On March 31, Congress passed the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, a legislative initiative to expand and improve service opportunities for all Americans, harness social innovation toward public good, and ensure accountability, transparency and results.

A truly bi-partisan piece of legislation, the Act received strong support from both houses, passing the Senate with a vote of 79-19, and then the House, which passed it 275-149 by amending their previously passed bill, the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act.

Recognizing service and civic engagement as an invaluable asset in solving some of America’s most challenging problems, in his first address to Congress, President Obama called for swift passing of the bill by sponsors Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT). The Act is now headed for President Obama’s desk where he has promised to sign it into law. Prior to his presidency, Obama was a co-sponsor of the Act in the Senate, and has made civic engagement a “cause of his presidency.”

While this legislation represents a substantial increase in national service opportunities and encourages innovation across the sector, for NCoC, the Act is particularly meaningful for its accountability metrics and the inclusion of America’s Civic Health Index. The National Conference on Citizenship has played a leading role in tracking, measuring and promoting citizen participation, with the Civic Health Index’s inclusion in the Act, NCoC will be able to work closely with the Corporation for National and Community Service to expand the reach and depth of the report and assist policy makers on the national, state and even local levels in harnessing the power of citizens to strengthen their communities and our country.

NCoC is honored to recognize the leadership of many of our partners, including our Senior Advisor, John Bridgeland, the Service Nation coalition, and Voices for National Service, for their dedication to drafting and passing this legislation, which as President Obama said in a statement regarding the Act, is a critical step in “usher[ing] in a new era of service in America.”