CA Gov. Schwarzenegger on President Obama’s Signing of Legislation to Expand Service Opportunities

04/21/2009 -- California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today issued the following statement after President Obama signed the landmark Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, which will open up new service and volunteer opportunities for millions of Americans:

“Whether volunteering after natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina, helping out at a soup kitchen or mentoring a child, Americans have confirmed over and over their passion for service. The Serve America Act provides every American even greater opportunity to serve in programs that strengthen communities and address our nation’s needs in education, environmental protection, public health and more. Here in California we have millions of volunteers who give their time every year to serve others, and that’s why I brought this kind of civic engagement to the highest level of state government by appointing the first-in-the nation cabinet secretary for service and volunteerism.”

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In March, Governor Schwarzenegger and 13 other Governors sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader John Boehner urging passage of the Serve America Act.

CaliforniaVolunteers will be posting information on its Web site regarding new service opportunities in California as it becomes available. To learn more visit CaliforniaVolunteers.org.

Governor Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver have led the nation in their focus and investment in service and volunteering in the Golden State, and the two will be hosting the 2009 National Conference on Volunteering and Service in San Francisco on June 22-24. The Governor has also proclaimed this week, April 19-25, 2009 as “Volunteer Week” to celebrate the contributions of those who generously give their time and talents to improve their communities.

Governor Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver have worked together to promote and enable volunteers and some of their most significant actions are below:

* Governor Schwarzenegger created the first-in-the nation state cabinet level secretary dedicated to service and volunteering. New York has already followed California’s lead and the Governor has encouraged the president to appoint a cabinet secretary of service and volunteerism
* Under the leadership of Governor Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver, California has built the largest statewide online matching network in the country CaliforniaVolunteers.org.
* Governor Schwarzenegger signed legislation (AB 2537) to extend a provision to allow Californians to volunteer their time on public projects. While this is still a sunset provision that expires in 2012, the Governor is committed to making it permanent.
* Governor Schwarzenegger launched the California Green Corps to train and place underprivileged youth into green jobs in California utilizing American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) dollars and public-private partnerships.

Source: California Governor