The Senate approved a major national-service bill Thursday that triples the AmeriCorps program to 250,000 participants and designates Sept. 11 as a "National Day of Service and Remembrance."

"Sept. 11 should not only be a day for mourning - it should be a day to think about our neighbors, our community and our country," Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said.

"We can take a tragic day in our nation's history and turn it into a force for good," added Schumer. "We can make it a day on which we can give back in remembrance of those who lost their lives."

President Obama is expected to sign the bill into law.