The Give Act
(email notes)
1388 EH is 310 pages! This is sickening. The sum total of all the parts makes this a near "cradle-to-grave" issue!

Notice the proposal to change "National Senior Volunteer Corp" to "National Senior Service Corp". (see: SEC. 1606. EVALUATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY.)

Also notice what amounts to data collections that will be necessary to fulfill "SEC 1606 EVALUATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY." Among the data need are:
 
"(vi) measures to ascertain the change in attitude toward civic engagement among the participants and the beneficiaries of the service;"

The following -- from Subtitle B‹Amendments to Title II-- is especially for Seniors (over 55 crowd):

ŒŒSEC. 200. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE. ŒŒIt is the purpose of this title to provide ‹

 
ŒŒ(1) opportunities for senior service to meet unmet local, State, and national needs in the areas of education, public safety, emergency and disaster preparedness, relief, and recovery, health and human needs, and the environment;
[...]
ŒŒ(6) for research, training, demonstration, and other program activities to increase and improve opportunities for people 55 years of age or older to meet unmet needs, including those related to public safety, public health, and emergency and disaster preparedness, relief, and recovery, in their communities.¹¹.
 

As some may know, for the past couple years I have been researching "Neighborhood Associations" (which are cropping up all over the country). These groups are connected to "Asset Based Community Development" (ABCD) which I suspect connects to HR 1388.

ABCD is about surveying (collecting data) on "neighborhood assets" which include: residents (knowledge, skills, and social connections), facilities/structures (public & private), businesses, organizations, social networks etc. And then mobilizing/using "assets" (including people) in whatever ways that serve to fulfill the objectives of city/county/state/federal planners.

 
Debbie Niwa
March 21, 2009