Skip to main content
HR 6560 116th Congress House Labor and Employment Aging Asia Cardiovascular and respiratory health China Congressional oversight Corporation for National and Community Service Department of Homeland Security Disaster relief and insurance Education of the disadvantaged Educational technology and distance education Elementary and secondary education Emergency medical services and trauma care Emergency planning and evacuation Employee hiring Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Food assistance and relief Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management Government information and archives Health care costs and insurance

UNITE Act of 2020

Introduced: April 21, 2020 Introduced by: Garamendi, John Democratic · California See on congress.gov
This bill died when the 116th Congress ended
It never became law before the 116th Congress (2019–2020) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 3 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Apr 22, 2020
Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management.
Apr 21, 2020
Referred to the Committee on Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, and Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Apr 21, 2020
Introduced in House
 Ask about this bill AI · grounded in the bill text

Have a question about what this bill does? Ask in plain English; the answer is drawn from the bill's actual text and official record, and it'll tell you when something isn't in the text rather than guess.

AI answers can be imperfect; always confirm against the full bill text.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Undertaking National Initiatives to Tackle Epidemic Act of 2020 or the UNITE Act of 2020

This bill responds to the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency by increasing volunteer opportunities within AmeriCorps and employment opportunities at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and requiring the re-enrollment of Peace Corps volunteers whose service ended involuntarily on March 15, 2020, or earlier for volunteers who were serving in China and Mongolia.

Among other things, the bill

  • reauthorizes through FY2022 Americorps programs;
  • increases recruitment levels of its volunteers to 500,000 in FY2020-FY2022;
  • sets the minimum compensation for Americorps volunteers, beginning in FY2020, at 200% of the poverty line applicable to a family of one; and
  • requires FEMA to appoint, administer, and expedite the training of an additional 10,000 Cadre of On-Call Response/Recovery Employees above the level of such employees in FY2019 to address the COVID-19 emergency.
What's happening now April 22, 2020

Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management.

 Related & companion bills 1
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 4
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 6560: UNITE Act of 2020. 116th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-6560/
MLA
"H.R. 6560: UNITE Act of 2020." 116th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-6560/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 6560, 116th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-6560/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 6560: UNITE Act of 2020](https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-6560/)
Report a problem