Governor Tom Vilsack today urged Congress to preserve funding for the AmeriCorps program which provides scholarships to students who engage in community service projects. Vilsack says Iowa’s AmeriCorps volunteers operate programs that help at-risk children learn and develop. Others focus on environmental causes, and some work on the Red Cross Disaster Education Program.While Iowa was allotted 44 new AmeriCorps positions, it can only award 21 AmeriCorps scholarships this year because of a nationwide cap Vilsack says Congress needs to lift. That cap says the program must have only 50-thousand members across the country. Vilsack also urged Congress to provide 100-million dollars in emergency spending for the program this year to maintain the number of scholarships. Vilsack testified in Washington, D.C. this morning via a video-link from Cedar Rapids.
