Undertaking National Initiatives to Tackle Epidemic Act of 2020 or the UNITE Act of 2020
This bill responds to the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency by increasing volunteer opportunities within AmeriCorps and employment opportunities at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and requiring the re-enrollment of Peace Corps volunteers whose service ended involuntarily on March 15, 2020, or earlier for volunteers who were serving in China and Mongolia.
Among other things, the bill
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6560 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 6560
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
April 21, 2020
Mr. Garamendi (for himself, Mr. Rush, Ms. Haaland, Ms. Jackson Lee, Mr.
Huffman, Mr. Casten of Illinois, and Ms. Kuster of New Hampshire)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committees on
Transportation and Infrastructure, and Foreign Affairs, 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; and
(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;
(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 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 shall, for
the period described in paragraph (2), prioritize existing
agreements, or enter into new agreements, with public and
private nonprofit organizations, 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, and State
governments, that will direct volunteers in programs
administered by CNCS to assignments that assist those
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, including
through remote learning;
(D) enabling children to access remote learning by
performing technology consults for their families
remotely and at home; and
(E) performing other functions consistent with
addressing the coronavirus public health emergency.
(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) of
the National and Community Service Act of 1990
(42 U.S.C. 12681(a)(1)) 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 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, or Peace Corps volunteers,
who have had their service ended as a result of such
emergency.
(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 not less than 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) 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.--The Administrator of the Federal Emergency
Management Agency shall appoint, administer, and expedite the training
of an additional 10,000 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.
(b) Detail of CORE Employees.--A CORE employee may be detailed,
through mutual agreement, to any Federal agency that is a participating
agency in the White House Coronavirus Task Force, to fulfill an
assignment for the Task Force, including--
(1) logistical support for the supply chain of medical
equipment;
(2) tracing contacts of infected individuals and their
status while being quarantined;
(3) providing nutritional assistance to vulnerable
populations; and
(4) administrative duties such as staffing call centers to
disseminate public-health related information to the public.
(c) Requirement.--As soon as feasible, 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 of the Armed Forces.
(2) Individuals who have become unemployed or underemployed
as a result of the coronavirus public health emergency.
(3) AmeriCorps members, or Peace Corps Volunteers, who have
had their service ended as a result of the coronavirus public
health emergency.
(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management
Agency such sums as are necessary for each of fiscal years 2020, 2021,
and 2022 to carry out this section.
(e) Coronavirus Public Health Emergency Defined.--In this section,
the term ``coronavirus public health emergency'' has the meaning given
the term in section 4(e).
SEC. 6. PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEER REENROLLMENT ELIGIBILITY AND TRANSITION
ASSISTANCE.
(a) Assistance for Peace Corps Volunteers Whose Service Ended
Involuntarily.--Notwithstanding section 5 of the Peace Corps Act (22
U.S.C. 2504), with respect to all of the Peace Corps volunteers whose
service ended involuntarily on March 15, 2020 (or earlier, in the case
of volunteers who were serving China and Mongolia), when the Director
of the Peace Corps suspended all volunteer operations due to the
coronavirus public health emergency, the Director of the Peace Corps
shall--
(1) continue to provide the health care described in
section 5(e) of such Act to the volunteer during the 6-month
period beginning on March 15, 2020, to supplement the benefits
to which the volunteer is otherwise entitled under section 5 of
such Act;
(2) waive all nonmedical application requirements for the
reenrollment of the volunteer during the 1-year period
beginning on March 15, 2020;
(3) expedite the medical clearance for such volunteer to
facilitate reenrollment;
(4) permit the volunteer, to the extent possible, to resume
the activity in which the volunteer had been serving at the
time of his or her involuntarily end of service or any other
activity, by mutual agreement; and
(5) provide the volunteer, beginning on the date of
reenrollment, with the compensation, allowances, benefits, and
other terms and conditions of service to which the volunteer is
entitled under such Act.
(b) Report on Restart of Peace Corps Operations Following End of
Public Health Emergency.--Not later than 30 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Director of the Peace Corps shall submit a
report to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the
Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives that
describes the efforts of the Peace Corps--
(1) to offer reenrollment to each Peace Corps volunteer
whose service ended involuntarily on March 15, 2020 (or
earlier, in the case of volunteers who were serving China and
Mongolia), due to the coronavirus public health emergency;
(2) to obtain approval from countries, as necessary, to
return reenrolled volunteers to their previous assignments; and
(3) to identify the anticipated additional appropriations
or new statutory authorities that would be necessary to achieve
the goal of safely redeploying 7,300 Peace Corps volunteers
during the 1-year period beginning on the date on which Peace
Corps operations resume.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the Committee on Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, and Foreign Affairs, 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.
Referred to the Committee on Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, and Foreign Affairs, 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.
Referred to the Committee on Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, and Foreign Affairs, 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.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management.
Llama 3.2 · runs locally in your browser
Ask anything about this bill. The AI reads the full text to answer.
Enter to send · Shift+Enter for new line