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Ms. CRAWFORD. I would like this morning to highlight our written testimony, but I request that the written testimony in its entirety be included in the record.

Senator ARMSTRONG. Thank you. We would be very happy to do that.

Ms. CRAWFORD. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

[The prepared statement of Ms. Sandra Crawford follows:]

THE ASSOCIATION OF JUNIOR LEAGUES, INC.

TESTIMONY
OF

THE ASSOCIATION OF JUNIOR LEAGUES, INC.

BEFORE THE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON TAXATION AND DEBT MANAGEMENT

OF THE

SENATE COMMITTEE ON FINANCE

IN SUPPORT OF S. 1579 AND S. 1167

ON

AUGUST 1, 1983

WITH ATTACHED LETTERS OF SUPPORT FROM

INDEPENDENT SECTOR

AND

UNITED WAY OF AMERICA

PRESENTED BY

SANDRA CRAWFORD

CHAIRMAN, PUBLIC POLICY COMMITTEE

THE ASSOCIATION OF JUNIOR LEAGUES, INC.

825

THIRD AVENUE, NEW YORK, N. Y. 10022 • (212) 355 4 3 80

SUMMARY

The Association of Junior Leagues urges the Subcommittee on Taxation and Debt Management of the Senate Committee on Finance to support S. 1579 and S. 1167, legislation which would allow volunteers to take the same mileage deduction as businessmen or set the mileage deduction for volunteers at the rate allowed government employees as reimbursement when they use their vehicles for government business.

The Association's testimony is supported by the Independent Sector and the United Way of America.

I.

II.

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B. 243 Junior Leagues; 148,000 individual members in the United States

C.

Promotes the solution of community problems through voluntary
citizen involvement, and trains Junior League members to be
effective voluntary participants in their communities

Volunteer Mileage Deduction Should Be Computed on the Same Basis as
Reimbursement Granted Government Employees

A. Volunteers such as Junior League members contribute many hours to a wide range of valuable community projects, often traveling long distances to their volunteer assignments. The low mileage deduction allowed to volunteers is especially detrimental to the elderly--many of whom wish to volunteer but are living on a fixed income which restricts their financial activities.

B.

The high costs of operating a car and the Internal Revenue Services' refusal to allow volunteers an adequate deduction for mileage costs have forced many volunteers to reduce their volunteer commitment, thus jeopardizing the existence of vital community projects.

C. Denying volunteers the same mileage deduction as that granted businessmen or the mileage reimbursement rate allowed government employees indicates that government does not consider volunteers' services to be of equal value to those provided by paid employees.

D. It is especially important at this time of federal funding cutbacks that government policies encourage, not discourage volunteer work.

I am Sandra Crawford, of Gladwyne, Pennsylvania, chairman of the Association of Junior League's Public Policy Committee and a past president of the Junior League of Philadelphia. I appreciate this opportunity to appear before you today to express the Association's strong support for S. 1579, sponsored by Senator William Armstrong (R-CO), and S. 1167, sponsored by Senator David Durenberger (R-MN), legislation which would recognize the contributions of volunteers by allowing volunteers to take the same mileage deduction as that allowed businessmen or setting the mileage deduction for volunteers at the rate allowed government employees as reimbursement when they use their vehicles for government business. We supported similar legislation in the last two sessions of Congress. We are here today to reaffirm our support of this legislation because it reflects the Association's belief in the importance of volunteer work and acknowledges the rising costs incurred by volunteers in providing their services. I also am submitting for the record letters from two other major voluntary organizations, Independent Sector and the United Way of America, in support of the

Association's statement.

Junior League Volunteers

The Association of Junior Leagues is an international voluntary organization with 243 member Leagues in the United States, representing approximately 148,000 individual members. Junior Leagues promote the solution of community problems through voluntary citizen involvement and train their members to be effective voluntary participants in their communities. Every

active Junior League member must make a commitment to a volunteer position. In addition, Junior Leagues develop projects and raise funds for community programs. During 1981-82, Junior Leagues sponsored 1,740 projects in their communities and netted more than $14 million from various benefits and ongoing money raisers such as thrift shops, cookbooks, auctions, and sponsorship of cultural and sporting events.

The money raised by these Junior League fundraisers is used to support projects in the community such as services to children and their families, adolescents, the aged and populations experiencing special problems, e.g., drug abusers, alcoholics and battered women, as well as programs concerned with the arts, urban conservation and the protection of the environment. These programs are made possible by Junior League volunteers who often drive long distances to their volunteer jobs.

In larger metropolitan areas, it is not uncommon for a Junior League member to make a 50-mile round trip to her volunteer assignment. However, Junior Leagues, like many other volunteer organizations, are finding that their members are increasingly reluctant to make firm commitments to regular volunteer placements which are many miles from their homes. High gasoline costs and the refusal of the Internal Revenue Service to allow volunteers an adequate deduction for mileage costs in computing their federal income taxes jeopardize the quality and, in some cases, the very existence of many vital programs. Faced with the high cost of driving, a volunteer may cut her involvement with a program from once or twice a week to once every two weeks or even once a month. This could harm programs such as Meals on Wheels or tutoring programs which require brief but frequent time commitments.

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