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National Peace Corps Association > News > Advocacy > More than 100 Co-sponsor Commemorative Legislation
More than 100 Co-sponsor Commemorative Legislation
By Jonathan Pearson on Monday, April 11th, 2011
NPCA President Kevin Quigley (l) and Roger Lewis of the Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation prior to last year's congressional hearing
Legislation to authorize the creation of a commemorative work in the nation’s capital to mark the historic and enduring significance of the establishment of the Peace Corps in 1961, and the ideals on which it was founded has been re-introduced in the House of Representatives.
Authored by RPCV Congressman Sam Farr (D-CA) and supported by fellow RPCVs Tom Petri (R-WI), Mike Honda (D-CA) and John Garamendi (D-CA), the bill was introduced on March 1st, the 50th anniversary of President Kennedy’s executive order which established the Peace Corps.
The legislation passed the House unanimously last year, and is off to a good start this year. While last year’s bill secured 51 co-sponsors, this year’s bill had 52 original co-sponsors. The current list of co-sponsors is now more than double last year, with a bi-partisan list of 112 lawmakers signing on.
Read a one page summary about the legislation.
Follow this link to read HR 854, Peace Corps commemorative legislation.
Take Action with Your Congressman/woman:
Follow this link to see if your House Representative is a co-sponsor of HR 854. If s/he is a co-sponsor, say thank you (Note: not all co-sponsors are currently listed on this site).
If your Representative is not yet a co-sponsor, please take action. If you are not sure who your Representative is, go to www.house.gov and visit the “Find Your Representative” section in the upper left corner of the page.
Take Action by Phone:
Call the Capitol Hill Switchboard (877-851-6437) and ask to be connected to the office of your Congressman/woman.
Once connected, identify yourself as a constituent and leave this specific message: ”I am calling to ask Congressman/woman ____ to become a co-sponsor of H.R. 854, legislation that would authorize a commemorative in our nation’s capital to mark the historic significance of the establishment of the Peace Corps in 1961 and the ideals its founding represents.”
Take Action By Email:
Visit the contact section of your Representative’s website for links to send an email. Alternatively, send a message using the Write Your Rep form.
Use the text at the end of this post for sending your e-mail message.
Let Us Know You Took Action:
After you have taken action, contact us and let us know you have taken action. You can also learn about how you can further help in this effort!
(Sample letter in support of HR 854 – PLEASE use this specific language in your message)
Dear Representative _______,
I write to ask you to co-sponsor H.R. 854, legislation to authorize the creation of a commemorative in the nation’s capital to mark the historic and enduring significance of the establishment of the Peace Corps in 1961 and the ideals of world peace and friendship its founding represents.
As 2011 marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Peace Corps, now is an appropriate time to pass this legislation. It is important to note that construction of this modest commemorative will be financed entirely by private sector contributions. H.R. 854 specifies that no taxpayer dollars will be used to fund this project. However, congressional authorization is required under the federal Commemorative Works Act in order for this proposal to proceed.
Please join more than 100 of your colleagues and show support for this timely and meaningful project by becoming a co-sponsor of H.R. 854 today.
Thank you for considering this request and I look forward to your reply.
Sincerely,
(Your Name)
(Your Address)
(Peace Corps Service if applicable)
