[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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