To establish an AmeriCorps Administration to carry out the national and volunteer service programs, to expand participation in such programs, and for other purposes.
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
What This Bill Does
This legislation transforms AmeriCorps from a government corporation into a full Executive department and establishes a new Civilian Climate Corps. It dramatically increases benefits for national service participants, including doubling educational awards to equal twice the average in-state college tuition and raising living allowances to 175-210% of the federal poverty line. The bill aims to expand national service to 1 million participants annually by 2033.
Who Benefits and How
National service participants (AmeriCorps members, VISTA volunteers, etc.) receive substantially higher educational awards and living allowances, plus new tax exemptions on both. Educational institutions benefit from more students able to afford tuition through service awards. Climate-focused organizations and conservation corps gain new federal partnership opportunities through the Civilian Climate Corps. Disproportionately impacted communities receive prioritized assistance for climate adaptation projects.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Federal taxpayers fund the expansion through increased appropriations, with the goal of supporting 250,000 positions in 2024 growing to 1 million by 2033. The IRS loses tax revenue from the new exclusions for educational awards and living allowances. Current Corporation for National and Community Service employees face organizational restructuring as the agency becomes an Executive department.
Key Provisions
- Converts Corporation for National and Community Service into AmeriCorps Administration as Executive department
- Doubles educational awards to equal 2x average in-state college tuition
- Raises living allowances to 175-210% of poverty line
- Exempts educational awards and living allowances from federal income tax
- Establishes Civilian Climate Corps for climate adaptation and mitigation projects
- Targets 1,000,000 national service participants annually by 2033
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Transforms the Corporation for National and Community Service into the AmeriCorps Administration as an Executive department, significantly increases educational awards and living allowances for service participants, provides tax exemptions for service benefits, and establishes a Civilian Climate Corps for climate-related service projects.
Key Policy Areas
National Service, Youth Programs, Education, Climate, Tax Policy, Government Organization
Primary Purpose
Transforms the Corporation for National and Community Service into the AmeriCorps Administration as an Executive department, significantly increases educational awards and living allowances for service participants, provides tax exemptions for service benefits, and establishes a Civilian Climate Corps for climate-related service projects.
Policy Domains
Title I - AmeriCorps Administration
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- National service participants (AmeriCorps, VISTA, etc.)
- Educational institutions
- Nonprofit service organizations
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Federal taxpayers
- IRS (lost tax revenue)
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Title II - Civilian Climate Corps
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Disproportionately impacted communities
- Conservation corps organizations
- Young workers seeking climate-related careers
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Federal agencies (coordination requirements)
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Reed (for himself, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Brown, …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
AmeriCorps participants, National Association of Service and Conservation Corps, National Civilian Community Corps members
AmeriCorps Administration, Department of Agriculture, Department of the Interior
AmeriCorps Administration faces effects in multiple directions
Positive-direction: Director of AmeriCorps Administration, Federal agencies with volunteer programs, National service program administrators, Peace Corps
Negative-direction: Department of Agriculture, Department of the Interior, Federal Treasury
Disproportionately impacted communities, Prospective national service participants, Underserved communities
Private donors and philanthropists, Private donors to national service
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_director"
- → Director of the AmeriCorps Administration
- "the_administration"
- → AmeriCorps Administration
- "the_director"
- → Director of the AmeriCorps Administration
- "the_secretaries"
- → Secretary of Interior, Secretary of Agriculture, and Secretary of Labor, acting jointly
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
The Civilian Climate Corps established under section 202(a)
A community with significant representation from communities of color, low-income communities, or Tribal and Native American communities that experiences higher or more adverse health or environmental effects from climate change
A corps that carries out a program authorized under the National and Community Service Act of 1990, the Youth Conservation Corps Act of 1970, or the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology