II 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 2838 

To amend the National and Community Service Act of 1990 to establish 

a Civilian Climate Corps to help communities respond to climate change 

and transition to a clean economy, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 19, 2023 

Mr. MARKEY (for himself, Mr. SANDERS, Mr. MERKLEY, Mrs. GILLIBRAND, 

Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Ms. WARREN, Mr. WELCH, and Mr. VAN HOLLEN) 

introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 

Committee on Finance 

A BILL 

To amend the National and Community Service Act of 1990 

to establish a Civilian Climate Corps to help communities 

respond to climate change and transition to a clean economy, 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 ‘‘Civilian Climate Corps 

5 for Jobs and Justice Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) The effects of climate change include ex2 treme heat, drought, intensified storms and hurri3 canes, rising sea level, ocean acidification, inten4 sifying wildfires, and other natural disasters. 

5 (2) These natural disasters exert profound im6 pacts on the lives and livelihoods of all individuals, 

7 but some communities, particularly low-income com8 munities and communities of color, are dispropor9 tionately exposed and vulnerable to climate impacts 

10 and pollution. 

11 (3) To stem the worst effects of climate change, 

12 the global economy must completely decarbonize and 

13 remain carbon negative thereafter, which requires a 

14 domestic economy-wide transition to a clean and 

15 sustainable economy within a rapid timeframe. 

16 (4) Such a transition requires a massive labor 

17 mobilization and the development of a diverse, inclu18 sive, and skilled workforce. Historically underserved 

19 communities must equitably receive the resources 

20 they need to effectively mitigate and adapt to cli21 mate change, and displaced or unemployed workers 

22 require retraining and support. 

23 (5) Millions of people face unemployment and 

24 barriers to opportunity, especially in low-income 

25 rural, urban, and tribal environments. These chalVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:58 Sep 20, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2838.IS S2838

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1 lenges have been exacerbated by the COVID–19 cri2 sis, which also disproportionately affected low-in3 come people and young people of color, who cur4 rently face unemployment at rates double the na5 tional average. 

6 (6) An existing network of national, State, trib7 al, and local service and conservation corps can be 

8 rapidly scaled and supplemented to mobilize labor, 

9 provide job opportunities and career training, and 

10 help establish the workforce necessary to accomplish 

11 the transition to a clean and just economy. 

12 (7) Corps positions provide hands-on work ex13 perience, income, and job training for unemployed 

14 individuals in the United States, as well as leader15 ship skills, an opportunity for community service, 

16 and an understanding of environmental stewardship. 

17 (8) The Corporation for National and Commu18 nity Service has the ability to recruit, select, fund, 

19 and oversee 1,500,000 members of service corps by 

20 2028 to complete important projects across the en21 tire country to help address the climate crisis. 

22 (9) Unsatisfactory wages and working condi23 tions, and employers’ refusal to respect workers’ 

24 rights to organize and collectively bargain, lead to 

25 labor disputes, which threaten to frustrate or delay 


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1 the urgent mobilization necessary to address climate 

2 change. Such disputes are prevented or minimized 

3 when the law effectively protects the right of workers 

4 to receive fair compensation and benefits, to form or 

5 join unions, to collectively bargain over the terms 

6 and conditions of employment, and to engage in 

7 other concerted activities for mutual aid or protec8 tion. 

9 SEC. 3. CIVILIAN CLIMATE CORPS PROGRAM. 

10 Title I of the National and Community Service Act 

11 of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12511 et seq.) is amended by adding 

12 at the end the following: 

13 ‘‘Subtitle K—Civilian Climate 

14 Corps 

15 ‘‘SEC. 199O. PURPOSE; DEFINITIONS. 

16 ‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this subtitle 

17 to— 

18 ‘‘(1) add to and increase the scale of the exist19 ing network of service programs to complete clean 

20 energy, climate resilience, conservation, environ21 mental remediation, and sustainable infrastructure 

22 projects necessary to respond to and solve the cli23 mate crisis, while providing education, workforce de24 velopment, and career pathways to participants, with 

25 a focus on historically underserved communities; and 


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1 ‘‘(2) authorize the operation of, support for, 

2 and assistance to service programs that meet na3 tional and community needs related to climate 

4 change, clean energy, and environmental justice. 

5 ‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this subtitle: 

6 ‘‘(1) ADVISORY BOARD.—The term ‘advisory 

7 board’ means the Civilian Climate Corps Advisory 

8 Board established in section 199X. 

9 ‘‘(2) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘Director’ means 

10 the Director appointed under section 199V(c)(1). 

11 ‘‘(3) INDIAN COUNTRY.—The term ‘Indian 

12 country’ has the meaning given that term in section 

13 1151 of title 18, United States Code. 

14 ‘‘(4) JOB CORPS.—The term ‘Job Corps’ means 

15 the Job Corps described in section 143 of the Work16 force Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 

17 3193). 

18 ‘‘(5) UNDER-RESOURCED COMMUNITY OF

19 NEED.—The term ‘under-resourced community of 

20 need’ means— 

21 ‘‘(A) a community with significant rep22 resentation of communities of color, low-income 

23 communities, or tribal and indigenous commu24 nities, that experiences, or is at risk of experi25 encing, higher or more adverse human health or 


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1 environmental effects, as compared to other 

2 communities; 

3 ‘‘(B) a community in Indian country; 

4 ‘‘(C) a community facing economic transi5 tion, deindustrialization, and historic under6 investment; or 

7 ‘‘(D) a community with a high rate of pov8 erty or unemployment, as determined by the Di9 rector in consultation with the advisory board 

10 and appropriate Federal resources identifying 

11 environmental justice communities. 

12 ‘‘SEC. 199P. ESTABLISHMENT OF A CIVILIAN CLIMATE 

13 CORPS. 

14 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Corporation shall establish 

15 the Civilian Climate Corps to carry out the purpose of this 

16 subtitle. 

17 ‘‘(b) PROGRAM COMPONENTS.—The Civilian Climate 

18 Corps authorized by subsection (a) shall operate two pro19 gram components: 

20 ‘‘(1) A national climate service program de21 scribed in section 199Q, for which 66 percent of the 

22 funds appropriated to carry out this subtitle shall be 

23 made available for operation and administrative ex24 penses. 


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1 ‘‘(2) A national climate service grant program 

2 described in section 199R, for which 34 percent of 

3 the funds appropriated to carry out this subtitle 

4 shall be made available for operation and adminis5 trative expenses. 

6 ‘‘SEC. 199Q. NATIONAL CLIMATE SERVICE PROGRAM. 

7 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Under the national climate serv8 ice program component of the Civilian Climate Corps es9 tablished by section 199P(b)(1), participants shall work 

10 in teams on Civilian Climate Corps projects. 

11 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANTS.—An individual shall 

12 be eligible for selection for the national climate service 

13 program if the individual is, or will be, at least 17 years 

14 of age on or before December 31 of the calendar year in 

15 which the individual enrolls in the program, regardless of 

16 immigration status. 

17 ‘‘(c) DIVERSE BACKGROUND OF PARTICIPANTS; 

18 GENDER REPRESENTATION.— 

19 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In selecting individuals for 

20 the national climate service program, the Director 

21 shall ensure that eligible participants are from eco22 nomically, geographically, and ethnically diverse 

23 backgrounds. The Director shall take appropriate 

24 steps to recruit and select participants such that not 


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1 less than 50 percent of participants are from under2 resourced communities of need. 

3 ‘‘(2) SERVICE IN COMMUNITIES OF ORIGIN.—To 

4 the extent practicable, the Director shall ensure that 

5 participants are provided opportunities to perform 

6 service in their communities of origin if desired. 

7 ‘‘(3) GENDER REPRESENTATION.—To the 

8 greatest extent practicable, the Director shall ensure 

9 inclusion and representation of all genders among 

10 participants. 

11 ‘‘(4) RURAL REPRESENTATION.—To the great12 est extent practicable, the Director shall ensure in13 clusion and representation of participants from 

14 counties with a population of less than 50,000 resi15 dents. 

16 ‘‘(d) PERIOD OF PARTICIPATION.—Individuals desir17 ing to participate in the national service program shall 

18 enter into an agreement with the Director to participate 

19 in the Civilian Climate Corps for a period of not less than 

20 nine months and not more than one year, as specified by 

21 the Director. Individuals may renew the agreement for not 

22 more than one additional such period, with any number 

23 of years between periods of service. 

24 ‘‘(e) DIRECTOR.—Upon the establishment of the Ci25 vilian Climate Corps, the Civilian Climate Corps national 


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1 climate service program shall be under the direction of the 

2 Director. 

3 ‘‘(f) MEMBERSHIP IN CIVILIAN CLIMATE CORPS.— 

4 ‘‘(1) SELECTION OF MEMBERS.—The Director 

5 or the Director’s designee shall select individuals for 

6 participation within the national climate service pro7 gram, which shall grant the individual membership 

8 within the Civilian Climate Corps. 

9 ‘‘(2) APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP.—To be 

10 selected to become a member of the Civilian Climate 

11 Corps through the national climate service program, 

12 an individual shall submit an application to the Di13 rector or to any other office as the Director may 

14 designate, at such time, in such manner, and con15 taining such information as the Director shall re16 quire. At a minimum, the application shall contain 

17 sufficient information to enable the Director, or the 

18 campus director of the appropriate campus, to deter19 mine whether selection of the applicant for member20 ship in the Civilian Climate Corps is appropriate. 

21 ‘‘(3) TEAM LEADERS.— 

22 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Director may se23 lect individuals with prior supervisory or service 

24 experience to be team leaders within units in 

25 the Civilian Climate Corps national climate 


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1 service program, to perform service that in2 cludes leading and supervising teams of Civilian 

3 Climate Corps members. 

4 ‘‘(B) RIGHTS AND BENEFITS.—A team 

5 leader shall be provided the same rights and 

6 benefits applicable to other Civilian Climate 

7 Corps members, except that the Director may 

8 increase the limitation on the amount of the liv9 ing allowance under section 199S(b) for a team 

10 leader. 

11 ‘‘(g) ORGANIZATION OF NATIONAL CLIMATE SERV12 ICE PROGRAM INTO UNITS.— 

13 ‘‘(1) UNITS.—The national climate service pro14 gram shall be divided into units by the Director or 

15 Director’s designee. Each Civilian Climate Corps 

16 member shall be assigned to a unit. 

17 ‘‘(2) UNIT LEADERS.—The leader of each unit 

18 shall be selected by the Director. The designated 

19 leader shall accompany the unit throughout the pe20 riod of agreed service of the members of the unit. 

21 ‘‘(h) CAMPUSES.— 

22 ‘‘(1) UNITS MAY BE ASSIGNED TO CAMPUSES.— 

23 The units of the national climate service program 

24 may be grouped together as appropriate in campuses 

25 for operational, support, and, when necessary, 


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1 boarding purposes. The Civilian Climate Corps cam2 pus for a unit shall be in a facility or central loca3 tion established as the operational headquarters for 

4 the unit. When necessary and appropriate, Civilian 

5 Climate Corps members may be housed in the cam6 puses or provided housing vouchers and support in 

7 cases where boarding is not possible. 

8 ‘‘(2) CAMPUS DIRECTOR.—There shall be a 

9 campus director for each campus. The campus direc10 tor is the head of the campus, and preference shall 

11 be given to hiring directors that are members of the 

12 community in which a campus is situated. 

13 ‘‘(3) FACILITIES.—Upon the establishment of 

14 the program, the Director shall identify Federal fa15 cilities in consultation with the General Services 

16 Agency and the advisory board that may be used, in 

17 whole or in part, by the national climate service pro18 gram. Eligible facilities shall include existing cam19 puses operated by the Corporation and other pro20 grams, including Job Corps. 

21 ‘‘(4) ELIGIBLE SITE FOR A CAMPUS.—A cam22 pus may be located in a facility described in para23 graph (3) or in another facility that the Director de24 termines is appropriate, including Job Corps facili25 ties. 


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1 ‘‘(i) ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE REQUIREMENT.— 

2 The Director shall ensure that not less than 50 percent 

3 of Civilian Climate Corps labor and investment under this 

4 section supports climate service projects that are based in 

5 under-resourced communities of need, of which, not less 

6 than 10 percent of such funds for under-resourced com7 munities of need shall support projects that are based in 

8 Indian country. 

9 ‘‘(j) STANDARDS OF CONDUCT.—The campus direc10 tor of each campus shall establish and enforce standards 

11 of conduct to promote healthy and productive conditions 

12 in the campus and a spirit of service. 

13 ‘‘(k) COORDINATION WITH LOCAL ENTITIES AND IN14 STITUTIONS.—The Director shall ensure that Civilian Cli15 mate Corps activities carried out under the national cli16 mate service program under this section are— 

17 ‘‘(1) planned, and if appropriate, carried out, in 

18 conjunction and coordination with the activities of 

19 the Civilian Climate Corps Partners receiving grants 

20 from the national climate service grant program, or 

21 other entities performing activities that satisfy the 

22 goals of climate service projects as described in sec23 tion 199T; 

24 ‘‘(2) planned and implemented in a manner 

25 that incorporates local knowledge and planning 


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1 wherever practicable, incorporating broad-based 

2 input and partnership with the community served, 

3 local community-based agencies, and local labor or4 ganizations; and 

5 ‘‘(3) planned and implemented in a manner 

6 that assists in the development of new programs 

7 that may become Civilian Climate Corps Partner 

8 programs in the local area where activities are car9 ried out, if local Civilian Climate Corps Partner pro10 grams do not exist. 

11 ‘‘(l) PREVAILING WAGE REQUIREMENT FOR CON12 TRACTORS OR SUBCONTRACTORS.—Any contractor or sub13 contractor entering into a service contract in connection 

14 with a project carried out under this section shall— 

15 ‘‘(1) be treated as a Federal contractor or sub16 contractor for purposes of chapter 67 of title 41, 

17 United States Code; and 

18 ‘‘(2) pay each class of employee employed by 

19 the contractor or subcontractor wages and fringe 

20 benefits at rates in accordance with prevailing rates 

21 for the class in the locality, or, where a collective 

22 bargaining agreement covers the employee, in ac23 cordance with the rates provided for in the agree24 ment, including prospective wage increases provided 

25 for in the agreement. 


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1 ‘‘(m) LABOR POLICIES FOR ENTITIES WORKING

2 WITH THE NATIONAL CLIMATE SERVICE PROGRAM.— 

3 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The national climate serv4 ice program shall— 

5 ‘‘(A) enter into agreements and coopera6 tion only with entities that pledge to remain 

7 neutral in labor organizing efforts among em8 ployees who participate in activities related to 

9 the agreement or cooperation with the Civilian 

10 Climate Corps; and 

11 ‘‘(B) enter into agreements and coopera12 tion only with entities that recognize for collec13 tive bargaining purposes, and commit to collec14 tively bargain with, any labor organization that 

15 has a written majority authorization among em16 ployees who participate in activities related to 

17 the agreement or cooperation with the Civilian 

18 Climate Corps. 

19 ‘‘(2) WRITTEN MAJORITY AUTHORIZATION.—In 

20 this subsection, the term ‘written majority author21 ization’ means writings signed and dated by a ma22 jority of employees in any appropriate unit in the 

23 form of authorization cards, petitions, or other suit24 able written evidence to designate a labor organizaVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:58 Sep 20, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00014 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2838.IS S2838

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1 tion as the representative of such employees for the 

2 purpose of collective bargaining. 

3 ‘‘(n) TRIBAL SOVEREIGNTY.—The Director shall en4 sure that Civilian Climate Corps activities carried out 

5 under the national climate service program that affect in6 dividuals in Indian country are carried out in a manner 

7 that ensures that— 

8 ‘‘(1) the sovereignty of Indian tribes and their 

9 conservation efforts are maintained; and 

10 ‘‘(2) the national climate service program oper11 ates in consultation with the affected individuals in 

12 Indian country. 

13 ‘‘(o) BUY AMERICAN.—To the maximum extent prac14 ticable, the Director shall ensure that— 

15 ‘‘(1) the materials used to carry out projects 

16 under this section are substantially manufactured, 

17 mined, and produced in the United States in accord18 ance with chapter 83 of title 41, United States Code 

19 (commonly known as the ‘Buy American Act’); and 

20 ‘‘(2) when food and other agriculture commod21 ities are procured for activities carried out under 

22 this section, at least 25 percent shall be grown and 

23 processed within 250 miles of consumption, with a 

24 priority for procuring food produced and processed 


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1 by socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers and 

2 small businesses. 

3 ‘‘SEC. 199R. NATIONAL CLIMATE SERVICE GRANT PRO4 GRAM. 

5 ‘‘(a) ELIGIBLE RECIPIENTS.— 

6 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director may provide 

7 grants under this section to States, subdivisions of 

8 States, territories, Indian tribes, public or private 

9 nonprofit organizations, labor organizations, Federal 

10 agencies, or institutions of higher education. 

11 ‘‘(2) QUALIFIED YOUTH SERVICE OR CON12 SERVATION CORPS.—Notwithstanding any other pro13 vision of law and in accordance with subsection (h), 

14 a qualified youth service or conservation corps pro15 gram that receives funds under subtitle C of this Act 

16 may apply for a grant under this section while that 

17 entity is a recipient of a grant under subtitle C, and 

18 may receive a grant under this section after that en19 tity terminates the grant under subtitle C. 

20 ‘‘(b) GRANTS AND SUBGRANTS PERMITTED.—The 

21 Corporation may provide grants to entities under sub22 section (a) for the purpose of assisting the recipients of 

23 the grants— 

24 ‘‘(1) to carry out a full-time service project de25 scribed in section 199T; and 


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1 ‘‘(2) to make subgrants in support of other en2 tities so long as those other entities use the grant 

3 funds to carry out a full-time service project de4 scribed in section 199T. 

5 ‘‘(c) AGREEMENTS WITH FEDERAL AGENCIES.—At 

6 the discretion of the Director, the Corporation may enter 

7 into an interagency agreement, including a grant agree8 ment, with another Federal agency to support a service 

9 project described in section 199T that is carried out or 

10 otherwise supported by the agency that fulfills the project 

11 requirements. 

12 ‘‘(d) GRANTEES TO BE PARTNERS.—Entities receiv13 ing funds through grants or interagency agreements under 

14 this section shall be considered Civilian Climate Corps 

15 Partners. 

16 ‘‘(e) PARTICIPANTS TO BE MEMBERS.—Individuals 

17 selected to perform service projects implemented by the 

18 Civilian Climate Corps Partners shall be members of the 

19 Civilian Climate Corps. 

20 ‘‘(f) PROVISION OF AUTHORIZED BENEFITS.—The 

21 Director shall ensure that the Corporation provides par22 ticipants in a program under this section with the benefits 

23 described in subsections (b), (d), and (f) of section 199S. 

24 Each Civilian Climate Corps Partner administering a pro25 gram under this section shall provide participants in that 


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1 program with the benefits described in section 199S other 

2 than those described in subsections (b), (d), and (f) of sec3 tion 199S. 

4 ‘‘(g) NO MATCHING FUND REQUIREMENTS.—The 

5 Corporation may provide 100 percent of the cost of car6 rying out a program that receives assistance under this 

7 section, whether the assistance is provided directly to a 

8 Civilian Climate Corps Partner or as a subgrant from the 

9 Civilian Climate Corps Partner. 

10 ‘‘(h) LIMITATION ON SAME ENTITY RECEIVING MUL11 TIPLE GRANTS.—Unless specifically authorized by law, 

12 the Corporation may not provide a grant under this sec13 tion to an entity that is simultaneously receiving another 

14 grant authorized under the national service laws. 

15 ‘‘(i) PROGRAM ASSISTANCE.—The Corporation may 

16 provide planning, operational, or replication assistance to 

17 a qualified applicant that submits an application under 

18 this section in the same manner as described in section 

19 124. 

20 ‘‘(j) ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE REQUIREMENT.— 

21 The Director shall ensure that not less than 50 percent 

22 of the funds made available to carry out this section (in23 cluding funds for grants allotted to States and grants 

24 awarded to other entities) support climate service projects 

25 that are based in under-resourced communities of need, 


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1 of which not less than 10 percent of such funds for under2 resourced communities of need shall support projects that 

3 are based in Indian country. 

4 ‘‘(k) DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS.— 

5 ‘‘(1) ALLOTMENT TO STATES.— 

6 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Corporation shall 

7 reserve 30 percent of the funds made available 

8 to carry out this section to allot funds in ac9 cordance with this subsection. 

10 ‘‘(B) INDIAN TRIBE.—The Corporation 

11 shall reserve 5 percent of the funds made avail12 able to carry out this subsection to award 

13 grants to Indian tribes. 

14 ‘‘(C) ALLOTMENT AMOUNTS.— 

15 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Subject to clause 

16 (ii), of the total amounts made available to 

17 carry out this subsection, and not reserved 

18 under subparagraph (B) for a fiscal year, 

19 the Corporation shall allot to each State 

20 that has an approved application an 

21 amount that bears the same ratio to such 

22 total amounts for that fiscal year as the 

23 population of the State bears to the total 

24 population of all States. 


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1 ‘‘(ii) MINIMUM AMOUNT.—Notwith2 standing clause (i), the minimum grant 

3 made available to each State with an ap4 proved application for each fiscal year shall 

5 be $600,000. 

6 ‘‘(2) COMPETITIVE GRANTS.—Of the funds 

7 made available to carry out this section for a fiscal 

8 year, the Corporation shall reserve 70 percent for 

9 grants awarded on a competitive basis to States, 

10 subdivisions of States, territories, Indian tribes, pub11 lic or private nonprofit organizations, labor organiza12 tions, Federal agencies, and institutions of higher 

13 education. 

14 ‘‘(3) APPLICATION REQUIRED.—The Corpora15 tion shall make an allotment of assistance or award 

16 a competitive grant to a recipient under this sub17 section only pursuant to an application submitted by 

18 a State or other applicant under subsection (n). 

19 ‘‘(l) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.—The Director shall 

20 ensure that the number of individuals selected to perform 

21 each service project implemented by a Civilian Climate 

22 Corps Partner does not exceed— 

23 ‘‘(1) the amount of funding available to the ap24 plicable Climate Corps Partner to support the 


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1 project, including the provision of benefits for each 

2 such individual; and 

3 ‘‘(2) the amount of funding available to the 

4 Corporation to support and provide benefits to those 

5 individuals. 

6 ‘‘(m) AUTHORITY FOR FIXED-AMOUNT GRANTS.— 

7 The Corporation may provide assistance in the form of 

8 fixed-amount grants under this section in an amount de9 termined by the Corporation in the same manner and 

10 under the same terms and conditions as fixed-amount 

11 grants under section 129(l). 

12 ‘‘(n) APPLICATION FOR ASSISTANCE.—To be eligible 

13 to receive assistance under this section, a State, territory, 

14 subdivision of a State, Indian tribe, public or private non15 profit organization, institution of higher education, Fed16 eral agency, or labor organization shall prepare and sub17 mit to the Director an application at such time, in such 

18 manner, and containing such information as the Director 

19 may reasonably require, including— 

20 ‘‘(1) the types of permissible application mate21 rial described in section 130(b), except that para22 graph (11) of such subsection shall not apply; 

23 ‘‘(2) the required application information de24 scribed in subsection (c) and (d) of section 130; 


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1 ‘‘(3) information describing how the applicant 

2 proposes to address the goals of the grant program 

3 under this section and the project requirements; and 

4 ‘‘(4) an assurance that the Civilian Climate 

5 Corps program carried out by the applicant using 

6 assistance provided under this section and any pro7 gram supported by a grant made by the applicant 

8 using such assistance will— 

9 ‘‘(A) provide participants with the training, 

10 skills, and knowledge necessary for the projects 

11 that participants are called upon to perform, 

12 and that such training may realistically lead to 

13 local employment in similar fields after the 

14 completion of the program; 

15 ‘‘(B) provide support services to partici16 pants, such as the provision of appropriate in17 formation and support to those participants 

18 transitioning to other educational and career 

19 opportunities and those who are seeking to earn 

20 the equivalent of a high school diploma; 

21 ‘‘(C) coordinate with the Director to fulfill 

22 the training and career development require23 ments described in section 199U; 


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1 ‘‘(D) provide in the design, recruitment, 

2 and operation of the program for broad-based 

3 input from— 

4 ‘‘(i) the community served and poten5 tial participants in the program; and 

6 ‘‘(ii) community-based agencies with a 

7 demonstrated record of experience in pro8 viding services and local labor organiza9 tions representing employees of service 

10 sponsors, if these entities exist in the area 

11 to be served by the program; 

12 ‘‘(E) ensure that any benefits provided by 

13 the program meet the minimum requirements 

14 set forth in section 199S, and ensure, through 

15 coordination with the Director, that all mem16 bers of the Civilian Climate Corps receive all 

17 such benefits; 

18 ‘‘(F) refrain from interfering in the em19 ployee-management relations of Civilian Climate 

20 Corps members in accordance with section 

21 199W(d) or the compensation of such members 

22 under subsections (b), (d), and (f) of section 

23 199S; 


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1 ‘‘(G) apply evaluation and performance 

2 goals methods equivalent to those in section 

3 131(d); and 

4 ‘‘(H) remain neutral with respect to the 

5 exercise of the right to organize and collectively 

6 bargain by Civilian Climate Corps members. 

7 ‘‘(o) CONSIDERATION OF APPLICATIONS.— 

8 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall apply 

9 the criteria described in paragraphs (3) and (4) in 

10 determining whether to approve an application sub11 mitted under subsection (n) and provide assistance 

12 under this section to the applicant. 

13 ‘‘(2) APPLICATION TO SUBGRANTS.— 

14 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A State or other enti15 ty that uses assistance provided under this sec16 tion to support programs selected on a competi17 tive basis to receive a share of the assistance 

18 shall use the criteria described in paragraphs 

19 (3) and (4) when considering an application 

20 submitted by such program. 

21 ‘‘(B) CERTIFICATION.—The application of 

22 the State or other entity under subsection (n) 

23 shall contain a certification that the State or 

24 other entity used these criteria in the selection 

25 of programs to receive assistance, a description 


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1 of the positions into which participants will be 

2 placed using such assistance, including descrip3 tions of specific tasks to be performed by such 

4 participants, and descriptions of the minimum 

5 qualifications that individuals shall meet to be6 come participants in such programs. 

7 ‘‘(3) ASSISTANCE CRITERIA.—The criteria re8 quired to be applied in evaluating applications sub9 mitted under subsection (n) are— 

10 ‘‘(A) the criteria described in section 

11 133(c); 

12 ‘‘(B) how the program will carry out activi13 ties described in section 199T; and 

14 ‘‘(C) the extent to which the program is 

15 equipped to deliver the benefits and training re16 quired under this subtitle. 

17 ‘‘(4) APPRENTICESHIP PRIORITY.— 

18 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In awarding grants 

19 under this section on a competitive basis, the 

20 Director shall give priority to applications from 

21 entities that— 

22 ‘‘(i) provide pre-apprenticeship oppor23 tunities for participants that result in posi24 tions in apprenticeships registered with the 


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1 Department of Labor or the State appren2 ticeship agency; or 

3 ‘‘(ii) provide, as part of Civilian Cli4 mate Corps programming, apprenticeships 

5 registered with the Department of Labor 

6 or the State apprenticeship agency. 

7 ‘‘(B) ADDITIONAL PRIORITY.—In the case 

8 of entities described in subparagraph (A)(ii), 

9 the Director shall give an additional priority to 

10 entities that will— 

11 ‘‘(i) impose utilization requirements 

12 for apprenticeships registered under the 

13 Act of August 16, 1937 (commonly known 

14 as the ‘National Apprenticeship Act’; 50 

15 Stat. 664, chapter 663; 29 U.S.C. 50 et 

16 seq.) on the eligible projects; and 

17 ‘‘(ii) comply with the apprentice to 

18 journey worker ratios established for such 

19 apprenticeships by the Department of 

20 Labor or the State apprenticeship agency, 

21 as applicable. 

22 ‘‘(5) ALLOCATION TO HISTORICALLY BLACK

23 COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES AND MINORITY-SERV24 ING INSTITUTIONS.—In awarding grants under this 

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1 er education, the Director shall ensure that of all 

2 funds under this section that are awarded to institu3 tions of higher education— 

4 ‘‘(A) not less than 10 percent of those 

5 funds shall be awarded to Historically Black 

6 Colleges and Universities (which shall be de7 fined as institutions that are part B institutions 

8 under section 322 of the Higher Education Act 

9 of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061)); and 

10 ‘‘(B) not less than 10 percent shall be 

11 awarded to other minority-serving institutions 

12 (which shall be defined as eligible institutions 

13 described in paragraphs (2) through (7) of 

14 under section 371(a) of the Higher Education 

15 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1067q(a)). 

16 ‘‘(6) OTHER CONSIDERATIONS.— 

17 ‘‘(A) GEOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY.—The Di18 rector shall ensure that recipients of assistance 

19 provided under this section are geographically 

20 diverse and represent urban and rural locales, 

21 with a focus on under-resourced communities of 

22 need. 

23 ‘‘(B) AGE LIMITS.—The Director shall en24 sure that not less than 50 percent of the CivilVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:58 Sep 20, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00027 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2838.IS S2838

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1 ian Climate Corps Partners have no upper age 

2 limits for participation. 

3 ‘‘(C) REJECTION OF STATE APPLICANTS.— 

4 Section 133(g) shall apply with respect to an 

5 application submitted by a State Commission 

6 under this section for funds described in sub7 section (k). The amount of any State’s allot8 ment under subsection (k) for a fiscal year that 

9 the Corporation determines will not be provided 

10 for that fiscal year may be used by the Cor11 poration to— 

12 ‘‘(i) make grants (and provide benefits 

13 in connection with such grants) to other 

14 community-based entities under this sec15 tion that propose to carry out Civilian Cli16 mate Corps programs in such State or ter17 ritory; and 

18 ‘‘(ii) make reallotments to other 

19 States or territories with approved applica20 tions submitted under subsection (n), from 

21 the allotment funds not used to make 

22 grants as described in clause (i). 

23 ‘‘(D) GENDER REPRESENTATION.—To the 

24 greatest extent practicable, the Director shall 


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1 ensure inclusion and representation of all gen2 ders among participants. 

3 ‘‘(E) TRIBAL SOVEREIGNTY.—The Direc4 tor shall ensure that Civilian Climate Corps ac5 tivities carried out under this section that affect 

6 individuals in Indian country are carried out in 

7 a manner that ensures that— 

8 ‘‘(i) the sovereignty of Indian tribes 

9 and their conservation efforts are main10 tained; and 

11 ‘‘(ii) the activities are carried out in 

12 consultation with the affected individuals 

13 in Indian country. 

14 ‘‘(p) SELECTION OF PARTNER CORPS MEMBERS.— 

15 The recruitment and selection of an individual to serve 

16 in a climate service project of a Civilian Climate Corps 

17 Partner shall be conducted by the entity to which the as18 sistance is provided under subsection (a). 

19 ‘‘(q) RECRUITMENT AND PLACEMENT.—The Direc20 tor and each State Commission shall establish a system 

21 to recruit participants in a climate service project of a Ci22 vilian Climate Corps Partner entity and to assist in place23 ment, and shall coordinate with other programs in the 

24 Corporation to take advantage of existing systems as 

25 much as possible. The Director and State Commissions 


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1 shall disseminate information regarding available positions 

2 through cooperation with secondary schools, institutions 

3 of higher education, employment service offices, State vo4 cational rehabilitation agencies, and language organiza5 tions. 

6 ‘‘(r) FULL-TIME SERVICE.—An individual serving in 

7 a climate service project of a Civilian Climate Corps Part8 ner Corps entity— 

9 ‘‘(1) shall agree to participate in the program 

10 sponsoring the position for a term of service that is 

11 equal to not less than 1,700 hours during a period 

12 of not more 10 to 12 months, as determined by the 

13 Partner Corps entity; and 

14 ‘‘(2) may serve in 2 terms of service, which do 

15 not need to be consecutive terms. 

16 ‘‘SEC. 199S. BENEFITS FOR CIVILIAN CLIMATE CORPS MEM17 BERS. 

18 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall provide for 

19 members of the Civilian Climate Corps to receive benefits 

20 authorized by this section. 

21 ‘‘(b) LIVING ALLOWANCE.— 

22 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall provide 

23 a living allowance to members of the Civilian Cli24 mate Corps for the period during which such mem25 bers are engaged in training or any activity on a CiVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:31 Sep 22, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00030 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2838.IS S2838

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1 vilian Climate Corps project. Subject to paragraphs 

2 (2), (3), and (4) and the duty to bargain under sec3 tion 199W(d), the Director shall establish the 

4 amount of the allowance, except that in no event 

5 shall such allowance be less than the equivalent of 

6 $17 per hour. 

7 ‘‘(2) INCREASE.—The amount of the allowance 

8 described in paragraph (1) shall increase yearly by 

9 the annual percentage increase, if any, in the me10 dian hourly wage of all employees, as determined by 

11 the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

12 ‘‘(3) WORK AS LABORER OR MECHANIC.—Not13 withstanding paragraphs (1) and (2), in the case of 

14 a member who is engaged in construction, alteration, 

15 or repair work as a laborer or mechanic under a Ci16 vilian Climate Corps project, the Director shall also 

17 establish the amount of the allowance of such mem18 ber at the greater of— 

19 ‘‘(A) the amount that would otherwise 

20 apply under paragraphs (1) and (2); or 

21 ‘‘(B) any amount not less than the equiva22 lent of the prevailing wage rate in the locality 

23 in which the member is engaged in such 

24 project, as determined by the Secretary of 


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1 Labor, in accordance with subchapter IV of 

2 chapter 31 of title 40, United States Code. 

3 ‘‘(4) WORK AS A MEMBER FURNISHING SERV4 ICES.— 

5 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding 

6 paragraphs (1) and (2), a member of the Civil7 ian Climate Corps who is not subject to para8 graph (3) and who is engaged in furnishing 

9 services through a project of the Civilian Cli10 mate Corps, including such a member who is a 

11 routine operations worker or routine mainte12 nance worker, shall (subject to subparagraph 

13 (B)) be paid an allowance and receive fringe 

14 benefits that are not less than the equivalent of 

15 the minimum wage and fringe benefits estab16 lished in accordance with chapter 67 of title 41, 

17 United States Code (commonly known as the 

18 ‘Service Contract Act’). 

19 ‘‘(B) REQUIREMENT.—In the case the al20 lowance required under subparagraph (A) is 

21 less than the amount that would otherwise 

22 apply under paragraphs (1) and (2), the allow23 ance of a member described in subparagraph 

24 (A) shall be not less than the amount that 

25 would otherwise apply under such paragraphs. 


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1 ‘‘(C) AUTHORITY.—With respect to this 

2 paragraph, the Secretary of Labor shall have 

3 the authority and functions set forth in chapter 

4 67 of title 41, United States Code. 

5 ‘‘(c) OTHER AUTHORIZED BENEFITS.—While active 

6 as members of the Civilian Climate Corps, members shall 

7 be provided the following benefits when necessary to com8 plete Corps activity, as the Director determines appro9 priate: 

10 ‘‘(1) Allowances for travel expenses, personal 

11 expenses, and other expenses. 

12 ‘‘(2) Quarters. 

13 ‘‘(3) Subsistence. 

14 ‘‘(4) Transportation. 

15 ‘‘(5) Equipment 

16 ‘‘(6) Uniforms. 

17 ‘‘(7) Supplies. 

18 ‘‘(8) Other services determined by the Director 

19 to be consistent with the purposes of the Program. 

20 ‘‘(d) HEALTH CARE.— 

21 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each member of the Civil22 ian Climate Corps shall be entitled to the health care 

23 benefit described in paragraph (2) for the duration 

24 of the participant’s terms of service, as long as the 


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1 member does not receive an equivalent benefit from 

2 a different source. 

3 ‘‘(2) HEALTH CARE BENEFIT.—The health care 

4 benefit described in this subsection is an amount 

5 equal to the annual premium for a gold level health 

6 plan for the member and any of the member’s de7 pendents purchased on the American Health Benefit 

8 Exchange in the member’s State of residence, pro9 vided the member purchases a plan on the American 

10 Health Benefit Exchange. 

11 ‘‘(e) SUPPORTIVE SERVICES.—Each member of the 

12 Civilian Climate Corps shall be provided with child care 

13 services, counseling services, and other supportive services 

14 when needed, as the Director determines appropriate. 

15 ‘‘(f) EDUCATIONAL BENEFITS.— 

16 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Upon completion of a term 

17 of service with the Civilian Climate Corps, a member 

18 shall be entitled to receive an amount equal to not 

19 more than $25,000 for each term of service, which 

20 the member shall apply to— 

21 ‘‘(A) tuition and related expenses at an in22 stitution of higher education, as defined in sec23 tion 101 and 102(a)(1)(B) of the Higher Edu24 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001; 

25 1002(a)(1)(B)); or 


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1 ‘‘(B) the repayment of a qualified student 

2 loan as defined in section 148(b)(7). 

3 ‘‘(2) NO ELIGIBILITY FOR SUBTITLE D

4 AWARD.—A Civilian Climate Corps member shall not 

5 be eligible for the national service educational award 

6 described in subtitle D. 

7 ‘‘SEC. 199T. SERVICE PROJECTS. 

8 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The service projects carried out 

9 by the national climate service program and recipients of 

10 grants from the national climate service grant program 

11 shall help communities respond to climate change and 

12 transition to a clean economy, through one or more of the 

13 following activities: 

14 ‘‘(1) Reducing carbon emissions, which may in15 clude— 

16 ‘‘(A) weatherizing and retrofitting residen17 tial and non-residential buildings for energy ef18 ficiency and electrification and participating in 

19 the construction of new net-zero buildings; 

20 ‘‘(B) maintenance and operation of energy21 efficient and net-zero buildings and properties; 

22 ‘‘(C) building energy-efficient affordable 

23 housing units; 

24 ‘‘(D) conducting energy audits; 


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1 ‘‘(E) recommending ways for households to 

2 improve energy efficiency; 

3 ‘‘(F) installing and upgrading public tran4 sit and electric vehicle infrastructure; and 

5 ‘‘(G) installing clean energy infrastructure 

6 in homes and small businesses, on farms, and 

7 in communities. 

8 ‘‘(2) Enabling a coordinated transition to re9 newable energy, which may include— 

10 ‘‘(A) advising on climate and energy policy; 

11 ‘‘(B) providing clean energy-related serv12 ices; and 

13 ‘‘(C) expanding broadband access and 

14 adoption. 

15 ‘‘(3) Building healthier and pollution-free com16 munities, which may include— 

17 ‘‘(A) working with schools and youth pro18 grams to educate students and youth about 

19 ways to reduce home energy use and improve 

20 the environment; 

21 ‘‘(B) assisting in the development of local 

22 recycling and composting programs; 

23 ‘‘(C) renewing and rehabilitating public 

24 and tribal lands and trails owned or maintained 

25 by the Federal Government, an Indian tribe, a 


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1 State, a municipal or local government, or any 

2 formal partners of those entities; 

3 ‘‘(D) improving air quality or other pollu4 tion monitoring networks; 

5 ‘‘(E) remediation of the effects of toxins 

6 and other hazardous pollution, including lead 

7 exposure in drinking water and the home; 

8 ‘‘(F) building and maintaining green 

9 stormwater management infrastructure; 

10 ‘‘(G) creating and expanding local and re11 gional food systems; and 

12 ‘‘(H) developing farm to institution dis13 tribution models to make schools, hospitals, and 

14 other institutions healthier and more food resil15 ient. 

16 ‘‘(4) Mitigating the effects of disasters and 

17 other trends related to climate change, which may 

18 include— 

19 ‘‘(A) performing community resilience as20 sessments; 

21 ‘‘(B) collecting and analyzing data related 

22 to climate change and disasters; 

23 ‘‘(C) advising and planning for community 

24 resilience and adaptation; 


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1 ‘‘(D) building and maintaining resilient in2 frastructure; 

3 ‘‘(E) conducting prescribed burns or en4 gaging in reforestation activity; 

5 ‘‘(F) supporting the activities of local 

6 emergency management agencies and programs; 

7 and 

8 ‘‘(G) advising and supporting farmers and 

9 ranchers in the implementation of management 

10 practices that account for climate change. 

11 ‘‘(5) Preparing communities for disaster, which 

12 may include— 

13 ‘‘(A) organizing community-based resil14 iency coalitions and working groups; 

15 ‘‘(B) providing disaster preparedness or 

16 community emergency response team training 

17 to community-based organizations and resi18 dents, including for animals in disasters; 

19 ‘‘(C) providing education on climate 

20 change, disaster, and resilience at community21 based organizations and schools; and 

22 ‘‘(D) developing community climate resil23 ience hub infrastructure. 

24 ‘‘(6) Recovering from disasters, which may in25 clude— 


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1 ‘‘(A) clearing debris; 

2 ‘‘(B) repairing and rebuilding homes and 

3 buildings; 

4 ‘‘(C) replanting locally adapted native trees 

5 and plants; 

6 ‘‘(D) restoring habitat; 

7 ‘‘(E) stabilizing shorelines and hillsides; 

8 and 

9 ‘‘(F) remediating and reclaiming dev10 astated land left by extractive industries. 

11 ‘‘(7) Developing and implementing conservation 

12 projects with climate benefits that are proven using 

13 the best available science, which may include— 

14 ‘‘(A) conserving, protecting, and restoring 

15 habitat, especially habitat to threatened, endan16 gered, and at-risk species; 

17 ‘‘(B) stabilizing shorelines or riparian 

18 areas using green infrastructure such as native 

19 wetlands; 

20 ‘‘(C) removing invasive species and plant21 ing locally adapted native species; 

22 ‘‘(D) collecting, storing, and propagating 

23 native seeds and plant materials; 


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1 ‘‘(E) removing hazardous fuels within one2 quarter mile of dwellings and homes or one3 quarter mile around delineated communities; 

4 ‘‘(F) planting and maintaining urban, trib5 al, and rural forests, trees, native grasslands, 

6 and natural areas; 

7 ‘‘(G) developing urban farms and gardens; 

8 ‘‘(H) reforestation of native forest eco9 systems, afforestation, and other projects to 

10 achieve demonstrable carbon sinks; 

11 ‘‘(I) reclaiming unneeded roads and tracks 

12 and restoring affected lands to natural condi13 tions; 

14 ‘‘(J) restoring and managing wildlife cor15 ridors and habitat connectivity for native spe16 cies, including building wildlife crossings and 

17 removing barriers to wildlife movement; and 

18 ‘‘(K) assisting farmers and ranchers in a 

19 transition to more regenerative farming and 

20 ranching systems. 

21 ‘‘(8) Additional projects to reduce greenhouse 

22 gas emissions to keep temperatures below 1.5 de23 grees Celsius above pre-industrialized levels, tackle 

24 pollution to promote environmental justice, and build 

25 community prosperity and resilience in the face of 


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1 the climate crisis and economic transitions, as deter2 mined by the Director and in consultation with the 

3 advisory board. 

4 ‘‘(b) PERMANENT IMPROVEMENT TO REAL PROP5 ERTY PERMITTED.—The service projects carried out by 

6 the national climate service program and recipients of 

7 grants from the national climate service grant program 

8 are permitted to expend funds under this subtitle that 

9 make permanent improvement to real property not owned 

10 by the United States Government, as long as labor for that 

11 improvement is undertaken by Civilian Climate Corps 

12 members. 

13 ‘‘SEC. 199U. TRAINING. 

14 ‘‘(a) COMMON CURRICULUM.—Each member of the 

15 Civilian Climate Corps shall be provided with between two 

16 and six weeks of training that includes a comprehensive 

17 service-leaning curriculum designed to promote team 

18 building, leadership, citizenship, and environmental stew19 ardship. The Director shall consult with the advisory 

20 board to ensure that, to the extent practicable, training 

21 is consistent for each member of the Civilian Climate 

22 Corps. 

23 ‘‘(b) ADVANCED SERVICE TRAINING.—Members of 

24 the Civilian Climate Corps shall receive advanced training 


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1 in basic, project-specific skills that the members will use 

2 in performing their community service projects. 

3 ‘‘(c) TRAINING PART OF SERVICE.—Time under4 taken in training shall be considered part of the service 

5 performed by members of the Civilian Climate Corps, and 

6 the living allowance authorized in section 199S(b) shall 

7 incorporate training hours into wage calculations. 

8 ‘‘(d) CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION.— 

9 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each member of the Civil10 ian Climate Corps shall be provided with at least 4 

11 weeks of training to improve job prospects in the 

12 clean economy workforce. 

13 ‘‘(2) FOCUS.—Training may be separate or 

14 alongside Corps activities, and may include a focus 

15 on energy conservation, environmental stewardship 

16 or conservation, infrastructure improvement, sus17 tainable urban and rural development, climate resil18 iency needs, or other appropriate topics. Training 

19 should include opportunities to earn professional cer20 tificates, wherever practicable. Training may also in21 clude professional development, such as resume and 

22 cover letter writing, networking, and personal finan23 cial management. 

24 ‘‘(3) FOLLOW UP SERVICES AND DATA COLLEC25 TION.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) SERVICES.—Following the termi2 nation of service, members of the Civilian Cli3 mate Corps who do not enroll as full-time stu4 dents shall receive between 9 and 12 months of 

5 follow-up services to encourage career progres6 sion, in a manner determined by the Director. 

7 ‘‘(B) DATA COLLECTION.—The Director 

8 shall collect information about the career pro9 gression of former members of the Civilian Cli10 mate Corps. 

11 ‘‘(4) CONSULTATION.—The Director shall con12 sult with the advisory board to ensure that appro13 priate steps are taken to make training specific to 

14 local workforce and labor market needs, including 

15 coordination and partnerships with other entities in16 cluding local labor groups and career and technical 

17 education schools, and that academic credit may be 

18 received where possible. 

19 ‘‘(5) PRE-APPRENTICESHIP PIPELINE.—The Di20 rector shall consult with the advisory board to en21 sure that entities receiving funds under this subtitle 

22 prioritize the formation of relationships with local 

23 apprenticeship programs and the creation of pre-ap24 prenticeship pipelines. 


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1 ‘‘(e) COORDINATION WITH OTHER ENTITIES.—The 

2 Civilian Climate Corps may provide, either directly or 

3 through grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements, the 

4 advanced service training referred to in subsection (b) and 

5 the career and technical education training referred to in 

6 subsection (d) in coordination with career and technical 

7 education schools, community colleges, labor groups, other 

8 employment and training providers, existing service pro9 grams, Job Corps, other qualified individuals, or organiza10 tions with expertise in training individuals, including dis11 advantaged individuals, in the skills described in such sub12 section. 

13 ‘‘SEC. 199V. ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS. 

14 ‘‘(a) SUPERVISION.—The Chief Executive Officer 

15 shall monitor and supervise the Civilian Climate Corps au16 thorized to be established under section 199P. In carrying 

17 out this section, the Chief Executive Officer shall— 

18 ‘‘(1) approve such guidelines, including those 

19 recommended by the advisory board, for design, se20 lection of members, operation of the national climate 

21 service program, and distribution of grants to Civil22 ian Climate Corps Partners; 

23 ‘‘(2) evaluate the progress of the Civilian Cli24 mate Corps, including programs carried out by the 


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1 Partner Corps entities, in accomplishing the purpose 

2 set forth in section 199O; and 

3 ‘‘(3) carry out any other activities determined 

4 appropriate by the advisory board. 

5 ‘‘(b) MONITORING AND COORDINATION.—The Chief 

6 Executive Officer shall— 

7 ‘‘(1) monitor the overall operation of the Civil8 ian Climate Corps; 

9 ‘‘(2) coordinate the activities of the Corps with 

10 other service and grant programs administered by 

11 the Corporation; and 

12 ‘‘(3) carry out any other activities determined 

13 appropriate by the advisory board. 

14 ‘‘(c) STAFF.— 

15 ‘‘(1) DIRECTOR.— 

16 ‘‘(A) APPOINTMENT.—Upon establishment 

17 of the Program, the Chief Executive Officer 

18 shall appoint a Director. 

19 ‘‘(B) DUTIES.—The Director shall— 

20 ‘‘(i) design, develop, and administer 

21 the Civilian Climate Corps; 

22 ‘‘(ii) be responsible for managing daily 

23 operations of the national climate service 

24 program and national climate service grant 

25 program; and 


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1 ‘‘(iii) report to the Chief Executive 

2 Officer. 

3 ‘‘(2) AUTHORITY TO EMPLOY STAFF.—The Di4 rector may employ such staff as is necessary to 

5 carry out this subtitle using funds available for this 

6 subtitle or generally available to the Corporation for 

7 the employment of staff. The Director shall, to the 

8 maximum extent practicable, utilize in staff positions 

9 personnel who are detailed from departments and 

10 agencies of the Federal Government and, to the ex11 tent the Director considers appropriate, shall request 

12 and accept detail of personnel from such depart13 ments and agencies in order to do so. 

14 ‘‘(d) LABOR RELATIONS.— 

15 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.— 

16 ‘‘(A) EMPLOYER AND EMPLOYEE STA17 TUS.—The Civilian Climate Corps shall be the 

18 employer of its members, and such members 

19 shall be the employees of the Civilian Climate 

20 Corps, for purposes under this subsection of or21 ganizing a labor organization, collective bar22 gaining, and other employee-management rela23 tions. 

24 ‘‘(B) DIRECTOR RESPONSIBILITIES.—To 

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1 sure, in consultation with the advisory board, 

2 that all members of the Civilian Climate Corps 

3 are provided the opportunity to join a labor or4 ganization, as applicable, during the term of 

5 their service. Such a labor organization shall, to 

6 the greatest extent practicable, be local and rel7 evant to the service provided by such members. 

8 ‘‘(C) EMPLOYEE-MANAGEMENT RELATIONS

9 PROVISIONS.—With respect to employee-man10 agement relations of the Civilian Climate Corps 

11 and its members, the following shall apply: 

12 ‘‘(i) Employee-management relations 

13 shall, to the extent not inconsistent with 

14 the provisions in this subtitle, be subject to 

15 the provisions that apply to the employee16 management relations of the United States 

17 Postal Service and its employees under 

18 part II of title 39, United States Code. 

19 ‘‘(ii) The Civilian Climate Corps shall 

20 remain neutral in any labor organization 

21 organizing effort. 

22 ‘‘(iii) The Civilian Climate Corps shall 

23 recognize for collective bargaining pur24 poses, and shall collectively bargain with, 

25 any labor organization that has a written 


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1 majority authorization of a unit encom2 passing all members of the Civilian Cli3 mate Corps or any other unit determined 

4 appropriate by the National Labor Rela5 tions Board. 

6 ‘‘(iv) Members of the Civilian Climate 

7 Corps shall have the right to strike, and 

8 the Civilian Climate Corps shall not dis9 charge, discipline, or permanently replace 

10 members for striking. 

11 ‘‘(2) COMMENCEMENT OF COLLECTIVE BAR12 GAINING.—Not later than 10 days after receiving a 

13 written request for collective bargaining from a labor 

14 organization that has been newly recognized or cer15 tified as a representative under section 9(a) of the 

16 National Labor Relations Act (29 U.S.C. 159(a)) of 

17 members of the Civilian Climate Corps, or within 

18 such further period as the parties agree upon, the 

19 parties shall meet and commence to bargain collec20 tively and shall make every reasonable effort to con21 clude and sign a collective bargaining agreement. 

22 ‘‘(3) MEDIATION AND CONCILIATION FOR FAIL23 URE TO REACH A COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREE24 MENT.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—If the parties have 

2 failed to reach an agreement before the date 

3 that is 90 days after the date on which bar4 gaining is commenced under paragraph (2), or 

5 any later date agreed upon by both parties, ei6 ther party may notify the Director of the Fed7 eral Mediation and Conciliation Service of the 

8 existence of a dispute and request mediation. 

9 ‘‘(B) FEDERAL MEDIATION AND CONCILIA10 TION SERVICE.—Whenever a request is received 

11 under subparagraph (A), the Director of the 

12 Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service 

13 shall promptly communicate with the parties 

14 and use best efforts, by mediation and concilia15 tion, to bring them to agreement. 

16 ‘‘(4) TRIPARTITE ARBITRATION PANEL.— 

17 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—If the Director of the 

18 Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service is 

19 not able to bring the parties to agreement by 

20 mediation or conciliation before the date that is 

21 30 days after the date on which such mediation 

22 or conciliation is commenced, or any later date 

23 agreed upon by both parties, the Director of the 

24 Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service 

25 shall refer the dispute to a tripartite arbitration 


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1 panel established in accordance with such regu2 lations as may be prescribed by the Director of 

3 the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, 

4 with one member selected by the labor organi5 zation, one member selected by the Civilian Cli6 mate Corps, and one neutral member mutually 

7 agreed to by the parties. 

8 ‘‘(B) DISPUTE SETTLEMENT.—A majority 

9 of the tripartite arbitration panel shall render a 

10 decision settling the dispute and such decision 

11 shall be binding upon the parties for a period 

12 of 2 years, unless amended during such period 

13 by written consent of the parties. Such decision 

14 shall be based on— 

15 ‘‘(i) the financial status and prospects 

16 of the Civilian Climate Corps; 

17 ‘‘(ii) the size and type of the oper18 ations and business of the Civilian Climate 

19 Corps; 

20 ‘‘(iii) the cost of living of members of 

21 the Civilian Climate Corps; 

22 ‘‘(iv) the ability of members of the Ci23 vilian Climate Corps to sustain themselves, 

24 their families, and their dependents on the 


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1 wages and benefits they earn from the Ci2 vilian Climate Corps; and 

3 ‘‘(v) the wages and benefits that 7 

4 other employers engaged in similar activi5 ties as the Civilian Climate Corps provide 

6 their employees. 

7 ‘‘(5) PROHIBITION ON SUBCONTRACTING FOR

8 CERTAIN PURPOSES.—The Civilian Climate Corps, 

9 and any recipient of funding under section 199R, 

10 may not engage in subcontracting for the purpose of 

11 circumventing the terms of a collective bargaining 

12 agreement with respect to wages, benefits, or work13 ing conditions. 

14 ‘‘(6) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

15 ‘‘(A) PARTIES.—The term ‘parties’ 

16 means— 

17 ‘‘(i) a labor organization that is newly 

18 recognized or certified as a representative 

19 under section 9(a) of the National Labor 

20 Relations Act (29 U.S.C. 159(a)) of mem21 bers of the Civilian Climate Corps; and 

22 ‘‘(ii) the Civilian Climate Corps. 

23 ‘‘(B) WRITTEN MAJORITY AUTHORIZA24 TION.—The term ‘written majority authoriza25 tion’ means writings signed and dated by a maVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:58 Sep 20, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00051 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2838.IS S2838

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1 jority of members of the Civilian Climate Corps 

2 in a unit described in paragraph (1)(C)(iii) in 

3 the form of authorization cards, petitions, or 

4 other suitable written evidence to designate a 

5 labor organization as the representative of such 

6 members for the purpose of collective bar7 gaining. 

8 ‘‘SEC. 199W. STATUS OF CORPS MEMBERS AND CORPS PER9 SONNEL UNDER FEDERAL LAW. 

10 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Except as otherwise provided in 

11 this section, members of the Civilian Climate Corps shall 

12 not, by reason of their status as such members, be consid13 ered Federal employees or be subject to the provisions of 

14 law relating to Federal employment. 

15 ‘‘(b) WORK-RELATED INJURIES.— 

16 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of subchapter 

17 I of chapter 81 of title 5, United States Code, relat18 ing to the compensation of Federal employees for 

19 work injuries, participants in active service in the 

20 national climate service program under section 199Q 

21 shall be considered as employees of the United 

22 States within the meaning of the term ‘employee’, as 

23 defined in section 8101 of such title. 

24 ‘‘(2) SPECIAL RULE.—In the application of the 

25 provisions of subchapter I of chapter 81 of title 5, 


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1 United States Code, to a person referred to in para2 graph (1), the person shall not be considered to be 

3 in the performance of duty while absent from the 

4 person’s assigned post of duty unless the absence is 

5 authorized in accordance with procedures prescribed 

6 by the Director. 

7 ‘‘(c) TORT CLAIMS PROCEDURE.—A participant in 

8 active service in the national climate service program 

9 under section 199Q shall be considered an employee of the 

10 United States for purposes of chapter 171 of title 28, 

11 United States Code, relating to tort claims liability and 

12 procedure. 

13 ‘‘(d) LABOR RELATIONS.— 

14 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.— 

15 ‘‘(A) EMPLOYER AND EMPLOYEE STA16 TUS.—The Civilian Climate Corps shall be the 

17 employer of its members, and such members 

18 shall be the employees of the Civilian Climate 

19 Corps, for purposes under this subsection of or20 ganizing a labor organization, collective bar21 gaining, and other employee-management rela22 tions. 

23 ‘‘(B) DIRECTOR RESPONSIBILITIES.—To 

24 the extent practicable, the Director shall en25 sure, in consultation with the advisory board, 


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1 that all members of the Civilian Climate Corps 

2 are provided the opportunity to join a labor or3 ganization, as applicable, during the term of 

4 their service. Such a labor organization shall, to 

5 the greatest extent practicable, be local and rel6 evant to the service provided by such members. 

7 ‘‘(C) EMPLOYEE-MANAGEMENT RELATIONS

8 PROVISIONS.—With respect to employee-man9 agement relations of the Civilian Climate Corps 

10 and its members, the following shall apply: 

11 ‘‘(i) Employee-management relations 

12 shall, to the extent not inconsistent with 

13 the provisions in this subtitle, be subject to 

14 the provisions that apply to the employee15 management relations of the United States 

16 Postal Service and its employees under 

17 part II of title 39, United States Code. 

18 ‘‘(ii) The Civilian Climate Corps shall 

19 remain neutral in any labor organization 

20 organizing effort. 

21 ‘‘(iii) The Civilian Climate Corps shall 

22 recognize for collective bargaining pur23 poses, and shall collectively bargain with, 

24 any labor organization that has a written 

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1 passing all members of the Civilian Cli2 mate Corps or any other unit determined 

3 appropriate by the National Labor Rela4 tions Board. 

5 ‘‘(iv) Members of the Civilian Climate 

6 Corps shall have the right to strike, and 

7 the Civilian Climate Corps shall not dis8 charge, discipline, or permanently replace 

9 members for striking. 

10 ‘‘(2) COMMENCEMENT OF COLLECTIVE BAR11 GAINING.—Not later than 10 days after receiving a 

12 written request for collective bargaining from a labor 

13 organization that has been newly recognized or cer14 tified as a representative under section 9(a) of the 

15 National Labor Relations Act (29 U.S.C. 159(a)) of 

16 members of the Civilian Climate Corps, or within 

17 such further period as the parties agree upon, the 

18 parties shall meet and commence to bargain collec19 tively and shall make every reasonable effort to con20 clude and sign a collective bargaining agreement. 

21 ‘‘(3) MEDIATION AND CONCILIATION FOR FAIL22 URE TO REACH A COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREE23 MENT.— 

24 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—If the parties have 

25 failed to reach an agreement before the date 


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1 that is 90 days after the date on which bar2 gaining is commenced under paragraph (2), or 

3 any later date agreed upon by both parties, ei4 ther party may notify the Director of the Fed5 eral Mediation and Conciliation Service of the 

6 existence of a dispute and request mediation. 

7 ‘‘(B) FEDERAL MEDIATION AND CONCILIA8 TION SERVICE.—Whenever a request is received 

9 under subparagraph (A), the Director of the 

10 Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service 

11 shall promptly communicate with the parties 

12 and use best efforts, by mediation and concilia13 tion, to bring them to agreement. 

14 ‘‘(4) TRIPARTITE ARBITRATION PANEL.— 

15 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—If the Director of the 

16 Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service is 

17 not able to bring the parties to agreement by 

18 mediation or conciliation before the date that is 

19 30 days after the date on which such mediation 

20 or conciliation is commenced, or any later date 

21 agreed upon by both parties, the Director of the 

22 Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service 

23 shall refer the dispute to a tripartite arbitration 

24 panel established in accordance with such regu25 lations as may be prescribed by the Director of 


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1 the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, 

2 with one member selected by the labor organi3 zation, one member selected by the Civilian Cli4 mate Corps, and one neutral member mutually 

5 agreed to by the parties. 

6 ‘‘(B) DISPUTE SETTLEMENT.—A majority 

7 of the tripartite arbitration panel shall render a 

8 decision settling the dispute and such decision 

9 shall be binding upon the parties for a period 

10 of 2 years, unless amended during such period 

11 by written consent of the parties. Such decision 

12 shall be based on— 

13 ‘‘(i) the financial status and prospects 

14 of the Civilian Climate Corps; 

15 ‘‘(ii) the size and type of the oper16 ations and business of the Civilian Climate 

17 Corps; 

18 ‘‘(iii) the cost of living of members of 

19 the Civilian Climate Corps; 

20 ‘‘(iv) the ability of members of the Ci21 vilian Climate Corps to sustain themselves, 

22 their families, and their dependents on the 

23 wages and benefits they earn from the Ci24 vilian Climate Corps; and 


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1 ‘‘(v) the wages and benefits that 7 

2 other employers engaged in similar activi3 ties as the Civilian Climate Corps provide 

4 their employees. 

5 ‘‘(5) PROHIBITION ON SUBCONTRACTING FOR

6 CERTAIN PURPOSES.—The Civilian Climate Corps, 

7 and any recipient of funding under section 199R, 

8 may not engage in subcontracting for the purpose of 

9 circumventing the terms of a collective bargaining 

10 agreement with respect to wages, benefits, or work11 ing conditions. 

12 ‘‘(6) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

13 ‘‘(A) PARTIES.—The term ‘parties’ 

14 means— 

15 ‘‘(i) a labor organization that is newly 

16 recognized or certified as a representative 

17 under section 9(a) of the National Labor 

18 Relations Act (29 U.S.C. 159(a)) of mem19 bers of the Civilian Climate Corps; and 

20 ‘‘(ii) the Civilian Climate Corps. 

21 ‘‘(B) WRITTEN MAJORITY AUTHORIZA22 TION.—The term ‘written majority authoriza23 tion’ means writings signed and dated by a ma24 jority of members of the Civilian Climate Corps 

25 in a unit described in paragraph (1)(C)(iii) in 


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1 the form of authorization cards, petitions, or 

2 other suitable written evidence to designate a 

3 labor organization as the representative of such 

4 members for the purpose of collective bar5 gaining. 

6 ‘‘SEC. 199X. ADVISORY BOARD. 

7 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT AND PURPOSE.—There shall 

8 be established a Civilian Climate Corps Advisory Board 

9 to advise the Director concerning the administration of 

10 this subtitle and to assist the Corps in achieving the goals 

11 of section 199O. The advisory board members shall help 

12 coordinate activities with the national climate service pro13 gram and national climate service grant program as ap14 propriate, including training coordination and capacity 

15 building for grant applications. 

16 ‘‘(b) MEMBERSHIP.—The advisory board shall be 

17 composed of the following members: 

18 ‘‘(1) The Secretary of Labor. 

19 ‘‘(2) Representatives from at least 2 labor orga20 nizations. 

21 ‘‘(3) The Secretary of Energy. 

22 ‘‘(4) The Administrator of the Environmental 

23 Protection Agency. 

24 ‘‘(5) At least two individuals appointed by the 

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1 munity organizations in under-resourced commu2 nities of need. 

3 ‘‘(6) At least one representative from a Indian 

4 tribe or indigenous community. 

5 ‘‘(7) At least two individuals appointed by the 

6 Director from among persons representative of lead7 ership in organizations representing communities of 

8 color. 

9 ‘‘(8) The Secretary of Transportation. 

10 ‘‘(9) The Chief of the Forest Service. 

11 ‘‘(10) The Secretary of the Interior. 

12 ‘‘(11) The Director of the Bureau of Indian Af13 fairs. 

14 ‘‘(12) The Secretary of Agriculture. 

15 ‘‘(13) The Secretary of Education. 

16 ‘‘(14) The Secretary of Defense. 

17 ‘‘(15) The Secretary of Housing and Urban De18 velopment. 

19 ‘‘(16) The Chief of the National Guard Bureau. 

20 ‘‘(17) The Secretary of Commerce. 

21 ‘‘(18) The Administrator of the Federal Emer22 gency Management Agency. 

23 ‘‘(19) The Administrator of the National Oce24 anic and Atmospheric Administration. 


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1 ‘‘(20) The Chairman of the National Endow2 ment for the Arts. 

3 ‘‘(21) Individuals appointed by the Director 

4 from among persons who are broadly representative 

5 of educational institutions, voluntary organizations, 

6 public and private organizations, youth, scientific ex7 perts, and environmental justice organizations. 

8 ‘‘(22) The Chief Executive Officer. 

9 ‘‘(c) DUTIES.— 

10 ‘‘(1) OVERSEE EFFECTIVE PROGRAM IMPLE11 MENTATION.—The advisory board shall oversee ef12 fective implementation of the Civilian Climate Corps 

13 in accordance with the Climate Corps roadmap 

14 under section 199Y, which shall include— 

15 ‘‘(A) collecting data and reporting on 

16 Corps activity based on the benchmarks for suc17 cess determined in section 199Y(b)(4); 

18 ‘‘(B) ensuring that resources are distrib19 uted to advance the program’s principles of eq20 uity and environmental justice; 

21 ‘‘(C) expanding on and providing resources 

22 for grantee training, expertise development, and 

23 grant application capacity building in under24 resourced communities of need; 


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1 ‘‘(D) liaising with Federal agencies to co2 ordinate grants to fulfill needs for Civilian Cli3 mate Corps labor; and 

4 ‘‘(E) ensuring unity of message and pur5 pose across the Civilian Climate Corps, includ6 ing with Civilian Climate Corps Partners. 

7 ‘‘(2) ORGANIZE GREEN CAREERS OPPORTUNI8 TIES.—The advisory board shall assist the Chief Ex9 ecutive Officer in organizing and making available 

10 career development resources for the career and 

11 technical education component of the Civilian Cli12 mate Corps, in partnership and cooperation with ap13 propriate Federal agencies, educational institutions, 

14 and labor organizations, which shall— 

15 ‘‘(A) support the development of appren16 ticeship and pre-apprenticeship corps programs 

17 as a priority of the Civilian Climate Corps; 

18 ‘‘(B) coordinate and organize career train19 ing and financial support opportunities for 

20 members of the Civilian Climate Corps to enter 

21 into green career pathways; 

22 ‘‘(C) help expand apprenticeship programs 

23 and find pathways into union jobs for Corps 

24 participants; 


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1 ‘‘(D) mobilize and provide access to sup2 port and retraining for workers displaced by the 

3 fossil fuel industry who participate in Corps 

4 programs; and 

5 ‘‘(E) create an easy-to-use website and 

6 other tools for the use of Civilian Climate Corps 

7 in career and technical education and planning. 

8 ‘‘SEC. 199Y. PLAN FOR CIVILIAN CLIMATE CORPS. 

9 ‘‘(a) ROADMAP FOR THE CIVILIAN CLIMATE

10 CORPS.—The Chief Executive Officer shall, with guidance 

11 from the advisory board, establish a roadmap for the Civil12 ian Climate Corps program (referred to in this section as 

13 the ‘Climate Corps roadmap’). 

14 ‘‘(b) CONTENTS OF PLAN.—The Climate Corps road15 map shall include the following: 

16 ‘‘(1) A plan to— 

17 ‘‘(A) establish the number of positions in 

18 the national climate service program of the Ci19 vilian Climate Corps as— 

20 ‘‘(i) 50,000 for the fiscal year 2024; 

21 ‘‘(ii) 100,000 for the fiscal year 2025; 

22 ‘‘(iii) 175,000 for the fiscal year 

23 2026; 

24 ‘‘(iv) 275,000 for the fiscal year 2027; 

25 and 


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1 ‘‘(v) 400,000 for the fiscal year 2028; 

2 ‘‘(B) establish the number of positions in 

3 the national climate service grant program of 

4 the Civilian Climate Corps as— 

5 ‘‘(i) 25,000 for the fiscal year 2024; 

6 ‘‘(ii) 50,000 for the fiscal year 2025; 

7 ‘‘(iii) 85,000 for the fiscal year 2026; 

8 ‘‘(iv) 140,000 for the fiscal year 2027; 

9 and 

10 ‘‘(v) 200,000 for the fiscal year 2028; 

11 and 

12 ‘‘(C) maintain the requirements for serving 

13 under-resourced communities of need in accord14 ance with this subtitle. 

15 ‘‘(2) The identification of Federal programs 

16 and agencies that can engage the labor of the Civil17 ian Climate Corps and facilitate partnerships and 

18 funding relationships. 

19 ‘‘(3) Principles of equity and environmental jus20 tice to guide the work of the Civilian Climate Corps. 

21 ‘‘(4) Benchmarks for the success of the Civilian 

22 Climate Corps. 

23 ‘‘(5) Identification of under-resourced commu24 nities of need, defined as regions and communities 


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1 most in need of Civilian Climate Corps labor and 

2 workforce development. 

3 ‘‘(6) Identification and cataloging of funding 

4 streams for Partners Corps entities. 

5 ‘‘(7) Identifying and cataloging of resources for 

6 grantee training, expertise development, and grant 

7 application capacity building for under-resourced 

8 communities of need. 

9 ‘‘(8) Cataloging work already being done to10 wards climate resiliency and clean economy transi11 tions to ensure Civilian Climate Corps efforts are 

12 additive and not duplicative. 

13 ‘‘(9) A plan to increase the participation of op14 portunity youth in the Civilian Climate Corps (de15 fined as ‘out-of-school youth’ under section 

16 129(a)(1)(B) of the Workforce Innovation and Op17 portunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3164(a)(1)(B)), including 

18 through coordination with Job Corps. 

19 ‘‘(c) IMPLEMENTATION.—Subject to the availability 

20 of appropriations and quality service opportunities, the 

21 Corporation shall implement the Climate Corps roadmap, 

22 including establishing the positions described in subsection 

23 (b)(1).’’. 


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1 SEC. 4. PRIORITIZING AND SUPPORTING CLIMATE RE2 SPONSE. 

3 (a) PRIORITIES.— 

4 (1) AMERICORPS STATE AND NATIONAL.—Sec5 tion 122(f) of the National and Community Service 

6 Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12572(f)) is amended— 

7 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

8 (i) in subparagraph (A), by adding at 

9 the end the following: ‘‘The Corporation 

10 shall include, in the national service prior11 ities, the priorities described in paragraph 

12 (5).’’; and 

13 (ii) in subparagraph (B), by adding at 

14 the end the following: ‘‘Each State shall 

15 include, in the State priorities, the prior16 ities described in paragraph (5).’’; and 

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

18 ‘‘(5) CLIMATE PROJECTS.—The priorities estab19 lished under paragraph (1) for national service pro20 grams shall provide that the Corporation and the 

21 States, as appropriate, shall give priority to entities 

22 submitting applications that propose activities di23 rectly related to the response to the climate crisis 

24 and transition to a clean economy, as described in 

25 section 199T.’’. 


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1 (2) AMERICORPS NCCC.—Section 157(b)(1) of 

2 the National and Community Service Act of 1990 

3 (42 U.S.C. 12617(b)(1)) is amended by adding at 

4 the end the following: 

5 ‘‘(C) PRIORITY PROJECTS.—For fiscal 

6 years 2024 through 2033, the Corporation shall 

7 give priority to entities submitting applications 

8 for projects under this subtitle in the same 

9 manner as the Corporation gives priority to en10 tities submitting applications for national serv11 ice programs under section 122(f)(5).’’. 

12 (3) AMERICORPS VISTA.—Section 109 of the 

13 Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 (42 U.S.C. 

14 4960) is amended by adding at the end the fol15 lowing: ‘‘For fiscal years 2024 through 2033, the 

16 Corporation shall give priority to entities submitting 

17 applications for projects or programs under this part 

18 in the same manner as the Corporation gives pri19 ority to entities submitting applications for national 

20 service programs under section 122(f)(5) of the Na21 tional and Community Service Act of 1990.’’. 

22 (b) ALLOWANCES.— 

23 (1) DOMESTIC VOLUNTEER SERVICE ACT OF

24 1973.—Section 105(b)(2) of the Domestic Volunteer 


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1 Service Act of 1973 (42 U.S.C. 4955(b)(2)) is 

2 amended to read as follows: 

3 ‘‘(2) The Director shall set the subsistence allowance 

4 for volunteers under paragraph (1) for each fiscal year 

5 so that— 

6 ‘‘(A) the minimum allowance is not less than an 

7 amount equal to the equivalent of $17 per hour over 

8 the course of service; and 

9 ‘‘(B) the average subsistence allowance, exclud10 ing allowances for Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa, 

11 and Alaska, is not less than 10 percent greater than 

12 the amount described in subparagraph (A).’’; and 

13 (2) NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE ACT

14 OF 1990.—Section 158(b) of the National and Com15 munity Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12618(b)) is 

16 amended, in the second sentence, by striking ‘‘any 

17 amount not in excess of the amount equal to 100 

18 percent of the poverty line that is applicable to a 

19 family of two (as defined by the Office of Manage20 ment and Budget and revised annually in accordance 

21 with section 673(2) of the Community Services 

22 Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9902(2))’’ and inserting 

23 ‘‘any amount not less than the equivalent of $17 per 

24 hour over the course of service and not in excess of 


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1 the equivalent of $34 per hour over the course of 

2 service.’’. 

3 (3) NATIONAL SERVICE EDUCATIONAL

4 AWARDS.—Section 147(a) of the National and Com5 munity Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12603(a)) is 

6 amended by inserting ‘‘twice’’ before ‘‘the maximum 

7 amount of a Federal Pell Grant’’. 

8 (c) MATCHING FUNDS.—Section 121(e)(1) of the Na9 tional and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 

10 12571(e)(1)) is amended by striking ‘‘75 percent’’ and in11 serting ‘‘100 percent’’. 

12 (d) LIMITATION.—A stipend or allowance under sec13 tion 105 of the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 

14 (42 U.S.C. 4955) or an allowance under section 140 of 

15 the National and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 

16 U.S.C. 12594) shall not be increased, unless the funds ap17 propriated for carrying out part A of title I of the Domes18 tic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 (42 U.S.C. 4951 et seq.) 

19 or subtitle C of the National and Community Service Act 

20 of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12571 et seq.), respectively, are suffi21 cient to increase for the fiscal year involved the number 

22 of participants to serve under that part A or that subtitle 

23 C, respectively, so that such number is greater than the 

24 number of such participants so serving during the pre25 ceding fiscal year. 


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1 SEC. 5. SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS. 

2 (a) FUNDING FOR THE CIVILIAN CLIMATE CORPS.— 

3 (1) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be 

4 appropriated to carry out subtitle K of title I of the 

5 National and Community Service Act of 1990, as 

6 added by section 3 of this Act, (excluding the bene7 fits described in paragraphs (2) and (3)), 

8 $70,000,000,000 for fiscal years 2024 through 

9 2028. 

10 (2) FUNDING FOR EDUCATIONAL BENEFITS.— 

11 There are authorized to be appropriated for the edu12 cational benefits described in section 199S of the 

13 National and Community Service Act of 1990, as 

14 added by section 3, $37,500,000,000 for fiscal years 

15 2024 through 2028. 

16 (3) FUNDING FOR HEALTH CARE BENEFITS.— 

17 There are authorized to be appropriated for the 

18 health care benefits described in section 199S of the 

19 National and Community Service Act of 1990, as 

20 added by section 3, such sums as may be necessary 

21 for fiscal years 2024 through 2028. 

22 (b) AMERICORPS STATE AND NATIONAL; EDU23 CATIONAL AWARDS.—Section 501(a)(2) of the National 

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

25 12681(a)(2)) is amended by striking ‘‘each of fiscal years 

26 2010 through 2014’’ and all that follows through the end 


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1 of the paragraph and inserting ‘‘fiscal years 2024 through 

2 2028, in addition to any amount appropriated before the 

3 date of enactment of the Civilian Climate Corps for Jobs 

4 and Justice Act, additional amounts of— 

5 ‘‘(A) $5,000,000,000, to provide financial 

6 assistance under subtitle C of title I; and 

7 ‘‘(B) $3,000,000,000, to provide national 

8 service educational awards under subtitle D of 

9 title I for the total of the number of partici10 pants described in section 121(f)(1) for fiscal 

11 years 2024 through 2028.’’. 

12 (c) ADMINISTRATION BY THE CORPORATION AND

13 STATE COMMISSIONS.—Section 501(a)(5)(A) of such Act 

14 (42 U.S.C. 12681(a)(5)(A)) is amended by striking ‘‘such 

15 sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2010 

16 through 2014.’’ and inserting ‘‘in addition to any amount 

17 appropriated before the date of enactment of the Civilian 

18 Climate Corps for Jobs and Justice Act, an additional 

19 amount of $5,000,000,000 for fiscal years 2024 through 

20 2028.’’. 

21 (d) AMERICORPS NCCC.—Section 501(a)(3)(A) of 

22 such Act (42 U.S.C. 12681(a)(3)(A)) is amended by strik23 ing ‘‘such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal 

24 years 2010 through 2014.’’ and inserting ‘‘in addition to 

25 any amount appropriated before the date of enactment of 


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1 the Civilian Climate Corps for Jobs and Justice Act, an 

2 additional amount of $1,000,000,000 for fiscal years 2024 

3 through 2028.’’. 

4 (e) AMERICORPS VISTA.—Section 501 of the Domes5 tic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 (42 U.S.C. 5081) is 

6 amended— 

7 (1) in subsection (a)(1), by striking 

8 ‘‘$100,000,000 for fiscal year 2010 and such sums 

9 as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 

10 2011 through 2014.’’ and inserting ‘‘, in addition to 

11 any amount appropriated before the date of enact12 ment of the Civilian Climate Corps for Jobs and 

13 Justice Act, an additional amount of 

14 $1,000,000,000 for fiscal years 2024 through 

15 2028.’’; and 

16 (2) in subsection (d), by striking the period and 

17 inserting ‘‘, except that any amount authorized to be 

18 appropriated under an amendment made by the Ci19 vilian Climate Corps for Jobs and Justice Act shall 

20 remain available for obligation through fiscal year 

21 2028.’’. 

22 SEC. 6. EXCLUSION FROM GROSS INCOME OF NATIONAL 

23 SERVICE EDUCATIONAL AWARDS. 

24 (a) IN GENERAL.—Paragraph (2) of section 117(c) 

25 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended— 


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1 (1) by striking ‘‘or’’ at the end of subparagraph 

2 (B), 

3 (2) by striking the period at the end of sub4 paragraph (C) and inserting a comma, and 

5 (3) by adding at the end the following new sub6 paragraphs: 

7 ‘‘(D) subtitle D of title I of the National 

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

9 12601 et seq.) as an educational award, or 

10 ‘‘(E) subtitle K of title I of such Act as an 

11 educational benefit.’’. 

12 (b) EXCLUSION OF DISCHARGE OF STUDENT LOAN

13 DEBT.— 

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—Paragraph (4) of section 

15 108(f) of such Code is amended— 

16 (A) by striking ‘‘received under’’ and in17 serting ‘‘received— 

18 ‘‘(A) under’’, and 

19 (B) by striking the period at the end and 

20 inserting ‘‘, or 

21 ‘‘(B) under subtitle D of title I of the Na22 tional and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 

23 U.S.C. 12601 et seq.) as an educational award 

24 or under subtitle K of title I of such Act as an 

25 educational benefit.’’. 


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74 

•S 2838 IS

1 (2) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The heading 

2 for paragraph (4) of section 108(f) of such Code is 

3 amended by striking ‘‘UNDER NATIONAL HEALTH

4 SERVICE CORPS LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM AND

5 CERTAIN STATE LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAMS’’ and 

6 inserting ‘‘UNDER CERTAIN LOAN REPAYMENT PRO7 GRAMS’’. 

8 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

9 this section shall apply to taxable years ending after the 

10 date of the enactment of this Act. 

Æ 


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