I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1154 
To amend the National and Community Service Act of 1990 to improve 
the educational awards provided for national service, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 24, 2009 
Ms. DELAURO (for herself, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. BLUMENAUER, 
Ms. NORTON, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts, Ms. 
EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, and Mr. FATTAH) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and 
Labor, and in addition to the Committees on Oversight and Government 
Reform and Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined 
by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To amend the National and Community Service Act of 1990 
to improve the educational awards provided for national 
service, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘AmeriCorps: Together 
Improving Our Nation Act’’or as the ‘‘ACTION Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. AMOUNT OF NATIONAL SERVICE EDUCATIONAL 
AWARD. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 147(a) of the National 
and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12603(a)) 
is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘equal to 90 percent of’’ and all 
that follows and inserting the following: ‘‘equal to— 
‘‘(1) for fiscal year 2010, $6585; and 
‘‘(2) except as provided in paragraph (1), for 
each fiscal year, an amount equal to the greater of— 
‘‘(A) the average cost of tuition and fees 
(determined under section 472 of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087ll) for 
the preceding fiscal year for a full-time student 
at a 4-year public institution of higher edu-
cation that receives funds under title IV of that 
Act (20 U.S.C. 1070 et seq.); and 
‘‘(B) the amount determined for the pre-
ceding fiscal year under this subsection.’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—Subsection (a) takes effect 
on October 1, 2009. 
SEC. 3. TREATMENT OF NATIONAL SERVICE EDUCATIONAL 
AWARD. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 147 of the National and 
Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12603) is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
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‘‘(d) TREATMENT.—The amount of a national service 
educational award provided to an individual under this 
subtitle shall not be included in the gross income of the 
individual for purposes of the Internal Revenue Code of 
1986.’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 
subsection (a) shall apply to national service educational 
awards disbursed after December 31, 2009. 
SEC. 4. NATIONAL SERVICE PROGRAMS TO IMPLEMENT 
PRIORITIES OF FEDERAL AGENCIES. 
Section 121(b) of the National and Community Serv-
ice Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12571(b)) is amended by add-
ing at the end the following: 
‘‘(5) PRIORITIES OF FEDERAL AGENCIES.—In 
carrying out this subsection, the Corporation may 
enter into a contract or cooperative agreement with 
another Federal agency to support a national service 
program, carried out by the Federal agency, to im-
plement the priorities of the Federal agency (not-
withstanding section 122).’’. 
SEC. 5. CABINET LEVEL STATUS FOR CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF-
FICER. 
(a) EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS.—Section 101 of title 
5, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end 
the following: 
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