UNITE Act of 2020

II 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION S. 3642 To mobilize individuals in the United States in the fight against coronavirus by expanding volunteer opportunities in AmeriCorps, expanding employ- ment opportunities at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and utilizing the expertise of Peace Corps volunteer leaders whose service ended on March 15, 2020, and for other purposes. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES MAY 7, 2020 Mr. VAN HOLLEN (for Mr. MARKEY (for himself, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, and Mr. BLUMENTHAL)) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions A BILL To mobilize individuals in the United States in the fight against coronavirus by expanding volunteer opportunities in AmeriCorps, expanding employment opportunities at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and uti- lizing the expertise of Peace Corps volunteer leaders whose service ended on March 15, 2020, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:05 May 12, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3642.IS S3642 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with BILLS 2 •S 3642 IS SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 1 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Undertaking National 2 Initiatives to Tackle Epidemic Act of 2020’’ or the 3 ‘‘UNITE Act of 2020’’. 4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 5 Congress makes the following findings: 6 (1) The outbreak of the novel coronavirus, 7 SARS–CoV–2, which causes COVID–19 (referred to 8 in this Act as the ‘‘coronavirus’’), has disrupted the 9 lives of all individuals in the United States and re- 10 quired enormous sacrifice. In following the guidance 11 of public health officials, individuals in the United 12 States have and can continue to play a key role in 13 defeating their common, invisible enemy. 14 (2) The Corporation for National and Commu- 15 nity Service (referred to in this Act as ‘‘CNCS’’), 16 through the health, disaster, and poverty services 17 administered by the CNCS under the 3 flagship 18 AmeriCorps programs (AmeriCorps VISTA, 19 AmeriCorps NCCC, and AmeriCorps State and Na- 20 tional Volunteers), is uniquely positioned to aid 21 frontline workers and communities most impacted by 22 the coronavirus public health emergency if the Presi- 23 dent of the United States fully mobilizes those 3 24 programs. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:05 May 12, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3642.IS S3642 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with BILLS 3 •S 3642 IS (3) The Federal Emergency Management Agen- 1 cy (referred to in this section as ‘‘FEMA’’), tasked 2 with leading aspects of the whole-of-government re- 3 sponse to the coronavirus outbreak, is reportedly 4 understaffed of those frontline workers that are es- 5 sential to responding to the public health emergency. 6 (4) On March 15, 2020, the Peace Corps invol- 7 untarily ended the service of approximately 7,300 8 volunteers. Many of them acquired public health 9 skills in countries abroad, which may also be applied 10 to further service in AmeriCorps, service in FEMA, 11 or continuing service in the Peace Corps once oper- 12 ations of the Peace Corps are to resume. 13 SEC. 3. SENSE OF THE SENATE. 14 It is the sense of the Senate that— 15 (1) the President should fully utilize the com- 16 petencies of the Federal Government workforce to 17 battle the outbreak of coronavirus, the worst global 18 health emergency the United States has faced in a 19 century, as well as make available expanded opportu- 20 nities for individuals in the United States desiring to 21 serve their country in its time of need; 22 (2) the President should elevate the role of 23 CNCS within the whole-of-government response to 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:05 May 12, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3642.IS S3642 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with BILLS 4 •S 3642 IS the coronavirus outbreak, including by urging its 1 Chief Executive Officer to— 2 (A) take steps to actively encourage vol- 3 unteerism and specifically encourage individuals 4 in the United States to serve as volunteers in 5 AmeriCorps programs; 6 (B) prioritize AmeriCorps grants that pro- 7 vide assistance to those most impacted by the 8 coronavirus public health emergency and recruit 9 the maximum number of volunteers authorized 10 by law, particularly focusing on the recently un- 11 employed; and 12 (C) provide State Commissions, as defined 13 in section 101 of the National and Community 14 Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12511), with 15 the flexibility to award and amend grants and 16 to remove undue burdens relating to the 17 onboarding of volunteers; 18 (3) the United States should expand the Cadre 19 of On-Call Response/Recovery Employees (CORE) 20 program, administered by the Federal Emergency 21 Management Agency, to enlist individuals in the 22 United States to solve public health and supply-man- 23 agement challenges related to the coronavirus out- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:05 May 12, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3642.IS S3642 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with BILLS 5 •S 3642 IS break, as well as challenges related to wildfires, hur- 1 ricanes, and other disasters; and 2 (4) bolstering the number full-time positions at 3 the Federal Emergency Management Agency will 4 also expand national service opportunities for quali- 5 fied individuals in the United States who have be- 6 come unemployed or underemployed as a result of 7 the coronavirus outbreak, including the approxi- 8 mately 7,300 Peace Corps volunteers whose service 9 ended on March 15, 2020. 10 SEC. 4. MOBILIZING PROGRAMS IN THE CORONAVIRUS 11 PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY. 12 (a) PRIORITIZING CERTAIN AGREEMENTS.— 13 (1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any provi- 14 sion of the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 15 (42 U.S.C. 4950 et seq.) or the National and Com- 16 munity Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12501 et 17 seq.), the Chief Executive Officer of CNCS, in con- 18 sultation with the Secretary of Health and Human 19 Services, the Director of the Centers for Disease 20 Control and Prevention, the Administrator of the 21 Federal Emergency Management Agency, State gov- 22 ernments, and State Commissions, as defined in sec- 23 tion 101 of the National and Community Service Act 24 of 1990, shall, for the period described in paragraph 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:05 May 12, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3642.IS S3642 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with BILLS 6 •S 3642 IS (2), prioritize existing agreements, or enter into new 1 agreements, with public and private nonprofit orga- 2 nizations, that will direct volunteers in programs ad- 3 ministered by CNCS to assignments that assist indi- 4 viduals most impacted by the coronavirus public 5 health emergency, including assignments— 6 (A) providing support services to veterans, 7 homeless populations, the elderly, and other in- 8 dividuals who may be most vulnerable during 9 the coronavirus public health emergency; 10 (B) supporting health care professionals 11 and related positions; 12 (C) offering before- and after-school tutor- 13 ing and instruction for children in low-income 14 areas, and offering adult basic skills and lit- 15 eracy tutoring and instruction, including 16 through remote learning; 17 (D) expanding broadband infrastructure 18 for underserved and rural communities; 19 (E) performing functions consistent with 20 implementation of the decennial census; and 21 (F) performing other functions consistent 22 with addressing the coronavirus public health 23 emergency, including assisting with testing and 24 contact tracing. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:05 May 12, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3642.IS S3642 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with BILLS 7 •S 3642 IS (2) PERIOD.—The period described in this 1 paragraph— 2 (A) shall begin on the date of enactment of 3 this Act; and 4 (B) shall end— 5 (i) not earlier than the date of the 6 conclusion of the coronavirus public health 7 emergency; and 8 (ii) not later than 2 years after the 9 conclusion of such emergency. 10 (b) AUTHORIZATION FOR ADDITIONAL RECRUIT- 11 MENT OF AMERICORPS VOLUNTEERS.— 12 (1) IN GENERAL.— 13 (A) INCREASE IN NUMBER OF POSI- 14 TIONS.—Section 121(f)(1)(B) of the National 15 and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 16 12571(f)(1)(B)) is amended— 17 (i) in clause (vi), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 18 the end; 19 (ii) in clause (vii), by adding ‘‘and’’ at 20 the end; and 21 (iii) by adding at the end the fol- 22 lowing: 23 ‘‘(viii) 500,000 for each of fiscal years 24 2020 through 2022;’’. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:05 May 12, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3642.IS S3642 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with BILLS 8 •S 3642 IS (B) REAUTHORIZATIONS.— 1 (i) AMERICORPS VISTA.—Section 2 501(a)(1) of the Domestic Volunteer Serv- 3 ice Act of 1973 (42 U.S.C. 5081(a)(1)) is 4 amended by striking ‘‘$100,000,000 for 5 fiscal year 2010 and such sums as may be 6 necessary for each of the fiscal years 2011 7 through 2014’’ and inserting ‘‘such sums 8 as may be necessary for each of fiscal 9 years 2020 through 2022’’. 10 (ii) AMERICORPS NCCC.—Section 11 501(a)(1)(A) of the National and Commu- 12 nity Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 13 12681(a)(1)(A)) is amended— 14 (I) by striking clauses (i) and 15 (ii); and 16 (II) by striking ‘‘title I—’’ and 17 inserting ‘‘title I, such sums as may 18 be necessary for each of fiscal years 19 2020 through 2022.’’. 20 (iii) AMERICORPS STATE AND NA- 21 TIONAL VOLUNTEERS.—Section 501(a)(2) 22 of the National and Community Service 23 Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12681(a)(2)) is 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:05 May 12, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3642.IS S3642 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with BILLS 9 •S 3642 IS amended by striking ‘‘2010 through 2014’’ 1 and inserting ‘‘2020 through 2022’’. 2 (2) REQUIREMENT.—To fulfill the purposes of 3 subsection (a), the Chief Executive Officer of CNCS 4 shall expedite the recruitment and selection of volun- 5 teers for an assignment described in subsection (a) 6 who are— 7 (A) unemployed veterans; 8 (B) individuals who become unemployed or 9 underemployed as a result of the coronavirus 10 public health emergency; and 11 (C) AmeriCorps members, Peace Corps 12 volunteers, and United States Fulbright schol- 13 ars, who have had their service ended as a re- 14 sult of such emergency. 15 (3) ELIGIBILITY.— 16 (A) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any 17 other provision of law— 18 (i) any individual who is authorized to 19 work in the United States, including any 20 individual granted Deferred Action for 21 Childhood Arrivals (DACA) pursuant to 22 the program announced by the Secretary 23 of Homeland Security on June 15, 2012, 24 and any individual granted Temporary 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:05 May 12, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3642.IS S3642 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with BILLS 10 •S 3642 IS Protected Status pursuant to section 1 244(a)(1) of the Immigration and Nation- 2 ality Act (8 U.S.C. 1254a(a)(1)), may not 3 be disqualified from being recruited or se- 4 lected for any assignment described in sub- 5 section (a) based solely on his or her citi- 6 zenship or immigration status; and 7 (ii) any individual who has filed for 8 bankruptcy, or who has a poor credit rat- 9 ing, determined by the Chief Executive Of- 10 ficer of CNCS to be the result of the 11 coronavirus public health emergency may 12 not be disqualified from being recruited or 13 selected for any assignment described in 14 subsection (a) based solely on such bank- 15 ruptcy or credit reporting. 16 (B) CLARIFICATION.—No individual de- 17 scribed in clause (i) or (ii) of subparagraph (A) 18 who is recruited or selected for an assignment 19 described in subsection (a) shall become dis- 20 qualified from continuing to serve in such as- 21 signment after the expiration of the period de- 22 scribed in subsection (a)(2) solely on the basis 23 of his or her citizenship or immigration status, 24 bankruptcy status, or credit score. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:05 May 12, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3642.IS S3642 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with BILLS 11 •S 3642 IS (c) BRIEFING TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 30 1 days after the date of enactment of this Act, and every 2 180 days thereafter through fiscal year 2022, the Chief 3 Executive Officer of CNCS shall submit a report, to the 4 Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of 5 the Senate and the Committee on Education and Labor 6 of the House of Representatives, on the operating plan of 7 the CNCS to carry out subsections (a) and (b), including 8 the amendments under subsection (b). 9 (d) ENHANCED STIPEND.—Section 105(b)(2)(A) of 10 the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 (42 U.S.C. 11 4955(b)(2)(A)) is amended to read as follows: 12 ‘‘(A) beginning for fiscal year 2020, the min- 13 imum allowance is not less than an amount equal to 14 200 percent of the income official poverty line (as 15 defined by the Office of Management and Budget, 16 and revised annually in accordance with section 17 673(2) of the Community Services Block Grant Act 18 (42 U.S.C. 9902(2))) applicable to a family of 1; 19 and’’. 20 (e) CEILING ON STIPEND FOR GRANTEES.—Section 21 189 of the National and Community Service Act of 1990 22 (42 U.S.C. 12645c) is amended— 23 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘$18,000’’ 24 and inserting ‘‘$25,000’’; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:05 May 12, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3642.IS S3642 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with BILLS 12 •S 3642 IS (2) in subsection (e)(1), by striking ‘‘$19,500’’ 1 and inserting ‘‘$30,000’’. 2 (f) WAIVER OF MATCHING FUNDS REQUIRE- 3 MENTS.—Section 189A of the National and Community 4 Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12645d) is amended— 5 (1) in the section heading, by inserting ‘‘; 6 MATCHING FUNDS DURING CORONAVIRUS PUB- 7 LIC HEALTH EMERGENCY’’ after ‘‘COMMU- 8 NITIES’’; 9 (2) by redesignating subsection (b) as sub- 10 section (c); and 11 (3) by inserting after subsection (a) the fol- 12 lowing: 13 ‘‘(b) COVID–19 RESPONSE.—Notwithstanding any 14 other provision of law, an entity that receives assistance 15 from the Corporation for any program under the national 16 service laws (including a State Commission and an entity 17 receiving subgrant funds) during the coronavirus public 18 health emergency, as defined in section 4(g) of the Under- 19 taking National Initiatives to Tackle Epidemic Act of 20 2020, shall not be subject to any requirements to provide 21 matching funds for any such program, and [Text truncated for display. 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