Service for Schools Act of 2015

To amend the National and Community Service Act of 1990 to establish a National Service for Schools Program, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Service for Schools Act of 2015 2. Service for schools Subtitle H of title I of the National and Community Service Act of 1990 ( 42 U.S.C. 12653 et seq. VI National Service for Schools 198T. Service opportunity registry (a) Definitions (1) Eligible service opportunity The term eligible service opportunity (A) that achieves purposes specified in section 2(b), including meeting an unmet human, educational, environmental, or public safety need of the United States, without displacing existing (as of the first date of the opportunity) workers, as determined by the Chief Executive Officer; and (B) for which— (i) a participant may receive compensation but, except as provided in clauses (ii) and (iii), the total compensation, in the aggregate, shall not exceed the product of— (I) $10.00 per hour; and (II) the number of the qualifying hours of service involved; (ii) a participant may receive total compensation that exceeds the product described in clause (i), if the excess is subtracted from the amount of the participant's corresponding award under subsection (d); and (iii) a participant in a professional corps program described in section 122(c)(1)(D), who is in engaged in a service opportunity that meets human, educational, environmental, or public safety needs in a high-need community with an inadequate number of such professionals, as determined by the Chief Executive Officer, may receive compensation without regard to clauses (i) and (ii). (2) Eligible student The term eligible student (A) completed 2000 qualifying hours of service when the individual was a qualified student, which hours are recorded by a State Commission under subsection (c); and (B) is not older than age 35. (3) Qualified student The term qualified student (4) Qualifying hour of service The term qualifying hour of service 42 U.S.C. 2751 et seq. (b) Registry (1) In general The Corporation shall establish and carry out directly, in partnership with a nonprofit organization or State Commission or through a grant or subgrant to a nonprofit organization or State Commission, activities concerning a Service Opportunity Registry (referred to in this section as the Registry (2) Application To be eligible to be registered in the Registry, an organization that offers an eligible service opportunity shall submit an application to the Corporation at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Corporation may require. (3) Registry information On receipt of an application that meets the requirements of paragraph (2) from an organization that the Chief Executive Officer determines offers an eligible service opportunity, the Corporation shall register the organization by listing in the Registry— (A) the names and contact information for the organization; and (B) a description of the eligible service opportunity. (4) Web site The Corporation shall make the Registry available to the public through a National Service for Schools Web site. (5) Re-registration Not less often than every 2 years, a listed organization that offers an eligible service opportunity shall re-apply for listing in the Registry. (c) Service (1) Application To be eligible to participate in and receive credit for service in service opportunities listed in the Registry, a qualified student shall submit an application to the student’s State Commission, at such time, in such manner, and containing the qualified student’s name, the qualified student’s contact information, and such other information as the Corporation, after consultation with the State Commissions, may require. (2) Designation In order for students in a State to participate in and receive credit for that service, the State Commission shall participate in the program carried out under this part. On receipt of an application that meets the requirements of paragraph (1) from a qualified student, the State Commission shall designate the qualified student as eligible to so participate and receive such credit. (3) Contact A qualified student who wishes to participate in a service opportunity listed in the Registry shall contact and make arrangements with the organization providing the opportunity. (4) Record of service (A) Organization The organization shall record the qualifying hours of service completed by each qualified student who participates in an eligible service opportunity with the organization. (B) State commission The organization shall, not less often than annually, notify the appropriate State Commission of the number of qualifying hours of service completed by each qualified student on an eligible service opportunity with the organization since the last notification. The State Commission shall record the qualifying hours of service in a record for the qualified student. The State Commission shall make the record available to the Corporation on request. (5) Transfer of application and record At the request of a qualified student, a State Commission shall transfer to another State Commission the qualified student’s application for service under paragraph (1) and record of hours of service under paragraph (4)(B). (6) Effect of erroneous certifications If the State Commission or the Corporation determines that the organization’s record of service under paragraph (4) is erroneous due to a willful act of the organization or is incorrect, and the Corporation makes any associated payment from the National Service Trust due to the erroneous or incorrect record of service, the Corporation may assess against the organization a charge for the amount of the payment. In assessing the amount of the charge, the Corporation shall consider the full facts and circumstances surrounding the erroneous or incorrect recording of hours. (d) Awards (1) In general Subject to appropriations, an eligible student shall receive an award of $10,000 from the National Service for Schools Account, established in section 145A, to be used as described in subsection (f), except that— (A) the eligible student may not receive more than 4 of such awards; and (B) the eligible student may not receive both an award under this section and a national service educational award for the same hours of service. (2) Application An eligible student seeking such an award shall submit an application to the Corporation at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Corporation may require. (e) Credit of hours of service for national service participants A participant who is eligible to receive a national service educational award from the National Service Trust under section 146 may opt to use the hours certified under section 146A towards an award under subsection (d). The Corporation shall establish a process allowing such participants to elect to use their hours certified under section 146A towards that award instead of towards a national service educational award. (f) Use of funds (1) In general Award funds provided under this section shall be available— (A) to repay eligible student loans in accordance with section 148(b); and (B) to pay all or part of the cost of attendance or other educational expenses at an institution of higher education in accordance with section 148(c). (2) Application For purposes of the application of subsections (b) and (c) of section 148 under paragraph (1), a reference in those subsections— (A) to a national service educational award shall be considered to be a reference to an award under this section; (B) to an eligible individual shall be considered to be a reference to an eligible student who has met the requirements for an award under this section; (C) to the National Service Trust shall be considered to be a reference to the National Service for Schools Account established in section 145A; (D) to a position shall be considered to be a reference to activities under this section; and (E) to a term of service shall be considered to be a term of service under this section. (g) National service for schools account (1) Investment The Secretary of the Treasury shall invest in full the amounts appropriated under subsection (i)(1)(B) to the National Service for Schools Account in section 145A. Except as otherwise provided in this section, the only provisions of subtitle D relating to funds in the National Service Trust that apply to amounts in the Account shall be section 145(b) and subsections (b) and (c) of section 148. (2) Obligations for awards Notwithstanding section 149, the Federal Credit Reform Act of 1990 ( 2 U.S.C. 661a et seq. chapter 13 (h) Annual estimates Not later than January 31 of each fiscal year, the Corporation and the Director of the Congressional Budget Office shall jointly— (1) estimate the amount necessary to make award payments under subsection (d) in the next fiscal year; and (2) submit a report containing the estimate to the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate. (i) Appropriations (1) In general There is authorized to be appropriated for a fiscal year— (A) such sums as may be necessary to carry out the Registry under this section; and (B) such sums as may be necessary for the National Service for Students Account, to make award payments under subsection (d). (2) Insufficient appropriations If, for any fiscal year, the funds appropriated for award payments under this part are insufficient to make all the awards for which applications are submitted and approved under subsection (d)(2), the Corporation shall promptly transmit a notice of such insufficiency to each House of Congress, and identify in such notice the additional amount that would be required to be appropriated to make all such awards. . 3. Establishment of the National Service for Schools Account Subtitle D of title I of the National and Community Service Act of 1990 is amended by inserting after section 145 ( 42 U.S.C. 12601 145A. National Service for Schools Account (a) Establishment There is established in the National Service Trust a National Service for Schools Account. (b) Amounts in the account The Account shall consist of— (1) the amounts appropriated under section 198T(i)(1)(B); (2) any amounts received by the Corporation as gifts, bequests, devises, or otherwise pursuant to section 196(a)(2), if the terms of such donations direct that the donated amounts be deposited in the Account; and (3) the interest on, and proceeds from the sale or redemption of, any obligations held by the Account. (c) Administration The Account shall be administered as described in section 198T. .

Summary: Service for Schools Act of 2015 This bill amends the National and Community Service Act of 1990 to direct the Corporation for National and Community Service to establish the National Service for Schools Program to carry out activities concerning a Service Opportunity Registry that shall list eligible service opportunities and the registered organizations that offer them. Upon receiving an application from an organization that offers an eligible service opportunity, the Corporation shall register it in a specified manner, including a description of the eligible service opportunity in the Registry. To be eligible to participate in and receive credit for service in a service opportunity listed in the Registry, qualified students must apply to their participating State Commission on National and Community Service. Each organization shall: record the qualifying hours of service completed by each qualified student who participates in a service opportunity; and notify the appropriate State Commission at least annually of the number of qualifying hours of service completed by each qualified student on a service opportunity. Eligible students shall receive an award of $10,000 from the National Services for Schools Account (established by this bill) for use to: repay eligible student loans, or pay all or part of the cost of attendance or other educational expenses at an institution of higher education.