April 1986 -- Senator Chuck Robb introduces national service concept in Inaugural Address as Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) chairman.

February 1988 -- Senator Sam Nunn delivers speech and hosts panel on national service at DLC annual conference in Williamsburg, VA. Conference introduces national service concept to then-Governor Bill Clinton.

April 1988 -- DLC publishes the book Citizenship and National Service, written by Will Marshall, providing an analysis of the need for a national service and outlining a comprehensive national service proposal.

October 1988 -- DLC sponsors a two-week National Service tour, featuring Vice Presidential nominee Lloyd Bentsen, Senators Sam Nunn, Barbara Mikulski, and Bennett Johnston, Representative Mike Espy, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, and Northwestern University's Charlie Moskos.

January 1989 -- DLC Chair Senator Sam Nunn and Representative Dave McCurdy (later a DLC chairman) introduce the DLC's National Service legislation.

November 1990 -- Congress passes National and Community Service Act, incorporating many elements of the Nunn-McCurdy proposal.

October 1991 -- Arkansas Governor (and former DLC chairman) Bill Clinton launches his presidential campaign with a Georgetown University speech where he calls for a "New Covenant" and the establishment of a voluntary system of national service.

December 1992 -- Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) publishes Mandate for Change, which outlines an agenda for the new Clinton administration, including a section on national service.

September 1993 -- Congress passes the National and Community Service Trust Act, based on President Clinton's proposal, establishing the Corporation for National Service and AmeriCorps.

July 1996 -- PPI and the Hudson Institute jointly host conference, "National and Community Service: A New Bargain?," reflecting the continuing effort to build bipartisan support for national service.

Spring 1999 -- DLC's policy journal, Blueprint, proposes new ideas to expand national service, building on President Clinton's proposals.

November 2001 -- DLC Chairman Senator Evan Bayh and Senator John McCain introduce the "Call to Service Act," which would dramatically expand the scope of national service.

February 2002 -- PPI and the Hudson Institute jointly host the conference "Taking National Service to Scale," helping build bipartisan support for a short-term "citizen soldier" enlistment program and an expansion of AmeriCorps tied to the new mission of homeland security.

November 2002 -- The Progressive Policy Institute launches the Center for Civic Enterprise, which is charged with developing the next generation of ideas on national service, citizen participation and civic activism.

December 2002 -- Congress passes the defense authorization bill for fiscal year 2003 that includes a short-term "citizen soldier" enlistment program based on the military segment of the Bayh-McCain national service bill. This "citizen soldier" option allows volunteers to serve their country in uniform without pursuing a military career.

Fall 2003 -- Presidential candidates Gen. Wesley Clark, Sen. John Kerry, and Sen. John Edwards make expanding national service a key element of their campaigns, elevating it for the first time to one of the major issues in the Democratic primary debate.

May 2005 -- PPI publishes the book The AmeriCorps Experiment and The Future of National Service, edited by Will Marshall and Marc Porter Magee. The volume, which includes essays by David Eisner, William A. Galston, Stephen Goldsmith, Susan Stroud,and Steve Waldman, evaluates AmeriCorps' performance over its first decade, explores possible futures for national service, and offers concrete ideas for expanding opportunities for Americans, young and old, to serve.

July 2006 -- Hillary Rodham Clinton, as chair of the DLC's American Dream Initiative, presents the project's report to the National Conversation in Denver. The American Dream Initiative is an opportunity agenda for expanding the middle class and includes a call to service. The report proposes an American Dream Grant, which combined with a tax credit, would allow any student willing to work part-time or perform community service to go to four years of college nearly tuition-free.

Fall 2006 -- Rep. Rahm Emanuel and DLC President Bruce Reed release The Plan: Big Ideas for Change in America. The book calls for a new social contract which includes "universal citizen service." In their proposal, all Americans between the ages of 18 to 25 would be asked to participate in three months of civil defense training and community service to learn what to do in the event of a natural disaster, an epidemic, or a terrorist attack. Those willing to extend their commitment would be eligible for college-tuition assistance through an expansion of the AmeriCorps program.

March 2008 -- DLC Chairman Harold Ford, Jr. and DLC Founder and CEO Al From call for a 21st Century GI Bill, in an op-ed for The Chicago Tribune. The plan would deposit $5,000 in the name of every newborn U.S. child into a tax-free, college education-type fund. Families would be encouraged to supplement it with additional payments. The money could be tapped any time between the ages of 18 and 25 to pay for college, start a business or buy a first home. To access the government's contribution (with interest), however, a person would have to commit to one year of civilian or military service.

March 2009 -- The Senate passes the Senator Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, in honor of the Massachusetts Democrat who was a main architect of the legislation, which will expand the size of AmeriCorps from 75,000 to 250,000. The bill is expected to pass the House and be signed into law by President Barack Obama.