§12584a — Title 42 The Public Health and Welfare | U.S. Code

Summary

National service positions cannot be used for many political, labor, or religious activities. They must not be used to try to change laws or lobby lawmakers, run protests or strikes, help or block union organizing, break or weaken service contracts or bargaining agreements, or take part in campaigning for parties, candidates, or elections. They also cannot be used for religious instruction, worship services, or trying to convert people, unless the service does not support those religious activities. The positions may not be used to give direct help to for‑profit businesses, labor unions, partisan political groups, nonprofits that do not follow certain tax rules (participants can still speak up on their own), or religious groups as described above. Service members may not provide abortion services or referrals, run voter registration drives, or use program funds for those drives. The program can also ban other activities it finds inappropriate. The program cannot give help to any organization that has broken a federal criminal law. Participants also must not be told to do work that duplicates other federal program services, replaces paid employees, or takes the place of funding that would otherwise pay for a position.

Title 42, §12584a

The Public Health and Welfare — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)An approved national service position under this division may not be used for the following activities:

(1)Attempting to influence legislation.

(2)Organizing or engaging in protests, petitions, boycotts, or strikes.

(3)Assisting, promoting, or deterring union organizing.

(4)Impairing existing contracts for services or collective bargaining agreements.

(5)Engaging in partisan political activities, or other activities designed to influence the outcome of an election to Federal office or the outcome of an election to a State or local public office.

(6)Participating in, or endorsing, events or activities that are likely to include advocacy for or against political parties, political platforms, political candidates, proposed legislation, or elected officials.

(7)Engaging in religious instruction, conducting worship services, providing instruction as part of a program that includes mandatory religious instruction or worship, constructing or operating facilities devoted to religious instruction or worship, maintaining facilities primarily or inherently devoted to religious instruction or worship, or engaging in any form of proselytization, consistent with section 12584 of this title.

(8)Consistent with section 12584 of this title, providing a direct benefit to any—

(A)business organized for profit;

(B)labor union;

(C)partisan political organization;

(D)nonprofit organization that fails to comply with the restrictions contained in section 501(c) of title 26, except that nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to prevent participants from engaging in advocacy activities undertaken at their own initiative; and

(E)organization engaged in the religious activities described in paragraph (7), unless the position is not used to support those religious activities.

(9)Providing abortion services or referrals for receipt of such services.

(10)Conducting a voter registration drive or using Corporation funds to conduct a voter registration drive.

(11)Carrying out such other activities as the Corporation may prohibit.

(b)No assistance provided under this division may be provided to any organization that has violated a Federal criminal statute.

(c)A participant in an approved national service position under this division may not be directed to perform any services or duties, or to engage in any activities, prohibited under the nonduplication, nondisplacement, or nonsupplantation requirements relating to employees and volunteers in section 12637 of this title.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Section effective Oct. 1, 2009, see section 6101(a) of Pub. L. 111–13, set out as an

Effective Date

of 2009 Amendment note under section 4950 of this title.

§12584a Prohibited Activities and Ineligible Organizations

Summary

Title 42, §12584a

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Effective Date

Citations & Metadata