Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Unity through Service Act of 2023”.
Unity through Service Act of 2023
A BILL
To establish an Interagency Council on Service to promote and strengthen opportunities for military service, national service, and public service for all people of the United States, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Interagency council on service
Establishment—
In general— There is established an Interagency Council on Service (in this section referred to as the “Council”).
Functions— The Council shall—
advise the President with respect to promoting, strengthening, and expanding opportunities for military service, national service, and public service for all people of the United States; and
review, assess, and coordinate holistic recruitment strategies and initiatives of the executive branch to foster an increased sense of service and civic responsibility among all people of the United States and to explore ways of enhancing connectivity of interested applicants to national service programs and opportunities.
Composition—
Membership— The Council shall be composed of members who are representatives of—
the Secretary of State;
the Secretary of Defense;
the Attorney General;
the Secretary of the Interior;
the Secretary of Commerce;
the Secretary of Labor;
the Secretary of Health and Human Services;
the Secretary of Education;
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs;
the Secretary of Homeland Security;
the Director of the Office of Management and Budget;
the Director of National Intelligence;
the Director of the Office of Personnel Management;
the Director of the Peace Corps;
the Director of Selective Service System;
the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service; and
such other officers as the President may designate.
Chair— From the members of the Council under paragraph (1) who have been nominated by the President for the position of the member described in such paragraph, and appointed to such position with the advice and consent of the Senate, the President shall annually designate a Chair of the Council.
Meetings— The Council shall meet on a quarterly basis or more frequently as the Chair of the Council may direct.
Responsibilities of the council— The Council shall—
assist and advise the President in the establishment of strategies, goals, objectives, and priorities to promote service and civic responsibility among all people of the United States;
develop and recommend to the President common recruitment strategies and outreach opportunities for increasing the participation, and propensity of people of the United States to participate, in military service, national service, and public service in order to address national security and domestic investment;
serve as a forum for Federal officials responsible for military service, national service, and public service programs to, as feasible and practicable—
coordinate and share best practices for service recruitment; and
develop common interagency, cross-service initiatives and pilots for service recruitment;
lead a strategic, interagency coordinated effort on behalf of the Federal Government to develop joint awareness and recruitment, retention, and marketing initiatives involving military service, national service, and public service, including the sharing of marketing and recruiting research between and among Council members;
consider approaches for assessing impacts of service on the needs of the United States and individuals participating in and benefitting from such service;
consult, as the Council considers advisable, with representatives of non-Federal entities, including State, local, and Tribal governments, State and local educational agencies, State Service Commissions, institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, philanthropic organizations, and the private sector, in order to promote and develop initiatives to foster and reward military service, national service, and public service;
not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, and quadrennially thereafter, prepare and submit to the President and Congress a Service Strategy, which shall set forth—
a review of programs and initiatives of the Federal Government relating to the mandate of the Council;
a review of Federal Government online content relating to the mandate of the Council, including user experience with such content;
current and foreseeable trends for service to address the needs of the United States;
recommended service recruitment strategies and branding opportunities to address outreach and communication deficiencies identified by the Council; and
to the extent practical, a joint service messaging strategy for military service, national service, and public service;
identify any notable initiatives by State, local, and Tribal governments and by public and nongovernmental entities to increase awareness of and participation in national service programs; and
perform such other functions as the President may direct.
Sec. 3 Joint market research to advance military and national service
Program authorized— The Secretary of Defense, the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service, and the Director of the Peace Corps may carry out a joint market research, market studies, recruiting, and advertising program to complement the existing programs of the military departments, the national service programs administered by the Corporation, and the Peace Corps.
Information sharing permitted— Section 503 of title 10, United States Code, shall not be construed to prohibit sharing of information among, or joint marketing efforts of, the Department of Defense, the Corporation for National and Community Service, and the Peace Corps to carry out this section.
Sec. 4 Transition opportunities for military servicemembers and national service participants
Employment assistance— Section 1143(c)(1) of title 10, United States Code, is amended by inserting “the Corporation for National and Community Service,” after “State employment agencies,”.
Employment assistance, job training assistance, and other transitional services: Department of Labor— Section 1144 of title 10, United States Code, is amended—
in subsection (b), by adding at the end the following:
“(11) Provide information on public service opportunities, training on public service job recruiting, and the advantages of careers with the Federal Government.”
in subsection (f)(1)(D)—
by redesignating clause (v) as clause (vi); and
by inserting after clause (iv) the following new clause:
“(v) National and community service, taught in conjunction with the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service.”
Authorities and duties of the chief executive officer— Section 193A(b) of the National and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12651d(b)) is amended—
in paragraph (24), by striking “and” at the end;
in paragraph (25), by striking the period at the end and inserting “; and”; and
by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
“(26) ensure that individuals completing a partial or full term of service in a program under subtitle C or E or part A of title I of the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 (42 U.S.C. 4951 et seq.) receive information about military and public service opportunities for which they may qualify or in which they may be interested.”
Sec. 5 Joint report to Congress on initiatives to integrate military and national service
Reporting requirement— Not later than 4 years after the date of enactment of this Act and quadrennially thereafter, the Chair of the Interagency Council on Service, in coordination with the Secretary of Defense, the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service, and the Director of the Peace Corps, shall submit to Congress a joint report on cross-service marketing, research, and promotion, including recommendations for increasing joint advertising and recruitment initiatives for the Armed Forces, programs administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service, and the Peace Corps.
Contents of report— Each report under subsection (a) shall include the following:
The number of Peace Corps volunteers and participants in national service programs administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service, who previously served as a member of the Armed Forces.
The number of members of the Armed Forces who previously served in the Peace Corps or in a program administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service.
An assessment of existing (as of the date of the report submission) joint recruitment and advertising initiatives undertaken by the Department of Defense, the Peace Corps, or the Corporation for National and Community Service.
An assessment of the feasibility and cost of expanding such existing initiatives.
An assessment of ways to improve the ability of the reporting agencies to recruit individuals from the other reporting agencies.
Consultation— The Chair of the Interagency Council on Service, the Secretary of Defense, the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service, and the Director of the Peace Corps shall undertake studies of recruiting efforts that are necessary to carry out the provisions of this section. Such studies may be conducted using any funds appropriated to those entities under Federal law other than this Act.
Sec. 6 Definitions
In this Act:
Interagency Council on Service— The term Interagency Council on Service means the Interagency Council on Service established under section 2.
Military department— The term military department means each of the military departments listed in section 102 of title 5, United States Code.
Military service— The term military service means active service (as defined in subsection (d)(3) of section 101 of title 10, United States Code) or active status (as defined in subsection (d)(4) of such section) in one of the Armed Forces (as defined in subsection (a)(4) of such section).
National service— The term national service means participation, other than military service or public service, in a program that—
is designed to enhance the common good and meet the needs of communities, the States, or the United States;
is funded or facilitated by—
an institution of higher education as defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001); or
the Federal Government or a State, Tribal, or local government; and
is a program authorized in—
the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2501 et seq.);
section 171 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3226) relating to the YouthBuild Program;
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.).
Public service— The term public service means civilian employment in the Federal Government or a State, Tribal, or local government.
Service— The term service means a personal commitment of time, energy, and talent to a mission that contributes to the public good by protecting the Nation and the citizens of the United States, strengthening communities, States, or the United States, or promoting the general social welfare.
State service commission— The term State Service Commission means a State Commission on National and Community Service maintained by a State pursuant to section 178 of the National and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12638).