[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 194 (Thursday, November 4, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S7862]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 4312. Ms. DUCKWORTH submitted an amendment intended to be proposed 
to amendment SA 3867 submitted by Mr. Reed and intended to be proposed 
to the bill H.R. 4350, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2022 
for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military 
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, 
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for 
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

        At the appropriate place in title X, insert the following:

     SEC. ____. NATIONAL SERVICE CORPS FOR MILITARY SPOUSES AND 
                   DEPENDENTS.

       (a) Amendment to NCSA.--Part I of subtitle C of title I of 
     the National and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 
     12571 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

     ``SEC. 127. NATIONAL SERVICE CORPS FOR MILITARY SPOUSES AND 
                   DEPENDENTS.

       ``(a) In General.--The Corporation shall enter into an 
     interagency agreement under section 121(b) with the Secretary 
     of Defense to carry out the program under this section, which 
     shall be known as the `National Service Corps for Miliary 
     Spouses and Dependents' (referred to in this section as `the 
     Corps'), and which shall be funded by the Department of 
     Defense and carried out by the Corporation in accordance with 
     the terms and conditions of this subtitle, unless otherwise 
     specified.
       ``(b) Membership.--Notwithstanding section 137, the Corps 
     shall be composed of--
       ``(1) military spouses; and
       ``(2) dependent children who are not younger than age 16 
     and not older than age 26.
       ``(c) Number of Participants.--The number of participants 
     in the program under this section shall not exceed 1000.
       ``(d) Activities.--The recipient of a grant supported under 
     the interagency agreement described in subsection (a) shall 
     use a portion of the financial assistance or positions 
     involved, directly or through subgrants to other entities, to 
     support or carry out activities to address community needs, 
     as determined by the Corporation, which may include 
     activities described in section 122, as full- or part-time 
     programs.
       ``(e) Benefits.--
       ``(1) In general.--Participants in the program under this 
     section shall be eligible for the living allowance and other 
     benefits described in section 140, except for the benefits 
     described in subsections (d) and (e) of that section.
       ``(2) Health benefits.--The Corporation shall ensure that 
     the interagency agreement described in subsection (a) 
     establishes that the Secretary of Defense shall provide 
     coverage under a health plan, as determined by the Secretary 
     of Defense, for all participants in the program under this 
     section who are not covered beneficiaries under the TRICARE 
     program (as that term is defined in section 1072 of title 10, 
     United States Code).
       ``(3) Educational award.--Participants in the program under 
     this section shall be eligible for a national service 
     educational award.
       ``(f) Early Release From Service for Compelling Personal 
     Circumstances.--
       ``(1) Release.--Notwithstanding any other provision of this 
     Act, as determined by the Secretary of Defense, a Corps 
     member may be released from completing a term of service in 
     the approved national service position for compelling 
     personal circumstances.
       ``(2) Award.--A Corps member who is released under 
     paragraph (1) is eligible to receive a pro-rated national 
     service educational award if--
       ``(A) the Corps member has completed at least 15 percent of 
     the Corps member's term of service;
       ``(B) the Corps member, or a member of the Corps member's 
     family, receives military orders, such as a permanent change 
     of station (PCS), that necessitate the Corps member's 
     relocation away from the Corps member's service site; and
       ``(C) the Corps member is unable to secure an appropriate 
     reassignment as described in subsection (g).
       ``(g) Necessary Relocation.--A member of the Corps who must 
     relocate due to a permanent change of station (PCS) or other 
     military order shall, to the extent practicable, continue the 
     member's term of service with the member's current assignment 
     or by securing an appropriate reassignment. The Secretary of 
     Defense shall support, to the extent practicable, such a 
     relocating Corps member who wishes to continue the term of 
     service.''.
       (b) Department of Defense.--
       (1) In general.--The Secretary of Defense shall enter into 
     an interagency agreement with the Corporation for National 
     and Community Service as described in section 127 of the 
     National and Community Service Act of 1990 (as added by 
     subsection (a) of this section), and shall provide funding to 
     the Corporation to carry out such section.
       (2) Authorization of appropriations.--There are authorized 
     to be appropriated to the Department of Defense, such sums as 
     may be necessary to carry out paragraph (1), including such 
     sums as may be necessary to provide a national service 
     educational award for each participant under such section 
     127.
       (c) Effective Date.--This section, and the amendments made 
     by this section, shall take effect on the date that is 1 year 
     after the date of enactment of this section.
                                 ______