Update from The Corps Network’s Government Relations Team – July 24, 2023

By Meghan Castellano & Danielle Owen

Read this blog from The Corps Network’s Government Relations Team about recent updates from Washington and what they mean for the Service and Conservation Corps community.

 

Fiscal Responsibility Act (Debt Limit Law) Update

Over Memorial Day weekend, President Joe Biden and U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA)  announced that an agreement had been reached on raising the federal government’s debt limit. This legislation passed the House and the Senate by a bipartisan vote and was ultimately signed into law by President Biden on June 3. This law H.R. 3746, The Fiscal Responsibility Act averted the debt limit crisis.

What’s In the Debt Limit Law?

  • The law will suspend the federal government’s $31.4 trillion debt limit until January 2025. The bill cuts non-defense discretionary spending for Fiscal Year 2024 and will limit all discretionary spending to 1 percent growth in Fiscal Year 2025. Along with rescinding close to $28 billion in unspent pandemic relief funds, the law rescinds $1.4 billion in mandatory IRS funds that were appropriated for this year in the Inflation Reduction Act. The bill will also toughen work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program (TANF).
  • The law also includes a procedure for passing the annual appropriations bills for Fiscal Year 2024 and Fiscal Year 2025. Congress would be required to pass all twelve annual appropriations bills by January 1 (for those two fiscal years) or there would be an automatic cut to current spending by 1 percent.

What Does This Mean for Corps?

For the Corps community, AmeriCorps is one of the agencies that will have funding rescinded from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA). AmeriCorps’s unobligated funding from the ARPA – excluding ARPA funding in their Salaries and Expenses, the National Service Trust, and the Inspector General accounts – would be rescinded. The funds that are being rescinded were expected to be used through what remains of Fiscal Year 2023 and in Fiscal Year 2024 as part of AmeriCorps’s multiyear ARPA implementation plan. Below is what the rescission of these ARPA funds means for AmeriCorps VISTA and AmeriCorps State and National:

  • AmeriCorps VISTA: A total of $37 million, intended to support living allowances in Fiscal Year 2024, will be rescinded. Due to this cut, AmeriCorps VISTA will not host a summer associate program in Fiscal Year 2024 and anticipates funding 500 fewer full-year member service years in Fiscal Year 2024 than in Fiscal Year 2023 (pending Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations).
  • AmeriCorps State and National: A total of $28 million, which was expected to be used for competitive grant funding in Fiscal Year 2024, will be rescinded. This will reduce the number of AmeriCorps State and National positions funded in Fiscal Year 2024 by approximately 2,500 AmeriCorps members.

 

Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriations

How Is the Fiscal Responsibility Act (Debt Limit Law) Related to Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriations?

  • While the Fiscal Responsibility Act’s immediate goal was to raise the debt ceiling so that the U.S. could avoid defaulting, it also included topline spending caps for Appropriators to use when creating their appropriations bills.
  • This legislation set the non-defense discretionary spending cap at $704 billion. This is a $40 billion cut (or five percent) from Fiscal Year 2023. The Appropriations Committees will be able to reallocate unspent funds, largely from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), that will essentially help to keep Fiscal Year 2024 non-defense funding at flat levels.

Where Do the Annual Appropriations Bills Stand Currently?

The Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations process is in full swing in the U.S. Congress. The House is close to completing its committee action on Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations bills. Unfortunately, House Appropriations Chair Kay Granger (R-TX), in response to pressure from the far-right wing of the House Republican Caucus, has decided to draft their Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations bills at Fiscal Year 2022 funding levels and not that level set in the debt limit legislation. The Senate is drafting their bills at the funding levels set in the debt limit legislation. Below is information on what is in the House draft bills for the Interior-Environment and Labor, Health, and Human Services Subcommittees.

  • Interior and Environment (bill passed out of Full House Committee)

    The House Appropriations Committee has held a full committee mark-up of the Interior-Environment draft bill. The draft bill report is linked here.

    • The draft bill contains cuts to the Department of Interior (DOI) overall and at the Department’s various units. There are increases for the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) for wildland fire management. The bill does include the annual $5 million at the USFS for “priority projects within the scope of the approved budget, which shall be carried out by the Youth Conservation Corps and shall be carried out under the authority of the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 (16 U.S.C. 1721 et seq.).”
    • The draft bill’s report contains the following language:
      • “Federal Corps Programs. —No funding is provided within Title I for the Department of the Interior to implement the redundant Civilian Climate Corps. The Committee supports the work of the Youth Conservation Corps and the Public Lands Corps, two longstanding Federal corps programs related to conserving and restoring public lands and waters that partner with locally based, nonfederal corps organizations.”
  • Labor, Health, and Human Services, Education (bill passed out of House Subcommittee)

    As of the writing of this, the House Appropriations Full Committee has not marked up the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education Appropriations bill. There is the potential for changes to this draft bill during the full committee mark-up. As it stands, the draft bill provides $163 billion in Fiscal Year 2024 funding. This is a cut of $63.8 billion or 28 percent below Fiscal Year 2023. If this became law, it would be the lowest funding level for the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education bill since 2008.

      • AmeriCorps – The draft bill would cut the AmeriCorps agency’s topline to $660.94 million. This is a fifty percent cut compared to Fiscal Year 2023. The bill would eliminate funding for the National Service Trust, which funds the Education Awards that Corpsmembers earn.
      • Job Corps – The draft bill eliminates funding for Job Corps, a cut of $1.8 billion that would eliminate job training and employment services for 50,000 youth who face barriers to employment.
      • Pell Grant – The bill does not provide an increase for the maximum Pell Grant award. The amount of a full-time Segal AmeriCorps Education Award is equivalent to the maximum value of the Pell Grant. If this bill became law, it would be the first time since 2012 that the maximum Pell Grant award was not increased.
      • WIOA Youth Job Training State Grants – The draft bill eliminates funding for WIOA Youth Job Training state grants, a cut of $948 million that would eliminate job training and employment services for 128,000 youth who face barriers to employment.

 

Are We Headed Towards a Government Shutdown? Could There Be a Year Long Continuing Resolution?

Given the discrepancies in funding levels at which the House and Senate are drafting their spending bills it will likely be difficult for the two chambers to find common ground. Fiscal Year 2023 ends on September 30, 2023. Congress has until then to pass an Appropriations package. If they are unable to do so they may pass a Continuing Resolution to keep the government funded at current levels until a decided end date. It is important to keep in mind that the debt limit legislation, signed into law in early June, also includes a provision that would reduce defense and non-defense spending by one percent from current levels if all twelve full-year appropriations bills are not completed by January 1, 2024.

If by the end of September 30, 2023, no agreement is reached to pass an appropriations package through both chambers of Congress and signed into law by the President or no Continuing Resolution is passed through both chambers and signed into law by the President, a federal government shutdown would occur.

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The Corps Network’s Equity Statement – A Message from the CEO

Dear friends of The Corps Network, 

I am pleased to share The Corps Network’s equity statement. As our organization embarks on a new five-year strategic plan, this statement will guide all our decisions around development and growth.  

 

We acknowledge that the modern Corps movement traces its roots back to a program – the Civilian Conservation Corps – that did not offer equal opportunities to all. We recognize that the conservation world in which we operate has also historically lacked diversity and representation. With this statement, we accede the unfortunate reality that opportunity and access are not spread fairly. However, we also recognize that we have the ability and a responsibility to evolve, change things for the better, and invest in a more equitable future.   

 

With this statement at the center of our work, we aim to prioritize expansion of Corps programming in communities and populations that have faced environmental injustice and disinvestment. We seek to thoughtfully develop new career pathways and partnerships that set Corps alums on the path to well-paying, meaningful careers. We will offer more trainings and resources to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) in the Corps community. The Corps Network will also look in the mirror: among other steps, we are conducting an equity audit and supporting each staff member to undergo an equity certification course.  

 

While The Corps Network has been around for nearly four decades, this is our first equity statement. That is not to say this is our first endeavor to center equity in our work. With support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, we launched our Moving Forward Initiative in 2017. Through this effort, and the bold leadership of Capri St. Vil, we embarked on offering more DEIJ programming through our conference and webinars, training our staff on the impacts of systemic racism, and creating Corpsmember Liberation and Leadership – an innovative workshop designed to empower young people of color.  

 

I humbly thank Capri for challenging us and guiding us through this work. I am pleased to share that, as Capri has transitioned into a consulting role (and “semi-retirement” – she can’t go far!), our own Tia Blakney has stepped in to lead The Corps Network’s DEIJ initiatives. Tia has been an invaluable member of our Gulf office for several years, helping provide DEIJ training to GulfCorps members and staff. I applaud Tia on her important work thus far and I am excited to see what direction she takes us.  

 

Creating this new equity statement was a team effort. The language was crafted by members of our staff and Board of Directors, and the entire team at The Corps Network weighed in and offered feedback. I am proud to say this is a statement to which we are fully committed. I invite you to join us as we start this new chapter of centering diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice in our work at The Corps Network.  

 

 

Mary Ellen Sprenkel

President and CEO, The Corps Network

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Primary Contact Invitation

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Past Corpsmembers of the Year Table

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Legacy Achievement Awardees Table

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General Default Thumbnail

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Account Info Mapping Field

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Impact Story: Training Arborists in San Diego

By: Emma Fantuzzo

The Corps Network is collecting short stories from Corps about their projects and Corpsmembers that put them into action. Read our “Impact Stories” collection for a picture of the people and hard work behind the Corps movement. This story is about Urban Corps of San Diego’s Utility Line Clearance Arborist Training Program.

About the Program:

Utility Line Clearance Arborists work to clear vegetation around utility lines to maintain electrical safety, an increasingly important job as wildfires continue to worsen throughout California. This program enables Corpsmembers to gain skills to become safe and productive arborists over the course of five weeks and 200 hours. These skills would normally take six months to learn as an apprentice on the job.

This program is in partnership with the San Diego College of Continuing Education and aligns with other programs offered by UCSD. Urban Corps has received funding for a workforce program in the Urban Forestry field from CAL FIRE and San Diego Gas and Electric. CAL FIRE’s grant is paying for stipends received by Corpsmembers who are taking the training.

Corpsmember Benefit:

Corpsmembers receive training in safety and learn the industry best practices in a classroom and in the field. Students will have received training in First Aid/ CPR, OSHA 10, fire safety prevention, chippers, chainsaw, knots, climbing and more. Corpsmembers also receive certification and college credit.

Impact Story: Kupu Hawaii

Kupu, a multi-program Corps with over 500 participants per year, has had great success in Hawaii. Founded in 2007, Kupu embodies its name, which in Olelo Hawai’i means “to grow”. Kupu currently has over 100 partner sites, and has programs ranging from its Hawai’i Youth Conservation Corps, to its individual programs like Kupu ‘Āina Corps. The Corps mission is to “Preserve land while empowering youth.”

Program Overview:

Kupu runs several programs, some are team based, like Hawai’i Youth Conservation Corps, while others focus on individual placement, like Kupu ‘Āina Corps. Kawika Riley, the Senior Director of External Affairs at Kupu, says; “the dual focus of building potential of youth and caring for the environment are the common thread in all of them.” The variety of programs have empowered over 5000 young people to find their place in conservation and service. Here are a few of them:

Hawai’i Youth Conservation Corps is a summer program for teens and young adults interested in conservation work. Corpsmembers serve outdoors with various environmental organizations and get to explore their passion for conservation while earning a stipend and potential AmeriCorps education awards. Members serve in the field with a team of other Corpsmembers completing work at their assigned site.

Kupu Culinary Program is a program focused on empowering young adults to learn about sustainable food sources and culinary practices in a real-world, hands-on service environment. Participants must be 16 years or older and gain job skills they can bring into their future career path.

Kupu ‘Āina Corps is an initiative of the state of Hawai’i for a Green Job Youth Corps and, according to Riley, one of the biggest Kupu programs. Positions in this program are partnered across Kupu’s expansive network in areas from conservation to agriculture to clean energy. Corpsmembers are given a chance to serve and dive into the conservation field before they start on their career paths.

Kupu’s programs partner with a variety of organizations. They work with the state of Hawaii, the federal government, Volcanos National Park, and even smaller organizations within the community. Making these connections and doing projects within the community will hopefully be reflected on a larger scale. “Ultimately it’s what we need to do worldwide” says Riley.

Corpsmembers:

Kupu regularly has around 500 Corpsmembers, though it varies from year to year. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Kupu ‘Āina Corps helped provide employment for many individuals facing hardship because of the pandemic’s effect on Hawaii’s largely tourism-based economy. Since Kupu began, they have had over 5000 young people serve as Corpsmembers who have done astonishing work.

Riley shares, “It’s a pretty neat thing, based on our reports going back all those years we can track over 1.5 million native species that have been planted by our members and over 151 thousand acres of invasive species that have been removed.”

He also notes that the Corps estimates that they have had 153 million dollars in positive socio-economic impact. Riley believes that “Hawaii is economically dependent on tourism, and while that will never go away, [Hawaii] should not be as dependent as [they] are.”

Most Corpsmembers seek a position at Kupu to foster a pre-existing love for the environment and to explore related career pathways. Riley notes that 80% of participants report that they are working in an environmental related field after completing the program.

As the world begins to come to terms with the environmental crisis of climate change, Corps like Kupu are already doing the work and preparing the next generation to be stewards of the environment.

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Resource Library CSV

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