Service Year Alliance Released the following Statement in Response to the Senate’s FY24 Appropriations Markup
“We are grateful to the bipartisan leaders in the Senate who recognized the critical value of AmeriCorps to local communities and youth workforce development in the recent markup of the FY24 appropriations bill. The Senate’s bill is a dramatic improvement from the spending proposal in the House — sustaining support for vital service year programs by providing level funding for both AmeriCorps and YouthBuild national service programs and proposing a slight increase in funding for the Peace Corps.
Additionally, the bill’s report language proposes much-needed advancements for AmeriCorps alumni engagement, increases flexibilities for AmeriCorps programs, improves joint recruiting efforts across military and national service, and strengthens interagency coordination to leverage national service as an integral workforce development tool across the federal government. Service Year Alliance has worked to advance these policy improvements and was thrilled to see them included in the Senate proposal.
We were disappointed, however, to see a proposed decrease in funding for the National Service Trusts which administers the education awards that AmeriCorps members earn through their service. The National Service Trust is a crucial component of ensuring that young people who serve in AmeriCorps are able to realize the full postsecondary and workforce benefits of national service, and it requires full funding so that future AmeriCorps members are not left empty handed.
In order to fully leverage national service in local communities and answer President Biden’s call for an increased living allowance for AmeriCorps members, more robust funding for AmeriCorps is necessary. We are eager to work with our partners across the national service field as well as the bipartisan national service champions in the Senate to ensure the power of service years to transform young people’s lives, meet community needs at home and abroad, and bridge civic divides is fully recognized in the FY24 budget.”
