July 23, 2002 - NPCA list serv: NPCA teams with Landrum/Hibbard to form Office of RPCV Mobilization to lobby for and pursue funding under Senate Bill S2667
NPCA teams with Landrum/Hibbard to form Office of RPCV Mobilization to lobby for and pursue funding under Senate Bill S2667
Read and comment on this email which came over the NPCA list serv about plans for the NPCA to form a coalition to lobby for passage of S 2667 and to compete for funding for RPCV 3rd Goal activities.
The message says that the NPCA is joining with Roger Landrum and Dave Hibbard's Coalition for a Peace Corps Charter for the 21st Century to form the Office of RPCV Mobilization to lobby for passage of Senator Dodd's Senate Bill S 2667 (HR 4979). The new Coalition will also form a new non-profit organization to compete for a share of the $10 million in annual funding for RPCV 3rd Goal activities which will come out of the Peace Corps Innovation Fund that is part of the bill.
This will be the second organization that has announced they will compete for funding under the bill. Barbara Ferris and John Coyne previously announced the formation of the Peace Corps Fund to pursue funding under the Dodd bill which we reported on last month at:
The NPCA encourages RPCVs to lobby on behalf of the bill and to make pledges now to support the lobbying effort. The Coalition's goal is to get $30,000 to make this legislation happen. They hope to get individual pledges of $25 from 1,000 RPCVs by July 30 to support this effort.
PCOL supports passage of Senator Dodd's bill and encourages all RPCVs to support the NPCA or to lobby directly for passage of the bill. It is considered doubtful that the bill will be passed by the end of July as was originally envisioned. Congress will be going into recess and the best strategy for passage of the bill may be for RPCVs to talk to their Congressmen when they return to their home districts during the August recess to encourage passage of the bill in September.
* This link was active on the date it was posted. PCOL is not responsible for broken links which may have changed.
NATIONAL PEACE CORPS ASSOCIATION TEAMS WITH COALITION FOR A PEACE CORPS CHARTER FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
NEW PEACE CORPS LEGISLATION INCLUDES RPCV PROJECT FUNDS AND IT URGENTLY NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT
The National Peace Corps Association Board and representatives of NPCA affiliate groups meeting in the Presidents' Forum at the NPCA's very successful June conference have endorsed a pair of companion bills introduced into Congress by Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Congressmen and their colleagues. In doing so, the NPCA joins with the Coalition for a Peace Corps Charter for the 21st Century, headed by Roger Landrum and Dave Hibbard. The legislation we support calls for:
(1) Careful expansion of PCV numbers from 7,000 to 15,000 over five years with the funding to accomplish this, beginning with an increase from $275 to $320 million in FY 2003;
(2) Increased involvement of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers in Peace Corps programming, particularly in the opening or reopening of country programs and in the Islamic world;
(3) Creating a $10 million-a-year Innovation Fund for grants to RPCVs to undertake "second generation" projects that carry out the goals of the Peace Corps in new ways, at home and abroad; and
(4) Reaffirming the independence of the Peace Corps from intelligence gathering or interference from other federal agencies.
Senate Bill 2667 and House Bill 4979 were introduced into Congress in June. Together they are the most visionary legislation related to the Peace Corps since the original Peace Corps Act 41 years ago. But they will not become law without bipartisan support in Congress. To get this done, the Coalition has to become stronger and broader and coordinate its efforts to the best effect. Thus the Coalition is creating, with the NPCA, an Office of RPCV Mobilization with a staff whose sole task is to see that these bills are passed by Congress and signed into law by President Bush.
The Coalition proposes to organize and incorporate a new nonprofit, in cooperation with the NPCA, to effectively compete for a share of the $10 million RPCV Innovation Fund that would be authorized by this legislation--for grant-making to projects proposed by Returned Peace Corps Volunteers.
To achieve these goals, the Coalition needs your participation and financial support - both at the individual and affiliate group levels. We are asking that groups affiliated with the NPCA contribute $500, $300 or $100, depending on what their advocacy budgets can bear. We are also asking individual RPCVs to make a contribution of at least $25 to making this legislation happen. The Coalition's goal of $30,000 can be reached - and quickly - if at least 100 groups and a thousand individual former volunteers decide that this legislation has to be passed in 2002.
We need pledges now from RPCVs and groups that they will support this effort. We need a response by July 30 if possible. We realize that this requires a commitment of effort and trust on your part, but we have already been successful in getting the legislation introduced in Congress and the payoff in getting it passed would be enormous - not only for Peace Corps but for the work of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers.
Strengthening the Peace Corps role in the world and creating new roles for RPCV projects are two of the best possible investments in Homeland Security and expanding conditions for peaceful development and cultural understanding.
To make a payment in support of this effort:
(1) Visit the NPCA website at https://secure.schoolyard.com/rpcv/howtojoin.cfm to use your credit card in a secure online environment. YOU MUST INDICATE IN THE COMMENT FIELD THAT THIS DONATION IS FOR THE "NPCA COALITION".
(2) Send a check payable to "NPCA Coalition" to National Peace Corps Association, Attn: Office of RPCV Mobilization, 1900 L Street NW, Suite 205, Washington, DC 20036.
To make a pledge in support of this effort:
(1) Please email your response with a pledge amount to Advocacy Coordinator Ed Crane at mailto:advocacy@rpcv.org by July 30.
(2) Fax your pledge to the NPCA at 202-293-7554, attention "NPCA Coalition". Please include your name, address and email.
Please pass this appeal to RPCVs.
As we move forward to get this legislation passed and to organize a non-profit that can disburse its funding for RPCV projects, we will continue to call upon you for your expertise, energy and financial support. We have to keep the momentum of our June 20 Advocacy Day going. Congress now knows who we are. Let's tell them again what it is we want for Peace Corps and for our continuing service.
Dave Hibbard cdhibbard@indra.com 303-604-5049
Roger Landrum YSINTL@aol.com
Dane Smith, NPCA President
Pat Reilly, NPCA Board Chair
OFFICE OF RPCV MOBILIZATION
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