S. 3642 116th Congress Senate

UNITE Act of 2020

Official title: A bill to mobilize individuals in the United States in the fight against coronavirus by expanding volunteer opportunities in AmeriCorps, expanding employment opportunities at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and utilizing the expertise of Peace Corps volunteer leaders whose service ended on March 15, 2020, and for other purposes.

Introduced: May 7, 2020 Introduced by: Edward J. Markey Democratic · Massachusetts See on congress.gov

Labor and Employment Adult education and literacyAgingAppropriationsAsia

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BankruptcyCardiovascular and respiratory healthCensus and government statisticsChinaCitizenship and naturalizationCongressional oversightConsumer creditCorporation for National and Community ServiceDepartment of Homeland SecurityDisaster relief and insuranceEducation of the disadvantagedEducational technology and distance educationElementary and secondary educationEmergency medical services and trauma careEmergency planning and evacuationEmployee hiringFederal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)Food assistance and reliefGovernment employee pay, benefits, personnel managementGovernment information and archivesHealth care costs and insuranceHealth care coverage and accessHealth information and medical recordsHealth personnelHealth technology, devices, suppliesHomelessness and emergency shelterImmigration status and proceduresInfectious and parasitic diseasesInternet and video servicesInternet, web applications, social mediaMedical tests and diagnostic methodsMongoliaNational and community serviceNatural disastersPeace CorpsPublic-private cooperationRural conditions and developmentSocial work, volunteer service, charitable organizationsUnemploymentVeterans' education, employment, rehabilitationVeterans' loans, housing, homeless programsWages and earningsWorker safety and healthWorld health

Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps

Introduced

In committee

Reported out

Passed House

Passed Senate

To President

Became law

May 7, 2020

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

May 7, 2020

Introduced in Senate

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Latest action May 7, 2020

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

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 or 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;
increases the ceiling on grant amounts to such volunteers from $18,000 to $25,000;
increases the ceiling on the grant amount maximum limit from to not more than $19,500 to $30,000 per full-time equivalent position if necessary to meet the compelling needs of a particular program;
requires FEMA to appoint, administer, and expedite the training of an additional 62,000 Cadre of On-Call Response/Recovery Employees above the level of such employees in FY2019 to address the COVID-19 emergency;
.authorizes federal agencies to provide assistance essential to meeting immediate threats to life and property resulting from a major disaster to provide for temporary or supplementary facilities for official government polling places; and
authorizes the President to pay a state, tribal, or local government in which a major disaster has been declared stipends for temporary workers conducting nonpartisan official election poll worker services.