[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8479 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8479
To establish an Interagency Council on Service to promote and
strengthen opportunities for military service, national service, and
public service for all people of the United States, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 21, 2024
Ms. Houlahan (for herself, Mr. Panetta, Mr. Bergman, and Mr. Waltz)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committees on Armed
Services, Foreign Affairs, and Oversight and Accountability, 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 establish an Interagency Council on Service to promote and
strengthen opportunities for military service, national service, and
public service for all people of the United States, 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 ``Unity through Service Act of 2024''.
SEC. 2. INTERAGENCY COUNCIL ON SERVICE.
(a) Establishment.--
(1) In general.--There is established an Interagency
Council on Service (in this section referred to as the
``Council'').
(2) Functions.--The Council shall--
(A) advise the President with respect to promoting,
strengthening, and expanding opportunities for military
service, national service, and public service for all
people of the United States; and
(B) review, assess, and coordinate holistic
recruitment strategies and initiatives of the executive
branch to foster an increased sense of service and
civic responsibility among all people of the United
States and to explore ways of enhancing connectivity of
interested applicants to national service programs and
opportunities.
(b) Composition.--
(1) Membership.--The Council shall be composed of members
who are representatives of--
(A) the Secretary of State;
(B) the Secretary of Defense;
(C) the Attorney General;
(D) the Secretary of the Interior;
(E) the Secretary of Commerce;
(F) the Secretary of Labor;
(G) the Secretary of Health and Human Services;
(H) the Secretary of Education;
(I) the Secretary of Veterans Affairs;
(J) the Secretary of Homeland Security;
(K) the Director of the Office of Management and
Budget;
(L) the Director of National Intelligence;
(M) the Director of the Office of Personnel
Management;
(N) the Director of the Peace Corps;
(O) the Director of the Selective Service System;
(P) the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation
for National and Community Service; and
(Q) such other officers as the President may
designate.
(2) Chair.--The President shall annually designate to serve
as the Chair of the Council a member of the Council under
paragraph (1), the appointment of whom as an officer or
employee of the Federal Government was made by the President by
and with the advice and consent of the Senate.
(3) Meetings.--The Council shall meet on a quarterly basis
or more frequently as the Chair of the Council may direct.
(c) Responsibilities of the Council.--The Council shall--
(1) assist and advise the President in the establishment of
strategies, goals, objectives, and priorities to promote
service and civic responsibility among all people of the United
States;
(2) develop and recommend to the President common
recruitment strategies and outreach opportunities for
increasing the participation, and propensity of people of the
United States to participate, in military service, national
service, and public service in order to address national
security and domestic investment;
(3) serve as a forum for Federal officials responsible for
military service, national service, and public service programs
to, as feasible and practicable--
(A) coordinate and share best practices for service
recruitment; and
(B) develop common interagency, cross-service
initiatives and pilots for service recruitment;
(4) lead a strategic, interagency coordinated effort on
behalf of the Federal Government to develop joint awareness and
recruitment, retention, and marketing initiatives involving
military service, national service, and public service;
(5) consider approaches for assessing impacts of service on
the needs of the United States and individuals participating in
and benefitting from such service;
(6) consult, as the Council considers advisable, with
representatives of non-Federal entities, including State,
local, and Tribal governments, State and local educational
agencies, State Service Commissions, institutions of higher
education, nonprofit organizations, faith-based organizations,
philanthropic organizations, and the private sector, in order
to promote and develop initiatives to foster and reward
military service, national service, and public service;
(7) not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of
this Act, and quadrennially thereafter, prepare and submit to
the President and Congress a Service Strategy, which shall set
forth--
(A) a review of programs and initiatives of the
Federal Government relating to the mandate of the
Council;
(B) a review of Federal Government online content
relating to the mandate of the Council, including user
experience with such content;
(C) current and foreseeable trends for service to
address the needs of the United States;
(D) recommended service recruitment strategies and
branding opportunities to address outreach and
communication deficiencies identified by the Council;
and
(E) to the extent practical, a joint service
messaging strategy for military service, national
service, and public service;
(8) identify any notable initiatives by State, local, and
Tribal governments and by public and nongovernmental entities
to increase awareness of and participation in national service
programs; and
(9) perform such other functions as the President may
direct.
SEC. 3. JOINT MARKET RESEARCH TO ADVANCE MILITARY AND NATIONAL SERVICE.
(a) Program Authorized.--The Secretary of Defense, the Chief
Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and Community
Service, and the Director of the Peace Corps may carry out a joint
market research, market studies, recruiting, and advertising programs
to complement the existing programs of the military departments, the
national service programs administered by the Corporation, and the
Peace Corps.
(b) Information Sharing Permitted.--Section 503 of title 10, United
States Code, shall not be construed to prohibit sharing of information
among, or joint marketing efforts of, the Department of Defense, the
Corporation for National and Community Service, and the Peace Corps to
carry out this section.
SEC. 4. TRANSITION OPPORTUNITIES FOR MILITARY SERVICEMEMBERS AND
NATIONAL SERVICE PARTICIPANTS.
(a) Employment Assistance.--Section 1143(c)(1) of title 10, United
States Code, is amended by inserting ``the Corporation for National and
Community Service,'' after ``State employment agencies,''.
(b) Employment Assistance, Job Training Assistance, and Other
Transitional Services: Department of Labor.--Section 1144 of title 10,
United States Code, is amended--
(1) in subsection (b), by adding at the end the following:
``(11) Provide information on public service opportunities,
training on public service job recruiting, and the advantages
of careers with the Federal Government.''; and
(2) in subsection (f)(1)(D)--
(A) by redesignating clause (v) as clause (vi); and
(B) by inserting after clause (iv) the following
new clause:
``(v) National and community service, taught in
conjunction with the Chief Executive Officer of the
Corporation for National and Community Service.''.
(c) Authorities and Duties of the Chief Executive Officer.--Section
193A(b) of the National and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C.
12651d(b)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (24), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(2) in paragraph (25), by striking the period at the end
and inserting ``; and''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
``(26) ensure that individuals completing a partial or full
term of service in a program under subtitle C or E or part A of
title I of the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 (42
U.S.C. 4951 et seq.) receive information about military and
public service opportunities for which they may qualify or in
which they may be interested.''.
SEC. 5. JOINT REPORT TO CONGRESS ON INITIATIVES TO INTEGRATE MILITARY
AND NATIONAL SERVICE.
(a) Reporting Requirement.--Not later than 4 years after the date
of enactment of this Act and quadrennially thereafter, the Chair of the
Interagency Council on Service, in coordination with the Secretary of
Defense, the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for National
and Community Service, and the Director of the Peace Corps, shall
submit a joint report on cross-service marketing, research, and
promotion, including recommendations for increasing joint advertising
and recruitment initiatives for the Armed Forces, programs administered
by the Corporation for National and Community Service, and the Peace
Corps, to the following congressional committees:
(1) The Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental
Affairs of the Senate.
(2) The Committee on Homeland Security of the House of
Representatives.
(3) The Committee on Oversight and Accountability of the
House of Representatives.
(4) The Committee on Armed Services of the Senate.
(5) The Committee on Armed Services of the House of
Representatives.
(6) The Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate.
(7) The Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives.
(8) The Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
of the Senate.
(9) The Committee on Education and the Workforce of the
House of Representatives.
(b) Contents of Report.--Each report under subsection (a) shall
include the following:
(1) The number of Peace Corps volunteers and participants
in national service programs administered by the Corporation
for National and Community Service, who previously served as a
member of the Armed Forces.
(2) The number of members of the Armed Forces who
previously served in the Peace Corps or in a program
administered by the Corporation for National and Community
Service.
(3) An assessment of existing (as of the date of the report
submission) joint recruitment and advertising initiatives
undertaken by the Department of Defense, the Peace Corps, or
the Corporation for National and Community Service.
(4) An assessment of the feasibility and cost of expanding
such existing initiatives.
(5) An assessment of ways to improve the ability of the
reporting agencies to recruit individuals from the other
reporting agencies.
(6) A description of the information and data used to
develop any initiative or campaign intended to advance military
service or national service, including with respect to any
activity carried out under section 3.
(c) Consultation.--The Chair of the Interagency Council on Service,
the Secretary of Defense, the Chief Executive Officer of the
Corporation for National and Community Service, and the Director of the
Peace Corps shall undertake studies of recruiting efforts that are
necessary to carry out the provisions of this section. Such studies may
be conducted using any funds appropriated to those entities under
Federal law other than this Act.
SEC. 6. REPORTS TO CONGRESS ON LESSONS LEARNED REGARDING RETENTION AND
RECRUITMENT.
The Chair of the Interagency Council on Service shall--
(1) conduct a study on--
(A) the effectiveness of past advertising campaigns
for military service, national service, and public
service; and
(B) the role of vaccine requirements on the
retention and recruitment of individuals for military
service, national service, and public service; and
(2) not later than 270 days after the date of enactment of
this Act, submit a report on the findings of and lessons
learned from the study under paragraph (1) to--
(A) the Committee on Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs of the Senate; and
(B) the Committee on Homeland Security of the House
of Representatives.
SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Interagency council on service.--The term ``Interagency
Council on Service'' means the Interagency Council on Service
established by section 2(a).
(2) Military department.--The term ``military department''
means each of the military departments listed in section 102 of
title 5, United States Code.
(3) Military service.--The term ``military service'' means
active service (as defined in subsection (d)(3) of section 101
of title 10, United States Code) or active status (as defined
in subsection (d)(4) of such section) in one of the Armed
Forces (as defined in subsection (a)(4) of such section).
(4) National service.--The term ``national service'' means
participation, other than military service or public service,
in a program that--
(A) is designed to enhance the common good and meet
the needs of communities, the States, or the United
States;
(B) is funded or facilitated by--
(i) an institution of higher education as
defined in section 101 of the Higher Education
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001); or
(ii) the Federal Government or a State,
Tribal, or local government; and
(C) is a program authorized in--
(i) the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2501 et
seq.);
(ii) section 171 of the Workforce
Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3226)
relating to the YouthBuild Program;
(iii) the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of
1973 (42 U.S.C. 4950 et seq.); or
(iv) the National and Community Service Act
of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12501 et seq.).
(5) Public service.--The term ``public service'' means
civilian employment in the Federal Government or a State,
Tribal, or local government.
(6) Service.--The term ``service'' means a personal
commitment of time, energy, and talent to a mission that
contributes to the public good by protecting the Nation and the
citizens of the United States, strengthening communities,
States, or the United States, or promoting the general social
welfare.
(7) State service commission.--The term ``State Service
Commission'' means a State Commission on National and Community
Service maintained by a State pursuant to section 178 of the
National and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12638).
SEC. 8. NO ADDITIONAL FUNDS.
No additional funds are authorized to be appropriated for the
purpose of carrying out this Act.
SEC. 9. GAO REPORT.
Not later than 30 months after the date of enactment of this Act,
the Comptroller General of the United States shall report to Congress
on the effectiveness of this Act and the amendments made by this Act.
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