H.R. 5308

Congressional Research Service summary, version: Introduced in House (Sep 11, 2025)

Service Starts At Home Act

This bill requires the Department of Education (ED) to carry out programs to support student participation in local government and volunteer service.

Specifically, ED must make competitive grants for states or local governments to support paid internships within local governments for secondary school students and undergraduate students.

Additionally, ED must make allocations for states to award competitive scholarships to eligible students who demonstrate a commitment to volunteer service work conducted for or on behalf of a government or nonprofit organization. Further, ED may carry out a program to award supplementary funds (on a competitive basis) directly to eligible students who have already received scholarships for volunteer service work.

ED must also carry out a program to recognize elementary and secondary schools, local educational agencies, and institutions of higher education based on their overall volunteer achievement and contributions to community service.