Senator Coons celebrates President Biden’s executive order making it easier for AmeriCorps alumni to start careers with federal agencies

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), Co-Chair of the National Service Congressional Caucus, celebrated the inclusion of a key provision from his Promoting Service Through AmeriCorps (PSA) Act in President Biden's latest round of executive orders. This action will make it easier for AmeriCorps alumni to use the skills they've learned during their service and find fulfilling careers with federal agencies.

"AmeriCorps members of every background and generation are driven to give back to their communities through service, and it's no surprise that they'd continue to be drawn toward serving the public good when their terms end," said Senator Coons. "President Biden's recent executive order builds on my legislation and will allow AmeriCorps alumni to jump-start their federal careers. This is one of many commonsense improvements to national service I proposed with Senator Bill Cassidy (R-La.) in our bipartisan legislation to expand and reauthorize AmeriCorps. I look forward to working with my colleagues in Congress to build on this momentum to deliver for the more than 200,000 Americans serving their communities through AmeriCorps each year."

This week, the White House announced that President Biden had signed an executive order allowing agencies to more quickly hire individuals who have completed a full-time AmeriCorps program, a provision included in broader legislation that Senators Coons and Cassidy introduced in September 2024 that would reauthorize and strengthen AmeriCorps programs. Under the executive order, AmeriCorps members who complete 1,700 or more hours of AmeriCorps service will receive federal noncompetitive eligibility for one year after their service, allowing members to be hired by federal agencies through a more streamlined process.

Noncompetitive eligibility is already available to veterans and military spouses, Foreign Service spouses, select current and former federal employees, Peace Corps alumni, and alumni of AmeriCorps VISTA. President Biden's executive order does not give AmeriCorps members priority status over other candidates, in contrast to the hiring preference that veterans and military spouses receive.

The full text of the Promoting Service Through AmeriCorps (PSA) Act is available here.

The executive order is available here.