WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, celebrated the Committee’s approval of the Peace Corps Reauthorization Act of 2023. This bipartisan legislation reauthorizes the Peace Corps for the first time in over two decades, raises Peace Corps Volunteers’ readjustment allowance, codifies and expands federal hiring preferences for Peace Corps Volunteers, expedites return-to-service opportunities for those impacted by COVID-19 and future comparable emergencies, and increases transparency as it relates to the agency’s Sexual Assault Advisory Council, among other provisions.

“The Peace Corps is one of our country’s most effective tools to advance development outcomes while fostering mutual understanding and promoting cross-cultural exchange. But as the program grapples with new challenges in a post-COVID world, it’s clear the Peace Corps—which hasn’t been reauthorized in over 20 years—is long overdue for modernization,” said Chairman Menendez. “Today’s Committee approval of the bipartisan Peace Corps Reauthorization Act represents a meaningful step forward in ensuring the program is fit for purpose in today’s environment through critical program reforms, enhanced volunteer support services and compensation, and greater capacity to staff Peace Corps with diverse and well-resourced volunteers. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House and Senate to advance this bill to secure the future of the Peace Corps and support its dedicated volunteers.”

“The Peace Corps Reauthorization Act is an important step in enacting long-overdue reforms that will improve the safety and security of our Peace Corps volunteers,” said Ranking Member Risch. “It includes important measures, such as reauthorization of the Sexual Assault Advisory Council, mandated security briefings, improved whistleblower protections, and a new authority to suspend Peace Corps volunteers without pay in the event of misbehavior.”

“National Peace Corps Association congratulates the Foreign Relations Committee for advancing the Peace Corps Reauthorization Act, and thank Chairman Menendez and Ranking Member Risch for guiding this legislation forward,” said National Peace Corps Association President and CEO Dan Baker. “Among other important provisions, this bill establishes $410 Million as the minimum annual funding for the Peace Corps. While significantly less than what is needed to expand the program into strategically important regions of the world, we are confident that these resources can be added through the appropriations process. Approximately 2,000 Americans have resumed their work as Peace Corps Volunteers in more than 50 countries, and we are about one year away from the first of those volunteers returning home from their service. It is time for Congress to honor and support these volunteers by passing the Peace Corps Reauthorization Act this year.”

“Critically important legislation. This will protect Peace Corps volunteers and the American people, by permitting these volunteers to lawfully report waste, fraud and abuse,” said Stephen M. Kohn, Chairman of the Board of Directors for the National Whistleblower Center. “Whistleblowers are the eyes and ears for effective enforcement of the law. The bill is urgently needed.”

Among its key provisions, the Peace Corps Reauthorization Act of 2023:

1.     Authorizes $410,500,000 to be appropriated annually for the Peace Corps for fiscal years 2024 through 2028

2.     Sets a statutory minimum of $375 per month for the Peace Corps Volunteer readjustment allowance, which the Peace Corps can exceed

3.     Requires the Peace Corps to establish a safe return to service process for those whose service is interrupted due mandatory evacuations from catastrophic events or global emergencies like COVID-19

4.     Provides a path through which Return Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) are advised on paths to obtain healthcare after their service concludes and ensures Peace Corps Volunteers receive adequate health care during their service, including health examinations preparatory to their service

5.     Enumerates procedures and policy to protect Volunteers against reprisal and retaliation

6.     Codifies two years of noncompetitive eligibility for RPCVs

7.     Mandates the National Advisory Council consider and make recommendations to strengthen diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) efforts at the Peace Corps

8.     Expands Peace Corps eligibility to include United States citizens who are nationals of American Samoa

9.     Extends the Sexual Assault Advisory Council until October 2028 and requires the Council to submit annual reports on their work to Congress.

This bipartisan legislation serves as the Senate companion to H.R. 1273, which was introduced by U.S. Representatives John Garamendi (D-Calif.) and Garret Graves (R-La.). Find a copy of the bill text HERE.