I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6833 
To provide Peace Corps volunteers and trainees whose service was terminated 
as a result of the COVID–19 pandemic with health insurance, an expe-
dited redeployment process, and domestic service opportunities, and for 
other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 12, 2020 
Mr. PHILLIPS (for himself, Mr. YOUNG, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. GARAMENDI, 
Ms. WEXTON, Mr. CASE, Mr. SIRES, Mr. HUFFMAN, Mr. QUIGLEY, Mr. 
KENNEDY, Mr. ENGEL, and Mr. CONNOLLY) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition 
to the Committee on Education and Labor, for a period to be subse-
quently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To provide Peace Corps volunteers and trainees whose service 
was terminated as a result of the COVID–19 pandemic 
with health insurance, an expedited redeployment proc-
ess, and domestic service opportunities, 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 ‘‘Utilizing and Sup-
porting Evacuated Peace Corps Volunteers Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. HEALTH INSURANCE CONTINUATION FOR PEACE 
CORPS VOLUNTEERS. 
Section 5(e) of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 
2504(e)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘Volunteers shall receive such 
health care’’ and inserting the following: 
‘‘(1) Volunteers shall receive such health care’’; 
and 
(2) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraphs: 
‘‘(2) Volunteers whose periods of service were 
subject to early termination as a result of the 
COVID–19 public health emergency declared under 
section 319 of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 247d), and applicants for enrollment de-
scribed in section 8(a) whose training prior to enroll-
ment was subject to early termination as a result of 
such public health emergency, shall receive— 
‘‘(A) 2 months of health insurance upon 
their return to the United States; and 
‘‘(B) an opportunity to extend such health 
insurance, at the expense of such volunteer or 
applicant for enrollment, until the last day of 
the last week for which such volunteer or appli-
cant for enrollment is eligible for payments 
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under section 2102 of the CARES Act (Public 
Law 116–136). 
‘‘(3) Not later than 30 days prior to the date 
on which the period of service of a volunteer shall 
terminate, the Director of the Peace Corps, in con-
sultation with the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services, shall provide general guidance to such vol-
unteer on options for health care after termination 
other than health care provided by the Peace Corps, 
including— 
‘‘(A) on the application process and eligi-
bility requirements for medical assistance under 
State plans under title XIX of the Social Secu-
rity Act (or waivers of State plans); 
‘‘(B) on the qualified health plans (as de-
fined in section 1301(a) of the Patient Protec-
tion and Affordable Care Act (42 U.S.C. 
18021(a))) offered through an Exchange estab-
lished under title I of such Act, including on 
the enrollment periods for enrolling in such 
plans; and 
‘‘(C) in the case such volunteer is 25 years 
of age or younger, that such volunteer may be 
eligible to enroll as a dependent child in a 
group health plan or health insurance coverage 
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in which the parent of such volunteer is enrolled 
if such plan or coverage offers such dependent 
coverage.’’. 
SEC. 3. EXPEDITED HIRING FOR PEACE CORPS VOLUN-
TEERS. 
(a) NONCOMPETITIVE ELIGIBILITY HIRING STA-
TUS.— 
(1) DISTRIBUTION
OF
INFORMATION.—Not 
later than 30 days after the date of enactment of 
this Act, and annually thereafter, the Director of the 
Office of Personnel Management, in coordination 
with the Director of the Peace Corps, shall prepare 
and distribute information to each Federal depart-
ment and agency in the executive branch regarding 
the noncompetitive appointment eligibility available 
to Peace Corps volunteers for up to 3 years under 
Executive Order 11103 (22 U.S.C. 2504 note; relat-
ing to Providing for the Appointment of Former 
Peace Corps volunteers to the Civilian Career Serv-
ices), as amended by Executive Order 12107 (44 
Fed. Reg. 1055; relating to the Civil Service Com-
mission and Labor-Management in the Federal Serv-
ice), including the qualifications for such eligibility. 
(2) EXPEDITED PROCESS.—Each Federal de-
partment and agency in the executive branch facing 
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critical hiring needs as a result of the COVID–19 
pandemic or that have unfilled noncompetitive posi-
tions shall establish a process by which staff with 
hiring authority receive the information described in 
paragraph (1) from the Office of Personnel Manage-
ment about the expedited process for hiring such in-
dividuals who meet the minimum qualifications of a 
vacant position. 
(b) CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY 
SERVICE.—The Chief Executive Officer of the Corpora-
tion for National and Community Service, in coordination 
with the Director of the Peace Corps, shall establish an 
expedited process by which Peace Corps volunteers and 
trainees evacuated due to the COVID–19 public health 
emergency can participate in domestic service opportuni-
ties through AmeriCorps, FEMA Corps, or affiliated pro-
grams to help address the COVID–19 pandemic. 
(c) FOREIGN SERVICE.—Section 301(c) of the For-
eign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 3941(c)) is amended 
to read as follows: 
‘‘(c)(1) The fact that an applicant for appointment 
as a Foreign Service officer candidate is a veteran or dis-
abled veteran shall be considered an affirmative factor in 
making such appointments. 
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‘‘(2) The fact that an applicant for appointment as 
a Foreign Service officer candidate is a returned Peace 
Corps volunteer shall be considered an affirmative factor 
in making such appointments. The value accorded the af-
firmative factor under this paragraph shall be significant, 
but shall be less than the affirmative factor provided to 
individuals who qualify under paragraph (1). 
‘‘(3) In this subsection: 
‘‘(A) The term ‘returned Peace Corps volunteer’ 
means an individual who has completed— 
‘‘(i) a full term of service as a volunteer 
under the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2501 et 
seq.); or 
‘‘(ii) satisfactory service as a Peace Corps 
volunteer (as defined by the Director of the 
Peace Corps). 
‘‘(B) The term ‘veteran or disabled veteran’ 
means an individual who is preference eligible (as 
defined in subparagraph (A), (B), or (C) of section 
2108(3) of title 5, United States Code).’’. 
SEC. 4. RESUMPTION OF PEACE CORPS OPERATIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—As soon as practicable after the 
Director of the Peace Corps determines, as a result of the 
cessation of the COVID–19 pandemic, that it is safe to 
resume Peace Corps global operations, the Director shall 
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seek to resume, to the fullest extent possible, all of its pro-
grams in every country in which it operated immediately 
before the March 15, 2020, suspensions of all Peace Corps 
volunteer activities. 
(b) REPORT ON RESTART OF PEACE CORPS OPER-
ATIONS FOLLOWING END OF PUBLIC HEALTH EMER-
GENCY.—Not later than 90 days after the date of enact-
ment of this Act, the Director of the Peace Corps shall 
submit a report to the Committee on Foreign Relations 
of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 
the House of Representatives that describes the efforts of 
the Peace Corps to— 
(1) offer reenrollment to each Peace Corps vol-
unteer and trainee whose service ended suddenly on 
March 15, 2020 (or earlier, in the case of volunteers 
who were serving China and Mongolia), due to the 
COVID–19 public health emergency; 
(2) obtain approval from countries, as appro-
priate, to return reenrolled volunteers and trainees 
to their previous assignments or countries of service; 
(3) provide additional measures necessary for 
the safety and health of volunteers and trainees and 
develop contingency plans in the event overseas oper-
ations are disrupted by future COVID–19 outbreaks; 
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(4) develop and maintain a robust volunteer co-
hort; and 
(5) identify the anticipated additional appro-
priations or new statutory authorities that would be 
necessary to achieve the goal of safely redeploying 
7,300 Peace Corps volunteers during the 1-year pe-
riod beginning on the date on which Peace Corps op-
erations resume. 
(c) EXPEDITED REENROLLMENT PROCESS.—The Di-
rector of the Peace Corps shall establish an expedited 
process for the reenrollment of former Peace Corps volun-
teers and trainees whose service was interrupted as a re-
sult of the COVID–19 pandemic, including— 
(1) streamlining, to the fullest extent prac-
ticable, all application requirements for the reenroll-
ment of such volunteers and trainees during the 2- 
year period beginning on March 15, 2020; 
(2) expediting the medical clearance for such 
volunteers and trainees to facilitate reenrollment; 
(3) starting on the date on which such a volun-
teer or trainee reenrolls, providing such volunteer 
and trainee with the compensation, allowances, bene-
fits, and other terms and conditions of service to 
which such volunteer or trainee is entitled under the 
Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2501 et seq.); and 
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(4) subject to the discretion of the Director of 
the Peace Corps, affording evacuated volunteers and 
trainees, to the fullest extent possible, the oppor-
tunity to return to their previous country of service 
and resume work in the project area in which they 
had been serving prior to the evacuation due to the 
COVID–19 public health emergency. 
(d) REENROLL DEFINED.—In this section, the term 
‘‘reenroll’’ means a Peace Corps volunteer or trainee that 
was evacuated due to the COVID–19 public heath emer-
gency resuming service in the Peace Corps for a length 
of time determined by the Director of the Peace Corps. 
SEC. 5. USE OF OFFICIAL SEAL, EMBLEM, AND NAME OF 
THE PEACE CORPS. 
Section 19(b) of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 
2518(b)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1), by inserting after ‘‘under 
this chapter’’ the following: ‘‘, except that the offi-
cial seal or emblem and the name ‘Peace Corps’ may 
be used on any death announcement, gravestone, 
plaque, or other grave marker of any person who 
served as a volunteer or as an officer or employee 
of the Peace Corps under such rules as may be pre-
scribed by the Director’’; and 
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(2) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘or in ac-
cordance with the exception specified in paragraph 
(1),’’ after ‘‘under this chapter,’’. 
SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
this Act and section 5(e)(2) of the Peace Corps Act, as 
added by section 2, such sums as may be necessary for 
each of the fiscal years 2020 through 2022. 
Æ 
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