US Code

Public Law 119-73 (01/23/2026)

42 U.S.C. § 4954

Terms and periods of service

(a)

Personal commitment; scope of commitment

Volunteers serving under this part shall be required to make a full-time personal commitment to combating poverty and poverty-related problems. To the maximum extent practicable, the requirement for full-time commitment shall include a commitment to live among and at the economic level of the people served, and to remain available for service without regard to regular working hours, at all times during their periods of service, except for authorized periods of leave.

(b)

Minimum period of service; critical scarce-skill needs exception; reenrollment; limitation

(1)
Volunteers serving under this part may be enrolled initially for periods of service of not less than 1 year, nor more than 2 years, except as provided in paragraph (2) or subsection (e).
(2)
Volunteers serving under this part may be enrolled for periods of service of less than 1 year if the Director determines, on an individual basis, that a period of service of less than 1 year is necessary to meet a critical scarce skill need.
(3)
Volunteers serving under this part may be reenrolled for periods of service in a manner to be determined by the Director. No volunteer shall serve for more than a total of 5 years under this part.
(c)

Oath or affirmation

section 3331 of title 5Volunteers under this part shall, upon enrollment, take the oath of office as prescribed for persons appointed to any office of honor or profit by , and shall swear (or affirm) that the volunteer does not advocate the overthrow of the constitutional form of government of the United States and that the volunteer is not a member of an organization that advocates the overthrow of the constitutional form of government of the United States, knowing that such organization so advocates, except that persons legally residing within a State but who are not citizens or nationals of the United States, may serve under this part without taking or subscribing to such oath, if the Director determines that the service of such persons will further the interests of the United States. Such persons shall take such alternative oath or affirmation as the Director shall deem appropriate.

(d)

Grievance and personal view presentation procedure; notice and hearing; information

The Director shall establish a procedure, including notice and opportunity to be heard, for volunteers under this part to present and obtain resolution of grievances and to present their views in connection with the terms and conditions of their service. The Director shall promptly provide to each volunteer in service on , and to each such volunteer beginning service thereafter, information regarding such procedure and the terms and conditions of their service.

(e)

Summer associates

(1)
section 4953(a) of this title Notwithstanding any other provision of this part, the Director may enroll full-time VISTA summer associates in a program for the summer months only, under such terms and conditions as the Director shall determine to be appropriate. Such individuals shall be assigned to projects that meet the criteria set forth in .
(2)
In preparing reports relating to programs under this chapter, the Director shall report on participants, costs, and accomplishments under the summer program separately.
(3)
section 4958 of this title The limitation on funds appropriated for grants and contracts, as contained in , shall not apply to the summer program.

Pub. L. 93–113, title I, § 10487 Stat. 397Pub. L. 98–288, § 598 Stat. 190Pub. L. 101–204, title VII, § 702103 Stat. 1821Pub. L. 103–82, title III, § 324107 Stat. 900(, , ; , , ; , , ; , , .)

Editorial Notes

References in Text

Pub. L. 93–11387 Stat. 394section 4950 of this titleThis chapter, referred to in subsec. (e)(2), was in the original “this Act”, meaning , , , known as the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out under and Tables.

Amendments

Pub. L. 103–82, § 324(a)1993—Subsec. (b). , amended subsec. (b) generally. Prior to amendment, subsec. (b) read as follows: “Volunteers serving under this part may be enrolled for periods of service not exceeding two years, but for not less than one-year periods of service, except that volunteers serving under this part may be enrolled for periods of service of less than one year when the Director determines, on an individual basis, that a period of service of less than one year is necessary to meet a critical scarce-skill need. Volunteers serving under this part may be reenrolled for periods of service totaling not more than two years. No volunteer shall serve for more than a total of five years under this part.”

Pub. L. 103–82, § 324(b)Subsec. (e). , added subsec. (e).

Pub. L. 101–204section 3331 of title 5section 2504(j) of title 221989—Subsec. (c). substituted “for persons appointed to any office of honor or profit by , and shall swear (or affirm) that the volunteer does not advocate the overthrow of the constitutional form of government of the United States and that the volunteer is not a member of an organization that advocates the overthrow of the constitutional form of government of the United States, knowing that such organization so advocates, except” for “in , except”.

Pub. L. 98–2881984—Subsec. (a). struck out “human, social, and environmental” in first sentence after “poverty-related”, and substituted “the requirement for full-time commitment” for “this” in second sentence.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 1993 Amendment

Pub. L. 103–82section 392 of Pub. L. 103–82section 4951 of this titleAmendment by effective , see , set out as a note under .

Temporary Authority for Extensions of Period of Service

Pub. L. 101–204, title I, § 101(c)103 Stat. 1810Pub. L. 103–82, title IV, § 405(h)107 Stat. 921

“(1)

In general .—

42 U.S.C. 4954(b)42 U.S.C. 4951Notwithstanding the limitations established in section 104(b) of the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 () for the maximum period of service as a volunteer under part A of title I of such Act ( et seq.), the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service may, subject to paragraphs (2) and (3), extend beyond such maximum the period of service for such volunteer in any case in which—
“(A)
such extension is requested by the project or program to which such volunteer involved is assigned; and
“(B)
such Director determines that such extension is appropriate with respect to meeting the goals of such project or program.
“(2)

Limitations on extensions .—

With respect to extensions under paragraph (1) for volunteers described in such paragraph—
“(A)
such an extension shall not exceed a 1-year period;
“(B)
not more than two of such extensions may be made for any one volunteer; and
“(C)
not more than 1 percent of the total number of such volunteers serving for the fiscal year involved may receive such extensions.
“(2)

Duration of authority [probably should be (3)] .—

The authority established in paragraph (1) shall be effective only for fiscal years 1990 through 1993.”
, , , as amended by , , , provided that: