S. 2782 — Service Starts At Home Act

This section establishes a competitive grant program, to be carried out by the Secretary not later than one year after enactment, under which eligible entities receive grants to support paid internships in units of local government for secondary school students and qualified undergraduates at institutions of higher education in the entity's state. Grant recipients must identify internship opportunities, select students, set pay and terms, and cover costs; collaborate with institutions of higher education to ensure educational value; and provide accommodations such as flexible schedules or telework for interns facing childcare, transportation, or similar challenges. The section authorizes $50 million for each of FY2026 through FY2030.

This section establishes a scholarship program for volunteer service under which the Secretary allocates appropriated funds to states, proportional to their public elementary and secondary school enrollment, to award competitive scholarships to eligible students; the Secretary may reserve up to 20% of funds for direct federal supplemental awards prioritizing students without state scholarships. Eligible students include (1) first-time applicants who are high school seniors or college enrollees having completed at least 100 hours of volunteer service in the preceding school year (or equivalent period) and (2) renewal applicants who are college students in good academic standing having completed at least 100 hours in the preceding period; states must prioritize renewals (with streamlined reapplication) before first-time applicants. Scholarship amounts under the state program are tiered by volunteer hours—$1,000 (100-137 hours), $1,500 (138-174 hours), $2,000 (175-212 hours), $2,500 (213-249 hours), or $3,000 (250+ hours)—and may be used solely for higher education costs of attendance, with awards renewable up to four academic years subject to fund availability. Authorizes $100 million for FY2026 through FY2030.

This section directs the Secretary to carry out a program to recognize elementary schools, secondary schools, local educational agencies, and institutions of higher education based on their overall volunteer achievement and contributions to community service.

This section establishes definitions for terms used in the Act, incorporating certain terms by reference from existing law: (1) elementary school, local educational agency, regular high school diploma, secondary school, Secretary, and State, as defined in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801); (2) cost of attendance, as defined in section 472 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087ll); and (3) institution of higher education, as defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). The section further defines eligible entity as a State or unit of local government; unit of local government as a county, municipality, town, township, village, parish, borough, or other sub-State unit of general government, or a governing body of an Indian Tribe or Tribal organization; and volunteer service work as unpaid acts of service for or on behalf of a government or nonprofit organization (excluding proselytizing, worship services, religious instruction, political lobbying, court-ordered service, or primarily family-benefiting service).