This report explores how the states carried out the first year implementation of AmeriCorps, the signature component of the 1993 National and Community Service Trust Act. This initial study is part of a larger study of the effectiveness of the 1993 Act. The report is based on: interviews with the staff of the Corporation for National Service, congressional staff, and other national figures; field studies in nine states that included interviews with commission directors, commissioners, and other individuals involved in service in general and with AmeriCorps in particular; and document review. The most basic finding of this first year is that the accelerated and hectic pace of implementation dominated the program overall. Both the Corporation and the states were so caught up in first-year implementation that it is difficult to draw conclusions about which policies worked and which did not. In general, the Corporation carried out its responsibilities effectively, and the states, attempting to accomplish a great deal immediately, in fact did get an extraordinary amount done. The first-year process was very staff-driven, and states tended to take their leads from the Corporation, taking relatively small roles in shaping service priorities. It is not yet clear how the federal-state balance will resolve itself, but the next few years will clarify the roles of the states and the Corporation, particularly with regard to finances. Seven tables present study findings. Three appendixes, with eight additional tables, list major programs and funding levels and present a survey of state responses to the National and Community Service Act of 1990 and a study description. (SLD)