WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate approved legislation today expanding opportunities for public service, voting 79-19 to expand AmeriCorps to 250,000 participants over eight years.  At the request of U.S. Senator Mark R. Warner of Virginia, the Serve America Act includes a Veterans’ Corps to promote service opportunities and fellowships for our nation’s military veterans.

In addition, Senator Warner successfully amended the bill to include a six-month study of the best way to establish a Private Sector Corps within AmeriCorps to provide midcareer professionals with an opportunity to provide specialized management expertise to non-profit groups, local, state or federal governments. Senator Warner believes private-sector expertise could be applied through AmeriCorps to recommend efficiencies and taxpayer savings across government programs.  

Veterans’ Corps will help identify the unmet needs of veterans through activities such as recruiting veterans into service opportunities, promoting community-based efforts to meet the unique needs of military families, assisting veterans in developing educational opportunities, including professional and workforce certification, and developing projects uniquely tailored to assist older veterans and disabled veterans returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan.  

“Veterans’ Corps will help assist and support veterans, especially our wounded veterans, by giving them additional opportunities to serve their country when they return home,” Senator Warner said. “Military veterans have a unique set of leadership skills and experiences that can strengthen our communities at the same time we’re trying to promote and expand the role of public service across the country.”

Senator Warner also succeeded in including language directing the AmeriCorps board to conduct a study on ways to implement a potential Private Sector Corps. The Private Sector Corps would tap the energy and patriotism of mid-career managers, senior executives and others with specialized skills to connect with non-profit organizations and federal, state, and local governments to provide expertise to create efficiencies and cost savings.

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