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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Republican Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah wants an additional 175,000 volunteers to provide a year of national service.
Hatch introduced a bill Friday that calls for expanding the total number of national service participants to 250,000.
Hatch says he wants to expand on the AmeriCorps program by focusing on new areas of national need.
The bill is intended to improve opportunities for young people in low-income, high-need areas to volunteer in their own communities. Tax incentives would be provided for employers who let employees take paid leave for full-time service.
The co-sponsor of the bill is Democratic Senator Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
