II 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4538 

To establish a Restore Employment in Natural and Environmental Work 

Conservation Corps in the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 8, 2020 

Mr. DURBIN introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Environment and Public Works 

A BILL 

To establish a Restore Employment in Natural and Environmental Work Conservation Corps in the Department of 

the Interior and the Department of Agriculture, and 

for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Restore Employment 

5 in Natural and Environmental Work Conservation Corps 

6 Act’’ or the ‘‘RENEW Conservation Corps Act’’. 

7 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. 

8 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 


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1 (1) as a result of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 

2 (COVID–19) pandemic, more than 40,000,000 peo3 ple in the United States have filed claims for unem4 ployment benefits since March 2020, which is a level 

5 of unemployment not seen since the Great Depres6 sion; 

7 (2) investments in fish, wildlife, and habitat 

8 restoration and outdoor recreation infrastructure 

9 generate as many as 33 jobs per $1,000,000 in10 vested, as demonstrated by the American Recovery 

11 and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111–5; 

12 123 Stat. 115); 

13 (3) the outdoor recreation economy— 

14 (A) generates $887,000,000,000 in eco15 nomic activity each year, which is 2.2 percent 

16 of the gross domestic product of the United 

17 States, according to the Bureau of Economic 

18 Analysis; and 

19 (B) was 1 of the fastest growing sectors of 

20 the United States economy before the 

21 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID–19) pan22 demic; 

23 (4) the Federal Government and State and local 

24 governments and agencies have many ‘‘shovel-ready’’ 

25 projects and green infrastructure maintenance backVerDate Sep 11 2014 19:03 Sep 09, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4538.IS S4538

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1 log projects that would improve the quality of life, 

2 outdoor experiences, and access to outdoor recre3 ation opportunities of people of the United States on 

4 completion of the projects; 

5 (5) many facilities and natural resources lo6 cated on dedicated conservation land are in disrepair 

7 or degraded and in need of labor-intensive rehabili8 tation, restoration, and enhancement work that can9 not be carried out at existing staffing levels; 

10 (6) enhancing and maintaining environmentally 

11 and recreationally important land and waters 

12 through the participation of unemployed individuals 

13 in the United States in a conservation corps could— 

14 (A) provide critical employment, education, 

15 and skill development opportunities to the indi16 viduals; 

17 (B) prepare the individuals for permanent 

18 jobs in the conservation field; and 

19 (C) benefit the economy and environment 

20 of the United States; and 

21 (7) existing networks of conservation corps are 

22 in place but need additional resources in order to 

23 scale up the activities of the conservation corps to 

24 meet growing deferred maintenance needs on public 

25 land. 


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1 (b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are— 

2 (1) to employ, during the 5-year period begin3 ning on the date of enactment of this Act, a total 

4 of 1,000,000 people in the United States in dedi5 cated conservation land projects to support the 

6 growing backlog of deferred conservation land 

7 projects; 

8 (2) to expose Participants to public service 

9 while furthering the understanding and appreciation 

10 of the Participants of the natural and cultural re11 sources of the United States; 

12 (3) to stimulate interest among Participants in 

13 conservation careers by exposing the Participants to 

14 conservation professionals in land management 

15 agencies; and 

16 (4) to build on the existing network of con17 servation corps organizations working across the 

18 United States while providing for expanded partici19 pation in urban centers. 

20 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

21 In this Act: 

22 (1) CORPS.—The term ‘‘Corps’’ means the Re23 store Employment in Natural and Environmental 

24 Work Conservation Corps established by section 

25 4(a). 


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1 (2) COUNCIL.—The term ‘‘Council’’ means the 

2 National Council on the Restore Employment in 

3 Natural and Environmental Work Conservation 

4 Corps established under section 6(a). 

5 (3) ELIGIBLE LOCAL AGENCY.—The term ‘‘eli6 gible local agency’’ means a unit of local govern7 ment, land trust, or similar conservation nonprofit 

8 organization. 

9 (4) ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANT.—The term ‘‘eligi10 ble participant’’ means an individual who— 

11 (A) is 16 years of age or older at the time 

12 the individual begins the term of service as a 

13 Participant; and 

14 (B) is a citizen or national of the United 

15 States or lawful permanent resident alien of the 

16 United States. 

17 (5) ELIGIBLE PROJECT.—The term ‘‘eligible 

18 project’’ means any of the following: 

19 (A) A project to plant trees. 

20 (B) A project for the restoration and man21 agement of wildlife habitat. 

22 (C) A project to control invasive species. 

23 (D) A project for the conduct of prescribed 

24 burns. 


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1 (E) A project for the restoration of 

2 streams, wetlands, and other aquatic eco3 systems. 

4 (F) A project to monitor water quality in 

5 streams and lakes. 

6 (G) A project to assist with the conduct of 

7 fish and wildlife surveys. 

8 (H) A project for the construction or main9 tenance of trails, bridges, campgrounds, picnic 

10 shelters, or other recreational amenities for use 

11 by the public. 

12 (I) A project for the construction or main13 tenance of parks and playgrounds. 

14 (J) A project to restore brownfield sites 

15 (as defined in section 101 of the Comprehensive 

16 Environmental Response, Compensation, and 

17 Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 9601)) in 

18 urban areas. 

19 (K) A project to construct rain gardens, 

20 grass waterways, pollinator gardens, or green 

21 schoolyards. 

22 (L) A project for the development of urban 

23 gardens and farms. 

24 (M) A project to plant native grasslands. 


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1 (N) A project to provide environmental in2 terpretation or outdoor education. 

3 (O) Any other project determined to be ap4 propriate by the Secretaries. 

5 (6) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ 

6 has the meaning given the term ‘‘Indian tribe’’ in 

7 section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Edu8 cation Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 

9 (7) PARTICIPANT.—The term ‘‘Participant’’ 

10 means an eligible participant enrolled in the Corps. 

11 (8) PROGRAM PARTNER.—The term ‘‘Program 

12 partner’’ means— 

13 (A) a State or Indian Tribe administering 

14 a program for eligible projects or a grant pro15 gram under subsection (a) or (b) of section 5, 

16 as applicable; and 

17 (B) an eligible local agency carrying out el18 igible projects under section 5(a)(3)(B). 

19 (9) SECRETARIES.—The term ‘‘Secretaries’’ 

20 means the Secretary of Agriculture and the Sec21 retary of the Interior, acting jointly. 

22 (10) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of 

23 the several States, the District of Columbia, the 

24 Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and any other terri25 tory or possession of the United States. 


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1 SEC. 4. RESTORE EMPLOYMENT IN NATURAL AND ENVI2 RONMENTAL WORK CONSERVATION CORPS. 

3 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the 

4 Department of the Interior and the Department of Agri5 culture the Restore Employment in Natural and Environ6 mental Work Conservation Corps program under which 

7 Participants shall carry out— 

8 (1) eligible projects administered by the Secre9 taries under this section; and 

10 (2) eligible projects administered by Program 

11 partners under subsection (a) or (b) of section 5. 

12 (b) PARTICIPANTS.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Corps shall consist of— 

14 (A) eligible participants who are enrolled 

15 in the Corps by the Secretaries; and 

16 (B) eligible participants who are enrolled 

17 in the Corps by Program partners. 

18 (2) REQUIREMENT.—In enrolling eligible par19 ticipants in the Corps under paragraph (1), the Sec20 retaries and Program partners shall ensure that 

21 Participants reflect the demographics of the area in 

22 which the Participants are carrying out an eligible 

23 project. 

24 (c) TERMS AND COMPENSATION.— 

25 (1) TERM.—Participants shall serve for a term 

26 of at least 12 weeks, but not more than 1 year. 


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1 (2) COMPENSATION.— 

2 (A) WAGES.—Participants shall be com3 pensated at a wage rate that is appropriate for 

4 the type of work performed by the Participant, 

5 but not less than $15 per hour (to be increased 

6 each year based on increases in the Consumer 

7 Price Index for the year). 

8 (B) EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE.—If a Par9 ticipant completes at least 1 year of service in 

10 the Corps, Participants shall be eligible for— 

11 (i) an educational credit that may be 

12 applied toward a program of postsecondary 

13 education at an institution of higher edu14 cation that agrees to award the credit for 

15 participation in the Corps; and 

16 (ii) not more than $5,500 in tuition 

17 assistance to the Participant for purposes 

18 of continuing education. 

19 (d) TRAINING; APPRENTICESHIPS.—The Secretaries 

20 and Program partners shall— 

21 (1) ensure that Participants are provided at 

22 least 2 weeks of training during each term of the ap23 plicable Participant; and 

24 (2) provide curricula to Participants that im25 prove the future job prospects of Participants, inVerDate Sep 11 2014 19:03 Sep 09, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4538.IS S4538

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1 cluding through making available to Participants 

2 registered apprenticeships and other professional li3 censes or certifications. 

4 SEC. 5. STATE, TRIBAL, AND LOCAL FUNDING PROGRAM 

5 FOR ELIGIBLE PROJECTS. 

6 (a) APPORTIONMENT TO STATES.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—For each fiscal year, subject 

8 to paragraphs (2) and (3), of the amounts made 

9 available for apportionment to the States for that 

10 fiscal year under section 7(2), the Secretaries shall 

11 apportion— 

(A) 662 12 ⁄3 percent among States based on 

13 the proportion that— 

14 (i) the number of unemployed individ15 uals in each State, as determined based on 

16 the most recent data available; bears to 

17 (ii) the total number of unemployed 

18 individuals in all States as so determined; 

19 and 

(B) 331 20 ⁄3 percent among States based on 

21 the proportion that— 

22 (i) the population of each State; bears 

23 to 

24 (ii) the population of all States. 


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1 (2) MINIMUM APPORTIONMENT.—No State 

2 shall receive an apportionment under paragraph (1) 

3 for a fiscal year in an amount less than 

4 $42,000,000. 

5 (3) USE OF FUNDS.—Of the amounts appor6 tioned to a State under this subsection for a fiscal 

7 year— 

8 (A) 50 percent shall be used by the State 

9 to administer a program for the conduct of eli10 gible projects by Participants enrolled in the 

11 program by the States; and 

12 (B) 50 percent shall be used by the State 

13 to administer a grant program in the State 

14 under which the State provides grants to eligi15 ble local agencies in the State for the conduct 

16 of eligible projects by Participants enrolled by 

17 the eligible local agencies. 

18 (b) TRIBAL PROGRAM.—For each fiscal year, the 

19 Secretaries shall apportion, in accordance with a formula 

20 established by the Secretaries, amounts made available 

21 under section 7(3) to Indian Tribes to administer a pro22 gram for the conduct of eligible projects by Participants 

23 enrolled in the program by the Indian Tribe. 


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1 (c) USE OF FUNDS.—Of the amounts provided to a 

2 Program partner for the conduct of eligible projects under 

3 this section, the Program partner— 

4 (1) may use not more than 20 percent for ad5 ministrative costs of administering and carrying out 

6 eligible projects (including costs of recruiting and 

7 hiring individuals to carry out eligible projects); 

8 (2) may use not more than 14 percent to pro9 vide continuing education to individuals admin10 istering or carrying out eligible projects; 

11 (3) may use not more than 8 percent for the 

12 cost of equipment and supplies for eligible projects; 

13 and 

14 (4) shall use the remainder of the amounts for 

15 the costs of salaries of individuals administering or 

16 carrying out eligible projects. 

17 (d) REALLOCATION.—Any funds made available to a 

18 State or Indian Tribe under subsection (a) or (b) that are 

19 not obligated by the State or Indian Tribe at the end of 

20 the third fiscal year beginning after the fiscal year during 

21 which the funds were made available shall be withdrawn 

22 from the State or Indian Tribe and reallocated by the Sec23 retaries to other States and Indian Tribes on the basis 

24 of need, as determined by the Secretaries, and in amounts 


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1 that the Secretaries determine would best accomplish the 

2 purposes described in section 2(b). 

3 SEC. 6. NATIONAL COUNCIL ON THE RESTORE EMPLOY4 MENT IN NATURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL 

5 WORK CONSERVATION CORPS. 

6 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of the Interior, 

7 the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Commerce, 

8 the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agen9 cy, the Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality, 

10 the Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Chief 

11 Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and 

12 Community Service, and the Assistant Secretary of the 

13 Army for Civil Works, through the execution of a memo14 randum of understanding, shall establish a National Coun15 cil on the Restore Employment in Natural and Environ16 mental Work Conservation Corps. 

17 (b) MEMBERSHIP.— 

18 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Council shall be com19 posed of— 

20 (A) the Director of the Bureau of Indian 

21 Affairs; 

22 (B) the Director of the Bureau of Land 

23 Management; 

24 (C) the Commissioner of Reclamation; 


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1 (D) the Chief of the Natural Resources 

2 Conservation Service; 

3 (E) the Director of the United States Fish 

4 and Wildlife Service; 

5 (F) the Director of the National Park 

6 Service; 

7 (G) the Administrator of the National Oce8 anic and Atmospheric Administration; 

9 (H) the Director of the Office of Surface 

10 Mining Reclamation and Enforcement; 

11 (I) the Chief of Engineers; 

12 (J) the Chief of the Forest Service; 

13 (K) the Director of the Office of Personnel 

14 Management; 

15 (L) the Administrator of the Environ16 mental Protection Agency; 

17 (M) the Chair of the Council on Environ18 mental Quality; 

19 (N) the Chief Executive Officer of the Cor20 poration for National and Community Service; 

21 and 

22 (O) other members that the signatories to 

23 the memorandum of understanding under sub24 section (a) determine to be appropriate for 

25 membership on the Council, including— 


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1 (i) the Secretary of Labor; 

2 (ii) the Secretary of Education; 

3 (iii) the Secretary of Health and 

4 Human Services; 

5 (iv) the Secretary of Housing and 

6 Urban Development; 

7 (v) the Secretary of Transportation; 

8 and 

9 (vi) the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. 

10 (2) CHAIR.— 

11 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Council shall select 

12 a Chair of the Council from among the mem13 bers of the Council described in subparagraphs 

14 (A) through (M) of paragraph (1). 

15 (B) TERM.—The Chair of the Council 

16 shall serve for a term of 1 year. 

17 (c) ANNUAL MEETING.—The Chair of the Council 

18 shall convene annual meetings of the Council during which 

19 the Council shall conduct an assessment of— 

20 (1) the Corps; and 

21 (2) eligible projects carried out by the Corps. 

22 SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

23 There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

24 this Act $55,800,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 

25 2021 through 2025, of which— 


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1 (1) 37.5 percent shall be made available to the 

2 Secretaries to carry out eligible projects under sec3 tion 4(a)(1); 

4 (2) 57.5 percent shall be made available to the 

5 Secretaries for apportionment to States under sec6 tion 5(a); and 

7 (3) 5 percent shall be made available to the 

8 Secretaries for apportionment to Indian Tribes 

9 under section 5(b). 

Æ 


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