‘Citizen Corps’ Proposed to Swap Work for Benefits

Congressional Democrats today kicked off a major legislative push to create a “citizens corps” of young people to perform community or military service in exchange for money for college or a down payment on a house.

“This bill would awaken a new spirit of citizenship and obligation to America--it would encourage young people to get involved,” Sen. Sam Nunn (D-Ga.), who introduced the bill in the Senate, told a news conference. “This is not a guaranteed benefit. It is a guarantee of an opportunity to earn benefits.”

Nunn, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, was joined by co-sponsors Sens. Charles S. Robb (D-Va.) and Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.) and Reps. Barbara B. Kennelly (D-Conn.) and Dave McCurdy (D-Okla.).

None of the sponsors was able to estimate the bill’s cost, which Nunn said would be phased in over a five-year period as federal college grants are phased out.

But sociologist Charlie Moskos told reporters the bill would eventually cost $1 billion a year, or $5 billion over the five-year phase-in. He noted that in 1949, the government spent 1% of the gross national product--or about $45 billion in modern dollars--on the GI Bill, on which the bill is based.

Sponsors also cited figures showing that college loan defaults are currently costing the government $1.6 billion a year. “We could almost sponsor the program on the cost of loan defaults alone,” Moskos said.

The bill would guarantee placements in community service programs--such as tutoring, day-care or building low-income housing--or the military and would give national service vouchers worth $10,000 for each year of community service and $12,500 for each year of military service.