Snowe, Collins fight Americorps cutbacks

WASHINGTON – Decrying cutbacks proposed by the Corporation for National and Community Service that will nearly eliminate AmeriCorps in Maine, U.S. Sens. Olympia J. Snowe and Susan Collins are working to restore positions for AmeriCorps volunteers for the near term, while addressing accounting and structural problems for the long term.

Maine might only get funding for 10 Americorps volunteers in 2003, compared to 160 last year because of the proposed cuts.

Snowe and Collins have joined a bipartisan group of senators asking President Bush to support additional funding for the Corporation for National Service, which runs Americorps, in an upcoming supplemental appropriations bill – while working to resolve accounting and management mistakes that led to the reductions.

“At a time when record numbers of volunteers in Maine and throughout America are answering the President’s call to national service, we should be supporting efforts to promote public service like AmeriCorps – not opposing them,” said Snowe.