The AmeriCorps Program Elimination Act terminates the AmeriCorps component
of the Corporation for National Service (CNS). AmeriCorps, established in
1993, will spend $400 million this year to pay "volunteers" to,
in many cases, essentially function as low-level federal bureaucrats. These
AmeriCorps "volunteers" receive an annual compensation of $26,000.
This program distorts a true sense of volunteerism and perpetuates the notion
that the solution to every problem is just one big-government program away.
The AmeriCorps Program Elimination Act would prohibit CNS from recruiting
and/or accepting any additional "volunteers" after the date of
enactment, and would prohibit any future appropriations.
The existing 1997 appropriation of $407 million will allow the program to
continue through 1997 after which time the program will be terminated.
The legislation preserves AmeriCorps' education trust fund which is currently
sufficient to meet ALL of the obligations for scholarship grants owed to
past and current volunteers, so NO NEW APPROPRIATIONS ARE NECESSARY to provide
educational grants which are due AmeriCorps participants.*
During the 104th Congress Rep. Tiahrt offered an amendment to the FY 1997
VA/HUD Appropriations Act which successfully terminated AmeriCorps and transferred
its appropriation to veterans health programs and deficit reduction. After
passing the House by voice vote, the Tiahrt amendment was unfortunately
removed during conference with the Senate.
This legislation is a straightforward elimination of a big-government program
which this country can no longer afford.
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*CRS memo, 2/20/97, "According to the Corporation, the trust fund (when
combined with the interest anticipated to be earned on the trust's principle)
is sufficient to meet loan and award obligations that have been made with
appropriations up to and including FY 1997 for all three AmeriCorps programs."