Answer:
SEC. 2. [42 U.S.C. 12501] FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds the following:
(1) Throughout the United States, there are pressing
unmet human, educational, environmental, and public safety
needs.
(2) Americans desire to affirm common responsibilities and
shared values, and join together in positive experiences, that
transcend race, religion, gender, age, disability, region, income,
and education.
(3) The rising costs of postsecondary education are putting
higher education out of reach for an increasing number of citizens.
(4) Americans of all ages can improve their communities
and become better citizens through service to the United
States.
(5) Nonprofit organizations, local governments, States, and
the Federal Government are already supporting a wide variety
of national service programs that deliver needed services in a
cost-effective manner.
(6) Residents of low-income communities, especially youth
and young adults, can be empowered through their service, and
can help provide future community leadership.
(b) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this Act to—
(1) meet the unmet human, educational, environmental,
and public safety needs of the United States, without displacing existing workers;
(2) renew the ethic of civic responsibility and the spirit of
community and service throughout the varied and diverse communities of the United States;
(3) expand educational opportunity by rewarding individuals who participate in national service with an increased ability to pursue higher education or job training;
1 Section 1301(b) of Public Law 107–117 (115 Stat. 2339) amended this Act by inserting before
title V a new title IV without making a conforming amendment to the table of sections.
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While efforts are made to keep information in this consolidated document current, please consult the primary sources for the most up-to-date information.
7 NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE ACT OF 1990 Sec. 2
(4) encourage citizens of the United States, regardless of
age, income, geographic location, or disability, to engage in
full-time or part-time national service;
(5) reinvent government to eliminate duplication, support
locally established initiatives, require measurable goals for performance, and offer flexibility in meeting those goals;
(6) expand and strengthen existing national service programs with demonstrated experience in providing structured
service opportunities with visible benefits to the participants
and community;
(7) build on the existing organizational service infrastructure of Federal, State, and local programs, agencies, and communities to expand full-time and part-time service opportunities for all citizens;
(8) provide tangible benefits to the communities in which
national service is performed;
(9) expand and strengthen service-learning programs
through year-round opportunities, including opportunities during the summer months, to improve the education of children
and youth and to maximize the benefits of national and community service, in order to renew the ethic of civic responsibility and the spirit of community for children and youth
throughout the United States;
(10) assist in coordinating and strengthening Federal and
other service opportunities, including opportunities for participation in emergency and disaster preparedness, relief, and recovery;
(11) increase service opportunities for the Nation’s retiring
professionals, including such opportunities for those retiring
from the science, technical, engineering, and mathematics professions, to improve the education of the Nation’s youth and
keep America competitive in the global knowledge economy,
and to further utilize the experience, knowledge, and skills of
older individuals;
(12) encourage the continued service of the alumni of the
national service programs, including service in times of national need;
(13) encourage individuals age 55 or older to partake of
service opportunities;
(14) focus national service on the areas of national need
such service has the capacity to address, such as improving
education, increasing energy conservation, improving the
health status of economically disadvantaged individuals, and
improving economic opportunity for economically disadvantaged individuals;
(15) recognize and increase the impact of social entrepreneurs and other nonprofit community organizations in addressing national and local challenges;
(16) increase public and private investment in nonprofit
community organizations that are effectively addressing national and local challenges and encourage such organizations to
replicate and expand successful initiatives;
Explanation:
