November 19, 2003 - House Committee on Appropriations: Budget Victory for Peace Corps
Peace Corps Online: Peace Corps News: Headlines: Peace Corps Headlines - 2003: November 2003 Peace Corps Headlines: November 7, 2003 - NPCA Advocacy: RPCVs make one last Push for Full Peace Corps Funding : December 6, 2003 - Thomas: Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill with Peace Corps Funding is now part of Omnibus Bill : November 19, 2003 - House Committee on Appropriations: Budget Victory for Peace Corps
By Admin1 (admin) (pool-151-196-24-33.balt.east.verizon.net - 151.196.24.33) on Monday, December 08, 2003 - 11:26 pm: Edit Post

Budget Victory for Peace Corps




The House Committee on Appropriations is reporting on their web site that the Conference Committee for the Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill has issued their conference report and that it contains an appropriation of $325M for the Peace Corps for FY2004.
Quote:

Peace Corps is funded at $325 million, $30 million above FY03 and $30 million below the President's request.

The Senate Appropriations Committee had approved an FY 2004 foreign operations appropriations bill in July that would have funded the Peace Corps at $310 million with authority to transfer another $20 million from the Global AIDS Initiative to the Peace Corps for HIV/AIDS activities. The House version of the bill included an appropriation $314 million for the Peace Corps, $45 million below President Bush's request of $359 million for FY 2004.

Last year the Peace Corps was appropriated $297 million ($20M below the President's request) , so this is a 9% increase over last year's funding. This is a big victory for the Peace Corps. It is not as much funding as the President asked for to continue his administration's goal of doubling the Peace Corps by 2007, but it is more than either the House or the Senate had in their original versions of the appropriations bills. It means that the Peace Corps can continue their expansion program, albeit at a slower pace than originally planned.

Congratulations to the Peace Corps and thanks to every RPCV and Friend of the Peace Corps who wrote or called your Senators and Representatives to ask them to provide full funding to the Peace Corps. We'll have more details on this story later on this week. By the way, this is not the last step in the process. The conference report still has to be voted on by both houses of Congress and sent to the President for his signature, but barring any unforeseen occurrence, the Peace Corps should get $325M for FY2004. Read the story at:

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE FY04 FOREIGN OPERATIONS APPROPRIATIONS CONFERENCE REPORT*

* This link was active on the date it was posted. PCOL is not responsible for broken links which may have changed.


HIGHLIGHTS OF THE FY04 FOREIGN OPERATIONS APPROPRIATIONS CONFERENCE REPORT

November 17th, 2003 - -

FY03 Enacted: $16.2 billion
FY04 President's Request: $18.9 billion

FY04 Bill: $17.2 billion

Major Priorities and Initiatives:

Provides a total of $1.646 billion global assistance to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, most of which is within the Child Survival and Health Programs Fund. $754 million in global assistance is anticipated in the Labor-HHS appropriations, bringing total funding to $2.4 billion.

Increases the Child Survival and Health Programs Fund $118.5 million over last year’s level and $340 million over the request. Total FY04 funding is $1.8 billion.

Provides $1.4 billion in Development Assistance through USAID, $40 million above the request and $5 million above the last year’s level.

Provides $255.5 million for international disaster and famine assistance, the same as the President’s request and additional $20 million is included for famine relief.

Total funding of the Agency for International Development (USAID) is $4.8 billion, $177 million above the request and $297 million above FY03.

International Narcotics Control is funded at $242 million, $46 million above last year and $43 million below the request.

The Andean Counterdrug Initiative is funded at $731 million, the same as the President’s request.

Fully funds the President's $2.2 billion request for Foreign Military Financing for Israel. Also fully funds the President's $480 million request for economic assistance to Israel.

Fully funds the President's $1.3 billion request for Foreign Military Financing for Egypt, the same as FY03. Also fully funds the President's $575 million request for economic assistance to Egypt.

Fully funds the President's $206 million request for Foreign Military Financing for Jordan, $8 million above FY03. Also fully funds the President's request for $250 million for economic assistance to Jordan, $2 million above FY03.

Assistance for the Independent States of the former Soviet Union is funded at $587 million, $11 million above the President’s request.

The International Fund for Ireland, which was eliminated as a separate fund in the President’s budget request, is funded at $19 million

Peace Corps is funded at $325 million, $30 million above FY03 and $30 million below the President's request.

Other Items of Interest:

The bill provides $650 million for the Millennium Challenge Corporation and includes a comprehensive authorization for this new initiative.

The contribution to the International Development Association is funded at $913 million, $63 million below the President’s request and $69 million above FY03.

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is funded at $139 million, $46 million below the President’s request and $6 million below last year.

The total World Bank Group is funded $1.1 billion, $61 million above last year and $112 million below the request.

The Trade and Development Agency is funded at $50 million, $10 million less than the President’s request and $3 million more than last year’s level.

Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) is funded at $65 million, $1 million less than the President's request and the same as FY03.

Funds International Military Education Training (IMET) at $92 million, $12 million above FY03 and the same as the President's request


November 11, 2003 - RPCVs make one last Push for Full Peace Corps Funding (rev 2)




Read and comment on this story posted on November 11, 2003 at:

RPCVs make one last Push for Full Peace Corps Funding*

* This link was active on the date it was posted. PCOL is not responsible for broken links which may have changed.


RPCVs make one last Push for Full Peace Corps Funding

Versions of the Foreign Operations Appropriations Bills that contain the Peace Corps appropriation for FY2004 have passed both the Senate and the House and are now in conference. The funding for Peace Corps that has been approved in both versions is $40 Million short of the $359M that President Bush has requested to support Peace Corps expansion.

Listed below are members of the conference committee that will meet to reconcile differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill and prepare a conference report. After a conference report is agreed upon, both the full House and the full Senate will vote to approve the conference report. After passage of the final version by both chambers, the foreign operations bill will go to the President to be signed into law.

If one of these members is your Senator or Representative, please call them, tell him/her who you are and your address (they only listen to constituents), tell them that you are a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer and ask them to support President Bush's full request for $359M for the Peace Corps for FY 2004.

Here's how to contact your Senators and Representative.

Senate Members

Ted Stevens (R-AK) Chairman Senate Appropriations Committee

Robert C. Byrd (D-WV) Ranking

Subcommittee on Foreign Operations of the Senate Appropriations Committee

MAJORITY:
Mitch McConnell (R-KY) Chairman
Arlen Specter (R-PA)
Judd Gregg (R-NH)
Richard Shelby (R-AL)
Robert Bennett (R-UT)
Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-CO)
Christopher "Kit" Bond (R-MO)
Mike DeWine (R-OH)

MINORITY:
Patrick Leahy (D-VT) Ranking
Daniel Inouye (D-HI)
Tom Harkin (D-IA)
Barbara Mikulski (D-MD)
Richard Durbin (D-IL)
Tim Johnson (D-SD)
Mary Landrieu (D-LA)		House Members

C.W. Bill Young (R-FL) Chairman House Appropriations Committee

David Obey (D-WI) Ranking

Subcommittee on Foreign Operations of the House Appropriations Committee

MAJORITY:
Jim Kolbe (R-AZ) Chairman
Joe Knollenberg (R-MI)
Jerry Lewis (R-CA)
Roger F. Wicker (R-MS) Vice Chair
Henry Bonilla (R-TX)
David Vitter (R-LA)
Mark Steven Kirk (R-IL)
Ander Crenshaw (R-FL)

MINORITY:
Nita M. Lowey (D-NY) Ranking
Jesse L. Jackson Jr. (D-IL)
Carolyn C. Kilpatrick (D-MI)
Steven R. Rothman (D-NJ)
Marcy Kaptur (D-OH)



You can check the status of the Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill here.

Read the letter we sent to our Senator who is on the conference committee here.

Your voice in support of the Peace Corps can make a difference.

Make the call now.



Click on a link below for more stories on PCOL

Read the series on Safety and Security here



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Read comments by RPCVs here, here and here.



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This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; Congress; Appropriations

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