H.R. 1273: Peace Corps Reauthorization Act of 2023

This bill requires or authorizes various policies for the Peace Corps program. For example, the bill

• increases the minimum rate for readjustment allowances paid to Peace Corps volunteers upon their return to the United States;
• requires the Peace Corps to establish processes to return volunteers to service after their service has been interrupted by a mandatory evacuation, and to strive to allow evacuated volunteers to return to the country in which they had formerly been assigned (except for Peace Corps missions in China);
• requires the Peace Corps to provide separating volunteers with information on postservice health care options;
• provides statutory authority to an executive order that provides returning volunteers with noncompetitive eligibility for federal employment purposes (i.e., eligibility to be noncompetitively appointed to a competitive federal position);
• requires the Peace Corps to implement a zero-tolerance policy regarding volunteer or trainee involvement with illegal drugs;
• requires the Peace Corps to take all reasonable measures to prevent and address reprisal or retaliation against a volunteer by any person with supervisory authority over the volunteer, such as a Peace Corps officer; and
• authorizes suspension without pay for employees engaged in serious misconduct that could impact the efficiency of the service and could lead to removal for cause.

Written by the Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress.