Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata is among 7 original co-sponsors of the Peace Corps Reauthorization Act which was reintroduced this week.
The others are Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA), Congressman Garret Graves (R-LA), Congresswoman Grace Meng (D-NY), Congressman Dean Phillips (D-MN), Congressman Ed Case (D-HI), and Congressman Albio Sires (D-NJ). Their bill is endorsed by the National Peace Corps Association.
The reintroduction coincides with the 60th anniversary of the Peace Corps’ founding, signed into existence by President John F. Kennedy, and National Peace Corps Week. The next step for the bill is consideration by the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Congresswoman Amata was a former Peace Corps staffer (in the Northern Mariana Islands 1967-1968) and the interest extended to her family, as one of Amata’s daughters, Kirsten, is a returned Peace Corps volunteer who served in Bulgaria.
“The Peace Corps benefits the countries where volunteers serve, and those that go,” Amata said. “Those involved with the Peace Corps learn so much, and can apply that to all sorts of life paths afterwards. A full reauthorization of the Peace Corps is a priority, with specific needs due to the pandemic and recent years of flat funding. National Peace Corps Week is a wonderful reminder of the importance of service. Thank you to Congressmen Garamendi and Garret Graves for working on these issues year round as co-chairs of the Peace Corps Caucus.”
The Peace Corps Reauthorization Act of 2021 if signed into law will provide additional federal funding and resources to advance the Peace Corps’ mission around the world and better support current, returning, and former Peace Corps volunteers.
