Senator Chris Dodd (center) introduced legislation on Tuesday that would compensate older Americans for national service. Accompanying him are youth volunteer Latoya Braham of Farmington, Conn., left, and Experience Corps member Mozelle Vann.

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Stipends and scholarships to help experienced Americans transition to encore careers in public service are highlights of legislation introduced Tuesday by Senator Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), Senator Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.).

The Encore Service Act is one of four bills in the Service for All Ages initiative introduced that would expand and strengthen opportunities for Americans of all ages to serve their communities. "Encore Fellowships" are also part of the Serve America Act, introduced earlier this year by Senators Edward Kennedy and Orrin Hatch.

The Encore bill would provide compensated opportunities for older individuals to give back to their community and their country. It calls for the AmeriCorps program to place a new and greater emphasis on adults 50 and older; they would be eligible for stipends and transferable education awards. New year-long Encore Fellowships in management or leadership positions in public or private nonprofit organizations would be established.

In addition, the bill creates "Silver Scholarships" for higher education of up to $1,000 (which could be transferred to children, grandchildren and others) in exchange for volunteering with public agencies or private nonprofits between 250 and 500 hours per year. Eligibility for Foster Grandparent, Senior Corps and RSVP programs would be expanded.

On Tuesday President Barack Obama also called for passage of a companion piece of national service legislation, the Serve America Act that was introduced in January by Senators Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah). It would add significant new programs in community service, target 10 percent of them for people 50 and older and create “Encore Fellowships” for experienced Americans eager to work on urgent problems in their neighborhoods and the nation. National service was prominent theme during President Barack Obama’s campaign.

The other Service for All Ages bills introduced Tuesday propose a semester of community service for students in their junior or senior year of high school, grants to middle schools and high schools offering community service programs to students, and expansion of the existing AmeriCorps education benefit to reflect 15 years of college tuition increases.

While introducing the four bills on Tuesday, Senator Dodd recalled the call to service issued by President John F. Kennedy. “While our challenges are great, I am confident this initiative will ensure that dedicated Americans of all ages are there to meet them,” he said. He acknowledged the many contributions of former U.S. Senator Harris Wofford, who attended the announcement, calling him the architect of national service.

An Experience Corps member from Hamden, Conn., Mozelle Vann, spoke at the Service for All Ages press conference on Tuesday about the effectiveness of national service. She was a hospital social worker for 25 years before she became a literacy tutor for elementary school students.

“Experience Corps is a godsend in Hamden,” Vann said. “So many children need the kind of consistent, one-on-one attention that a caring older adult gives if they are going to gain the skills and motivation they need to make it through high school, and hopefully beyond.”

Vann cited recent research that shows the students who work with Experience Corps members show significantly higher gains on reading comprehension than those who do not. “The research also shows that our service actually improves our own physical and mental health,” she said.