IB 

Union Calendar No. 177 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1612 

[Report No. 111–312, Part I] 

To amend the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 to expand the authorization 

of the Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, and the Interior to provide 

service-learning opportunities on public lands, help restore the Nation’s 

natural, cultural, historic, archaeological, recreational, and scenic resources, train a new generation of public land managers and enthusiasts, 

and promote the value of public service. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 19, 2009 

Mr. GRIJALVA (for himself and Mr. RAHALL) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture and Education and Labor, for a 

period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 

consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

OCTOBER 23, 2009 

Additional sponsors: Mr. DOGGETT, Mrs. CHRISTENSEN, Mr. INSLEE, Ms. 

BORDALLO, Mr. HOLT, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. SNYDER, Ms. LEE of 

California, Mr. BERMAN, Mr. WALZ, Mr. MASSA, Mr. ROTHMAN of New 

Jersey, Mr. SARBANES, Mr. FILNER, Mrs. CAPPS, Mr. PAYNE, Ms. 

HIRONO, Mr. KILDEE, Mr. SABLAN, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. MARKEY of 

Massachusetts, Mr. PIERLUISI, Mr. HONDA, Mr. EHLERS, Ms. KAPTUR, 

Mr. ABERCROMBIE, Mr. MICHAUD, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts, Mr. SESTAK, Mr. DELAHUNT, Mr. DEFAZIO, Mr. CUMMINGS, 

Mr. MCGOVERN, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. HINOJOSA, Mr. BLUMENAUER, 

Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. GUTIERREZ, Mr. 

KUCINICH, Mr. BACA, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. PRICE of North Carolina, Mr. 

LUJA ́N, Mr. RODRIGUEZ, Ms. MARKEY of Colorado, Mr. HODES, Mr. 

GONZALEZ, Ms. MATSUI, Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of California, Mr. TONKO, 

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia, Ms. HERSETH SANDLIN, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, Mr. KISSELL, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Ms. SHEA-PORTER, Mr. DICKS, 

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Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, Ms. ESHOO, Mr. MILLER of North Carolina, 

and Mr. JACKSON of Illinois 

OCTOBER 23, 2009 

Reported from the Committee on Natural Resources with amendments 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

OCTOBER 23, 2009 

Committees on Agriculture and Education and Labor discharged; committed 

to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed 

[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on March 19, 2009] 

A BILL 

To amend the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 to expand 

the authorization of the Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, and the Interior to provide service-learning opportunities on public lands, help restore the Nation’s natural, cultural, historic, archaeological, recreational, and 

scenic resources, train a new generation of public land 

managers and enthusiasts, and promote the value of 

public service. 

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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 ‘‘Public Lands Service 

5 Corps Act of 2009’’. 

6 SEC. 2. REFERENCE. 

7 Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever in 

8 this Act an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms of 

9 an amendment to, or a repeal of, a section or other provi10 sion, the reference shall be considered to be made to a section 

11 or other provision of the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 

12 (16 U.S.C. 1721 et seq.; title II of Public Law 91–378). 

13 SEC. 3. AMENDMENTS TO THE PUBLIC LANDS CORPS ACT 

14 OF 1993. 

15 (a) NAME AND PROJECT DESCRIPTION CHANGES.— 

16 The Act is amended— 

17 (1) by striking ‘‘Public Lands Corps’’ each place 

18 it appears and inserting ‘‘Public Lands Service 

19 Corps’’; 

20 (2) in the title heading, by striking ‘‘PUBLIC 

21 LANDS CORPS’’ and inserting ‘‘PUBLIC 

22 LANDS SERVICE CORPS’’; 

23 (3) in the section 204— 

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1 (A) in the section heading, by striking 

2 ‘‘PUBLIC LANDS CORPS’’ and inserting 

3 ‘‘PUBLIC LANDS SERVICE CORPS’’; and 

4 (B) in the heading of subsection (a), by 

5 striking ‘‘PUBLIC LANDS CORPS’’ and inserting 

6 ‘‘PUBLIC LANDS SERVICE CORPS’’; 

7 (4) in the heading of paragraph (2) of section 

8 210(a), by striking ‘‘PUBLIC LANDS CORPS’’ and in9 serting ‘‘PUBLIC LANDS SERVICE CORPS’’; 

10 (5) by striking ‘‘conservation center’’ each place 

11 it appears and inserting ‘‘residential conservation 

12 center’’; and 

13 (6) by striking ‘‘appropriate conservation 

14 projects’’ each place it appears (except in paragraph 

15 (1) of section 204(e) as so redesignated) and inserting 

16 ‘‘appropriate natural and cultural resources conserva17 tion projects’’. 

18 (b) FINDINGS.—Section 202(a) of the Act is amended 

19 as follows: 

20 (1) In paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘the natural 

21 and cultural’’ and inserting ‘‘natural and cultural’’. 

22 (2) By redesignating paragraphs (2) and (3) as 

23 paragraphs (4) and (5), respectively, and by inserting 

24 after paragraph (1) the following: 

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1 ‘‘(2) Participants in conservation corps receive 

2 meaningful training and their experience with such 

3 corps provides preparation for careers in public serv4 ice. 

5 ‘‘(3) Young men and women who participate in 

6 the rehabilitation and restoration of our Nation’s nat7 ural, cultural, historic, archaeological, recreational, 

8 and scenic treasures will gain an increased apprecia9 tion and understanding of our public lands and herit10 age, and of the value of public service, and are likely 

11 to become life-long advocates for those values.’’. 

12 (3) In paragraph (4) (as so redesignated), by in13 serting ‘‘, cultural, historic, archaeological, rec14 reational, and scenic’’ after ‘‘Many facilities and nat15 ural’’. 

16 (4) By adding at the end the following: 

17 ‘‘(6) The work of conservation corps can benefit 

18 communities adjacent to public lands and facilities 

19 through renewed civic engagement and participation 

20 by corps participants and those they serve; improved 

21 student achievement; and restoration and rehabilita22 tion of public assets.’’. 

23 (c) PURPOSE.—Section 202(b) of the Act is amended 

24 to read as follows: 

25 ‘‘(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are to— 

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1 ‘‘(1) introduce young men and women to public 

2 service while furthering their understanding and ap3 preciation of the Nation’s natural, cultural, historic, 

4 archaeological, recreational, and scenic resources; 

5 ‘‘(2) facilitate training and recruitment opportu6 nities in which service is credited as qualifying expe7 rience for careers in public land management; 

8 ‘‘(3) instill in a new generation of young men 

9 and women from across the Nation, including those 

10 from diverse backgrounds, the desire to seek careers in 

11 natural and cultural resource stewardship and public 

12 service by allowing them to work directly with profes13 sionals in agencies responsible for the management of 

14 the Nation’s natural, cultural, historic, archae15 ological, recreational, and scenic resources; 

16 ‘‘(4) perform, in a cost-effective manner, appro17 priate natural and cultural resources conservation 

18 projects where such projects are not being performed 

19 by existing employees; 

20 ‘‘(5) assist governments and Indian tribes in 

21 performing research and public education tasks asso22 ciated with natural and cultural resources; 

23 ‘‘(6) expand educational opportunities by re24 warding individuals who participate in national 

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1 service with an increased ability to pursue higher 

2 education or job training; and 

3 ‘‘(7) promote public understanding and appre4 ciation of the individual missions and natural and 

5 cultural resources conservation work of the Federal 

6 agencies through training opportunities, community 

7 service and outreach, and other appropriate means.’’. 

8 (d) DEFINITIONS.—Section 203 of the Act is amended 

9 as follows: 

10 (1) By amending paragraphs (1) and (2) to read 

11 as follows: 

12 ‘‘(1) APPROPRIATE NATURAL AND CULTURAL RE13 SOURCES CONSERVATION PROJECT.—The term ‘appro14 priate natural and cultural resources conservation 

15 project’ means any project for the conservation, res16 toration, construction, or rehabilitation of natural, 

17 cultural, historic, archaeological, recreational, or sce18 nic resources. 

19 ‘‘(2) CORPS AND PUBLIC LANDS SERVICE

20 CORPS.—The terms ‘Corps’ and ‘Public Lands Service 

21 Corps’ mean the Public Lands Service Corps estab22 lished under section 204 of this title.’’. 

23 (2) By striking paragraphs (3) and (8). 

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1 (3) By redesignating paragraphs (4), (5), (6), 

2 (7), (9), (10), (11), (12), and (13) as paragraphs (3) 

3 through (11), respectively. 

4 (4) By amending paragraph (7) (as so redesig5 nated) to read as follows: 

6 ‘‘(7) PUBLIC LANDS.—The term ‘public lands’ 

7 means any lands or waters (or interest therein) 

8 owned or administered by the United States, includ9 ing those areas of coastal and ocean waters, the Great 

10 Lakes and their connecting waters, and submerged 

11 lands over which the United States exercises jurisdic12 tion, except that such term does not include any In13 dian lands.’’. 

14 (5) In paragraph (8) (as so redesignated)— 

15 (A) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘and’’ 

16 at the end; 

17 (B) in subparagraph (C), by striking the 

18 period and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

19 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

20 ‘‘(D) makes available for audit for each fis21 cal year for which the qualified youth or con22 servation corps receives Federal funds under this 

23 Act, information pertaining to the expenditure of 

24 the funds, any matching funds, and participant 

25 demographics.’’. 

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1 (6) In paragraph (10) (as so redesignated)— 

2 (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘and’’ 

3 at the end; 

4 (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking the 

5 period and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

6 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

7 ‘‘(C) with respect to the National Marine 

8 Sanctuary System, coral reefs, and other coastal, 

9 estuarine, and marine habitats, and other lands 

10 and facilities administered by the National Oce11 anic and Atmospheric Administration, the Sec12 retary of Commerce.’’. 

13 (7) By adding at the end the following: 

14 ‘‘(12) RESIDENTIAL CONSERVATION CENTERS.— 

15 The term ‘residential conservation centers’ means the 

16 facilities authorized under section 205. 

17 ‘‘(13) CONSULTING INTERN.—The term ‘con18 sulting intern’ means a consulting intern selected 

19 under section 206. 

20 ‘‘(14) PUBLIC LANDS SERVICE CORPS PARTICI21 PANT.—The term ‘Public Lands Service Corps partic22 ipant’, ‘Corps participant’ or ‘participant of the 

23 Corps’ means an individual who is enrolled in the 

24 Public Lands Service Corps pursuant to section 

25 204(b).’’. 

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1 (e) PUBLIC LANDS SERVICE CORPS PROGRAM.—Sec2 tion 204 of the Act is amended as follows: 

3 (1) In subsection (a)— 

4 (A) in the heading, by adding at the end 

5 ‘‘PROGRAM’’; 

6 (B) by striking ‘‘and the Department of Ag7 riculture a’’ and inserting ‘‘, the Department of 

8 Agriculture, and the Department of Commerce a 

9 service and training program titled the’’; and 

10 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

11 ‘‘The Secretary of the Interior shall establish a 

12 department-level office to coordinate Public 

13 Lands Service Corps activities within the De14 partment of the Interior. The Secretary of Agri15 culture shall establish within the U.S. Forest 

16 Service an office to coordinate Public Lands 

17 Service Corps activities within that agency. The 

18 Secretary of Commerce shall establish within the 

19 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra20 tion an office to coordinate Public Lands Service 

21 Corps activities within that agency. The Sec22 retary of each department shall designate a Pub23 lic Lands Service Corps coordinator for each 

24 agency within that department that administers 

25 Public Lands Service Corps activities.’’. 

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1 (2) By amending subsection (b) to read as fol2 lows: 

3 ‘‘(b) PARTICIPANTS.—The Secretary may enroll in the 

4 Public Lands Service Corps individuals between the ages 

5 of 16 and 25, inclusive, who are either hired by an agency 

6 under the Secretary’s jurisdiction to perform work author7 ized under this Act or who are members of a qualified youth 

8 or conservation corps with which the Secretary has entered 

9 into a cooperative agreement to perform work authorized 

10 under this Act. The Secretary may also enroll resource as11 sistants and consulting interns. All enrollees shall be consid12 ered Public Lands Service Corps participants, and may be 

13 enrolled for a term of up to 24 months of service, which 

14 may be served over more than two calendar years. The indi15 viduals may be enrolled without regard to the civil service 

16 and classification laws, rules, or regulations of the United 

17 States. The Secretary may establish a preference for the en18 rollment in the Corps of individuals who are economically, 

19 physically, or educationally disadvantaged.’’. 

20 (3) In subsection (c)— 

21 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

22 (i) by striking ‘‘contracts and’’; 

23 (ii) by inserting ‘‘natural and cultural 

24 resources’’ after ‘‘appropriate’’; and 

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1 (iii) by striking ‘‘subsection (d)’’ and 

2 inserting ‘‘subsection (e)’’; 

3 (B) by redesignating paragraph (2) as 

4 paragraph (3); 

5 (C) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol6 lowing: 

7 ‘‘(2) RECRUITMENT.—The Secretary shall under8 take, or enter into cooperative agreements to provide, 

9 a program to attract eligible youth to the Corps by 

10 publicizing Corps opportunities through high schools, 

11 colleges, employment centers, electronic media, and 

12 other appropriate institutions or means.’’; and 

13 (D) by amending paragraph (3) (as so re14 designated) to read as follows: 

15 ‘‘(3) PREFERENCE.—For purposes of entering 

16 into cooperative agreements under paragraph (1), the 

17 Secretary may give preference to qualified youth or 

18 conservation corps located in a specific area that have 

19 a substantial portion of members who are economi20 cally, physically, or educationally disadvantaged to 

21 carry out projects within the area.’’. 

22 (4) By redesignating subsections (d) through (f) 

23 as subsections (e) through (g), respectively. 

24 (5) By inserting after subsection (c) the fol25 lowing: 

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1 ‘‘(d) TRAINING.—The Secretary shall establish a train2 ing program based at appropriate residential conservation 

3 centers or at other suitable regional Federal or other appro4 priate facilities or sites to provide training for Corps par5 ticipants. The Secretary shall— 

6 ‘‘(1) ensure that the duration and comprehen7 siveness of the training program shall be commensu8 rate with the projects Corps participants are expected 

9 to undertake; 

10 ‘‘(2) develop department-wide standards for the 

11 program that include training in— 

12 ‘‘(A) resource stewardship; 

13 ‘‘(B) ethics for those in public service; 

14 ‘‘(C) principles of national service; 

15 ‘‘(D) health and safety; 

16 ‘‘(E) teamwork and leadership; and 

17 ‘‘(F) interpersonal communications; 

18 ‘‘(3) direct each participating agency to develop 

19 agency-specific training guidelines to ensure that 

20 Corps participants enrolled to undertake projects for 

21 that agency are appropriately informed about matters 

22 specific to that agency, including— 

23 ‘‘(A) the history and organization of the 

24 agency; 

25 ‘‘(B) the agency’s core values; and 

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1 ‘‘(C) any agency-specific standards for the 

2 management of natural, cultural, historic, ar3 chaeological, recreational, and scenic resources; 

4 and 

5 ‘‘(4) take into account training already received 

6 by Corps participants enrolled from qualified youth 

7 or conservation corps, including in the matters out8 lined in paragraph (2).’’. 

9 (6) In subsection (e) (as so redesignated)— 

10 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

11 (i) by striking ‘‘The Secretary may 

12 utilize the Corps or any qualified youth or 

13 conservation corps to carry out appro14 priate’’ and inserting ‘‘The Secretary may 

15 use Corps participants to carry out, under 

16 appropriate supervision and training, ap17 propriate natural and cultural resource’’; 

18 and 

19 (ii) by striking ‘‘law on public lands.’’ 

20 and inserting the following: ‘‘law. Such 

21 projects may include, but are not limited 

22 to— 

23 ‘‘(A) protection, restoration, or enhancement 

24 of ecosystem components to promote species re25 covery, improve biological diversity, enhance 

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1 productivity and carbon sequestration, and en2 hance adaptability and resilience of public lands 

3 and resources in the face of climate change and 

4 other natural and human disturbances; 

5 ‘‘(B) promoting the health of forests and 

6 public lands, refuges, and coastal and marine 

7 areas, including— 

8 ‘‘(i) protection and restoration of wa9 tersheds and forest, riparian, estuarine, 

10 grassland, coral reef, intertidal, or other 

11 habitat; 

12 ‘‘(ii) reduction of wildfire risk and 

13 mitigation of damage from insects, disease, 

14 and disasters; 

15 ‘‘(iii) erosion control; 

16 ‘‘(iv) control or removal of invasive, 

17 noxious, or non-native species; and 

18 ‘‘(v) restoration of native species; 

19 ‘‘(C) collection of biological, archaeological, 

20 and other scientific data, including monitoring 

21 of climatological information, species popu22 lations and movement, habitat status, and other 

23 factors; 

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1 tory projects, documentary photography, and ac2 tivities that support the creation of public works 

3 of art related to public lands; and 

4 ‘‘(E) construction, repair, rehabilitation, 

5 green building retrofitting, and maintenance of 

6 roads, trails, campgrounds, and other facilities, 

7 employee housing, cultural and historic sites and 

8 structures, and facilities that further the pur9 poses of the Public Lands Service Corps.’’. 

10 (B) By redesignating paragraphs (2) and 

11 (3) as paragraphs (4) and (5), respectively. 

12 (C) By inserting after paragraph (1) the 

13 following: 

14 ‘‘(2) VISITOR SERVICES.—The Secretary may— 

15 ‘‘(A) enter into or amend an existing coop16 erative agreement with a cooperating associa17 tion, educational institute, friends group, or 

18 similar nonprofit partner organization for the 

19 purpose of providing training and work experi20 ence to Corps participants in areas including, 

21 but not limited to, sales, office work, accounting, 

22 and management provided that the work experi23 ence directly relates to the protection and man24 agement of the public lands; and 

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1 ‘‘(B) allow Corps participants to help pro2 mote visitor safety and enjoyment of public 

3 lands, and assist in the gathering of visitor use 

4 data. 

5 ‘‘(3) INTERPRETATION.—The Secretary may as6 sign Corps participants to provide interpretation or 

7 education services for the public under the appro8 priate direction and supervision of agency personnel, 

9 including— 

10 ‘‘(A) providing orientation and information 

11 services to visitors, including services for non12 English speaking visitors and visitors who use 

13 American Sign Language; 

14 ‘‘(B) assisting agency personnel in the de15 livery of interpretive or educational programs, 

16 including outdoor learning and classroom learn17 ing; 

18 ‘‘(C) presenting programs on Federal lands 

19 or at schools, after-school programs, and youth20 serving community programs that relate the per21 sonal experience of the Corps participant for the 

22 purpose of promoting public awareness of the 

23 Corps, its role in public land management agen24 cies, and its availability to potential partici25 pants; and 

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1 ‘‘(D) creating nonpersonal interpretive 

2 products, such as Web site content, Junior Rang3 er program books, printed handouts, and audio4 visual programs.’’. 

5 (D) In paragraph (4) (as so redesignated), 

6 by striking ‘‘Appropriate conservation projects’’ 

7 and inserting ‘‘Appropriate natural and cultural 

8 resources conservation projects’’. 

9 (7) In subsection (g) (as so redesignated), by 

10 striking ‘‘appropriate conservation project’’ inserting 

11 ‘‘appropriate natural and cultural resources conserva12 tion project’’. 

13 (8) By amending the text of subsection (f)(2) (as 

14 so redesignated) to read as follows: ‘‘will instill in 

15 Corps participants a work ethic and a sense of public 

16 service;’’. 

17 (9) In subsection (g) (as so redesignated), by 

18 striking ‘‘on eligible service lands’’. 

19 (10) By adding at the end the following: 

20 ‘‘(h) OTHER PARTICIPANTS.—The Secretary may 

21 allow volunteers from other programs administered or des22 ignated by the Secretary to participate as volunteers in 

23 projects carried out under this section on such terms as the 

24 Secretary considers appropriate.’’. 

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1 (f) RESIDENTIAL CONSERVATION CENTERS AND PRO2 GRAM SUPPORT.—Section 205 of the Act is amended as fol3 lows: 

4 (1) In the section heading, by striking ‘‘CON5 SERVATION’’ and inserting ‘‘RESIDENTIAL CON6 SERVATION’’. 

7 (2) In subsection (a)— 

8 (A) by amending paragraph (1) to read as 

9 follows: 

10 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may establish 

11 residential conservation centers for— 

12 ‘‘(A) such housing, food service, medical 

13 care, transportation, and other services as the 

14 Secretary deems necessary for the Public Lands 

15 Service Corps; and 

16 ‘‘(B) the conduct of appropriate residential 

17 conservation projects under this Act.’’; 

18 (B) by striking paragraph (2) and redesig19 nating paragraphs (3) and (4) as paragraphs 

20 (2) and (3), respectively; 

21 (C) in paragraph (2) (as so redesignated)— 

22 (i) in the text, by inserting ‘‘residen23 tial’’ before ‘‘conservation centers’’; and 

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1 (ii) in the heading, by inserting ‘‘RESI2 DENTIAL’’ before ‘‘CONSERVATION CENTERS’’; 

3 and 

4 (D) in paragraph (3) (as so redesignated), 

5 by striking ‘‘with a State or’’ and inserting ‘‘a 

6 cooperative agreement with another Federal, 

7 State, or’’. 

8 (3) In subsection (b)— 

9 (A) by striking ‘‘The Secretary’’ and insert10 ing the following: 

11 ‘‘(1) The Secretary’’; and 

12 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

13 ‘‘(2) The Secretary may make arrangements 

14 with other Federal agencies, States, local governments, 

15 or private organizations to provide temporary hous16 ing as needed and available. 

17 ‘‘(3) In project areas where Corps participants 

18 can reasonably be expected to reside at their own 

19 homes, the Secretary may fund or provide transpor20 tation to and from project sites.’’. 

21 (4) By redesignating subsection (d) as subsection 

22 (g). 

23 (5) By inserting after subsection (c) the fol24 lowing: 

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1 ‘‘(d) FACILITIES.—The Secretary may, as an appro2 priate natural and cultural resources conservation project, 

3 direct Corps participants to aid in the rehabilitation or 

4 construction of residential conservation center facilities, in5 cluding housing. 

6 ‘‘(e) GREEN BUILDINGS.—The Secretary may seek the 

7 assistance of the Secretary of Energy in identifying and 

8 using solar and other green building technologies and mod9 ular housing designs that may be adapted for residential 

10 conservation center facilities, including— 

11 ‘‘(1) designs from the Department of Energy’s 

12 Solar Decathlon competition; and 

13 ‘‘(2) logistical support, assistance, and training 

14 from Solar Decathlon participants. 

15 ‘‘(f) MENTORS.—The Secretary may recruit from pro16 grams, such as agency volunteer programs, and from agency 

17 retirees, veterans groups, military retirees, active duty per18 sonnel, and from appropriate youth-serving organizations, 

19 such adults as may be suitable and qualified to provide 

20 training, mentoring, and crew-leading services to Corps 

21 participants.’’. 

22 (6) In subsection (g) (as so redesignated), by 

23 striking ‘‘are appropriate to carry out this title’’ and 

24 inserting ‘‘the Secretary determines to be necessary 

25 for the residential conservation center’’. 

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1 (g) RESOURCE ASSISTANTS AND CONSULTING IN2 TERNS.—Section 206 of the Act is amended as follows: 

3 (1) In the section heading, by inserting ‘‘AND

4 CONSULTING INTERNS’’ before the period. 

5 (2) In subsection (a), by striking ‘‘The Secretary 

6 is authorized to provide individual placements of re7 source’’ and inserting the following: ‘‘The Secretary is 

8 authorized, to provide individual placements of the 

9 following: 

10 ‘‘(1) Resource’’. 

11 (3) By inserting after subsection (a)(1) (as so 

12 designated), the following: 

13 ‘‘(2) Consulting interns with any Federal land, 

14 coastal, or ocean management agency under the juris15 diction of the Secretary to carry out management 

16 analysis activities on behalf of the agency. To be eligi17 ble for selection as a consulting intern, an individual 

18 must be a current enrollee and have completed at 

19 least one full year at a graduate or professional school 

20 that has been accredited by an accrediting body that 

21 has been recognized by the Secretary of Education. 

22 The Secretary may select consulting interns without 

23 regard to the civil service and classification laws, 

24 rules, or regulations of the United States.’’. 

25 (4) In subsection (b)— 

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1 (A) by inserting ‘‘or consulting interns’’ be2 fore ‘‘through private sources’’; 

3 (B) in the second sentence, before the period, 

4 by inserting ‘‘; up to 15 percent may be in5 kind’’; and 

6 (C) by striking ‘‘Resource Assistants’’ and 

7 inserting ‘‘resource assistants or consulting in8 terns’’. 

9 (5) By adding at the end the following: 

10 ‘‘(c) COST SHARING REQUIREMENTS.—At the Sec11 retary’s discretion, the requirements for cost sharing appli12 cable to participating nonprofit organizations for the ex13 penses of resource assistants and consulting interns under 

14 subsection (b) may be reduced to not less than 10 percent.’’. 

15 (h) TECHNICAL AMENDMENT.—The Act is amended by 

16 redesignating sections 207, 208, 209, 210, and 211 as sec17 tions 208, 209, 210, 211, and 212, respectively. 

18 (i) GUIDANCE.—The Act is amended by inserting after 

19 section 206 the following: 

20 ‘‘SEC. 207. GUIDANCE. 

21 ‘‘Not later than 18 months after funds are made avail22 able for this purpose, the Secretaries shall issue guidelines 

23 for the management of the Public Lands Service Corps pro24 grams for use by regional and State directors, and the sumstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with BILLS

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1 pervisors of individual parks, forests, districts, sanctuaries, 

2 reserves, hatcheries, and refuges.’’. 

3 (j) LIVING ALLOWANCES AND TERMS OF SERVICE.— 

4 Section 208 of the Act (as so redesignated) is amended— 

5 (1) by amending subsection (a) to read as fol6 lows: 

7 ‘‘(a) LIVING ALLOWANCES.—The Secretary shall pro8 vide each Corps participant with a living allowance in an 

9 amount established by the Secretary. The Secretary may— 

10 ‘‘(1) apply a cost-of-living differential to such al11 lowances; and 

12 ‘‘(2) reimburse Corps participants for travel 

13 costs at the beginning and end of their term of service 

14 if the Secretary deems appropriate.’’; 

15 (2) by amending the text of subsection (b) to 

16 read as follows: ‘‘Each Corp participant shall agree 

17 to participate in the Corps for such term of service 

18 as may be established by the Secretary enrolling or se19 lecting the individual.’’; 

20 (3) in the heading of subsection (c), by adding 

21 at the end ‘‘PREFERENCE AND FUTURE EMPLOY22 MENT’’; and 

23 (4) in subsection (c)— 

24 (A) by amending paragraphs (1) and (2) to 

25 read as follows: 

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1 ‘‘(1) grant to a participant of the Public Lands 

2 Service Corps credit for service time in the Corps to 

3 be used as qualifying experience toward future Fed4 eral hiring; 

5 ‘‘(2) provide to a former participant of the Pub6 lic Lands Service Corps noncompetitive hiring status 

7 for a period of not more than two years after the date 

8 on which the participant’s service with the Public 

9 Lands Service Corps is complete (not counting any 

10 time spent enrolled in an academic institution or 

11 trade school), if the candidate— 

12 ‘‘(A) has served a minimum of 960 hours on 

13 an appropriate natural or cultural resource con14 servation project that included at least 120 hours 

15 through the Public Lands Service Corps; and 

16 ‘‘(B) meets Office of Personnel Management 

17 qualification standards for the position to which 

18 the candidate is applying;’’; and 

19 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

20 ‘‘(3) develop a system to provide consideration 

21 for participants who cannot meet the requirements of 

22 paragraph (2); 

23 ‘‘(4) provide to an individual who has success24 fully fulfilled the resource assistant program non25 competitive hiring status for a period of not more 

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1 than two years after the date on which the individual 

2 has completed an undergraduate degree from an ac3 credited institution; 

4 ‘‘(5) provide to an individual who has success5 fully fulfilled the consulting internship program non6 competitive hiring status for a period of not more 

7 than two years after the date on which the individual 

8 has completed a graduate degree from an accredited 

9 institution; and 

10 ‘‘(6) provide, or enter into cooperative agree11 ments with qualified employment agencies to provide, 

12 alumni services such as job and education counseling, 

13 referrals, verification of service, communications, and 

14 other appropriate services to participants who have 

15 completed their Corps service.’’. 

16 (k) NATIONAL SERVICE EDUCATIONAL AWARDS.—Sec17 tion 209 of the Act (as so redesignated) is amended— 

18 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘If a’’ and all 

19 that follows through ‘‘shall be eligible’’ and inserting 

20 ‘‘If a Corps participant also serves in an approved 

21 national service position designated under subtitle C 

22 of title I of the National and Community Service Act 

23 of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12571 et seq.), the Corps partici24 pant shall be eligible’’; and 

25 (2) in subsection (b), by striking— 

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1 (A) ‘‘either participants in the Corps or re2 source assistants’’ and inserting ‘‘participants in 

3 the Corps’’ ; and 

4 (B) ‘‘or a resource assistant’’. 

5 (l) NONDISPLACEMENT.—Section 210 of the Act (as so 

6 redesignated) is amended to read as follows: 

7 ‘‘SEC. 210. NONDISPLACEMENT. 

8 ‘‘The nondisplacement requirements of the National 

9 and Community Service Act of 1990 shall be applicable to 

10 all activities carried out by the Public Lands Service Corps 

11 participants.’’. 

12 (m) FUNDING.—Section 211 of the Act (as so redesig13 nated) is amended— 

14 (1) in subsection (a)(1)— 

15 (A) by striking ‘‘appropriate conservation 

16 project’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘ap17 propriate natural and cultural resources con18 servation project’’; and 

19 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

20 ‘‘The Secretary may reduce to no less than 10 

21 percent the non-Federal costs of a project when 

22 the Secretary determines that it is necessary to 

23 enable participation in the Public Lands Service 

24 Corps from a greater range of organizations.’’; 

25 and 

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1 (2) in subsection (b)— 

2 (A) by inserting ‘‘program’’ after ‘‘Corps’’; 

3 and 

4 (B) by inserting ‘‘, consulting interns’’ be5 fore ‘‘and qualified youth’’. 

6 (n) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 

7 212 of the Act (as so redesignated) is amended— 

8 (1) in subsection (a), by inserting ‘‘to the Sec9 retary’’ after ‘‘authorized to be appropriated’’; 

10 (2) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘to carry out’’ 

11 the first place it appears and all that follows through 

12 the period and inserting ‘‘such sums as may be nec13 essary to carry out this title.’’; 

14 (3) by striking subsection (b); and 

15 (4) by redesignating subsection (c) as subsection 

16 (b). 

Amend the title so as to read: ‘‘A bill to amend the 

Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 to expand the authorization of the Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, and the 

Interior to provide service opportunities for young Americans; help restore the nation’s natural, cultural, historic, 

archaeological, recreational and scenic resources; train a 

new generation of public land managers and enthusiasts; 

and promote the value of public service.’’. 

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Union Calendar No. 177 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1612 

[Report No. 111–312, Part I] 

A BILL 

To amend the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 to 

of public service. managers and enthusiasts, and promote the value resources, train a new generation of public land historic, archaeological, recreational, and scenic lands, help restore the Nation’s natural, cultural, vide service-learning opportunities on public Agriculture, Commerce, and the Interior to proexpand the authorization of the Secretaries of 

OCTOBER 23, 2009 

Reported from the Committee on Natural Resources with 

amendments 

OCTOBER 23, 2009 

Committees on Agriculture and Education and Labor disprinted House on the State of the Union and ordered to be charged; committed to the Committee of the Whole 

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