The America’s Call To Improve Opportunities Now for National Service Act fundamentally reorganizes the federal national service apparatus. It abolishes the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) and establishes the AmeriCorps Administration as an Executive department, thereby elevating the agency's status within the federal government. The leadership structure is also modified, replacing the Chief Executive Officer with a Director who holds the same rank and status as the head of an executive department. An Advisory Board is established, shifting from a governing board to an advisory role, making recommendations to the Director and meeting more frequently. A key provision of the bill is the significant increase in national service educational awards , which will now be equal to twice the national average of yearly in-state tuition and fees at public, 4-year institutions. This aims to make national service a more attractive option for educational advancement. Furthermore, the bill increases living allowance amounts for participants in various programs, including those under the Domestic Volunteer Service Act and the National Civilian Community Corps. These increases are contingent on sufficient appropriations to avoid reducing the number of participants. To broaden awareness and participation, the bill mandates the creation of a 21st Century American Service Outreach Program . This program will inform individuals aged 17 to 30 about national service opportunities, including AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, and military service, and will contact them periodically. The legislation sets an ambitious 10-year goal to expand national service, aiming for not fewer than 1,000,000 participants annually by September 30, 2036. The AmeriCorps Administration is tasked with developing a plan to achieve this, starting with 250,000 approved positions in fiscal year 2027. To support this expansion and the Administration's activities, the bill authorizes necessary appropriations and establishes a National Service Foundation , a charitable and nonprofit corporation, to accept private gifts. Additionally, the bill provides important tax exclusions , ensuring that national service educational awards and living allowances are not included in gross income for federal tax purposes, thereby increasing the net benefit for participants. An interagency working group is to be established to evaluate eligibility for educational awards for participants in non-AmeriCorps national service programs and to assess the feasibility of granting federal hiring preference to national service completers. The bill includes numerous conforming amendments across various federal laws to reflect the new AmeriCorps Administration and Director, ensuring consistency across federal statutes.
The America’s Call To Improve Opportunities Now for National Service Act fundamentally reorganizes the federal national service apparatus. It abolishes the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) and establishes the AmeriCorps Administration as an Executive department, thereby elevating the agency's status within the federal government. The leadership structure is also modified, replacing the Chief Executive Officer with a Director who holds the same rank and status as the head of an executive department. An Advisory Board is established, shifting from a governing board to an advisory role, making recommendations to the Director and meeting more frequently. A key provision of the bill is the significant increase in national service educational awards , which will now be equal to twice the national average of yearly in-state tuition and fees at public, 4-year institutions. This aims to make national service a more attractive option for educational advancement. Furthermore, the bill increases living allowance amounts for participants in various programs, including those under the Domestic Volunteer Service Act and the National Civilian Community Corps. These increases are contingent on sufficient appropriations to avoid reducing the number of participants. To broaden awareness and participation, the bill mandates the creation of a 21st Century American Service Outreach Program . This program will inform individuals aged 17 to 30 about national service opportunities, including AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, and military service, and will contact them periodically. The legislation sets an ambitious 10-year goal to expand national service, aiming for not fewer than 1,000,000 participants annually by September 30, 2036. The AmeriCorps Administration is tasked with developing a plan to achieve this, starting with 250,000 approved positions in fiscal year 2027. To support this expansion and the Administration's activities, the bill authorizes necessary appropriations and establishes a National Service Foundation , a charitable and nonprofit corporation, to accept private gifts. Additionally, the bill provides important tax exclusions , ensuring that national service educational awards and living allowances are not included in gross income for federal tax purposes, thereby increasing the net benefit for participants. An interagency working group is to be established to evaluate eligibility for educational awards for participants in non-AmeriCorps national service programs and to assess the feasibility of granting federal hiring preference to national service completers. The bill includes numerous conforming amendments across various federal laws to reflect the new AmeriCorps Administration and Director, ensuring consistency across federal statutes.