A Democratic bill with no cosponsors
Last activity — Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The "Service Starts At Home Act" directs the Secretary of Education to create grant programs to promote student involvement in local government and volunteering. It establishes competitive grants to fund paid internships in local government for secondary and undergraduate students. Additionally, it creates a scholarship program for students who complete a specific number of volunteer service hours. These scholarships can be used to pay for the cost of attendance at institutions of higher education. The bill also includes a program to recognize schools and educational agencies for their contributions to community service.
Yes· 3 of 13
- Scored +9
Would students be better off under this?
Directly provides paid internships and scholarships for educational expenses.
- Scored +8
Would people in their twenties and thirties be better off under this?
Provides paid internships and college scholarships for secondary and undergraduate students.
- Scored +6
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?
Offers financial aid for college and paid work experience for students.
The opposite
- Scored -2
Does this reduce what the federal government owes?
Increases federal spending through grant and scholarship appropriations.
- Scored -2
Does this reduce what the federal government spends?
Authorizes additional spending of $150 million annually from 2026 to 2030.
- Scored -1
Does this make the government pay for what it commits to?
Adds new federal expenditures without specified offsets.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Paid Government Internships: Secondary and undergraduate students can gain work experience and earn money through paid internships in local government (Section 2(a)).
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Support for Challenged Interns: The bill requires entities to seek reasonable accommodations for interns facing childcare needs or transportation difficulties, such as telework or flexible schedules (Section 2(d)(2)).
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Financial Aid for Volunteers: Students who commit to volunteer service can receive scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $3,000 to help cover the cost of attending higher education (Section 3(b)(8)).
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Support for New Volunteers: The Federal supplemental scholarship program prioritizes students who have not already received a state-level scholarship (Section 3(c)(3)).
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School Recognition: Elementary schools, secondary schools, and higher education institutions can be recognized for their overall contributions to community service (Section 4).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Competitive Funding: Because grants for internships and supplemental scholarships are awarded on a "competitive basis," many eligible entities or students may not receive funding (Section 2(a) and Section 3(c)(1)).
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Strict Volunteer Requirements: First-time applicants must have completed at least 100 hours of volunteer service in the preceding year to be eligible for a scholarship, which may be a barrier for some students (Section 3(b)(3)(A)(ii)).
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Limited Scholarship Duration: Students are capped at receiving a scholarship for a total of 4 academic years (Section 3(b)(7)).
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Specific Use of Funds: Scholarship funds are restricted and can only be used to pay for the cost of attendance at an institution of higher education (Section 3(b)(6)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would students be better off under this? — Directly provides paid internships and scholarships for educational expenses. Would people in their twenties and thirties be better off under this? — Provides paid internships and college scholarships for secondary and undergraduate students. Would households on low incomes be better off under this? — Offers financial aid for college and paid work experience for students. Would middle-income households be better off under this? — Provides scholarship opportunities to reduce the burden of higher education costs. Would children be better off under this? — Supports elementary and secondary students through community service recognition. Would Native Americans be better off under this? — Includes Tribal organizations as eligible units of local government for internships.
- Education And Technology
- Does this make college cost less? — Provides scholarships up to $3,000 per year to help cover the cost of higher education. Does this put more money into public schools? — Provides grants to schools for community service recognition and supports students.
- Social Issues And Justice
- Is this likely to lift people out of poverty? — Provides direct financial aid through scholarships and paid work for students. Does this make child care cost less? — Requires entities to seek reasonable accommodations for interns with childcare needs.
- Economy And Finance
- Is this likely to create jobs? — Creates new paid internship opportunities in local government for students. Is this likely to grow the economy? — Provides financial support and work experience to students, potentially boosting future human capital. Does this reduce what the federal government spends? — Authorizes additional spending of $150 million annually from 2026 to 2030. Does this reduce what the federal government owes? — Increases federal spending through grant and scholarship appropriations. Does this make the government pay for what it commits to? — Adds new federal expenditures without specified offsets.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this give the federal government more power? — Increases the role of the Secretary of Education in administering state-level grants.
- 9/11/2025
- Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
- Introduced in House
2 bills Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.