U.S. Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) on June 22 signed on as the lead original cosponsor of a bipartisan bill that would establish an Interagency Council on Service to promote and strengthen opportunities for military service, national service, and public service in the United States.
“Civic engagement and giving back to one’s community are woven into the fabric of the American spirit. Service brings forth positive change and promotes unity across the nation,” Sen. Young said. “This bipartisan bill will modernize our current federal programs to better match Americans with service opportunities that target community-specific needs while also appropriately stewarding taxpayer dollars.”
The Unity through Service Act, S. 2150, which is sponsored by U.S. Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), would establish the Interagency Council on Service to coordinate and lead initiatives that extend across military, national, and public service, according to a bill summary provided by the lawmakers.
Under S. 2150, the council would be tasked with preparing and submitting to the president a national strategy on service, including a review of current programs, initiatives, and online content, the summary says.
“I believe that Americans are ready and willing to answer the call to serve, to come together and meet the challenges we are facing. We just need to create the conditions to mobilize them,” said Sen. Reed. “That is why I am proud to join Sen. Young in introducing the Unity through Service Act, reaffirming our national culture of service and elevating all forms of service by leveraging the strengths of our existing programs.”
S. 2150 is based on recommendations from the bipartisan National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service, which reviewed the military selective service process and considered methods to increase participation in military, national, and other public service to address the needs of the nation, states the summary.
The temporary commission published its final report and recommendations just as the COVID-19 pandemic hit America, sparking decreased rates of volunteerism that fell from 30 percent to 23.2 percent, according to AmeriCorps data. The commission called for a 10-year goal for five million Americans to begin participating in military, national, or public service each year.
If enacted, S. 2150 would also task the commission with setting targets to encourage qualified individuals to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces and to modernize government personnel systems to attract skilled Americans into public service.
Among several provisions, S. 2150 would provide the architecture and focus to mobilize a whole of government approach to achieving these goals, according to Sen. Young’s summary.
The measure has been endorsed by the Service Year Alliance and America’s Service Commissions and is under consideration in the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.