Peace Corps Reauthorization Act of 2023
This bill reauthorizes the Peace Corps program through FY2028 and 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.