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Title 42, The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-110

§12601 Establishment of the National Service Trust

Title 42 › CHAPTER 129 — NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE › SUBCHAPTER I — NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE STATE GRANT PROGRAM › § 12601

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

Creates the National Service Trust inside the U.S. Treasury to hold money for national service education awards and related interest costs. The Trust must include: amounts the Corporation sets aside from its appropriations for awards and interest (including those described in section 12604(e)); gifts or bequests the donor directs to the Trust (including amounts under section 12651g(a)(2)); amounts the Corporation recovers under section 12602a; and interest or sales proceeds from investments the Trust holds. The Secretary of the Treasury must invest the Trust’s money fully, normally in interest-bearing U.S. obligations or obligations guaranteed by the United States, and may buy or sell those securities at market or issue price. Money in the Trust can be spent, when Congress provides funds in advance, to pay the education awards and the interest costs. Not later than March 1 each year, the Corporation must report to its authorizing committees about the Trust’s finances for the previous fiscal year. The report must say how much came from the most recent appropriation, from gifts under section 12651g(a)(2), and from recoveries under subsection (a)(3); give the number of people now serving or who have qualified for the awards; give the number whose expected awards were reduced under section 12603(c) or lapsed under section 12602(d); and estimate how many more approved positions the Trust’s surplus could fund.

Full Legal Text

Title 42, §12601

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

(a)Establishment
There is established in the Treasury of the United States an account to be known as the National Service Trust. The Trust shall consist of— (1)
(2)any amounts received by the Corporation as gifts, bequests, devises, or otherwise pursuant to section 12651g(a)(2) of this title, if the terms of such donations direct that the donated amounts be deposited in the National Service Trust;
(3)any amounts recovered by the Corporation pursuant to section 12602a of this title; and
(4)the interest on, and proceeds from the sale or redemption of, any obligations held by the Trust.
(b)Investment of Trust
It shall be the duty of the Secretary of the Treasury to invest in full the amounts appropriated to the Trust. Except as otherwise expressly provided in instruments concerning a gift, bequest, devise, or other donation and agreed to by the Corporation, such investments may be made only in interest-bearing obligations of the United States or in obligations guaranteed as to both principal and interest by the United States. For such purpose, such obligations may be acquired on original issue at the issue price or by purchase of outstanding obligations at the market price. Any obligation acquired by the Trust may be sold by the Secretary at the market price.
(c)Expenditures from Trust
Amounts in the Trust shall be available, to the extent provided for in advance by appropriation, for— (1)
(2)payments of interest in accordance with section 12604(e) of this title.
(d)Reports to the authorizing committees on receipts and expenditures
Not later than March 1 of each year, the Corporation shall submit a report to the authorizing committees on the financial status of the Trust during the preceding fiscal year. Such report shall—
(1)specify the amount deposited to the Trust from the most recent appropriation to the Corporation, the amount received by the Corporation as gifts, bequests, devises, or otherwise pursuant to section 12651g(a)(2) of this title during the period covered by the report, and any amounts obtained by the Trust pursuant to subsection (a)(3);
(2)identify the number of individuals who are currently performing service to qualify, or have qualified, for national service educational awards, summer of service educational awards, or silver scholar awards;
(3)identify the number of individuals whose expectation to receive national service educational awards, summer of service educational awards, or silver scholar awards during the period covered by the report—
(A)has been reduced pursuant to section 12603(c) of this title; or
(B)has lapsed pursuant to section 12602(d) of this title; and
(4)estimate the number of additional approved national service positions, additional approved summer of service positions, and additional approved silver scholar positions that the Corporation will be able to make available on the basis of any accumulated surplus in the Trust above the amount required to provide national service educational awards, summer of service educational awards, or silver scholar awards to individuals identified under paragraph (2), including any amounts available as a result of the circumstances referred to in paragraph (3).

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

A prior section 12601, Pub. L. 101–610, title I, § 156, Nov. 16, 1990, 104 Stat. 3156, related to authority of Commission on National and Community Service to make grants to States or Indian tribes for creation of innovative volunteer and community service programs, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 103–82, § 104(a). A prior section 145 of Pub. L. 101–610 was classified to section 12575 of this title prior to the general amendment of subtitle D of title I of Pub. L. 101–610 [former part D of this subchapter] by Pub. L. 103–82, § 102(a).

Amendments

2009—Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 111–13, § 1401(b)(1)(A)(i), struck out “pursuant to section 12681(a)(2) of this title” after “carry out this division” in introductory provisions. Subsec. (a)(1)(A). Pub. L. 111–13, § 1401(b)(1)(A)(ii), inserted “, summer of service educational awards, and silver scholar educational awards” after “national service educational awards”. Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 111–13, § 1401(b)(1)(B)(i), substituted “pursuant to section 12651g(a)(2) of this title, if the terms of such donations direct that the donated amounts be deposited in the National Service Trust” for “pursuant to section 12651g(a)(2) of this title”. Subsec. (a)(3), (4). Pub. L. 111–13, § 1401(b)(1)(B)(ii)–(D), added par. (3) and redesignated former par. (3) as (4). Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 111–13, § 1401(b)(2), substituted “for—” for “for payments of national service educational awards in accordance with section 12604 of this title.” and added pars. (1) and (2). Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 111–13, § 1401(b)(3)(A), (B), substituted “the authorizing committees” for “Congress” in heading and “the authorizing committees” for “the Congress” in introductory provisions. Subsec. (d)(2), (3). Pub. L. 111–13, § 1401(b)(3)(C), inserted “, summer of service educational awards, or silver scholar awards” after “national service educational awards”. Subsec. (d)(4). Pub. L. 111–13, § 1401(b)(3)(C), (D), inserted “, additional approved summer of service positions, and additional approved silver scholar positions” after “additional approved national service positions”, struck out “under division C of this subchapter” after “make available”, and inserted “, summer of service educational awards, or silver scholar awards” after “national service educational awards”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2009 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 111–13 effective Oct. 1, 2009, see section 6101(a) of Pub. L. 111–13, set out as a note under section 4950 of this title.

Effective Date

Section effective Oct. 1, 1993, see section 123 of Pub. L. 103–82, set out as an

Effective Date

of 1993 Amendment note under section 1701 of Title 16, Conservation. Segal AmeriCorps Education Award Pub. L. 109–234, title VII, § 7014, June 15, 2006, 120 Stat. 484, provided that: “Any national service educational award described in subtitle D of title I of the National and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12601 et seq.), made with funds appropriated to, funds transferred to, or interest accumulated in the National Service Trust, shall hereafter be known as a ‘Segal AmeriCorps Education Award’.”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

42 U.S.C. § 12601

Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110