[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 136 (Sunday, August 1, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S5247]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 2130. Ms. KLOBUCHAR submitted an amendment intended to be proposed 
by her to the bill H.R. 3684, to authorize funds for Federal-aid 
highways, highway safety programs, and transit programs, and for other 
purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the appropriate place, insert the following:

     SEC. __. SENIOR CORPS DISTANCE VOLUNTEERING.

       (a) Short Title.--This section may be cited as the ``Senior 
     Corps Distance Volunteering Act''.
       (b) Online Service Platform.--Title IV of the Domestic 
     Volunteer Service Act of 1973 is amended--
       (1) by redesignating section 421 (42 U.S.C. 5061) as 
     section 401;
       (2) by moving that section 401 so as to follow the title 
     heading for title IV; and
       (3) by inserting after section 420 (42 U.S.C. 5059) the 
     following:

     ``SEC. 421. ONLINE SERVICE PLATFORM.

       ``(a) Definition.--In this section, the term `COVID-19 
     public health emergency period' means the period of 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.
       ``(b) Establishment.--Not later than 30 days after the date 
     of enactment of the Senior Corps Distance Volunteering Act, 
     the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation shall 
     establish an online service platform to connect volunteers in 
     the National Senior Service Corps with service projects, and 
     enable the volunteers to carry out distance volunteering on 
     an online network. The platform shall be linked to and placed 
     prominently on the website of the Corporation. The 
     Corporation may enter into a contract with a public entity to 
     create the platform.
       ``(c) Information and Guidance.--
       ``(1) Information.--The Corporation shall provide 
     information to regional offices of the Corporation about how 
     to get volunteers in the National Senior Service Corps 
     connected to the platform.
       ``(2) Guidance.--The Corporation shall issue guidance for 
     the regional offices about how to transfer the programs of 
     the National Senior Service Corps to the platform.
       ``(d) Outreach.--The Corporation shall provide outreach 
     services to promote the platform, including outreach to 
     institutions of higher education, the Department of Veterans 
     Affairs for mentorship projects, and State and local 
     governments for community engagement projects.
       ``(e) Report on Impact of Online Service Platform.--
       ``(1) Definition.--In this subsection, the term 
     `appropriate committees of Congress' means--
       ``(A) the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of 
     Representatives;
       ``(B) the Special Committee on Aging of the Senate;
       ``(C) the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
     Pensions of the Senate; and
       ``(D) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
     Transportation of the Senate.
       ``(2) Report.--
       ``(A) Preparation.--The Corporation shall prepare a report 
     that--
       ``(i) describes the use of funds appropriated to carry out 
     this section, concerning the online service platform 
     described in subsection (b);
       ``(ii) describes the ways in which the platform has enabled 
     volunteers in the National Senior Service Corps, many of whom 
     are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19, to apply 
     their skills, knowledge, and expertise to directly serve the 
     community through distance volunteering by providing 
     assistance during the COVID-19 public health emergency 
     period;
       ``(iii) measures the number of volunteers in the National 
     Senior Service Corps volunteers who do, and the number of 
     such volunteers who do not, serve through the online service 
     platform, during the COVID-19 public health emergency period; 
     and
       ``(iv) assesses the impact of volunteers in the National 
     Senior Service Corps who do, and the number of such 
     volunteers who do not, serve through the online service 
     platform, during the COVID-19 public health emergency period.
       ``(B) Submission.--Not later than 1 year after the end of 
     the COVID-19 public health emergency period, the Corporation 
     shall submit the report to the appropriate committees of 
     Congress.
       ``(f) Recommendation.--Not later than 6 months after the 
     end of the COVID-19 public health emergency period, the Chief 
     Executive Officer of the Corporation shall submit a 
     recommendation to Congress regarding whether the Corporation 
     should continue to use the platform as a main resource for 
     connecting volunteers in the National Senior Service Corps 
     with service projects and enabling the volunteers to carry 
     out distance volunteering.''.
       (c) Emergency Appropriation.--The following sums are hereby 
     appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise 
     appropriated, for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2022, 
     and for other purposes, namely:

             Corporation for National and Community Service

                           operating expenses

       For an additional amount for ``Operating Expenses'', for 
     necessary expenses for the Corporation for National and 
     Community Service to carry out section 421 of the Domestic 
     Volunteer Service Act of 1973, $5,000,000:  Provided, That 
     the amount appropriated under this heading is designated by 
     Congress as being for an emergency requirement pursuant to 
     section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency 
     Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 901(b)(2)(A)(i)).
                                 ______