"I hope Congress will soon pass, so I can sign into law, the bipartisan Citizen Service Act, which incorporates many of the principles to strengthen and reform national service programs," the President said at the East Room event. "It should be of interest to members of Congress that all 50 Governors also have urged Congress to strengthen these important programs. Congress needs to act, for the good of service for the United States."

The bill, H.R. 4854, won near-unanimous approval from the House Education and Workforce Committee in June and is currently awaiting scheduling for a vote by the full chamber. It was introduced by House Select Education Subcommittee Chairman Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) and Ranking Member Tim Roemer (D-IN) and was co-sponsored by Education and Workforce Committee Chairman John Boehner (R-OH).

The legislation, which is based largely on "Principles and Reforms for a Citizen Service Act" that President Bush submitted to Congress in April, would extend for five years the Corporation for National and Community Service and reform the way its programs operate. Among other things, the legislation would:

• Support and encourage greater engagement of citizens in volunteering
• Make Federal funds more responsive to state and local needs
• Make Federal support more accountable and effective
• Provide greater assistance to secular and faith-based community organizations

The Corporation and its programs are part of the USA Freedom Corps, a broad-based initiative by President Bush to encourage and coordinate citizen service efforts both in the United States and abroad. Other key components of USA Freedom Corps include the Peace Corps, which provides full-time service opportunities overseas, and Citizen Corps, which was established to help meet the homeland security needs that emerged following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

At today's White House event, President Bush unveiled two new efforts related to the USA Freedom Corps and the President's call for every American to devote at least two years of their lives-or 4,000 hours-to serving their nation by serving their neighbors. The first is a public service advertising campaign, titled "Everyone Can Do Something," that features the President and a number of celebrities, including actress Angie Harmon, baseball player Mariano Rivera, and former U.S. Senators Robert Dole and John Glenn.

The President also announced the completely redesigned USA Freedom Corps Web site (www.usafreedomcorps.gov), which introduces the largest-ever clearinghouse of volunteer opportunities at nonprofit groups, faith-based organizations, and government agencies. Both efforts, along with passage of the Citizen Service Act, are designed to help foster what the President calls "a culture of citizenship, service, and responsibility" in the nation.

The Corporation for National and Community Service was established in 1993 to engage Americans of all ages and backgrounds in service to their communities. The Corporation oversees AmeriCorps, Learn and Serve America and Senior Corps, engaging more than two million Americans in service to their communities and country each year. For more information, call 1-202-606-5000 or visit www.nationalservice.org.