i thank the distinguished gentleman from ohio for yielding . 
mr. chairman , i wanted to just briefly thank him for making part of his en bloc amendment and also the gentleman from wisconsin ( mr. obey ) xz4003000 for his consideration providing $ 2 million to the homeless veterans reintegration program , the hvrp , and $ 500 , 000 to the national veterans employment and training services institute . 
these particular moneys that he has made part of his en bloc amendment are very much appreciated . 
this was part of my amendment that i had which , unfortunately , i did not get to the house floor ; but through both the gentleman from wisconsin and the gentleman from ohio , they have made this part of the en bloc amendment and i want to thank them very much for it . 
se 000 mr. chairman , my amendment i intended to offer yesterday would reduce $ 10 million of proposed funding from corporation for national and community service 's ( cncs ) americorps grants , and increase two worthwhile , veterans programs in the department of labor . 
first , my amendment would transfer $ 9 , 000 , 000 to the homeless veterans ' reintegration program ( hvrp ) . 
this well-regarded program assists finding homeless veterans a meaningful place in the workforce . 
hvrp funds are awarded competitively to grant-seekers ranging from state and local agencies , commercial entities , and non-profits including community-and faith-based organizations . 
uniquely , since its inception , hvrp has featured an outreach effort using veterans who themselves have experienced homelessness . 
formerly homeless veterans engage in counseling , peer coaching , and follow-up services . 
the program coordinates with various veterans ' services programs and organizations , such as the disabled veterans ' outreach program and local veterans ' employment representatives stationed in the local employment service offices of the state workforce agencies . 
many veterans groups also are eligible , such as the american legion , disabled american veterans , and veterans of foreign wars . 
next my amendment would transfer $ 1 , 000 , 000 to the national veterans ' employment and training services institute ( nvti ) . 
nvti provides training to the employees who ultimately work with veterans seeking employment and training . 
like the homeless veterans reintegration program , most of these training institute dollars ( about 70 percent ) flow directly to states . 
impressively , while the appropriators have funded the program at the president 's request and fy05 amount ( $ 1.9 million ) , the nvti does such an efficient job that they forecast with the nearly 50 percent increase my amendment would deliver , they could increase their throughput nearly 2/3 , processing many more veterans through ( again , mostly via employees in your state ) . 
since 1986 , nvti has developed and enhanced the professional skills of veterans ' employment and training service providers nationwide . 
it is management , marketing and accessing the media , and management of veterans ' services . 
nvti also offers courses in veterans ' reemployment rights case investigation and grants management , to address the training needs of the u.s. department of labor veterans ' employment and training service ( vets ) staff . 
as an unexpected benefit , cbo has scored my amendment to be budget authority-neutral , but to save $ 1 , 000 , 000 in fy06 outlays . 
now , 1 million dollars sounds like chump change up here to us , but to americans voting back home , and to the veterans who are on the streets and in despair , it would pay for quite a lot . 
and americorps , i point out , is receiving over a quarter of a billion dollars , so i think the program could spare a mere $ 10 million . 
mr. chairman , this is an amendment about priorities . 
americorps pays people handsomely for pseudo-volunteerism : $ 4 , 725 for a year of full-time service ; `` a modest living allowance '' , `` limited health benefits , may qualify for child care assistance , and may get your relocation expenses covered '' . 
this is not community service , this is a job . 
further , americorps has a history of accountability problems . 
just two years ago , they had severe overcommitments of their funding , which congress admonished . 
and this year , the committee 's report has language `` directing the inspector general to levy sanctions in accordance with standard inspector general audit resolution procedures , which include , but are not limited to , debarment of any grantee found to be in violation of americorps ' program requirements , including using grant or program funds to lobby the congress '' . 
i can assure you they most certainly do lobby the congress , because my amendment has been on the ( negative ) receiving end of this . 
one other point that the chairman of the veterans affairs committee has shared : americorps competes with armed services recruiting . 
it should n't , the program on which it was modeled did n't : according to americorps ' website , it is based upon `` franklin d. roosevelt 's vision of the civilian conservation corps ( ccc ) in 1933 -- a program created by president roosevelt to provide relief for the unemployed during the great depression and to implement conservation projects . 
over 3 million young men served until the program disbanded eight years later , when the united states entered world war ii. '' sir , america has relied on the contributions of selfless volunteers for centuries , and the generosity of americans will endure without a federal program . 
in contrast , veterans are our federal responsibility , and these two worthwhile programs provide needed help . 
the committee recommendation includes a number of administrative provisions carried previous years : ( 1 ) language regarding qualified student loans eligible for education awards ; ( 2 ) language regarding the availability of funds for the placement of volunteers with disabilities ; ( 3 ) language directing the inspector general to levy sanctions in accordance with standard inspector general audit resolution procedures , which include , but are not limited to , debarment of any grantee found to be in violation of americorps ' program requirements , including using grant or program funds to lobby the congress ; ( 4 ) language which requires the corporation to ensure that significant changes to program requirements or policy are made only through public notice and comment rulemaking ; and 