FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Service Year Alliance Praises Reintroduction of Bipartisan CORPS Act to Expand National Service and Support COVID Recovery
The bill takes takes critical steps towards making national service more equitable and inclusive
WASHINGTON, DC (April 15, 2021) – Today, Senators Coons and Wicker were joined by eight Democrats and seven Republicans in reintroducing the Cultivating Opportunity and Recovery to the Pandemic through Service (CORPS) Act, which would grow national service positions for the next three years to support recovery from the COVID pandemic. Service Year Alliance released the following statement in support of the CORPS Act:
“National service continues to play a critical role in our nation’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and it has the power to help America recover and rebuild. Service Year Alliance is proud to support the bipartisan CORPS Act which will allow existing programs to expand their impact and will jumpstart the creation of new national service programs to boost our recovery efforts,” said Jesse Colvin, CEO of Service Year Alliance. “National service has the power to tackle youth unemployment by mobilizing the next generation of Americans and putting them on a path to good-paying jobs and future education. As the Administration and Congress set their sights on the American Jobs Plan and rebuilding our economy, expanding national service can put the voices of communities at the center of the effort to combat our climate crisis and rebuild our nation’s infrastructure. Additionally, by increasing the living allowance, engaging young people from diverse populations, and focusing on the creation of new programs that specifically support underserved communities, the CORPS Act is a step in the right direction towards making national service a more equitable and inclusive opportunity for all young Americans.”
The bill builds on the leadership of Senators Coons and Wicker who championed the inclusion of $1 billion for AmeriCorps in the American Rescue Plan Act. The newly-reintroduced bill would increase the living allowance to 175% of the poverty level and double the education award through a supplement for the next three years and eliminate the taxes on both permanently. The bill also prioritizes stabilization of existing programs, supports the creation of new programs in underserved communities, and promotes recruitment of diverse populations. It would put a match waiver in law for the next three years and allow for augmentation expansion grants to meet compelling needs of grantees and subgrantees. It would also establish a pilot to allow state service commissions to directly place individuals in approved national service positions.
For more information and to hear from Service Year Alliance leadership about how the CORPS Act would benefit the national service field, please contact Aly Ferguson at [email protected].
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About Service Year Alliance
Service Year Alliance is working to make a year of paid, full-time service — a service year — a common expectation and opportunity for all young Americans. To achieve our mission, Service Year Alliance develops and documents evidence in priority focus areas to persuade decision makers to increase public and private investments in the service year ecosystem. We build coalitions and foster strategic corporate, community, and research partnerships and develop service year programs and resources in priority focus areas to strengthen the case for service years. We advance policy proposals that unlock public funds for service years to create the opportunity for all young Americans to serve. We elevate service years as an experience that transforms lives, strengthens communities, and fuels civic renewal. Finally, we manage ServiceYear.org, a technology platform that matches those who want to serve with paid service year opportunities. Learn more at ServiceYearAlliance.org.
