6432 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 22 / Thursday, February 1, 2024 / Rules and Regulations 

§ 493.1804 by revising paragraph (c)(1) 

to read as follows:’’. 

Elizabeth J. Gramling, 

Executive Secretary to the Department, 

Department of Health and Human Services. 

[FR Doc. 2024–01942 Filed 1–26–24; 5:15 pm] 

BILLING CODE 4120–01–P 

CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND 

COMMUNITY SERVICE 

45 CFR Part 2500 

RIN 3045–AA83 

AmeriCorps Statement of Organization 

AGENCY: Corporation for National and 

Community Service. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: The Corporation for National 

and Community Service (CNCS), which 

operates as AmeriCorps, is finalizing a 

rule to provide general information to 

the public about its structure and 

purpose, as required by the 

Administrative Procedure Act. While 

AmeriCorps already provides 

information about its organizational 

structure on its public-facing website 

(americorps.gov), this rule would 

comply with the statutory requirement 

that agencies publish in the Federal 

Register their descriptions of 

organization. This rule will also 

increase transparency regarding 

AmeriCorps’ operations by mapping out 

its existing program regulations, thereby 

providing an overview of the Agency’s 

programs. 

DATES: This rule is effective March 4, 

2024. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Elizabeth Appel, Office of General 

Counsel, at (202) 967–5070, or eappel@

americorps.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background 

AmeriCorps, the operating name for 

the Corporation for National and 

Community Service, is a Federal agency 

that engages millions of Americans in 

service. AmeriCorps members and 

AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers serve 

directly with nonprofit, tribal, faithbased, or community organizations to 

tackle some of our nation’s most 

pressing challenges. Although 

AmeriCorps already provides 

information about its organizational 

structure on its website, americorps.gov, 

this rule complies with the statutory 

requirement that agencies ‘‘publish in 

the Federal Register’’ their descriptions 

of organization. See 5 U.S.C. 

552(a)(1)(A). This rule will also increase 

transparency regarding AmeriCorps’ 

operations by mapping out its existing 

program regulations, thereby providing 

an overview of the Agency’s programs. 

This rule adds AmeriCorps’ 

organizational information to Code of 

Federal Regulations (CFR) part 2500. 

Part 2500 already includes information 

about AmeriCorps being CNCS’s 

operating name and information about 

AmeriCorps’ logos. This rule 

redesignates, without substantive 

change, the operating name and logo 

sections to new sections later in the CFR 

part and adds subpart designations. The 

following is a breakdown of the new 

and redesignated sections: 

Current 45 CFR section New 45 CFR section Description of change 

Subpart A—Introduction ................................... New subpart designation. 

2500.1 Creation and authority ....................... New section. 

2500.1 Agency Operating Name ..................... 2500.2 Agency operating name .................... Redesignated without substantive change. 

2500.3 Purpose and mission ......................... New section. 

Subpart B—Organization ................................. New subpart designation. 

2500.10 General ............................................ New section. 

2500.11 AmeriCorps headquarters ............... New section. 

2500.12 Region offices .................................. New section. 

Subpart C—Programs ...................................... New subpart designation. 

2500.20 Program descriptions ...................... New section. 

2500.21 Focus areas ..................................... New section. 

Subpart D—Logos ........................................... New subpart designation. 

2500.2 Description of Logos ............................ 2500.30 Description of logos ......................... Redesignated without substantive change. 

2500.3 Retirement of Logos ............................ 2500.31 Retirement of logos ......................... Redesignated without substantive change. 

2500.4 Authority to affix logos ......................... 2500.32 Authority to affix logos ..................... Redesignated without substantive change. 

The new sections describe 

AmeriCorps’: 

• Statutory basis and origination; 

• Purpose, to administer the programs 

established under the national service 

laws; and mission, to improve lives, 

strengthen communities, and foster 

civic engagement through service and 

volunteering; 

• Organization, including the roles of 

the Chief Executive Officer and the 

Board of Directors; 

• Headquarters, including leadership 

positions; and region offices, referring to 

AmeriCorps’ website for details on 

contact information; 

• Four main national service 

programs: AmeriCorps NCCC, 

AmeriCorps Seniors, AmeriCorps State 

and National, and AmeriCorps VISTA; 

and 

• Focus areas, which include, but are 

not limited to, disaster services, 

economic opportunity, education, 

environmental stewardship, healthy 

futures, and veterans and military 

families. 

Edits to the sections addressing 

AmeriCorps’ logos specify the logos’ 

fonts and the direction of the flag in the 

logos and make minor grammatical 

changes. 

II. Responses to Comments on Proposed 

Rule and Changes to Proposed Rule 

AmeriCorps published the proposed 

rule on May 2, 2023. See 88 FR 27423. 

AmeriCorps received three written 

comment submissions prior to the July 

3, 2023, deadline for public comments. 

All three comments expressed 

opposition to AmeriCorps’ regional 

structure under the Office of Regional 

Operations and the logos and branding 

that resulted from the ‘‘Transformation 

and Sustainability Plan’’ that 

AmeriCorps adopted several years ago. 

Commenters recounted multiple 

challenges with the regional structure 

that replaced the State Office structure. 

AmeriCorps currently operates through 

the regional structure and strives to 

address grantees’ concerns or the 

difficulties they face within that 

structure. However, because the rule 

merely describes the regional structure 

under which AmeriCorps currently 

operates, AmeriCorps is not 

reconsidering its structure at this time, 

and is proceeding with finalization of 

the description contained in the rule. 

However, AmeriCorps appreciates the 


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commenters’ input on the structure and 

welcomes ongoing communications to 

continually improve operations within 

the regional structure. 

All three comments also expressed 

some opposition to the logos and 

branding, stating—among other 

reasons—that the logo and branding 

cause confusion. AmeriCorps 

appreciates the comments around the 

potential brand confusion; however, 

because no substantive change was 

proposed for the sections related to 

logos and branding (only a 

redesignation of section numbers), 

AmeriCorps is maintaining the current 

rule with finalization of the proposed 

section redesignations. 

The only changes to the proposed rule 

that the final rule makes are minor 

wording changes for clarity and 

additional explanation of AmeriCorps 

NCCC. In § 2500.10, regarding the 

general organization of the Agency, the 

final rule clarifies that the Chief 

Executive Officer is responsible for 

exercising powers and discharging 

duties set out in the National and 

Community Service Act of 1990, as 

amended, 42 U.S.C. 12501 et seq. 

(NCSA), and that the Board is 

responsible for discharging duties set 

out in the NCSA. In §§ 2500.10(c) and 

2500.12, the final rule clarifies that 

there are two separate sets of regions 

under AmeriCorps’ structure: one for 

AmeriCorps NCCC and one for 

AmeriCorps’ Office of Regional 

Operations. In § 2500.20, the final rule 

adds references to a newly operational 

sub-program, NCCC Forest Corps, and 

the Agency’s Disaster Services Unit. 

III. Regulatory Analyses 

A. Executive Orders 12866 and 13563 

Executive Orders (E.O.) 12866 and 

13563 direct agencies to assess all costs 

and benefits of available regulatory 

alternatives and, if regulation is 

necessary, to select regulatory 

approaches that maximize net benefits 

(including potential economic, 

environmental, public health and safety 

effects, distributive impacts, and 

equity). E.O. 13563 emphasizes the 

importance of quantifying both costs 

and benefits, of reducing costs, of 

harmonizing rules, and of promoting 

flexibility. The Office of Information 

and Regulatory Affairs in the Office of 

Management and Budget has 

determined that this is not a significant 

regulatory action. 

B. Congressional Review Act (Small 

Business Regulatory Enforcement 

Fairness Act of 1996, Title II, Subtitle E) 

As required by the Congressional 

Review Act (5 U.S.C. 801–808), before 

an interim or final rule takes effect, 

AmeriCorps will submit an interim or 

final rule report to the U.S. House of 

Representatives, U.S. Senate, and to the 

Comptroller General of the U.S. A major 

rule cannot take effect until 60 days 

after it is published in the Federal 

Register. The Office of Information and 

Regulatory Affairs in the Office of 

Management and Budget determined 

this is not a major rule under 5 U.S.C. 

804 because this rule will not result in 

(1) an annual effect on the economy of 

$100 million or more; (2) a major 

increase in costs or prices for 

consumers, individual industries, 

Federal, State, or local Government 

agencies, or geographic regions; or (3) 

significant adverse effects on 

competition, employment, investment, 

productivity, innovation, or on the 

ability of U.S.-based enterprises to 

compete with foreign-based enterprises 

in domestic and export markets. 

C. Regulatory Flexibility Act 

As required by the Regulatory 

Flexibility Act of 1980 (5 U.S.C. 601 et 

seq.), AmeriCorps certifies that this rule, 

if adopted, will not have a significant 

economic impact on a substantial 

number of small entities. Therefore, 

AmeriCorps has not performed the 

initial regulatory flexibility analysis that 

is required under the Regulatory 

Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) for 

rules that are expected to have such 

results. 

D. Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 

1995 

For purposes of Title II of the 

Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 

1995, 2 U.S.C. 1531–1538, as well as 

Executive Order 12875, this regulatory 

action does not contain any Federal 

mandate that may result in increased 

expenditures in either Federal, State, 

local, or Tribal Governments in the 

aggregate, or impose an annual burden 

exceeding $100 million on the private 

sector. 

E. Paperwork Reduction Act 

Under the Paperwork Reduction Act 

(PRA), an agency may not conduct or 

sponsor a collection of information 

unless the collections of information 

display valid control numbers. This rule 

does not include any information 

collections requiring approval by the 

Office of Management and Budget. 

F. Executive Order 13132, Federalism 

Executive Order 13132, Federalism, 

prohibits an agency from publishing any 

rule that has federalism implications if 

the rule imposes substantial direct 

compliance costs on State and local 

governments and is not required by 

statute, or the rule preempts State law, 

unless the agency meets the 

consultation and funding requirements 

of section 6 of the Executive order. This 

rulemaking does not have any 

federalism implications, as described 

above. 

G. Takings (E.O. 12630) 

This rule does not affect a taking of 

private property or otherwise have 

taking implications under Executive 

Order 12630 because this rule does not 

affect individual property rights 

protected by the Fifth Amendment or 

involve a compensable ‘‘taking.’’ A 

takings implication assessment is not 

required. 

H. Civil Justice Reform (E.O. 12988) 

This rule complies with the 

requirements of Executive Order 12988. 

Specifically, this rulemaking: (a) meets 

the criteria of section 3(a) requiring that 

all regulations be reviewed to eliminate 

errors and ambiguity and be written to 

minimize litigation; and (b) meets the 

criteria of section 3(b)(2) requiring that 

all regulations be written in clear 

language and contain clear legal 

standards. 

I. Consultation With Indian Tribes (E.O. 

13175) 

AmeriCorps recognizes the inherent 

sovereignty of Indian Tribes and their 

right to self-governance. We have 

evaluated this rulemaking under our 

consultation policy and the criteria in 

E.O. 13175 and determined that this 

rule does not impose substantial direct 

effects on federally recognized Tribes. 

List of Subjects in 45 CFR Part 2500 

Organization and functions 

(Government agencies). 

■ For the reasons discussed in the 

preamble, under the authority of 42 

U.S.C. 12651c(c), the Corporation for 

National and Community Service 

revises 45 CFR part 2500 to read as 

follows: 

PART 2500—AMERICORPS 

STATEMENT OF ORGANIZATION, 

AGENCY OPERATING NAME, AND 

LOGOS 

Subpart A—Introduction 

Sec. 

2500.1 Creation and authority. 

2500.2 Agency operating name. 


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2500.3 Purpose and mission. 

Subpart B—Organization 

2500.10 General. 

2500.11 AmeriCorps leadership. 

2500.12 Region offices. 

Subpart C—Programs 

2500.20 Program descriptions. 

2500.21 Focus areas. 

Subpart D—Logos 

2500.30 Description of logos. 

2500.31 Retirement of logos. 

2500.32 Authority to affix logos. 

Authority: 5 U.S.C. 552(a)(1); 42 U.S.C. 

4950, et seq., as amended; 42 U.S.C. 12501 

et seq., as amended; section 203(c), Pub. L. 

103–82, 107 Stat. 892; Proc. 6662, 59 FR 

16507, 3 CFR, 1994 Comp., p. 22). 

Subpart A—Introduction 

§ 2500.1 Creation and authority. 

The National and Community Service 

Trust Act of 1993 established the 

Corporation for National and 

Community Service (CNCS) as a Federal 

agency, organized in the form of a 

Government corporation within the 

Executive Branch, to administer the 

national service programs authorized by 

the National and Community Service 

Act of 1990. CNCS also administers the 

national service programs authorized by 

the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 

1973, as amended, and previously 

administered by the former Federal 

ACTION Agency. 

§ 2500.2 Agency operating name. 

(a) The Corporation for National and 

Community Service has adopted 

AmeriCorps as its official agency 

operating name. 

(b) Use of AmeriCorps as the agency 

operating name incorporates the 

Corporation for National and 

Community Service by reference. 

§ 2500.3 Purpose and mission. 

AmeriCorps’ purpose is to administer 

the programs established under the 

national service laws. AmeriCorps’ 

mission is to improve lives, strengthen 

communities, and foster civic 

engagement through service and 

volunteering. 

Subpart B—Organization 

§ 2500.10 General. 

(a) The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) 

is the head of AmeriCorps. The CEO has 

authority and control over AmeriCorps 

personnel, except those in the Agency’s 

Office of Inspector General, and is 

responsible for exercising the powers 

and discharging the duties authorized 

by the National and Community Service 

Act of 1990, as amended, that are not 

otherwise reserved to the Board of 

Directors. 

(b) The Board of Directors is 

responsible for discharging the duties 

authorized to it by the National and 

Community Service Act of 1990, as 

amended. 

(c) AmeriCorps consists of 

headquarters and two sets of regions: 

Office of Regional Operations regions 

and AmeriCorps NCCC regions. 

§ 2500.11 AmeriCorps leadership. 

(a) AmeriCorps’ leadership conducts 

overall planning, coordination of 

programs, and all supporting internal 

operations. AmeriCorps leadership 

includes, but is not limited to, the 

following AmeriCorps officials: 

(1) CEO. 

(2) Chief of Staff. 

(3) General Counsel. 

(4) Chief Operating Officer. 

(5) Chief Financial Officer. 

(6) Chief Program Officer. 

(7) Chief Diversity and Inclusion 

Officer. 

(8) Directors of AmeriCorps programs 

and offices. 

(b) AmeriCorps’ public website 

contains current information on Agency 

leadership at www.americorps.gov/ 

about/our-team/our-leadership. 

§ 2500.12 Region offices. 

AmeriCorps’ Office of Regional 

Operations and AmeriCorps NCCC each 

have a regional structure. 

(a) AmeriCorps’ Region Offices, 

within the Office of Regional 

Operations, serve assigned States and 

Territories across eight regions. The 

AmeriCorps website contains contact 

information for each of these Region 

Offices at www.americorps.gov/contact/ 

region-offices. 

(b) AmeriCorps National Civilian 

Community Corps (NCCC) has a campus 

facility in each of its regions, which 

serve the States and Territories. The 

AmeriCorps website contains contact 

information for each of the NCCC 

regions at www.americorps.gov/contact/ 

americorps-nccc-regions. 

Subpart C—Programs 

§ 2500.20 Program descriptions. 

(a) AmeriCorps operates four main 

national service programs: AmeriCorps 

NCCC, AmeriCorps Seniors, 

AmeriCorps State and National, and 

AmeriCorps VISTA. Additional 

information on each of these programs 

and additional AmeriCorps programs is 

available at www.americorps.gov. 

(1) AmeriCorps NCCC is a full-time 

residential service program for 

individuals aged 18 to 24 (unless 

otherwise authorized), as defined by 

statute. Individuals serving in the NCCC 

program complete team-based service 

projects that respond to priority national 

and community needs. AmeriCorps 

NCCC program staff recruit, train, and 

manage volunteers (called ‘‘members’’) 

and partner with organizations that 

serve as project sponsors. FEMA Corps 

is a sub-program that AmeriCorps NCCC 

manages in partnership with the Federal 

Emergency Management Agency. It 

places members in service positions to 

perform disaster public assistance, 

planning, preparedness, and recovery 

activities. The NCCC Forest Corps is a 

sub-program that AmeriCorps NCCC 

manages in partnership with the U.S. 

Forest Service. It places members in 

service positions to perform wildfire 

mitigation, reforestation, and climate 

resiliency activities. Finally, NCCC 

houses the agency’s Disaster Services 

Unit (DSU), the entity which 

coordinates with FEMA to secure 

funding to mobilize AmeriCorps NCCC 

and AmeriCorps State and National 

members under a federally declared 

disaster. 

(2) AmeriCorps Seniors focuses on 

providing service opportunities for 

individuals aged 55 years or older. It 

operates four national service programs: 

the Foster Grandparent Program, Senior 

Companion Program, RSVP, and the 

Senior Demonstration Program. Under 

each of these programs, AmeriCorps 

Seniors provides grants to sponsoring 

organizations to meet priority national 

and community needs. The sponsoring 

organizations then recruit and enlist 

local volunteers, and address 

performance measures as required by 

grant terms and conditions. 

(3) AmeriCorps State and National 

provides grants to States, Territories, 

Indian Tribes, public and private 

nonprofit organizations, local 

governments, and institutions of higher 

education to carry out national service 

programs, offering a wide range of 

service opportunities. In addition to 

grant funds to support direct 

programming, AmeriCorps State and 

National also provides general operating 

funding for State service commissions. 

(4) AmeriCorps VISTA is a program 

for individuals aged 18 and older to 

participate in full-time service to 

strengthen and supplement efforts to 

eliminate and alleviate poverty and 

poverty-related problems in the United 

States. AmeriCorps VISTA partners with 

local organizations to recruit, select, 

train, and assign volunteers 

(‘‘members’’) to work on projects at a 

sponsoring organization or one of its 

project sites. 


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(b) In addition to its four main 

national service programs, AmeriCorps 

also operates several additional 

programs and activities. These include 

the Martin Luther King, Jr., Day of 

Service; the September 11th Day of 

Service and Remembrance; the 

Volunteer Generation Fund; and other 

national service programs that 

AmeriCorps establishes through 

agreements with other Federal agencies. 

§ 2500.21 Focus areas. 

Through its programs, AmeriCorps 

provides funding and volunteer 

opportunities to address pressing unmet 

human, educational, environmental, 

and public safety needs of the United 

States, without displacing existing 

workers, and to meet the additional 

purposes set out in the national service 

laws. AmeriCorps’ focus areas include, 

but are not limited to, disaster services, 

economic opportunity, education, 

environmental stewardship, healthy 

futures, and veterans and military 

families. 

Subpart D—Logos 

§ 2500.30 Description of logos. 

(a) The AmeriCorps logo (Logo) is the 

key element in agency identification. It 

provides a visual representation of the 

Agency’s role to unite America by 

bringing people together to serve 

communities. It is symbolic of the way 

AmeriCorps members and volunteers 

lift and improve communities through 

service and volunteering. This Logo 

links the graphic communications of all 

Agency programs. 

(b) The Logo is an image of a solid 

circle containing an A where the righthand pillar is a solid block line and the 

left-hand pillar is represented by a 

flagpole with the flag in motion, 

appearing to fly from the left to the right 

and forming the A as the flag intersects 

with the other pillar. AmeriCorps 

appears in bold to the right of the mark. 

(c) The AmeriCorps Seniors logo 

(Seniors Logo) identifies the highlighted 

AmeriCorps Seniors programs and 

represents the Agency’s commitment to 

programs and volunteer opportunities 

for older Americans. 

(d) The Seniors Logo contains the 

word Seniors beneath AmeriCorps, to 

the right of the circle containing the A. 

§ 2500.31 Retirement of logos. 

The agency officially retired the dayto-day use of all pre-existing logos, 

emblems, and other insignia, except the 

Days of Service logos, but does not 

relinquish the legal rights to any retired 

logos. 

§ 2500.32 Authority to affix logos. 

Restrictions on the use of AmeriCorps 

logos are found in 45 CFR 2540.500 

through 2540.560. 

Fernando Laguarda, 

General Counsel. 

[FR Doc. 2024–01555 Filed 1–31–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6050–28–P 


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