Domestic Volunteer Service Act

(LATEST SUMMARY)

Domestic Volunteer Service Act - =Title I: National Volunteer AntiPovery Programs= - Provides for the volunteers in service to America (Vista) program of full-time volunteer service, together with appropriate powers and responsibilities designed to assist in the development and coordination of such program. Authorizes the director to recruit, select, and train persons to serve in the Vista program.

Authorizes the director to assign Vista volunteers, upon the request of Federal, State, or Local agencies or private nonprofit organizations.

Directs the director, wherever feasible, to assign low-income vista volunteers to serve in their home communities in teams with nationally recruited Vista volunteers having an appropriate specialty which would benefit that community. Requires the director to terminate the assignment of an individual Vista volunteer within thirty days of a governor's request or within a mutually agreeable time frame.

Requires that Vista volunteers make a full-time, personal commitment to combating poverty, including, to the extend practicable, a commitment to live among and at the economic levels of the people with whom they are assigned to work, and to remain available for services without regard to regular working hours, at all times during their term of service except for authorized periods of leave.

Authorizes a two-year term of enrollment for vista volunteers. States that no volunteer shall serve for more than five years.

Provides for the establishment of a grievance procedure for vista volunteers in connection with the terms and conditions of their service.

Directs the director to support volunteers serving under this Act through living allowances, travel allowances, and leave allowances, and through housing, supplies, equipment, subsistence, clothing, health and dental care, transportation, supervision, technical assistance, and any other support which he deems necessary or appropriate for volunteers to carry out their assignments.

Authorizes the Director to conduct or make grants or contracts to assist: (1) a program to provide alternatives to the incarceration of youthful offenders; (2) a program to promote educational opportunities for veterans; and (3) a program to provide community-based peer group outreach and counseling for drug abusers.

=Title II: National Older American Volunteer Programs= - Provides for the making of grants by the director of Action to state agencies to develop a volunteer service program, limiting those volunteers to individuals over 60 years of age.

Requires the director to coordinate programs under this title with relevant programs in other Federal agencies in disseminating information about the availability of assistance under this title, and in promoting the identification and interest of older persons whose services may be utilized under this title.

Requires the Director to make special efforts to recruit, select, and assign qualified individuals from minority groups to serve as volunteers.

=Title III: National Volunteer Programs to Assist Small Business and Promote Voluntary Service by Small Business Proprietors= - Directs the director to consult with the administrator of the Small business Administration in order that they may cooperate in the operation of the service corp of retired executives (score) and active corps of executives (age) program which provides managerial and other assistance to small businesses to carry out programs authorized by this Act or the Economic Opportunity Act.

Declares that such volunteers, while working on SBA Projects or new programs under this title, shall be considered Federal employees for purposes of Federal tort claims and compensation for work injuries.

Prohibits score/ace volunteers serving in connection with responsibilities of the director of the Action Agency under this Act from providing services to a client of the Small Business Administration with a delinquent loan outstanding except when specifically requested by such a client after the loan has become delinquent.

=Title IV: Administration and Coordination= - Provides the director with general authorities which are in addition to those given him by other provisions of the Act.

Prohibits funds appropriated to carry out the Act from being used to finance political activity or election, and authorizes the director to issue rules and regulations for the enforcement of these political prohibitions and similar prohibitions in any programs assisted under the Act.

Prohibits agencies or organizations, to which volunteer programs authorized by this Act, from requesting or receiving any compensation for services of those volunteers.

Prohibits the use of funds authorized to be appropriated under this Act from being used to finance labor or antilabor organizations.

Authorizes the Director to prescribe requirements for volunteer service in programs authorized by this Act and requires volunteers and prospective volunteers to provide information concerning their qualifications.

Establishes in the Action Agency a National Voluntary Services Advisory Council to be composed of not more than 25 members appointed by and serving at the pleasure of the President.

Provides that the council shall advise the director with respect to administrative and policy matters, and at his request, review the effectiveness of the program operating under this and the Peace Corps Act.

Prohibits the director from providing financial assistance for any program under this Act unless the financial arrangement specifically prohibits discrimination because of race, creed, national origin, sex, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, or belief.

Provides that, Titles II and III of this Act shall be subject to any tax or charge or be treated as wages or compensation for the purposes of unemployment, temporary disability, retirement, public assistance, or similar benefit payments, or minimum wage laws.

=Title V: Authorization of Appropriations= - Provides authorizations for appropriation for each of the programs under Action for the next three fiscal years.

=Title VI: Amendments to Other Laws and Repealers= - Supersedes the program and administrative provisions of reorganization plan no. 1 of 1971 relating to domestic volunteer programs.

Provides that all official action taken by the director of the Action Agency, his designee, or any other person under the authority of such reorganization plan which are in force on the effective date of this Act and for which there is continuing authority under the provisions of this Act shall continue in full force and effect until modified, superseded or revoked by the Director.

Provides that Vista and University Year for Action Volunteers serving in full-time programs of at least one-year's duration under title I of this Act who subsequently become members of the Federal civil service shall have their volunteer service time counted as creditable toward civil service retirement, in accordance with the provisions of this Act.