[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6853 Introduced in House (IH)]
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116th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 6853
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 utilizing the expertise of Peace Corps volunteer leaders
whose service ended on March 15, 2020, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 13, 2020
Mr. Phillips (for himself, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mr. Schiff, Mr. Garamendi,
Mr. Tonko, Mr. Sarbanes, Ms. Spanberger, Mr. Huffman, and Mr. Crow)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committee on Transportation
and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently determined by the
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall
within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
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 utilizing 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 Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Undertaking National Initiatives to
Tackle Epidemic Act of 2020'' or the ``UNITE Act of 2020''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) The outbreak of the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2,
which causes COVID-19 (referred to in this Act as the
``coronavirus''), has disrupted the lives of all individuals in
the United States and required enormous sacrifice. In following
the guidance of public health officials, individuals in the
United States have and can continue to play a key role in
defeating their common, invisible enemy.
(2) The Corporation for National and Community Service
(referred to in this Act as ``CNCS''), through the health,
disaster, and poverty services administered by the CNCS under
the 3 flagship AmeriCorps programs (AmeriCorps VISTA,
AmeriCorps NCCC, and AmeriCorps State and National Volunteers),
is uniquely positioned to aid frontline workers and communities
most impacted by the coronavirus public health emergency if the
President of the United States fully mobilizes those 3
programs.
(3) The Federal Emergency Management Agency (referred to in
this section as ``FEMA''), tasked with leading aspects of the
whole-of-government response to the coronavirus outbreak, is
reportedly understaffed of those frontline workers that are
essential to responding to the public health emergency.
(4) On March 15, 2020, the Peace Corps involuntarily ended
the service of approximately 7,300 volunteers. Many of them
acquired public health skills in countries abroad, which may
also be applied to further service in AmeriCorps, service in
FEMA, or continuing service in the Peace Corps once operations
of the Peace Corps are to resume.
SEC. 3. SENSE OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
It is the sense of the House of Representatives that--
(1) the President should fully utilize the competencies of
the Federal Government workforce to battle the outbreak of
coronavirus, the worst global health emergency the United
States has faced in a century, as well as make available
expanded opportunities for individuals in the United States
desiring to serve their country in its time of need;
(2) the President should elevate the role of CNCS within
the whole-of-government response to the coronavirus outbreak,
including by urging its Chief Executive Officer to--
(A) in cooperation with the White House Coronavirus
Task Force, take steps to actively encourage
volunteerism and specifically encourage individuals in
the United States to serve as a volunteer in an
AmeriCorps program;
(B) prioritize AmeriCorps grants that provide
assistance to those most impacted by the coronavirus
public health emergency and recruit the maximum number
of volunteers authorized by law, particularly focusing
on the recently unemployed; and
(C) provide State Commissions, as defined in
section 101 of the National and Community Service Act
of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12511), with the flexibility to
award and amend grants and to remove undue burdens
relating to the onboarding of volunteers;
(3) the United States should expand the Cadre of On-Call
Response/Recovery Employees (CORE) program, administered by the
Federal Emergency Management Agency, to enlist individuals in
the United States to solve public health and supply-management
challenges related to the coronavirus outbreak, as well as
related to wildfires, hurricanes, and other disasters; and
(4) bolstering the number of full-time positions at the
Federal Emergency Management Agency will also expand national
service opportunities for qualified individuals in the United
States who have become unemployed or underemployed as a result
of the coronavirus outbreak, including the approximately 7,300
Peace Corps volunteers whose service ended on March 15, 2020.
SEC. 4. MOBILIZING PROGRAMS IN THE CORONAVIRUS PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY.
(a) Prioritizing Certain Agreements.--
(1) In general.--Notwithstanding any 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 Chief Executive Officer of CNCS, in
consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services,
the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency,
State governments, and State Commissions, as defined in section
101 of the National and Community Service Act of 1990, shall,
for the period described in paragraph (2), prioritize existing
agreements, or enter into new agreements, with public and
private nonprofit organizations, that will direct volunteers in
programs administered by CNCS to assignments that assist
individuals most impacted by the coronavirus public health
emergency, including assignments--
(A) providing support services to veterans,
homeless populations, the elderly, and other
individuals who may be most vulnerable during the
coronavirus public health emergency;
(B) supporting health care professionals and
related positions;
(C) offering before- and after-school tutoring and
instruction for children in low-income areas, and
offering adult basic skills and literacy tutoring and
instruction, including through remote learning;
(D) expanding broadband infrastructure for
underserved and rural communities;
(E) serving as nonpartisan poll workers for an
election for public office;
(F) performing functions consistent with
implementation of the decennial census; and
(G) performing other functions consistent with
addressing the coronavirus public health emergency,
including assisting with testing and contact tracing.
(2) Period.--The period described in this paragraph--
(A) shall begin on the date of enactment of this
Act; and
(B) shall end--
(i) not earlier than the date of the
conclusion of the coronavirus public health
emergency; and
(ii) not later than 2 years after the
conclusion of such emergency.
(b) Authorization for Additional Recruitment of AmeriCorps
Volunteers.--
(1) In general.--
(A) Increase in number of positions.--Section
121(f)(1)(B) of the National and Community Service Act
of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12571(f)(1)(B)) is amended--
(i) in clause (vi), by striking ``and'' at
the end;
(ii) in clause (vii), by adding ``and'' at
the end; and
(iii) by adding at the end the following:
``(viii) 500,000 for each of fiscal years
2020 through 2022;''.
(B) Reauthorizations.--
(i) Americorps vista.--Section 501(a)(1) of
the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 (42
U.S.C. 5081(a)(1)) is amended by striking
``$100,000,000 for fiscal year 2010 and such
sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal
years 2011 through 2014'' and inserting ``such
sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal
years 2020 through 2022''.
(ii) Americorps nccc.--Section 501(a)(1)(A)
of the National and Community Service Act of
1990 (42 U.S.C. 12681(a)(1)(A)) is amended--
(I) by striking clauses (i) and
(ii); and
(II) by striking ``title I--'' and
inserting ``title I, such sums as may
be necessary for each of fiscal years
2020 through 2022.''.
(iii) Americorps state and national
volunteers.--Section 501(a)(2) of the National
and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C.
12681(a)(2)) is amended by striking ``2010
through 2014'' and inserting ``2020 through
2022''.
(2) Requirement.--To fulfill the purposes of subsection
(a), the Chief Executive Officer of CNCS shall expedite the
recruitment and selection of volunteers for an assignment
described in subsection (a) who are--
(A) unemployed veterans;
(B) individuals who become unemployed or
underemployed as a result of the coronavirus public
health emergency; and
(C) AmeriCorps members, Peace Corps volunteers and
trainees, and United States Fulbright scholars, who
have had their service ended as a result of such
emergency.
(3) Eligibility.--
(A) In general.--Notwithstanding any other
provision of law--
(i) any individual who is authorized to
work in the United States shall not be
disqualified from being recruited or selected
for any assignment described in subsection (a)
based solely on his or her citizenship status;
and
(ii) bankruptcy or poor credit determined
by the Chief Executive Officer of CNCS to be
arising from the coronavirus public health
emergency shall not disqualify any individual
from being recruited or selected for any
assignment described in subsection (a) based
solely on such bankruptcy or credit reporting.
(B) Clarification.--No individual described in
clause (i) or (ii) of subparagraph (A) who is recruited
or selected for an assignment described in subsection
(a) shall become disqualified from continuing to serve
in such assignment after the expiration of the period
described in subsection (a)(2) solely on the basis of
his or her citizenship or immigration status,
bankruptcy status, or credit score.
(c) Briefing to Congress.--Not later than 30 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, and every 180 days thereafter, the Chief
Executive Officer of CNCS shall submit a report, to the Committee on
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee
on Education and Labor of the House of Representatives, on the
operating plan of the CNCS to carry out subsections (a) and (b),
including the amendments under subsection (b).
(d) Enhanced Stipend.--Section 105(b)(2)(A) of the Domestic
Volunteer Service Act of 1973 (42 U.S.C. 4955(b)(2)(A)) is amended to
read as follows:
``(A) beginning for fiscal year 2020, the minimum allowance
is not less than an amount equal to 200 percent of the income
official poverty line (as defined by the Office of Management
and Budget, and revised annually in accordance with section
673(2) of the Community Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C.
9902(2))) applicable to a family of 1; and''.
(e) Ceiling on Stipend for Grantees.--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 ``$25,000''; and
(2) in subsection (e)(1), by striking ``$19,500'' and
inserting ``$30,000''.
(f) Waiver of Matching Funds Requirements.--Section 189A of the
National and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12645d) is
amended--
(1) in the section heading, by inserting ``; matching funds
during coronavirus public health emergency'' after
``communities'';
(2) by redesignating subsection (b) as subsection (c); and
(3) by inserting after subsection (a) the following:
``(b) COVID-19 Response.--Notwithstanding any other provision of
law, an entity that receives newly awarded assistance, or previously
awarded assistance still within the period of performance for such
assistance, from the Corporation for any program under the national
service laws (including a State Commission and an entity receiving
subgrant funds) during the coronavirus public health emergency, as
defined in section 4(g) of the Undertaking National Initiatives to
Tackle Epidemic Act of 2020, shall not be subject to any requirements
to provide matching funds for any such program, and the Federal share
of such assistance for a recipient (including for a State Commission
and a subgrant recipient) shall be 100 percent.''.
(g) Coronavirus Public Health Emergency Defined.--In this section,
the term ``coronavirus public health emergency'' means the public
health emergency declared by the Secretary of Health and Human Services
under section 319 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247d) on
January 31, 2020, with respect to COVID-19.
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION FOR SURGE CAPACITY FOR FEDERAL EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT AGENCY.
(a) In General.--For fiscal years 2020 through 2022 and subject to
the appropriation of funds, the Administrator of the Federal Emergency
Management Agency shall appoint, administer, and expedite the training
of an additional 62,000 Cadre of On-Call Response/Recovery Employees,
under the Response and Recover Directorate (referred to in this section
as ``CORE employees'') under the Office of Response and Recovery, above
the level of such employees in fiscal year 2019, to address the
coronavirus public health emergency and other disasters and public
emergencies.
(b) Detail of CORE Employees.--A CORE employee may be detailed,
through mutual agreement and on a nonreimbursable basis, to any Federal
agency or to a State, local, or Tribal government to fulfill an
assignment consistent with the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.), including--
(1) providing logistical support for the supply chain of
medical equipment and other goods involved in COVID-19 response
efforts;
(2) facilitating COVID-19 testing and surveillance
activities;
(3) tracing contacts of infected individuals and the status
of the individuals while being quarantined;
(4) providing nutritional assistance to vulnerable
populations; and
(5) carrying out other disaster preparedness and response
functions for other emergencies and natural disasters.
(c) Requirement.--As soon as practicable, the Administrator of the
Federal Emergency Management Agency shall make public job announcements
to fill the CORE employee positions authorized under subsection (a),
which shall prioritize hiring from among the following groups of
individuals:
(1) Unemployed veterans.
(2) Individuals who have become unemployed or underemployed
as a result of the coronavirus public health emergency.
(3) AmeriCorps members, Peace Corps volunteers and
trainees, and United States Fulbright Scholars who have had
their service terms ended as a result of the coronavirus public
health emergency.
(4) Recent graduates of public health, medical, nursing,
social work, or related health-services programs.
(d) Hiring.--The Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management
Agency shall--
(1) hire the employees authorized under this section in
accordance with section 306(b)(1) of the Robert T. Stafford
Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C.
5149(b)(1)); and
(2) use relevant statutory authority in effect on the day
before the date of enactment of this Act to allow regional
offices and site managers to advertise for and hire employees
under this section.
(e) Training.--The Administrator of the Federal Emergency
Management Agency may make appropriate adjustments to the standard
training course curriculum for employees under this section to include
on-site trainings at regional offices of the Federal Emergency
Management Agency, virtual trainings, or trainings conducted by other
Federal, State, local, or Tribal agencies to fulfill functions
described in subsection (b).
(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management
Agency $6,500,000,000, for each of fiscal years 2020, 2021, and 2022,
of which not less than $1,500,000,000 may be used each fiscal year for
the administrative costs associated with carrying out this section.
(g) Eligibility for Hiring.--Notwithstanding any other provision of
law, for the purposes of hiring employees under this section--
(1) any individual who is authorized to work in the United
States shall not be disqualified for appointment to a position
under this section based solely on his or her citizenship
status; and
(2) bankruptcy or poor credit determined by the
Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to be
arising from the coronavirus public health emergency shall not
disqualify any individual for appointment to a position under
this section.
(h) Elections.--Section 403 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster
Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170b) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)(3)(D) by striking the subparagraph
and inserting the following:
``(D) provision of temporary or supplementary
facilities for schools, official government polling
places, and other essential community services;''; and
(2) in subsection (d)(1)--
(A) in subparagraph (A)(ii) by striking ``or'' at
the end;
(B) in subparagraph (B) by striking the period at
the end and inserting ``; or''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following new
subparagraph:
``(C) stipends for temporary workers of the State,
tribal, or local government conducting nonpartisan
official election poll worker services.''.
(i) Coordination.--The Federal Emergency Management Agency shall
implement this Act and the amendments made by this Act in coordination
with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Director of the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other Federal agencies
as determined appropriate.
(j) Coronavirus Public Health Emergency Defined.--In this section,
the term ``coronavirus public health emergency'' has the meaning given
the term in section 4(g).
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