ACTION for National Service Act

The ACTION for National Service Act aims to significantly expand national service opportunities in the United States. It proposes elevating the Corporation for National and Community Service to a Cabinet-level agency, to be renamed the AmeriCorps Administration. The bill sets a ten-year goal of funding at least one million service positions annually, focusing on addressing national priorities such as education, infrastructure, healthcare, and disaster relief.

To make service more accessible, the legislation would increase the living allowance for participants and enhance the post-service education award. Specifically, it proposes that individuals who complete two full terms of service receive an educational benefit equivalent to four years of average in-state tuition at a public university. Additionally, the bill would exempt these living stipends and education awards from federal income taxes to reduce the financial burden on volunteers.

The bill also proposes creating a new outreach program to notify young people between the ages of 17 and 30 about available service opportunities. It would establish a National Service Foundation to encourage private and philanthropic investment and create an interagency working group to explore granting federal hiring preferences to AmeriCorps alumni.