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Michael T. McCaul was mentioned in PEACE CORPS REAUTHORIZATION ACT..... on page E184 covering the 1st Session of the 117th Congress published on March 1, 2021 in the Congressional Record.

The publication is reproduced in full below:

PEACE CORPS REAUTHORIZATION ACT

______

HON. JOHN GARAMENDI

of california

in the house of representatives

Monday, March 1, 2021

Mr. GARAMENDI. Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to reintroduce the

``Peace Corps Reauthorization Act'' on today, the 60th anniversary of the Peace Corps' founding and the start of National Peace Corps Week. I want to thank my fellow Congressional Peace Corps Caucus co-chair Representative Graves (R-LA), as well as Representatives Meng (D-NY), Radewagen (R-AS), Phillips (D-MN), Case (D-HI), and Sires (D-NJ), for their support as original cosponsors.

Like successive generations of young Americans, my wife Patti and I answered President John F. Kennedy's call and served in the Peace Corps in Ethiopia from 1966 to 1968. This foundational experience inspired our lifetime of service that continued into California state government, the Clinton Administration, and now the United States Congress.

Since the establishment of the Peace Corps in 1961, more than 230,000 American volunteers have served in some 141 countries around the world. Due to the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, the Peace Corps was forced to recall all volunteers serving in 65 countries in March 2020. Now more than ever, Congress must support the Peace Corps' mission and realize President Kennedy's vision of generations of young Americans, ready to serve their nation and make the world a better place.

Our ``Peace Corps Reauthorization Act'' would do just that by providing additional federal resources to better support current and returned volunteers. This bipartisan bill would also provide the funding necessary to redeploy Peace Corps volunteers once it is safe to do so after the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, with the goal of finally reaching 10,000 volunteers serving annually around the world.

This bipartisan bill builds upon the Sam Farr and Nick Castle Peace Corps Reform Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-256) and the Kate Puzey Peace Corps Volunteer Protection Act of 2011 (Public Law 112-57) sponsored by former Congressman Ted Poe (R-TX). The bill also builds upon legislation sponsored by former Congressman Sam Farr (D-CA), who served in the Peace Corps in Colombia from 1964 to 1966.

As co-chair of the Congressional Peace Corps Caucus, I continue working in support of the Peace Corps' mission, its volunteers, and the indelible impact their service has on the lives of needy people the world over. Congress last reauthorized the Peace Corps in 1999 (Public Law 106-30), expiring at the end of fiscal year 2003. So, my bipartisan

``Peace Corps Reauthorization Act'' is long overdue.

Madam Speaker, I look forward to working with the new Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY) and Ranking Member Michael McCaul (R-TX) to pass the ``Peace Corps Reauthorization Act'' this Congress. I encourage all members of the House to cosponsor this bipartisan bill.

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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 38(1), Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 38(2)

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