The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed legislation that would more than triple the number of participants in the AmeriCorps national service program and create several new programs aimed at increasing the number of Americans engaged in community service, fulfilling a campaign pledge of President Obama's. The bill, a version of which the Senate's education committee also approved Wednesday, would increase the number of AmeriCorps participants to 250,000 from the current 75,000, increase the education reward they receive in exchange for their service to $5,350 for next year, and link increases in that payment to match future boosts in the Pell Grant maximum to keep up with rising college costs.