II 

Calendar No. 711 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 1403 

To amend the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 to establish the 21st Century 

Conservation Service Corps to place youth and veterans in national 

service positions to conserve, restore, and enhance the great outdoors 

of the United States, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 21, 2017 

Mr. MCCAIN (for himself, Mr. BENNET, Mr. UDALL, Mr. ALEXANDER, Mr. 

WICKER, Mr. TESTER, Mr. KING, Mrs. MURRAY, Ms. HIRONO, Mr. 

DAINES, and Mr. HEINRICH) introduced the following bill; which was 

read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 

DECEMBER 4, 2018 

Reported by Ms. MURKOWSKI, with an amendment 

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

A BILL 

To amend the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 to establish 

the 21st Century Conservation Service Corps to place 

youth and veterans in national service positions to conserve, restore, and enhance the great outdoors of the 

United States, 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, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘21st Century Con3 servation Service Corps Act of 2017’’. 

4 SEC. 2. PURPOSES. 

5 Section 202 of the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 

6 (16 U.S.C. 1721) is amended to read as follows: 

7 ‘‘SEC. 202. PURPOSES. 

8 ‘‘The purposes of this title are— 

9 ‘‘(1) to engage youth and veterans in the 

10 United States in civilian national service positions to 

11 conserve, rebuild, and enhance the outdoors, natural 

12 resources, infrastructure, and recreation assets of 

13 the United States; 

14 ‘‘(2) to increase public access to, and use of, 

15 public and tribal land and water, infrastructure, and 

16 natural, cultural, and historical resources and treas17 ures, while spurring economic development and out18 door recreation and addressing backlogged mainte19 nance on public land; 

20 ‘‘(3) to conserve, restore, and enhance public 

21 and tribal land and water, infrastructure, and nat22 ural, cultural, and historical resources and treasures 

23 by carrying out high-quality, cost-effective 21st Cen24 tury Conservation Service Corps projects; 

25 ‘‘(4) to ensure that, in any State or territory of 

26 the United States or on any tribal land, the activiVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:20 Dec 04, 2018 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S1403.RS S1403

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1 ties and expertise of Corpsmembers will be accessible 

2 to any public organization, nonprofit organization, 

3 or tribal agency responsible for the stewardship of 

4 land and water that is— 

5 ‘‘(A) public; 

6 ‘‘(B) tribal; or 

7 ‘‘(C) private and has a direct or recognized 

8 public benefit, in coordination with the owner of 

9 the land or water; 

10 ‘‘(5) to place youth and veterans in civilian na11 tional service positions to protect, restore, and en12 hance the great outdoors, natural resources, infra13 structure, and recreation assets of the United States 

14 in a cost-effective manner without undue duplication 

15 or overlap of activities or programs carried out by 

16 Federal agencies; 

17 ‘‘(6) to provide youth and veterans placed in ci18 vilian national service positions with opportunities to 

19 gain in-demand skills, credentials, and education to 

20 prepare for, and transition to, success in the 21st 

21 century workforce; and 

22 ‘‘(7) to channel widespread interest among 

23 youth and veterans in serving in civilian national 

24 service positions to help conserve, restore, and en25 hance public and tribal land and water, infrastrucVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:20 Dec 04, 2018 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S1403.RS S1403

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1 ture, and natural, cultural, and historical resources 

2 and treasures— 

3 ‘‘(A) for the enjoyment and use of future 

4 generations; and 

5 ‘‘(B) to develop the next generation of out6 door stewards, entrepreneurs, recreationists, 

7 and sportsmen and sportswomen.’’. 

8 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 203 of the Public Lands 

10 Corps Act of 1993 (16 U.S.C. 1722) is amended to read 

11 as follows: 

12 ‘‘SEC. 203. DEFINITIONS. 

13 ‘‘In this title: 

14 ‘‘(1) 21CSC.—The term ‘21CSC’ means the 

15 21st Century Conservation Service Corps established 

16 by section 204(a). 

17 ‘‘(2) 21CSC ORGANIZATION.—The term 

18 ‘21CSC organization’ means an organization or as19 sociation that meets the requirements described in 

20 section 204(d). 

21 ‘‘(3) 21CSC PROJECT.—The term ‘21CSC 

22 project’ means a project that is carried out by a 

23 21CSC organization. 


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1 ‘‘(4) CORPSMEMBER.—The term ‘Corpsmember’ 

2 means an individual who is selected by a 21CSC or3 ganization to serve on a 21CSC project. 

4 ‘‘(5) INDIAN.—The term ‘Indian’ has the mean5 ing given the term in section 101 of the National 

6 and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 

7 12511). 

8 ‘‘(6) INDIAN YOUTH 21ST CENTURY CONSERVA9 TION SERVICE CORPS.—The term ‘Indian Youth 

10 21st Century Conservation Service Corps’ means a 

11 program of a 21CSC organization that— 

12 ‘‘(A) enrolls participants, the majority of 

13 whom are Indians; and 

14 ‘‘(B) is established pursuant to an agree15 ment between a tribal agency and a 21CSC or16 ganization for the benefit of the members of the 

17 tribal agency. 

18 ‘‘(7) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.— 

19 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘institution 

20 of higher education’ has the meaning given the 

21 term in section 102 of the Higher Education 

22 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002). 

23 ‘‘(B) EXCLUSION.—The term ‘institution 

24 of higher education’ does not include— 


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1 ‘‘(i) an institution described in section 

2 101(b) of the Higher Education Act of 

3 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(b)); or 

4 ‘‘(ii) an institution outside the United 

5 States, as described in section 

6 102(a)(1)(C) of that Act (20 U.S.C. 

7 1002(a)(1)(C)). 

8 ‘‘(8) PARTICIPATING ENTITY.—The term ‘par9 ticipating entity’ means a Federal entity described in 

10 section 204(c)(2). 

11 ‘‘(9) PRIORITY PROJECT.—The term ‘priority 

12 project’ means a 21CSC project conducted to further 

13 1 or more of the purposes described in section 202 

14 or in section 2 of the Healthy Forests Restoration 

15 Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6501), including by— 

16 ‘‘(A) reducing wildfire risk to a commu17 nity, municipal water supply, or at-risk land; 

18 ‘‘(B) protecting a watershed; 

19 ‘‘(C) addressing a threat to forest land or 

20 rangeland health, including catastrophic wild21 fire; 

22 ‘‘(D) addressing the impact of insect or 

23 disease infestation or any other damaging agent 

24 on forest land, water, or rangeland health; or 


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1 ‘‘(E) conserving, restoring, or enhancing a 

2 forest ecosystem or an ecosystem on public, pri3 vate, or tribal land— 

4 ‘‘(i) to improve biological diversity; or 

5 ‘‘(ii) to enhance— 

6 ‘‘(I) the productivity of fish and 

7 wildlife habitat; 

8 ‘‘(II) the recovery of a species; or 

9 ‘‘(III) carbon sequestration. 

10 ‘‘(10) RESOURCE ASSISTANT.—The term ‘re11 source assistant’ means a resource assistant selected 

12 under section 206. 

13 ‘‘(11) STATE.—The term ‘State’ means— 

14 ‘‘(A) each of the several States of the 

15 United States; 

16 ‘‘(B) the District of Columbia; 

17 ‘‘(C) the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; 

18 ‘‘(D) the United States Virgin Islands; 

19 ‘‘(E) Guam; 

20 ‘‘(F) American Samoa; and 

21 ‘‘(G) the Commonwealth of the Northern 

22 Mariana Islands. 

23 ‘‘(12) TRIBAL AGENCY.—The term ‘tribal agen24 cy’ has the meaning given the term ‘Indian tribe’ in 


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1 section 101 of the National and Community Service 

2 Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12511). 

3 ‘‘(13) TRIBAL LAND OR WATER.—The term 

4 ‘tribal land or water’ means any real property or 

5 water— 

6 ‘‘(A) owned by a tribal agency; 

7 ‘‘(B) held in trust by the United States for 

8 an Indian or a tribal agency; or 

9 ‘‘(C) held by an Indian or a tribal agency 

10 that is subject to a restriction on alienation im11 posed by the United States. 

12 ‘‘(14) VETERAN.—The term ‘veteran’ has the 

13 meaning given the term in section 101 of title 38, 

14 United States Code. 

15 ‘‘(15) YOUTH.—The term ‘youth’ means an in16 dividual who is not younger than age 15 and not 

17 older than age 30.’’. 

18 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 623(i)(6) 

19 of title 40, United States Code, is amended by striking 

20 ‘‘any public lands (as defined in section 203 of the Public 

21 Lands Corps Act of 1993 (16 U.S.C. 1722))’’ and insert22 ing ‘‘any land or water (or interest in land or water) 

23 owned or administered by the United States (other than 

24 Indian land)’’. 


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1 SEC. 4. 21ST CENTURY CONSERVATION SERVICE CORPS. 

2 Section 204 of the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 

3 (16 U.S.C. 1723) is amended to read as follows: 

4 ‘‘SEC. 204. 21ST CENTURY CONSERVATION SERVICE CORPS. 

5 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established the 

6 21st Century Conservation Service Corps, to be comprised 

7 of 21CSC organizations and Corpsmembers, to carry out, 

8 in partnership with participating entities, the purposes of 

9 this title. 

10 ‘‘(b) DESIGNATION OF COORDINATORS.—The head of 

11 each participating entity, and the head of any bureau or 

12 subdivision of each participating entity, shall designate a 

13 21CSC coordinator to coordinate any activity of the 

14 21CSC or a 21CSC project carried out by the partici15 pating entity or the bureau or subdivision of the partici16 pating entity. 

17 ‘‘(c) PARTICIPATING ENTITIES.— 

18 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The 21CSC shall be imple19 mented jointly by the heads of the participating enti20 ties, who may support the 21CSC by carrying out 

21 the activities described in paragraph (3). 

22 ‘‘(2) LIST OF PARTICIPATING ENTITIES.—The 

23 participating entities shall be— 

24 ‘‘(A) the Department of the Interior; 

25 ‘‘(B) the Department of Agriculture; 

26 ‘‘(C) the Department of Transportation; 


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1 ‘‘(D) the Department of Labor; 

2 ‘‘(E) the Department of Energy; 

3 ‘‘(F) the Department of Defense; 

4 ‘‘(G) the Department of Veterans Affairs; 

5 ‘‘(H) the Department of Commerce; 

6 ‘‘(I) the Department of Education; 

7 ‘‘(J) the Department of Housing and 

8 Urban Development; 

9 ‘‘(K) the Corporation for National and 

10 Community Service; 

11 ‘‘(L) the Office of the Assistant Secretary 

12 of the Army for Civil Works; 

13 ‘‘(M) the Federal Emergency Management 

14 Agency; and 

15 ‘‘(N) any other Federal agency that noti16 fies the President of the intent of the Federal 

17 agency to participate in and carry out a 21CSC 

18 project. 

19 ‘‘(3) SUPPORT FOR THE 21CSC.— 

20 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The head of a partici21 pating entity may provide support to the 

22 21CSC by— 

23 ‘‘(i) establishing standards for the 

24 21CSC; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) establishing a process for an or2 ganization to apply and be approved to be3 come a 21CSC organization; 

4 ‘‘(iii) developing and supporting a 

5 public-private partnership referred to in 

6 paragraph (5)(A)(i); 

7 ‘‘(iv) using or leveraging existing 

8 funds, or acquiring funds and other re9 sources, under section 210 to support 

10 21CSC projects through entering into a co11 operative agreement under paragraph 

12 (5)(A)(i); 

13 ‘‘(v) leveraging existing resources de14 scribed in section 210(b) to expand the use 

15 of the 21CSC to meet the mission of the 

16 participating entity; 

17 ‘‘(vi) using technology to support 

18 21CSC projects; and 

19 ‘‘(vii) collecting performance data on 

20 21CSC projects— 

21 ‘‘(I) to prepare the reports re22 ferred to in subparagraph (C)(i)(I); 

23 and 

24 ‘‘(II) to demonstrate the impact 

25 of the 21CSC projects. 


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1 ‘‘(B) COORDINATION.— 

2 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The heads of each 

3 of the participating entities shall, to the 

4 maximum extent practicable, coordinate 

5 with each other or the head of any other 

6 Federal agency that is affected by, or car7 rying out, an activity that is similar to a 

8 21CSC project— 

9 ‘‘(I) to minimize, to the max10 imum extent practicable, the duplica11 tion of any specific project performed 

12 by any other participating entity or 

13 Federal agency; and 

14 ‘‘(II) to maximize 21CSC project 

15 completion in a cost-effective manner 

16 by collaborating to leverage existing 

17 resources described in section 210(b). 

18 ‘‘(ii) APPROVAL AND DATA COLLEC19 TION.—The head of each participating en20 tity shall, to the maximum extent prac21 ticable, coordinate with each other head of 

22 a participating entity— 

23 ‘‘(I) to approve organizations as 

24 21CSC organizations; and 


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1 ‘‘(II) to collect the data referred 

2 to in items (aa) through (dd) of sub3 paragraph (C)(i)(I). 

4 ‘‘(iii) GUIDANCE.—The head of each 

5 participating entity shall, to the maximum 

6 extent practicable, seek guidance from— 

7 ‘‘(I) the Corporation for National 

8 and Community Service; 

9 ‘‘(II) the Departments of Vet10 erans Affairs and Labor on methods 

11 to increase the participation of vet12 erans in 21CSC projects; and 

13 ‘‘(III) the Secretary of the Inte14 rior, acting through the Assistant Sec15 retary for Indian Affairs, on methods 

16 to increase the participation of Indi17 ans in 21CSC projects. 

18 ‘‘(C) REPORTING.— 

19 ‘‘(i) 21CSC REPORTS.— 

20 ‘‘(I) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—As 

21 soon as practicable after the date of 

22 enactment of the 21st Century Con23 servation Service Corps Act of 2017, 

24 the Chief Executive Officer of the 

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1 nity Service, in coordination with the 

2 head of each participating entity, shall 

3 submit to Congress a report that in4 cludes data, for the year covered by 

5 the report, including— 

6 ‘‘(aa) the number of Corps7 members that carried out 21CSC 

8 projects and the length of the 

9 term of service for each Corps10 member; 

11 ‘‘(bb) the total amount of 

12 funding provided by participating 

13 entities for the service of Corps14 members; 

15 ‘‘(cc) the type of service per16 formed by Corpsmembers and the 

17 impact and accomplishments of 

18 the service; and 

19 ‘‘(dd) any other similar data 

20 determined by the Chief Execu21 tive Officer of the Corporation 

22 for National and Community 

23 Service or the head of a partici24 pating entity to be appropriate, 

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1 mine the effectiveness of 21CSC 

2 organizations in carrying out ac3 tivities to achieve the purposes of 

4 this title in a manner that— 

5 ‘‘(AA) is cost-effective; 

6 and 

7 ‘‘(BB) does not unduly 

8 duplicate or overlap with 

9 any other activity or pro10 gram carried out by any 

11 other Federal agency. 

12 ‘‘(II) DATA FROM PARTICIPATING

13 ENTITIES.—Not later than 1 year 

14 after the date of enactment of the 

15 21st Century Conservation Service 

16 Corps Act of 2017, and annually 

17 thereafter, the head of each partici18 pating entity shall submit to the Chief 

19 Executive Officer of the Corporation 

20 for National and Community Service 

21 the data described in items (aa) 

22 through (dd) of subclause (I). 

23 ‘‘(III) DATA COLLECTION.—The 

24 Chief Executive Officer of the Cor25 poration for National and Community 


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1 Service may coordinate with individual 

2 21CSC organizations to improve the 

3 collection of the required data de4 scribed in items (aa) through (dd) of 

5 subclause (I). 

6 ‘‘(ii) COMPTROLLER GENERAL RE7 PORTS.— 

8 ‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—The Comp9 troller General of the United States 

10 shall prepare and submit to Con11 gress— 

12 ‘‘(aa) not later than 3 years 

13 after the date of submission of 

14 the first report under clause 

15 (i)(I), an interim report; and 

16 ‘‘(bb) not later than 5 years 

17 after the date of submission of 

18 the first report under that clause, 

19 a final report. 

20 ‘‘(II) CONTENTS.—The interim 

21 and final reports referred to in sub22 clause (I) shall include— 

23 ‘‘(aa) an assessment, based 

24 on the data described in items 

25 (aa) through (dd) of clause (i)(I), 


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1 of the effectiveness of 21CSC or2 ganizations in achieving the pur3 poses of this title in a manner 

4 that— 

5 ‘‘(AA) is cost-effective; 

6 and 

7 ‘‘(BB) does not unduly 

8 duplicate or overlap with 

9 any other activity or pro10 gram carried out by any 

11 other Federal agency; and 

12 ‘‘(bb) recommendations on 

13 how to more effectively manage 

14 and carry out 21CSC projects to 

15 achieve the purposes of this title 

16 in the manner described in item 

17 (aa). 

18 ‘‘(III) ADDITIONAL REPORTS.— 

19 The Comptroller General of the 

20 United States may submit to Con21 gress any additional report that in22 cludes the content described in sub23 clause (II), as the Comptroller Gen24 eral determines to be necessary. 


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1 ‘‘(4) GIFTS AND DONATIONS.—The head of a 

2 participating entity may accept, use, or dispose of a 

3 contribution that is a gift or donation of money, 

4 services, or property to support the development, im5 plementation, and expansion of a 21CSC project, in 

6 accordance with applicable law (including regula7 tions). 

8 ‘‘(5) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS WITH 21CSC

9 ORGANIZATIONS.— 

10 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The head of each par11 ticipating entity may— 

12 ‘‘(i) develop a public-private partner13 ship with a 21CSC organization by enter14 ing into a cooperative agreement with the 

15 21CSC organization to support and carry 

16 out 21CSC projects; and 

17 ‘‘(ii) leverage existing resources de18 scribed in section 210(b) to support a co19 operative agreement. 

20 ‘‘(B) TYPE OF COOPERATIVE AGREE21 MENT.—A cooperative agreement under this 

22 paragraph may— 

23 ‘‘(i) be limited to an agreement for a 

24 specific 21CSC project; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) be a broad agreement covering 

2 multiple planned or future 21CSC projects; 

3 or 

4 ‘‘(iii) be an agreement for a 21CSC 

5 project to be part of a broader 21CSC ini6 tiative carried out in partnership with— 

7 ‘‘(I) the Federal Government; 

8 ‘‘(II) a State government; or 

9 ‘‘(III) a tribal agency. 

10 ‘‘(C) SET SHARE.—A cooperative agree11 ment under this paragraph shall include a pro12 vision specifying the cost share that the 21CSC 

13 organization will provide under section 210(c). 

14 ‘‘(d) 21CSC ORGANIZATIONS.— 

15 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—To be considered and ap16 proved as a 21CSC organization, an organization 

17 shall, to the maximum extent practicable, dem18 onstrate the ability to meet, and provide assurances 

19 that the organization will meet, each requirement 

20 described in paragraphs (2) through (6). 

21 ‘‘(2) 21CSC CORPSMEMBERS ENGAGED BY

22 21CSC ORGANIZATIONS.— 

23 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In addition to meeting 

24 the requirement of subparagraph (B), any indi25 vidual selected by a 21CSC organization to 


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1 carry out a 21CSC project shall, to the max2 imum extent practicable, be— 

3 ‘‘(i) notwithstanding paragraphs (3) 

4 and (4) of section 137(a) of the National 

5 and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 

6 U.S.C. 12591(a)), a youth, in the case of 

7 any Corpsmember participating in a 

8 21CSC project supported and carried out 

9 by the Corporation for National and Com10 munity Service; or 

11 ‘‘(ii) a veteran not older than age 35. 

12 ‘‘(B) CITIZENSHIP REQUIREMENT.—Any 

13 individual selected as a Corpsmember shall be— 

14 ‘‘(i) a citizen or national of the United 

15 States; or 

16 ‘‘(ii) a lawful permanent resident of 

17 the United States. 

18 ‘‘(C) EMPHASIS ON DIVERSITY AND INCLU19 SION.—In selecting a Corpsmember, a 21CSC 

20 organization shall make deliberate outreach ef21 forts to engage an individual who— 

22 ‘‘(i) lives in the State or region of the 

23 21CSC organization; and 

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1 ans, and disadvantaged youth (as defined 

2 in section 101 of the National and Com3 munity Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 

4 12511)). 

5 ‘‘(3) COMPENSATION FOR PARTICIPANTS.—A 

6 21CSC organization shall provide compensation to 

7 each Corpsmember that includes 1 or more of the 

8 following: 

9 ‘‘(A) A wage. 

10 ‘‘(B) A stipend. 

11 ‘‘(C) A living allowance. 

12 ‘‘(D) An educational credit that may be 

13 applied towards a program of postsecondary 

14 education at an institution of higher education 

15 that agrees to award the credit for participation 

16 in a 21CSC project. 

17 ‘‘(4) ORGANIZATION OF SERVICE FOR PARTICI18 PANTS.—In carrying out a 21CSC project, a 21CSC 

19 organization shall, to the maximum extent prac20 ticable, organize each Corpsmember as— 

21 ‘‘(A) a crew-based participant who— 

22 ‘‘(i) serves together with other crew23 based participants; and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) is directly supervised by a 

2 trained and experienced crew-based leader 

3 or conservation professional; or 

4 ‘‘(B) an individual or small team-based 

5 participant who serves— 

6 ‘‘(i) individually or in a coordinated 

7 small team, as applicable; 

8 ‘‘(ii) under the direction of a con9 servation professional; and 

10 ‘‘(iii) on an initiative that requires 

11 specific skills and dedicated attention. 

12 ‘‘(5) 21CSC PROJECTS.—A 21CSC organization 

13 shall carry out a 21CSC project that includes na14 tional service, and may be a priority project, involv15 ing— 

16 ‘‘(A) the conservation, restoration, and en17 hancement of— 

18 ‘‘(i) a unit of the National Park Sys19 tem or National Forest System; 

20 ‘‘(ii) public or tribal land or water; or 

21 ‘‘(iii) natural, cultural, or historical 

22 resources or treasures; 

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1 sources and infrastructure of the United States, 

2 including— 

3 ‘‘(i) removal of invasive species; 

4 ‘‘(ii) wildfire prevention and response; 

5 ‘‘(iii) disaster resiliency, mitigation, 

6 response, and recovery; 

7 ‘‘(iv) trail development and mainte8 nance; 

9 ‘‘(v) coastal restoration and resiliency; 

10 ‘‘(vi) historic preservation; 

11 ‘‘(vii) public safety; 

12 ‘‘(viii) energy efficiency and alter13 native energy; 

14 ‘‘(ix) water infrastructure; 

15 ‘‘(x) construction, repair, rehabilita16 tion, or maintenance of— 

17 ‘‘(I) a road; 

18 ‘‘(II) a campground; or 

19 ‘‘(III) any other recreation or vis20 itor facility or housing structure; and 

21 ‘‘(xi) any other related project that 

22 furthers the purposes of this title; 

23 ‘‘(C) the support, development, and en24 hancement of outdoor recreation or urban green 


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1 space, including for the purpose of public ac2 cess; 

3 ‘‘(D) service that is primarily indoors, such 

4 as service in a science, policy, or program in5 ternship, with a clear benefit for natural, cul6 tural, or historic resources or treasures, which 

7 may include the provision of interpretation and 

8 education services to— 

9 ‘‘(i) the public; or 

10 ‘‘(ii) a cooperating association, edu11 cational institution, friends group, or simi12 lar nonprofit partner organization; and 

13 ‘‘(E) notwithstanding section 132A of the 

14 National and Community Service Act of 1990 

15 (42 U.S.C. 12584a), a project described in this 

16 paragraph on private land or water in partner17 ship with a private entity if— 

18 ‘‘(i) the project has a direct or recog19 nized public or environmental benefit; or 

20 ‘‘(ii) the funding for the project origi21 nated from a governmental entity, regard22 less of the end payor. 

23 ‘‘(6) 21CSC CORPSMEMBERS.—In carrying out 

24 a 21CSC project, a 21CSC organization shall pro25 vide each Corpsmember with— 


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1 ‘‘(A) in-demand skills development, certifi2 cation and credentials, and education to prepare 

3 the Corpsmember for success in transitioning to 

4 the 21st century workforce; 

5 ‘‘(B) community skill development to help 

6 the Corpsmember— 

7 ‘‘(i) acquire an ethic of service to oth8 ers and the United States; and 

9 ‘‘(ii) become a more effective natural 

10 resource and community steward; and 

11 ‘‘(C) a greater understanding of the nat12 ural, cultural, or historic resources or treasures 

13 of the United States. 

14 ‘‘(e) CORPSMEMBER COMPENSATION AND EMPLOY15 MENT STANDARDS.— 

16 ‘‘(1) CORPSMEMBER COMPENSATION STAND17 ARD.— 

18 ‘‘(A) SPECIFIC WAGE RATES.—A form of 

19 compensation provided under subparagraph (A), 

20 (B), or (C) of subsection (d)(3) shall be consid21 ered to be established at a specific wage rate, 

22 in the same manner as the compensation pro23 vided for a living allowance under section 140 

24 of the National and Community Service Act of 

25 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12594). 


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1 ‘‘(B) COMPENSATION FOR CERTAIN CORPS2 MEMBERS.—The compensation provided under 

3 subsection (d)(3) to a Corpsmember who is not 

4 a participant in a 21CSC project supported by 

5 the Corporation for National and Community 

6 Service shall not be subject to any provision of 

7 (including a regulation under) the National and 

8 Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 

9 12501 et seq.) relating to a wage rate, but shall 

10 be considered to be established at a specific 

11 wage rate, in the manner described in subpara12 graph (A). 

13 ‘‘(C) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing 

14 in subparagraph (A) applies a specific wage 

15 rate for a living allowance that is established 

16 under section 140 of the National and Commu17 nity Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12594) to 

18 the compensation of a Corpsmember under sub19 section (d)(3). 

20 ‘‘(2) CORPSMEMBER EMPLOYMENT STAND21 ARD.— 

22 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

23 subparagraphs (B) and (C), in parity with sec24 tion 101(30) of the National and Community 

25 Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12511(30)), a 


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1 Corpsmember shall be considered to be a partic2 ipant (as defined in section 101 of the National 

3 and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 

4 12511)), not an employee, of the 21CSC orga5 nization for which the Corpsmember serves. 

6 ‘‘(B) FEDERAL EMPLOYMENT PROVI7 SIONS.—Notwithstanding subparagraph (A), 

8 Federal employment provisions shall apply to a 

9 Corpsmember to the extent that those provi10 sions apply to a participant or crew leader 

11 under section 199M(b) of the National and 

12 Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 

13 12655n(b)). 

14 ‘‘(C) CHILD LABOR PROVISIONS.—Not15 withstanding subparagraph (A)— 

16 ‘‘(i) the child labor provisions under 

17 section 12 of the Fair Labor Standards 

18 Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 212) (including 

19 any order or regulation issued under the 

20 authority of such section or section 3(l) of 

21 such Act (29 U.S.C. 203(l))) shall apply to 

22 a Corpsmember and the 21CSC organiza23 tion for which the Corpsmember serves in 

24 the same manner as such provisions apply 


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1 to an employee and an employer under 

2 such Act; and 

3 ‘‘(ii) a violation of a section specified 

4 in clause (i) by a 21CSC organization shall 

5 be enforced by the Secretary of Labor in 

6 the same manner, and subject to the same 

7 penalties under the Fair Labor Standards 

8 Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 201 et seq.), as a 

9 violation by an employer of section 12 of 

10 such Act (29 U.S.C. 212). 

11 ‘‘(3) CIVIL SERVICE.—An individual may be en12 rolled as a Corpsmember without regard to the civil 

13 service and classification laws, rules, or regula14 tions.’’. 

15 SEC. 5. 21ST CENTURY CONSERVATION SERVICE CORPS 

16 CONSERVATION CENTERS AND PROGRAM 

17 SUPPORT. 

18 Section 205 of the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 

19 (16 U.S.C. 1724) is amended— 

20 (1) in subsection (a)— 

21 (A) by striking ‘‘Secretary’’ each place it 

22 appears and inserting ‘‘head of a participating 

23 entity’’; and 

24 (B) in paragraph (1)— 


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1 (i) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

2 ‘‘Public Lands Corps’’ and inserting 

3 ‘‘21CSC’’; and 

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

5 ‘‘conservation projects’’ and inserting 

6 ‘‘21CSC projects’’; 

7 (2) in subsection (b)— 

8 (A) in the heading, by inserting ‘‘, TEM9 PORARY HOUSING, AND TRANSPORTATION’’ 

10 after ‘‘LOGISTICAL SUPPORT’’; 

11 (B) in the first sentence— 

12 (i) by striking ‘‘The Secretary’’ and 

13 inserting the following: 

14 ‘‘(1) LOGISTICAL SUPPORT.— 

15 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The head of a partici16 pating entity’’; and 

17 (ii) by striking ‘‘the Corps’’ and in18 serting ‘‘the 21CSC’’; 

19 (C) in the second sentence, by striking 

20 ‘‘Logistical support’’ and inserting the fol21 lowing: 

22 ‘‘(B) INCLUSIONS.—Logistical support pro23 vided under subparagraph (A)’’; and 

24 (D) by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(2) TEMPORARY HOUSING.—The head of a 

2 participating entity may make arrangements with 

3 another Federal agency or a State, local govern4 ment, or private organization to provide temporary 

5 housing for Corpsmembers as needed and available. 

6 ‘‘(3) TRANSPORTATION.—The head of a partici7 pating entity may provide transportation to and 

8 from 21CSC project sites for Corpsmembers that re9 side in their own homes.’’; 

10 (3) in subsection (c)— 

11 (A) by striking ‘‘The Secretary’’ and in12 serting ‘‘The head of a participating entity’’; 

13 and 

14 (B) by striking ‘‘the Corps for training or 

15 housing Corps participants’’ and inserting ‘‘the 

16 21CSC for training or housing Corpsmembers’’; 

17 and 

18 (4) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘The Sec19 retary’’ and inserting ‘‘The head of a participating 

20 entity’’. 

21 SEC. 6. RESOURCE ASSISTANTS. 

22 Section 206 of the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 

23 (16 U.S.C. 1725) is amended— 

24 (1) in subsection (a)— 


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1 (A) in the fourth sentence, by striking 

2 ‘‘The Secretary’’ and inserting the following: 

3 ‘‘(D) PREFERENCE.—The head of a par4 ticipating entity’’; 

5 (B) in the third sentence, by striking ‘‘The 

6 Secretary’’ and inserting the following: 

7 ‘‘(C) SELECTION.—The head of a partici8 pating entity’’; 

9 (C) in the second sentence, by striking ‘‘To 

10 be eligible’’ and inserting the following: 

11 ‘‘(B) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible’’; and 

12 (D) by striking the first sentence and in13 serting the following: 

14 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The head of a partici15 pating entity may provide individual placements 

16 of resource assistants to carry out research or 

17 resource protection activities on behalf of the 

18 participating entity.’’; and 

19 (2) by striking subsection (b) and inserting the 

20 following: 

21 ‘‘(b) USE OF 21CSC ORGANIZATIONS.— 

22 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—If the head of a partici23 pating entity determines that a 21CSC organization 

24 can provide appropriate recruitment and placement 

25 services to fulfill the requirements of this section, 


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1 the head of the participating entity may implement 

2 this section through a 21CSC organization. 

3 ‘‘(2) CONTRIBUTION TO EXPENSES.—A 21CSC 

4 organization providing recruitment and placement 

5 services under paragraph (1) shall contribute to the 

6 expenses of providing and supporting resource as7 sistants, through 1 or more private sources of fund8 ing, at a level equal to 25 percent of the total costs 

9 of each participant in the resource assistant pro10 gram that has been recruited and placed through the 

11 21CSC organization. 

12 ‘‘(3) ANNUAL REPORT.—A 21CSC organization 

13 providing recruitment and placement services under 

14 paragraph (1) shall submit to the head of the appli15 cable participating entity an annual report that eval16 uates the scope, size, and quality of the resource as17 sistant program carried out by the 21CSC organiza18 tion, including a description of the value of the work 

19 contributed by resource assistants to the mission of 

20 the participating entity.’’. 

21 SEC. 7. ELIGIBILITY FOR NONCOMPETITIVE HIRING STA22 TUS. 

23 Section 207 of the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 

24 (16 U.S.C. 1726) is amended to read as follows: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 207. ELIGIBILITY FOR NONCOMPETITIVE HIRING STA2 TUS. 

3 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 

4 ‘‘(1) the terms ‘land management agency’ and 

5 ‘time-limited appointment’ have the meanings given 

6 those terms in section 9601 of title 5, United States 

7 Code; and 

8 ‘‘(2) the term ‘qualified Corpsmember’ means a 

9 Corpsmember who is certified by a corresponding 

10 participating entity as having successfully completed 

11 640 hours of service with a 21CSC organization. 

12 ‘‘(b) HIRING.— 

13 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2) 

14 and subsection (c), a qualified Corpsmember shall be 

15 eligible for appointment in the competitive service in 

16 the same manner as a Peace Corps volunteer as pre17 scribed in Executive Order 11103 (22 U.S.C. 2504 

18 note; relating to Providing for the Appointment of 

19 Former Peace Corps Volunteers to the Civilian Ca20 reer Services), as amended by Executive Order 

21 12107 (44 Fed. Reg. 1055; relating to the Civil 

22 Service Commission and Labor-Management in the 

23 Federal Service). 

24 ‘‘(2) PERIOD.—A qualified Corpsmember shall 

25 be eligible for an appointment under paragraph (1) 

26 during the 2-year period beginning on the date on 


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1 which the Corpsmember completes the 640 hours of 

2 service required under subsection (a)(2). 

3 ‘‘(3) TIME-LIMITED APPOINTMENT.—For pur4 poses of section 9602 of title 5, United States Code, 

5 a qualified Corpsmember hired by a participating 

6 entity that is a land management agency for a time7 limited appointment shall be considered to be ap8 pointed initially under open, competitive examina9 tion. 

10 ‘‘(c) SERVICE HOURS.— 

11 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The 640 hours of service 

12 required under subsection (a)(2) may include service 

13 on 1 or more projects carried out by a Corpsmember 

14 with 1 or more participating entities during 1 or 

15 more terms of service in a 21CSC organization. 

16 ‘‘(2) COMPETITIVE SERVICE.—To be eligible for 

17 noncompetitive hiring status under subsection (b), a 

18 Corpsmember shall perform the 640 hours of service 

19 required under subsection (a)(2)— 

20 ‘‘(A) carrying out a project on public or 

21 tribal land or water; or 

22 ‘‘(B) in service with, or on a project sup23 ported in whole or in part by, a participating 

24 entity. 


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1 ‘‘(3) PRIORITIES.—The head of each partici2 pating entity is encouraged, to the maximum extent 

3 practicable, to identify a sufficient number of 21CSC 

4 projects on public or tribal land or water that are 

5 aligned with the priorities of the participating entity 

6 so as to facilitate the attainment of the 640 hours 

7 of service by Corpsmembers required under sub8 section (a)(2). 

9 ‘‘(4) TRACKING HOURS.—Participating entities 

10 shall coordinate with 21CSC organizations to iden11 tify the most effective and efficient method for 

12 tracking and certifying the 640 hours of service re13 quired under subsection (a)(2). 

14 ‘‘(d) GUIDANCE.—The head of each participating en15 tity, and any subdivision of a participating entity, shall 

16 coordinate with the head of each other participating enti17 ty, and subdivision of each other participating entity, to 

18 implement and issue guidance on eligibility for non19 competitive hiring status under subsection (b) in a uni20 form manner to— 

21 ‘‘(1) improve the efficiency and use of non22 competitive hiring authority; and 

23 ‘‘(2) minimize inconsistency.’’. 


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1 SEC. 8. NATIONAL SERVICE EDUCATIONAL AWARDS. 

2 Section 208 of the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 

3 (16 U.S.C. 1727) is amended— 

4 (1) in subsection (a), in the first sentence— 

5 (A) by striking ‘‘participant in the Public 

6 Lands Corps’’ and inserting ‘‘Corpsmember’’; 

7 and 

8 (B) by striking ‘‘the participant’’ and in9 serting ‘‘the Corpsmember’’; and 

10 (2) in subsection (b)— 

11 (A) by striking ‘‘either participants in the 

12 Corps’’ and inserting ‘‘Corpsmembers’’; and 

13 (B) by striking ‘‘such a participant’’ and 

14 inserting ‘‘a Corpsmember’’. 

15 SEC. 9. NONDISPLACEMENT. 

16 Section 209 of the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 

17 (16 U.S.C. 1728) is amended— 

18 (1) by striking ‘‘Public Lands Corps’’ and in19 serting ‘‘21CSC’’; and 

20 (2) by striking ‘‘qualified youth or conservation 

21 corps’’ and inserting ‘‘Corpsmember or a 21CSC or22 ganization’’. 

23 SEC. 10. FUNDING. 

24 Section 210 of the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 

25 (16 U.S.C. 1729) is amended— 


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1 (1) by redesignating subsections (a) through (c) 

2 as subsections (d) through (f), respectively; 

3 (2) by inserting before subsection (d) the fol4 lowing: 

5 ‘‘(a) INVESTMENTS.— 

6 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In addition to using the 

7 funds described in subsections (b) and (c) to fund 

8 21CSC projects, each 21CSC organization shall le9 verage those funds by soliciting cash or in-kind con10 tributions from public or private sources. 

11 ‘‘(2) METHODS.—A 21CSC organization may 

12 leverage funds by soliciting contributions using inno13 vative strategies, such as crowd-funding. 

14 ‘‘(b) EXISTING RESOURCES.—To fund a 21CSC 

15 project, the head of each participating entity shall be lim16 ited to using existing funds appropriated or allocated to 

17 the participating entity, as of the period of implementation 

18 of the 21CSC project, under any law or authority other 

19 than this title. 

20 ‘‘(c) SET COST SHARE.—A 21CSC organization car21 rying out a 21CSC project shall provide a cost share of 

22 not less than 10 percent of the total cost of the 21CSC 

23 project, which may include cash or in-kind contributions 

24 from a State, local, or private source.’’; 

25 (3) in subsection (d) (as so redesignated)— 


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1 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

2 (i) in the paragraph heading, by strik3 ing ‘‘QUALIFIED YOUTH OR CONSERVATION

4 CORPS’’ and inserting ‘‘CORPSMEMBERS OR

5 21CSC ORGANIZATIONS’’; and 

6 (ii) by striking the first and second 

7 sentences; and 

8 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

9 (i) in the paragraph heading, by strik10 ing ‘‘PUBLIC LANDS CORPS’’ and inserting 

11 ‘‘21CSC’’; 

12 (ii) in the first sentence— 

13 (I) by striking ‘‘The Secretary is 

14 authorized to’’ and inserting ‘‘The 

15 head of a participating entity may’’; 

16 (II) by striking ‘‘Public Lands 

17 Corps’’ and inserting ‘‘21CSC’’; and 

18 (III) by striking ‘‘the Corps’’ and 

19 inserting ‘‘the 21CSC’’; and 

20 (iii) in the second sentence, by strik21 ing ‘‘the Corps’’ and ‘‘the 21CSC’’; 

22 (4) in subsection (e) (as so redesignated), by 

23 striking ‘‘In order’’ and all that follows through ‘‘the 

24 Secretary’’ and inserting ‘‘To carry out the 21CSC 

25 or to support resource assistants and Corpsmembers 


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1 or 21CSC organizations under this title, the head of 

2 a participating entity’’; and 

3 (5) in subsection (f) (as so redesignated)— 

4 (A) by striking ‘‘section 211’’ and insert5 ing ‘‘section 213’’; and 

6 (B) by striking ‘‘Public Lands Corps’’ and 

7 inserting ‘‘21CSC’’. 

8 SEC. 11. INDIAN YOUTH 21ST CENTURY CONSERVATION 

9 SERVICE CORPS; RULE OF CONSTRUCTION. 

10 The Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 (16 U.S.C. 

11 1721 et seq.) is amended— 

12 (1) by redesignating section 211 as section 213; 

13 and 

14 (2) by inserting after section 210 the following: 

15 ‘‘SEC. 211. INDIAN YOUTH 21ST CENTURY CONSERVATION 

16 SERVICE CORPS. 

17 ‘‘(a) AUTHORIZATION OF COOPERATIVE AGREE18 MENTS.—The head of a participating entity may offer to 

19 enter into a cooperative agreement with a tribal agency 

20 or a 21CSC organization to establish and administer the 

21 Indian Youth 21st Century Conservation Service Corps, 

22 which shall carry out 1 or more 21CSC projects on tribal 

23 land or water. 

24 ‘‘(b) GUIDELINES.—Not later than 18 months after 

25 the date of enactment of the 21st Century Conservation 


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1 Service Corps Act of 2017, the Secretary of the Interior, 

2 in consultation with Indian tribes, shall issue guidelines 

3 for the management of the Indian Youth 21st Century 

4 Conservation Service Corps, in accordance with this Act 

5 and any other applicable Federal laws. 

6 ‘‘SEC. 212. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION. 

7 ‘‘Except as provided in section 204(d)(2)(A)(i), the 

8 requirements and authorities provided under this title with 

9 respect to Corpsmembers, 21CSC organizations, and par10 ticipating entities with respect to a 21CSC project shall 

11 be in addition to any requirement or authority provided 

12 under other Federal law with respect to Corpsmembers, 

13 21CSC organizations, and participating entities with re14 spect to the 21CSC project.’’. 

15 SEC. 12. DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY. 

16 Section 121(a) of the Department of the Interior, En17 vironment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 

18 2012 (16 U.S.C. 1725a(a)), is amended— 

19 (1) in paragraph (1)— 

20 (A) by striking ‘‘Secretary of the Interior’’ 

21 and inserting ‘‘head of a participating entity (as 

22 defined in section 203 of the Public Lands 

23 Corps Act of 1993 (16 U.S.C. 1722)) (referred 

24 to in this subsection as a ‘participating enti25 ty’)’’; and 


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1 (B) by striking ‘‘in paragraph (1) directly 

2 to a position with a land managing agency of 

3 the Department of the Interior’’ and inserting 

4 ‘‘in paragraph (2) directly to a position with a 

5 participating entity’’; and 

6 (2) in paragraph (2)(A), by striking ‘‘land man7 aging agency, such as the National Park Service 

8 Business Plan Internship’’ and inserting ‘‘partici9 pating entity’’. 

10 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

11 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘21st Century Conserva12 tion Service Corps Act’’. 

13 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

14 Section 203 of the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 

15 (16 U.S.C. 1722) is amended— 

16 (1) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘under section 

17 204’’ and inserting ‘‘by section 204(a)(1)’’; 

18 (2) by redesignating paragraphs (8) through (13) 

19 as paragraphs (9) through (14), respectively; 

20 (3) by inserting after paragraph (7) the fol21 lowing: 

22 ‘‘(8) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.— 

23 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘institution of 

24 higher education’ has the meaning given the 


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1 term in section 102 of the Higher Education Act 

2 of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002). 

3 ‘‘(B) EXCLUSION.—The term ‘institution of 

4 higher education’ does not include— 

5 ‘‘(i) an institution described in section 

6 101(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 

7 (20 U.S.C. 1001(b)); or 

8 ‘‘(ii) an institution outside the United 

9 States, as described in section 102(a)(1)(C) 

10 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

11 U.S.C. 1002(a)(1)(C)).’’; 

12 (4) in paragraph (9) (as so redesignated)— 

13 (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph 

14 (A), by striking ‘‘, as follows’’ and inserting 

15 ‘‘and other conservation and restoration initia16 tives, as follows’’; and 

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

18 ‘‘(E) To protect, restore, or enhance marine, 

19 estuarine, riverine, and coastal habitat ecosystem 

20 components— 

21 ‘‘(i) to promote the recovery of threat22 ened species, endangered species, and man23 aged fisheries; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) to restore fisheries, protected re2 sources, and habitats impacted by oil and 

3 chemical spills and natural disasters; or 

4 ‘‘(iii) to enhance the resilience of coast5 al ecosystems, communities, and economies 

6 through habitat conservation.’’; 

7 (5) in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (11) (as 

8 so redesignated), by striking ‘‘individuals between the 

9 ages of 16 and 30, inclusive,’’ and inserting ‘‘individ10 uals between the ages of 16 and 30, inclusive, or vet11 erans age 35 or younger’’; 

12 (6) in paragraph (13) (as so redesignated)— 

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

14 at the end; 

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

16 period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

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

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

19 Sanctuary System, coral reefs, and other coastal, 

20 estuarine, and marine habitats, and other land 

21 and facilities administered by the National Oce22 anic and Atmospheric Administration, the Sec23 retary of Commerce.’’; and 

24 (7) by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(15) VETERAN.—The term ‘veteran’ has the 

2 meaning given the term in section 101 of title 38, 

3 United States Code.’’. 

4 SEC. 3. PUBLIC LANDS CORPS PROGRAM. 

5 Section 204 of the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 

6 (16 U.S.C. 1723) is amended— 

7 (1) by striking subsection (a) and inserting the 

8 following: 

9 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF PUBLIC LANDS CORPS.— 

10 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There is established in the 

11 Department of the Interior, the Department of Agri12 culture, and the Department of Commerce a corps, to 

13 be known as the ‘Public Lands Corps’. 

14 ‘‘(2) NO EFFECT ON OTHER AGENCIES.—Nothing 

15 in this subsection precludes the establishment of a 

16 public lands corps by the head of a Federal depart17 ment or agency other than a department described in 

18 paragraph (1), in accordance with this Act.’’; and 

19 (2) in subsection (b)— 

20 (A) in the first sentence, by striking ‘‘indi21 viduals between the ages of 16 and 30, inclu22 sive,’’ and inserting ‘‘individuals between the 

23 ages of 16 and 30, inclusive, and veterans age 35 

24 or younger’’; and 


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1 (B) in the second sentence, by striking ‘‘sec2 tion 137(b) of the National and Community 

3 Service Act of 1990’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraphs 

4 (1), (2), (4), and (5) of section 137(a) of the Na5 tional and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 

6 U.S.C. 12591(a))’’. 

7 SEC. 4. TRANSPORTATION. 

8 Section 205 of the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 

9 (16 U.S.C. 1724) is amended by adding at the end the fol10 lowing: 

11 ‘‘(e) TRANSPORTATION.—The Secretary may provide 

12 to Corps participants who reside in their own homes trans13 portation to and from appropriate conservation project 

14 sites.’’. 

15 SEC. 5. RESOURCE ASSISTANTS. 

16 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 206(a) of the Public Lands 

17 Corps Act of 1993 (16 U.S.C. 1725(a)) is amended by strik18 ing the first sentence and inserting the following: ‘‘The Sec19 retary may provide individual placements of resource as20 sistants to carry out research or resource protection activi21 ties on behalf of the Secretary.’’. 

22 (b) DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY.—Section 121(a) of the 

23 Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related 

24 Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012 (16 U.S.C. 1725a), is 

25 amended— 


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1 (1) in paragraph (1)— 

2 (A) by striking ‘‘Secretary of the Interior’’ 

3 and inserting ‘‘Secretary (as defined in section 

4 203 of the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 (16 

5 U.S.C. 1722))’’; 

6 (B) by striking ‘‘paragraph (1)’’ and insert7 ing ‘‘paragraph (2)’’; and 

8 (C) by striking ‘‘with a land managing 

9 agency of the Department of the Interior’’; and 

10 (2) in paragraph (2)(A), by striking ‘‘with a 

11 land managing agency’’ and inserting ‘‘with the Sec12 retary (as so defined)’’. 

13 SEC. 6. COMPENSATION AND EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS. 

14 Section 207 of the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 

15 (16 U.S.C. 1726) is amended— 

16 (1) by striking the section heading and inserting 

17 ‘‘COMPENSATION AND TERMS OF SERVICE’’; 

18 (2) by redesignating subsections (b) and (c) as 

19 subsections (c) and (d), respectively; 

20 (3) by inserting after subsection (a) the fol21 lowing: 

22 ‘‘(b) EDUCATIONAL CREDIT.—The Secretary may pro23 vide a Corps participant with an educational credit that 

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1 cation at an institution of higher education that agrees to 

2 award the credit for participation in the Corps.’’; 

3 (4) in subsection (c) (as so redesignated)— 

4 (A) by striking ‘‘Each participant’’ and in5 serting the following: 

6 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each participant’’; and 

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

8 ‘‘(2) INDIAN YOUTH SERVICE CORPS.—With re9 spect to the Indian Youth Service Corps established 

10 under section 210, the Secretary shall establish the 

11 term of service of participants in consultation with 

12 the affected Indian tribe.’’; 

13 (5) in subsection (d) (as so redesignated)— 

14 (A) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and 

15 (2) as subparagraphs (A) and (B), respectively, 

16 and indenting the subparagraphs appropriately; 

17 (B) in the matter preceding subparagraph 

18 (A) (as so redesignated), by striking ‘‘The Sec19 retary’’ and inserting the following: 

20 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary’’; and 

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

22 ‘‘(2) TIME-LIMITED APPOINTMENT.—For pur23 poses of section 9602 of title 5, United States Code, 

24 a former member of the Corps hired by the Secretary 

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1 ment shall be considered to be appointed initially 

2 under open, competitive examination.’’; and 

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

4 ‘‘(e) APPLICABILITY TO QUALIFIED YOUTH OR CON5 SERVATION CORPS.—The hiring and compensation stand6 ards described in this section shall apply to any individual 

7 participating in an appropriate conservation project 

8 through a qualified youth or conservation corps, including 

9 an individual placed through a contract or cooperative 

10 agreement, as approved by the Secretary.’’. 

11 SEC. 7. REPORTING AND DATA COLLECTION. 

12 Title II of the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 (16 

13 U.S.C. 1721 et seq.) is amended— 

14 (1) by redesignating sections 209 through 211 as 

15 sections 211 through 213, respectively; 

16 (2) by inserting after section 208 the following: 

17 ‘‘SEC. 209. REPORTING AND DATA COLLECTION. 

18 ‘‘(a) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the date 

19 of enactment of the 21st Century Conservation Service 

20 Corps Act, and annually thereafter, the Chief Executive Of21 ficer of the Corporation for National and Community Serv22 ice, in coordination with the Secretaries, shall submit to 

23 Congress a report that includes data on the Corps, includ24 ing— 


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1 ‘‘(1) the number of participants enrolled in the 

2 Corps and the length of the term of service for each 

3 participant; 

4 ‘‘(2) the projects carried out by Corps partici5 pants, categorized by type of project and Federal 

6 agency; 

7 ‘‘(3) the total amount and sources of funding 

8 provided for the service of participants; 

9 ‘‘(4) the type of service performed by partici10 pants and the impact and accomplishments of the 

11 service; and 

12 ‘‘(5) any other similar data determined to be ap13 propriate by the Chief Executive Officer of the Cor14 poration for National and Community Service or the 

15 Secretaries. 

16 ‘‘(b) DATA.—Not later than 1 year after the date of 

17 enactment of the 21st Century Conservation Service Corps 

18 Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretaries shall submit 

19 to the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for Na20 tional and Community Service the data described in sub21 section (a). 

22 ‘‘(c) DATA COLLECTION.—The Chief Executive Officer 

23 of the Corporation for National and Community Service 

24 may coordinate with qualified youth or conservation corps 


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1 to improve the collection of the required data described in 

2 subsection (a). 

3 ‘‘(d) COORDINATION.— 

4 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretaries shall, to the 

5 maximum extent practicable, coordinate with each 

6 other to carry out activities authorized under this 

7 Act, including— 

8 ‘‘(A) the data collection and reporting re9 quirements of this section; and 

10 ‘‘(B) implementing and issuing guidance on 

11 eligibility for noncompetitive hiring status under 

12 section 207(d). 

13 ‘‘(2) DESIGNATION OF COORDINATORS.—The Sec14 retary shall designate a coordinator to coordinate and 

15 serve as the primary point of contact for any activity 

16 of the Corps carried out by the Secretary.’’; and 

17 (3) in subsection (c) of section 212 (as so redesig18 nated), by striking ‘‘211’’ and inserting ‘‘213’’. 

19 SEC. 8. INDIAN YOUTH SERVICE CORPS. 

20 Title II of the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 (16 

21 U.S.C. 1721 et seq.) (as amended by section 7) is amended 

22 by inserting after section 209 the following: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 210. INDIAN YOUTH SERVICE CORPS. 

2 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—There is established within the 

3 Public Lands Corps a program to be known as the ‘Indian 

4 Youth Service Corps’ that— 

5 ‘‘(1) enrolls participants between the ages of 16 

6 and 30, inclusive, and veterans age 35 or younger, a 

7 majority of whom are Indians; 

8 ‘‘(2) is established pursuant to an agreement be9 tween an Indian tribe and a qualified youth or con10 servation corps for the benefit of the members of the 

11 Indian tribe; and 

12 ‘‘(3) carries out appropriate conservation 

13 projects on eligible service land. 

14 ‘‘(b) AUTHORIZATION OF COOPERATIVE AGREE15 MENTS.—The Secretary may enter into cooperative agree16 ments with Indian tribes and qualified youth or conserva17 tion corps for the establishment and administration of the 

18 Indian Youth Service Corps. 

19 ‘‘(c) GUIDELINES.—Not later than 18 months after the 

20 date of enactment of the 21st Century Conservation Service 

21 Corps Act, the Secretary of the Interior, in consultation 

22 with Indian tribes, shall issue guidelines for the manage23 ment of the Indian Youth Service Corps, in accordance with 

24 this Act and any other applicable Federal laws.’’. 


pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS
Calendar No. 711 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 1403 

A BILL 

To amend the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 to 

and for other purposes. hance the great outdoors of the United States, service positions to conserve, restore, and enCorps to place youth and veterans in national establish the 21st Century Conservation Service 

DECEMBER 4, 2018 

Reported with an amendment 


pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS