Bipartisan Peace Corps Reauthorization Act reintroduced in U.S. House

Washington, DC — Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata is an original cosponsor upon introduction of the Peace Corps Reauthorization Act (H.R. 1273) with sponsor Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA), and cosponsors Congressman Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee; and Congressman Garret Graves (R-LA).

Congresswoman Amata served as a Peace Corps staffer in the Northern Mariana Islands 1967-1968, and one of her daughters, Kirsten, is a returned Peace Corps volunteer who served in Bulgaria. Likewise, Rep. Garamendi is a returned Peace Corps Volunteer (Ethiopia 1966-1968), and he and Rep. Graves serve as co-chairmen of the Congressional Peace Corps Caucus.

The reintroduction coincides with the 62nd anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s founding of the Peace Corps. The bill is endorsed by the National Peace Corps Association and the National Whistleblower Center.

The Peace Corps Reauthorization Act would provide resources to advance the Peace Corps' mission around the world and better support current, returning, and former Peace Corps Volunteers.

“‘My work with the Peace Corps was a wonderful time in my life, and good preparation for keeping the right priorities in mind through the years,” said Congresswoman Amata.

“The Peace Corps is a proven program that helps many people and communities. Let’s make sure the program is strengthened and available, and encourage this special culture of serving others and volunteering,” said Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA), co-chair of the Congressional Peace Corps Caucus.

"My wife Patti and I owe so much to our service in the Peace Corps. It inspired a lifetime of public service that began in Ethiopia during the late 1960s and continued into state government in California, the Clinton Administration, and now the U.S. Congress.

"Now more than ever, Congress must support the Peace Corps' mission and realize President Kennedy's vision of generations of young Americans ready to serve their nation and make the world a better place.

“Our reauthorization bill does exactly that, and provides much-needed resources to Peace Corps Volunteers. This bipartisan legislation would also provide the resources necessary for the redeployment of Peace Corps Volunteers, with the goal of reaching 10,000 Volunteers serving annually around the world."

The Peace Corps Reauthorization Act :

1. Expedites the return to service process for Volunteers whose service ended involuntarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic and similar emergencies and allows Volunteers to resume in-country service, once safe and prudent to do so.
2. Directs the Peace Corps to provide benefits (readjustment allowance, noncompetitive eligibility status for federal hiring) to Volunteers whose service ended involuntarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other comparable emergencies.
3. Establishes protections against reprisal and retaliation for Peace Corps Volunteers.
4. Extends Peace Corps Volunteers' hiring preference for most federal job openings during any federal hiring freeze, government shutdown, or public health emergency (such as COVID-19 pandemic).
5. Directs the Peace Corps and U.S. State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security to update plans and protocols for Peace Corps Volunteer safety and security.