Title: 21st Century American Service Act
Policy area: Social Welfare

Summary:
21st Century American Service Act
This bill directs the Corporation for National and Community Service to develop and implement a program to ensure that each applicant to a voluntary civilian national service program has the opportunity to serve. The bill also increases living allowances provided by such service programs and excludes various allowances, including AmeriCorps educational awards, from gross income for taxation purposes.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3665 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3665

  To provide for a more inclusive voluntary civilian national service 
program to promote civic engagement, enhance national unity, and foster 
 a sense of shared sacrifice by helping young Americans participate in 
               national service, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           November 28, 2018

    Ms. Duckworth (for herself, Mrs. Gillibrand, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. 
 Blumenthal, and Ms. Baldwin) introduced the following bill; which was 
          read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To provide for a more inclusive voluntary civilian national service 
program to promote civic engagement, enhance national unity, and foster 
 a sense of shared sacrifice by helping young Americans participate in 
               national service, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``21st Century American Service Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Section 2(a) of the National and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 
U.S.C. 12501(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(7) The number of Americans applying to participate in 
        national service programs each year significantly exceeds the 
        number of available positions, depriving hundreds of thousands 
        of Americans from participating in national and community 
        service.
            ``(8) By dramatically lowering the barriers to 
        participating in national service and expanding the network of 
        quality volunteer opportunities, the United States can address 
        important national priorities and promote a sense of shared 
        purpose among the citizenry, at a time when less than one 
        percent of Americans are serving as members of the Armed 
        Forces.''.

SEC. 3. EXCLUSION FROM GROSS INCOME OF AMERICORPS EDUCATIONAL AWARDS.

    (a) In General.--Section 117 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 
(relating to qualified scholarships) is amended by adding at the end 
the following new subsection:
    ``(e) AmeriCorps Educational Awards.--Gross income shall not 
include any national service educational award described in subtitle D 
of title I of the National and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 
12601 et seq.).''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by this section shall apply 
to taxable years ending after the date of the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 4. INCOME TAX EXCLUSION FOR LIVING ALLOWANCE.

    (a) In General.--Part III of subchapter B of chapter 1 of the 
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by inserting after section 
139G the following new section:

``SEC. 139H. LIVING ALLOWANCE FOR NATIONAL SERVICE PARTICIPANTS.

    ``Gross income does not include the amount of any living allowance 
provided under section 140 of the National and Community Service Act of 
1990.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for part III of 
subchapter B of chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is 
amended by inserting after the item relating to section 139G the 
following new item:

``Sec. 139H. Living allowance for national service participants.''.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall 
apply to taxable years beginning after the date of the enactment of 
this Act.

SEC. 5. 21ST CENTURY NATIONAL SERVICE PROGRAM.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Corporation.--The term ``Corporation'' has the meaning 
        given the term in section 101 of the National and Community 
        Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12511).
            (2) Eligible individual.--The term ``eligible individual'' 
        means an individual who is eligible for a national service 
        program.
            (3) National service program.--The term ``national service 
        program'' means a voluntary civilian national service program 
        authorized under the National and Community Service Act of 1990 
        (42 U.S.C. 12501 et seq.) or the Domestic Volunteer Service Act 
        of 1973 (42 U.S.C. 4950 et seq.).
    (b) Program Established.--
            (1) In general.--The Corporation shall develop a plan to 
        establish a 21st Century National Service Program to ensure 
        that each eligible individual who applies to serve in a 
        national service program will be provided an opportunity to 
        serve in such program.
            (2) Development of the program.--In developing the 21st 
        Century National Service Program, the Corporation shall--
                    (A) determine how the Corporation will work with 
                Federal or State agencies and other entities to--
                            (i) contact each eligible individual upon 
                        such individual's 17th birthday to notify the 
                        individual about--
                                    (I) the individual's eligibility 
                                for national service programs;
                                    (II) such national service programs 
                                and how to register for a specific 
                                program;
                                    (III) other service programs for 
                                which the individual may be eligible, 
                                including the Peace Corps (as 
                                established by the Peace Corps Act (22 
                                U.S.C. 2501 et seq.)) and military 
                                service; and
                                    (IV) the individual's option to 
                                opt-out of receiving any notifications, 
                                or just notifications in a paper 
                                format, under clause (ii); and
                            (ii) after contacting an eligible 
                        individual under clause (i), notify the 
                        eligible individual every 2 years thereafter of 
                        the information described in subclauses (I) 
                        through (IV) of clause (i), unless--
                                    (I) the individual is serving in a 
                                national service program; or
                                    (II) the individual has opted out 
                                of receiving such notifications under 
                                clause (i)(IV); and
                    (B) determine how the Corporation will enable 
                eligible individuals to register for a specific 
                national service program and ensure that such 
                registration process is the most effective process for 
                the purpose of registering for such a program.
            (3) Strategic plan.--
                    (A) Plan for implementation.--The Corporation shall 
                develop a strategic implementation plan to fully 
                implement the 21st Century National Service Program, 
                which shall include--
                            (i) concrete timelines and milestones for 
                        an effective and phased implementation; and
                            (ii) beginning the notification under 
                        paragraph (2)(A)(i) not later than 1 year after 
                        the date of enactment of this Act, to the 
                        greatest extent practicable.
                    (B) Publication.--The Corporation shall publish on 
                the website of the Corporation the information 
                described in this paragraph.
            (4) Authorization of appropriations.--There are authorized 
        to be appropriated to the Corporation such sums as are 
        necessary to carry out this section.

SEC. 6. LIVING ALLOWANCE AMOUNTS.

    (a) Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973.--Section 105(b) of the 
Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 (42 U.S.C. 4955(b)(2)) is 
amended--
            (1) in paragraph (2)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``95 percent'' 
                and inserting ``150 percent''; and
                    (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``105 
                percent'' and inserting ``210 percent''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(4)(A) A stipend or allowance under this subsection shall 
        not be increased as a result of amendments made by the 21st 
        Century American Service Act, or any other amendment made to 
        this subsection unless the funds appropriated for carrying out 
        this part are sufficient to maintain for the fiscal year in 
        question a number of participants to serve under this part at 
        least equal to the number of such participants serving during 
        the preceding fiscal year.
            ``(B) In the event that sufficient appropriations for any 
        fiscal year are not available to increase any such stipend or 
        allowance provided to the minimum amount specified in paragraph 
        (2), the Director shall increase the stipend or allowance to 
        such amount as appropriations for such year permit consistent 
        with subparagraph (A).''.
    (b) National and Community Service Act of 1990.--Section 189 of the 
National and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12645c) is 
amended--
            (1) in subsection (a), by striking ``$18,000'' and 
        inserting ``$28,244'';
            (2) in subsection (e)(1), by striking ``$19,500'' and 
        inserting ``$39,000''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(f) Insufficient Appropriations.--Notwithstanding the increased 
limitation on grant amounts per full-time equivalent position described 
in subsection (a) and the increased limitation described in subsection 
(e)(1) as a result of amendments made by the 21st Century American 
Service Act, or any other amendment made to this section, the amount of 
funds per full-time equivalent position approved by the Corporation for 
a grant, as described in those subsections, shall not be increased 
unless the funds appropriated for carrying out this subtitle are 
sufficient to make such increase while maintaining for the fiscal year 
in question a number of approved national service positions at least 
equal to the number of such positions during the preceding fiscal 
year.''.

SEC. 7. EDUCATIONAL AWARD AMOUNTS.

    Section 147(a) of the National and Community Service Act of 1990 
(42 U.S.C. 12603(a)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``Except as provided'' and inserting the 
        following:
            ``(1) In general.--Except as provided'';
            (2) by inserting ``twice'' before ``the maximum amount of a 
        Federal Pell Grant''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(2) Insufficient appropriations.--
                    ``(A) No increase in educational award.--
                Notwithstanding paragraph (1), the national service 
                educational award under this subsection shall not be 
                increased as a result of amendments made by the 21st 
                Century American Service Act, or any other amendment 
                made to this subsection, unless the funds appropriated 
                for carrying out this subtitle are sufficient to 
                maintain for the fiscal year in question a number of 
                such national service educational awards that is at 
                least equal to the number of such awards during the 
                preceding fiscal year.
                    ``(B) Limited increase in educational award.--In 
                the event that sufficient appropriations for any fiscal 
                year are not available to increase any such national 
                service educational award provided to the amount 
                specified in paragraph (1), the amount of such award 
                shall be increased to such amount as appropriations for 
                such year permit consistent with subparagraph (A).''.

SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    Section 501(a)(2) of the National and Community Service Act of 1990 
(42 U.S.C. 12681(a)(2)) is amended to read as follows:
            ``(2) Subtitles c and d.--
                    ``(A) In general.--There are authorized to be 
                appropriated, for each fiscal year, such sums as may be 
                necessary to provide financial assistance under 
                subtitle C of title I and to provide national service 
                educational awards under subtitle D of title I for--
                            ``(i) the number of positions specified in 
                        section 121(f)(1) for such fiscal year, if that 
                        number is so specified for that fiscal year; or
                            ``(ii) otherwise, the number of positions 
                        specified in section 121(f)(1) for the most 
                        recent fiscal year.
                    ``(B) Maintaining positions and awards.--For the 
                purpose of authorizing appropriations under 
                subparagraph (A) for a fiscal year, there are 
                authorized to be appropriated--
                            ``(i) for supporting (including providing 
                        living allowances for) approved national 
                        service positions, an amount sufficient to 
                        ensure that the amendments made by section 6 of 
                        the 21st Century American Service Act may be 
                        carried out, while supporting the number of 
                        positions determined under subparagraph (A) for 
                        the fiscal year involved; and
                            ``(ii) for funding the national service 
                        educational awards associated with those 
                        positions, an amount sufficient to ensure that 
                        the amendments made by section 7 of the 21st 
                        Century American Service Act may be carried 
                        out.''.
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