(a) Prohibited activities

An approved national service position under this division may not be used for the following activities:

(1) Attempting to influence legislation.

(2) Organizing or engaging in protests, petitions, boycotts, or strikes.

(3) Assisting, promoting, or deterring union organizing.

(4) Impairing existing contracts for services or collective bargaining agreements.

(5) Engaging in partisan political activities, or other activities designed to influence the outcome of an election to Federal office or the outcome of an election to a State or local public office.

(6) Participating in, or endorsing, events or activities that are likely to include advocacy for or against political parties, political platforms, political candidates, proposed legislation, or elected officials.

(7) Engaging in religious instruction, conducting worship services, providing instruction as part of a program that includes mandatory religious instruction or worship, constructing or operating facilities devoted to religious instruction or worship, maintaining facilities primarily or inherently devoted to religious instruction or worship, or engaging in any form of proselytization, consistent with section 12584 of this title.

(8) Consistent with section 12584 of this title, providing a direct benefit to any—

(A) business organized for profit;

(B) labor union;

(C) partisan political organization;

(D) nonprofit organization that fails to comply with the restrictions contained in section 501(c) of title 26, except that nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to prevent participants from engaging in advocacy activities undertaken at their own initiative; and

(E) organization engaged in the religious activities described in paragraph (7), unless the position is not used to support those religious activities.


(9) Providing abortion services or referrals for receipt of such services.

(10) Conducting a voter registration drive or using Corporation funds to conduct a voter registration drive.

(11) Carrying out such other activities as the Corporation may prohibit.

(b) Ineligibility

Terms Used In 42 USC 12584a

  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • State: means a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or any other territory or possession of the United States. See 1 USC 7
  • Statute: A law passed by a legislature.

No assistance provided under this division may be provided to any organization that has violated a Federal criminal statute.

(c) Nondisplacement of employed workers or other volunteers

A participant in an approved national service position under this division may not be directed to perform any services or duties, or to engage in any activities, prohibited under the nonduplication, nondisplacement, or nonsupplantation requirements relating to employees and volunteers in section 12637 of this title.