[Senate Report 111-219]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
Calendar No. 454
111th Congress Report
SENATE
2d Session 111-219
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PEACE CORPS IMPROVEMENT AND EXPANSION ACT
OF 2010
_______
June 29, 2010.--Ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Kerry, from the Committee on Foreign Relations,
submitted the following
REPORT
[To accompany S. 1382]
The Committee on Foreign Relations, having had under
consideration the bill (S. 1382) to improve and expand the
Peace Corps for the 21st century, and for other purposes,
reports favorably thereon with an amendment in the nature of a
substitute and recommends that the bill do pass.
CONTENTS
Page
I. Purpose..........................................................1
II. Committee Action.................................................1
III. Discussion.......................................................2
IV. Cost Estimate....................................................4
V. Evaluation of Regulatory Impact..................................5
VI. Changes in Existing Law..........................................5
I. Purpose
The purpose of S. 1382 is to authorize funding for the
Peace Corps and improve and expand the Peace Corps for the 21st
century.
II. Committee Action
S.1382 was introduced by Senator Dodd on June 25, 2009, and
has 14 cosponsors.
In the last year, the committee held two nomination
hearings that focused on issues addressed in this legislation.
On July 29, 2009, the committee held a hearing on the
nomination of Aaron Williams to be Director of the Peace Corps
and on March 11, 2010, the committee held a hearing on the
nomination of Carolyn Hessler Radelet to be Deputy Director of
the Peace Corps. In considering new leadership for the Peace
Corps in these hearings, the committee discussed some of the
policy choices related to expanding and strengthening the Peace
Corps that underlie the funding and the authorities contained
in this legislation.
On April 13, 2010, the committee considered S. 1382 and
ordered it reported, with an amendment in the nature of a
substitute, by voice vote.
III. Discussion
S. 1382, the Peace Corps Improvement and Expansion Act of
2010, outlines some of the Committee on Foreign Relations'
major priorities and concerns for the Peace Corps as the agency
goes into its 50th year of existence. The last time the U.S.
Congress passed authorizing legislation for the Peace Corps was
in 1999, and that authorization ran through 2003. While the
Peace Corps has seen significant growth in recent years, the
agency is set to grow even more in the coming years and the
committee seeks to ensure that Peace Corps grows with the
necessary strategic focus. This legislation promotes that aim
by supporting increased volunteer numbers, recruitment efforts
and entry of Peace Corps into new countries, while also
mandating important reporting initiatives.
Founded in 1961, the Peace Corps strives to promote world
peace and friendship by sending American volunteers to serve at
the grassroots level in villages and towns in all corners of
the globe. The Peace Corps provides practical assistance to
developing countries by having volunteers contribute in a
variety of capacities--including as teachers, environmental
specialists, health promoters, and small business advisors--to
improve the lives of those they serve and to help others
understand American culture.
Nearly 200,000 Americans have served as Peace Corps
volunteers in 139 countries since the agency's establishment,
and about 7,851 volunteers currently serve in 76 countries.
Today, the importance and necessity is greater than ever
for the Peace Corps to promote global economic and social
development; to promote understanding and friendship; and to
foster collaboration with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).
The three goals of the Peace Corps have not changed since
the Agency's founding. They remain:
1. To help the people of interested countries in
meeting their need for trained men and women.
2. To help promote a better understanding of
Americans on the part of the peoples served.
3. To help promote a better understanding of other
peoples on the part of Americans.
As the Peace Corps reaches its 50th anniversary in 2010,
this legislation seeks to improve the Peace Corps so that the
Agency will be able to better achieve these worthy goals.
The Peace Corps has been the recipient of a dramatic
increase in funding in recent years, with a rising budget of
$340 million in FY 2009, $400 million in FY 2010, and a budget
request of $446 million for FY 2011. This significant increase
in budget requires thoughtful expenditure to ensure productive
and sustainable growth. This growth must be strategic and done
with serious consideration for the safety, training, and
support of volunteers.
An ongoing area of concern for the committee has been how
the Peace Corps chooses to expand. Namely, does the Peace Corps
choose to expand the number of host countries where volunteers
serve or does it add volunteers to programs in existing host
countries? The committee recognizes that there are tradeoffs in
this decisionmaking, but calls for the Peace Corps to report on
strategies for distributing volunteers to countries in which
they have maximum value-added for the host country, for the
United States, and for volunteers themselves. Equally, the
committee intends for the Peace Corps to systematically
identify countries with strategic value to Peace Corps goals--
including new countries and countries with dormant programs--
and to identify countries where Peace Corps is currently active
where it may make sense to close the program.
Another area of emphasis for the committee is the so-called
``third goal'' of the Peace Corps, namely ``to promote a better
understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.'' It
is the committee's view that this goal has not been given
enough priority in recent years by the Peace Corps, and the
committee supports the recent increase in funding given to
``third-goal'' initiatives. Returned Peace Corps volunteers are
often the loudest advocates for the Peace Corps as an agency as
well as trustworthy ambassadors who can bring ideas and
perspectives gained internationally to family, colleagues,
friends, and others in the United States. The Peace Corps
should strive to find ways to keep returned Peace Corps
volunteers involved in the agency, involved in public service
either in the United States or internationally, and involved in
promoting the messages of understanding, world peace, and
friendship. The experience of being a Peace Corps Volunteer
should not end after the 2-year international tour of duty.
A further area of concern is the prospect for partnerships
with international and host country nongovernmental
organizations and other entities. Within the traditional Peace
Corps grassroots and community-based model of involvement, the
committee is supportive of the Peace Corps exploring additional
partnerships with local NGOs and community-based organizations.
Involvement with such organizations can help promote continuity
of programs in communities beyond the 2-year service of Peace
Corps Volunteers. Such an approach is also consistent with the
promotion of community-ownership of development, a principle
which the committee supports wholeheartedly.
Another area of committee interest considered in this bill
is that of volunteer recruitment, selection, and placement.
While volunteer applications have increased dramatically, the
volunteer corps will need to be greatly expanded if the Peace
Corps is to achieve its targeted growth. Within this expansion,
the committee would like to ensure that the Peace Corps
recruits effectively and efficiently from a diverse pool of
candidates--including ethnically, socioeconomically and
geographically. Equally important, Peace Corps recruits must
have the skills necessary for the job for which they are
applying, and Peace Corps must provide adequate training to
improve those skills, including country familiarization and
language training. The committee also emphasizes the importance
of human resources and management support for volunteers,
including access to adequate medical care and confidential
methods of providing feedback to management including
whistleblower protection. Finally, the committee underscores
that volunteer safety must be a top priority and expects the
Peace Corps to stringently review safety precautions for
volunteers and to devote adequate resources and training for
safety concerns.
Section 3 of S. 1382, The Peace Corps Improvement and
Expansion Act of 2010, addresses many of the above concerns by
requiring the Director of the Peace Corps to complete a
thorough assessment, not later than 90 days after the date of
the enactment of the Act, to determine how best to strengthen
the management capabilities and program effectiveness of the
Peace Corps; to expand opportunities for Peace Corps
volunteers; and to increase the size of the Peace Corps.
Specifically, the Act requires the Director's assessment to
consider the program model of the Peace Corps; current and
future distribution of Peace Corps volunteers throughout the
world; partnership opportunities and operations of the Peace
Corps; and recruitment, training, and management practices of
the Peace Corps.
The legislation also calls on the Director of the Peace
Corps to develop a strategic plan based upon the findings of
this assessment within 180 days of the enactment of this Act.
This strategic plan should include 1-year and 5-year goals and
benchmarks as well as strategies for distributing volunteers to
countries and consideration of ways to maintain Peace Corps
independence while still remaining relevant to broader U.S.
foreign policy goals.
Section 4 of the legislation expresses a Sense of Congress
that the President should not make more than 15 concurrent
appointments under the Peace Corps Act.
Finally, Section 5 of the legislation amends Section
3(b)(1) of the Peace Corps Act to authorize to be appropriated
such sums as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of the
Peace Corps Act.
IV. Cost Estimate
April 28, 2010.
Hon. John F. Kerry,
Chairman, Committee on Foreign Relations,
U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for S. 1382, the Peace
Corps Improvement and Expansion Act of 2010.
If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is John Chin.
Sincerely,
Douglas W. Elmendorf,
Director.
Enclosure.
S. 1382--The Peace Corps Improvement and Expansion Act of 2010
S. 1382 would indefinitely authorize the appropriation of
such sums as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of the
Peace Corps. In 2010, the Congress appropriated $400 million
for the Peace Corps; the President has requested $446 million
for the Peace Corps for 2011. CBO expects that funding in
subsequent years would increase pursuant to the President's
initiative to increase the number of Peace Corps volunteers
serving abroad from over 7,600 today to 9,400 by the end of
2012 and 11,000 by the end of 2016. On that basis, CBO
estimates that implementing the bill would cost about $2.5
billion over the 2011-2015 period, assuming that the estimated
amounts are appropriated and that outlays follow historical
spending patterns for Peace Corps programs.
The estimated budgetary impact of S. 1382 is shown in the
following table. The costs of this legislation fall within
budget function 150 (international affairs).
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By fiscal year, in millions of dollars
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2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2011-2015
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CHANGES IN SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATIONa
Estimated Authorization Level................. 446 524 536 576 621 2,703
Estimated Outlays............................. 335 493 525 561 605 2,519
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aThe Congress appropriated $400 million for the Peace Corps for fiscal year 2010, enacted in the Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2010 (Public Law 111-117) on December 16, 2009. CBO assumes no additional funding will be
provided for the Peace Corps for this year.
Enacting S. 1382 would not affect direct spending or
revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures would not apply.
S. 1382 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and
would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal
governments.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is John Chin. This
estimate was approved by Theresa Gullo, Deputy Assistant
Director for Budget Analysis.
V. Evaluation of Regulatory Impact
Pursuant to Rule XXVI, paragraph 11(b) of the Standing
Rules of the Senate, the committee has determined that there is
no regulatory impact as a result of this legislation.
VI. Changes in Existing Law
In compliance with Rule XXVI, paragraph 12 of the Standing
Rules of the Senate, changes in existing law made by the bill,
as reported, are shown as follows (existing law proposed to be
omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new matter is printed in
italic, existing law in which no change is proposed is shown in
roman).
FOREIGN ASSISTANCE ACT OF 1961
* * * * * * *
Title 22--Foreign Relations and Intercourse
* * * * * * *
Chapter 32--Foreign Assistance
Subchapter I--International Development
PART I--.DECLARATION OF POLICY; DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE AUTHORIZATIONS
* * * * * * *
THE PEACE CORPS ACT
SEC. 2502. PRESIDENTIAL AUTHORIZATION; APPROPRIATIONS AND FINANCIAL
READJUSTMENTS.
(a) Terms and Conditions of Authorization.--The President
is authorized to carry out programs in furtherance of the
purposes of this chapter, on such terms and conditions as he
may determine.
(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--(1) There [are
authorized to be appropriated to carry out the purposes of this
chapter $270,000,000 for fiscal year 2000, $298,000,000 for
fiscal year 2001, $327,000,000 for fiscal year 2002, and
$365,000,000 for fiscal year 2003.] is authorized to be
appropriated to carry out the purposes of this chapter such
sums as may be necessary for such purposes.
(2) Amounts authorized to be appropriated under paragraph
(1) for a fiscal year are authorized to remain available for
that fiscal year and the subsequent fiscal year.