COVID–19 National Service Response Act

Bill: 116-hr-6315
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Castro, Joaquin [D-TX-20]
Introduced: 2020-03-23
Policy area: Social Welfare
Subjects: Appropriations

Cardiovascular and respiratory health

Corporation for National and Community Service

Emergency medical services and trauma care

Executive agency funding and structure

Infectious and parasitic diseases

National and community service

Social work, volunteer service, charitable organizations

Student aid and college costs
Latest action: action_date: 2020-03-23
text: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.

Summaries:
action_date: 2020-03-23
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><strong>COVID-19 National Service Response Act</strong></p> <p>This bill modifies the&nbsp;Corporation for National and Community Service program to respond to the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) national emergency.</p> <p>The corporation shall allow an individual serving in a position eligible for an educational award, who is performing limited service or whose position has been suspended or placed on hold due to COVID-19,&nbsp;to accrue other service hours that will count toward the number of hours needed for the individual's education award.</p> <p>The bill (1) deems certain individuals who are required to exit such positions early at the direction of the corporation to have met the requirements of the position, and (2)&nbsp;makes certain funds available for FY2021 for the program.</p> <p>The corporation may (1) permit fixed-amount grant recipients to maintain a pro rata amount of grant funds at the corporation's discretion for participants who exited, were suspended, or are serving in a limited capacity due to COVID-19; and&nbsp;(2) extend the term of service or waive any upper age limit for national service programs carried out by the National Civilian Community Corps for purposes of addressing disruptions,&nbsp;and minimizing the difficulty in returning to full operation, due to COVID-19.</p>

tv_txt: I 116th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 6315 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES March 23, 2020 Mr. Castro of Texas (for himself and Mr. Guthrie ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor A BILL To provide administrative support and flexibility to the Corporation for National and Community Service to respond to the COVID–19 national emergency as declared by the President under the National Emergencies Act ( 50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) on March 13, 2020, with respect to the coronavirus.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the COVID–19 National Service Response Act . 2. COVID–19 National emergency response for the Corporation for National and Community Service (a) Accrual of service hours (1) Accrual through other service hours (A) In general Notwithstanding any other provision of the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 ( 42 U.S.C. 4950 et seq.) or the National and Community Service Act of 1990 ( 42 U.S.C. 12501 et seq.), the Corporation for National and Community Service shall allow an individual described in subparagraph (B) to accrue other service hours that will count toward the number of hours needed for the individual’s education award. (B) Affected individuals Subparagraph (A) shall apply to any individual serving in a position eligible for an educational award under subtitle D of title I of the National and Community Service Act of 1990 ( 42 U.S.C. 12601 et seq.)— (i) who is performing limited service due to COVID–19; or (ii) whose position has been suspended or placed on hold due to COVID–19. (2) Provisions in case of early exit In any case where an individual serving in a position eligible for an educational award under subtitle D of title I of the National and Community Service Act of 1990 ( 42 U.S.C. 12601 et seq.) was required to exit the position early at the direction of the Corporation for National and Community Service, the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service may— (A) deem such individual as having met the requirements of the position; and (B) award the individual the full value of the educational award under such subtitle for which the individual would otherwise have been eligible. (b) Availability of Funds Notwithstanding any other provision of law, all funds made available to the Corporation for National and Community Service under any Act, including the amounts appropriated to the Corporation under the headings OPERATING EXPENSES , SALARIES AND EXPENSES , and OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL under the heading Corporation for National and Community Service under title IV of Division A of the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 ( Public Law 116–94 ), shall remain available for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2021. (c) No Required Return of Grant Funds Notwithstanding section 129(l)(3)(A)(i) of the National and Community Service Act of 1990 ( 42 U.S.C. 12581(l)(3)(A)(i) ), the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service may permit fixed-amount grant recipients under such section 129(l) to maintain a pro rata amount of grant funds, at the discretion of the Corporation for National and Community Service, for participants who exited, were suspended, or are serving in a limited capacity due to COVID–19, to enable the grant recipients to maintain operations and to accept participants. (d) Extension of Terms and Age Limits Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Corporation for National and Community Service may extend the term of service (for a period not to exceed the 1-year period immediately following the end of the national emergency) or waive any upper age limit (except in no case shall the maximum age exceed 26 years of age) for national service programs carried out by the National Civilian Community Corps under subtitle E of title I of the National and Community Service Act of 1990 ( 42 U.S.C. 12611 et seq.), and the participants in such programs, for the purposes of— (1) addressing disruptions due to COVID–19; and (2) minimizing the difficulty in returning to full operation due to COVID–19 on such programs and participants.