Unity through Service Act

Summary#

This bill would create an Interagency Council on Service to promote and coordinate opportunities for military service, national service, and public service. The Council would advise the President, develop common recruitment strategies, share best practices, and coordinate joint outreach and marketing. Members would include many Cabinet-level and agency officials (for example, Secretaries of State, Defense, Labor, Education, Veterans Affairs, Homeland Security; the Attorney General; the Directors of OMB, DNI, OPM; and the heads of the Peace Corps, Selective Service, and the Corporation for National and Community Service), plus others the President names. The Council must meet at least quarterly and must prepare a Service Strategy within 2 years and then every 4 years.

The bill authorizes joint market research and joint recruiting and advertising programs by the Department of Defense, Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), and the Peace Corps, and it clarifies that certain information sharing among those agencies is allowed. It amends existing transition assistance rules to add the CNCS to a list of entities providing employment help, requires the Department of Labor to provide information on public service opportunities, and directs the CNCS to give service participants information about military and public service options.

The bill requires a joint report to Congress starting 4 years after enactment and every 4 years after that with specific data and assessments about cross-service recruitment, and it requires an earlier study and report (within 270 days) on past advertising campaigns and the role of vaccine requirements in retention and recruitment. The Comptroller General must report on the law's effectiveness within 30 months. The bill states no additional funds are authorized for carrying it out.

What it means for you#

  • If you are considering the military, Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, or public employment, the bill would aim to coordinate outreach so you may see more joint information and recruitment materials.
  • People finishing military service or national service may get more information about public-service job options and training connections through existing transition programs.
  • Federal agencies would study and report on recruiting practices and the effects of past advertising and certain requirements like vaccine rules.

Expenses#

The bill states that no additional funds are authorized to carry it out. It also says agencies may use funds already appropriated to conduct related studies. The bill text does not include a formal cost estimate.

Proponents' View#

No publicly available information.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information.