby boomers, or people born between 1946 and 1964, represent over a quarter of the U.S. population. They are healthier and better educated than previous generations, making them a tremendous resource for social good.

Three amendments to the GIVE Act specifically focus on older Americans:

  -- Time Banking (offered by Rep. John Yarmuth, D-3rd-KY) would create

     local service exchanges, where both parties are compensated with

     reciprocal amounts of volunteer service and no money changes hands.

     Tasks would range from simple unskilled labor to financial advising to

     gardening to child or elder care.  Time banking programs can be

     organized by church groups, HMOs, housing projects, and other groups.

     The members of the exchange then would share their special skills and

     other tasks with the group, and other participants could create service

     exchanges based on this registry.

 -- State Plan for Service and Volunteering Mandate (offered by Rep. Dale

     E. Kildee, D-5th-MI) would require states to develop a comprehensive

     plan to tap the resources of baby boomers and older adults for

     volunteer and paid work.  The state plans would include a marketing

     outreach plan to businesses, non-profit-organizations, the Department

     of Education, and relevant state agencies.  The plan would also make

     recommendations for civic engagement and multigenerational activities,

     such as early childhood education, family literacy, and after school

     programs, respite services for older adults and caregivers, and

     transitions for baby boomers to purposeful work in their post-career

     lives.

  -- Bilingual Volunteer Recruitment (offered by Rep. Raul M. Grijalva, D-

     7th-AZ) would enhance outreach for senior volunteer programs so that

     bilingual volunteers are recruited, expanding the reach of programs and

     services for which older Americans typically volunteer.

The committee agreed that two additional amendments should be considered when the GIVE Act is on the House floor for debate:

  -- Preparing for the Next Chapter Grants (offered by Rep. Jason Altmire,

     D-4th-PA) would provide grants to entities to encourage increased

     volunteering, community, workforce, and educational participation in

     older adults.  These grants would fund organizations such as community

     colleges and other nonprofits to serve as one-stop resources for

     finding paid or volunteer jobs that provide service to the community,

     visiting with a career coach, attending life planning workshops,

     learning about caring for aging parents, and exploring other

     opportunities and comparing notes with other boomers entering the same

     stage of life.

  -- Silver Scholarships Program (offered by Rep. Joe Sestak, D-7th-PA)

     would provide $1,000 scholarships to those 55 years of age and older

     who are engaged in at least 500 hours of volunteer service per year.

     The scholarship would be deposited in an educational fund for use by

     the individual or his/her children or grandchildren.  $20 million of

     funding annually would be authorized.

"The baby boomers represent the most active, healthy, and educated retiring generation in the history of the United States," said former U.S. Senator Harris Wofford, who helped organize the Peace Corps in 1961. "Their 'retirement' presents an incredible opportunity for businesses, communities, and nonprofit organizations. In fact, we cannot afford to miss this opportunity to engage mature and older workers in continued employment and charitable services."

In 2006, the first of the 77 million "baby boomers" (Americans born between 1946 and 1964) turned 60.