Sen. Chris Coons (D., Del.) is leading an effort to drastically expand AmeriCorps, the national community-service program, and route new volunteers into contact tracing — which tracks who an infected person has come into contact with so those people can be encouraged to self-quarantine and stop the virus’ spread.

Coons introduced the bill Tuesday with the support of several other Democratic senators and House members, including Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, of Chester County. The plan would double the AmeriCorps workforce to 150,000 this year, and double that again next year. Coons said it would provide opportunities for young people now graduating college, and for current Peace Corps and AmeriCorps volunteers who have had their work cut short by the pandemic.

“We need up to 300,000 people to meet the demands of this moment and we’re nowhere close,” Coons said on a call with reporters. “We know we have an available, ready, highly motivated pool of young people.”

Gov. Tom Wolf rolled out a similar plan in Pennsylvania Wednesday, announcing the creation of the Commonwealth Civilian Coronavirus Corps to increase contact tracing. Experts say such tracing is critical to mitigating the spread of the virus as some states begin reopening their economies.

Coons and Houlahan hope their proposal can be part of the next major coronavirus bill in Congress, though its prospects are not yet clear.