II 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1160 

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

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

service opportunities for young Americans; help restore the nation’s natural, cultural, historic, archaeological, recreational and scenic resources; 

train a new generation of public land managers and enthusiasts; and 

promote the value of public service. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 30, 2015 

Mr. UDALL (for himself, Mr. HEINRICH, Mr. TESTER, and Mr. BENNET) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To amend the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 to expand 

the authorization of the Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, and the Interior to provide service opportunities 

for young Americans; help restore the nation’s natural, 

cultural, historic, archaeological, recreational and scenic 

resources; train a new generation of public land managers and enthusiasts; and promote the value of public 

service. 

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 ‘‘Public Lands Service 

3 Corps Act of 2015’’. 

4 SEC. 2. AMENDMENT TO SHORT TITLE. 

5 Section 201 of the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 

6 (16 U.S.C. 1701 note; 107 Stat. 848) is amended to read 

7 as follows: 

8 ‘‘SEC. 201. SHORT TITLE; REFERENCES. 

9 ‘‘(a) SHORT TITLE.—This title may be cited as the 

10 ‘Public Lands Service Corps Act of 1993’. 

11 ‘‘(b) REFERENCES.—Any reference contained in any 

12 law, regulation, document, paper, or other record of the 

13 United States to the ‘Public Lands Corps Act of 1993’ 

14 shall be considered to be a reference to the ‘Public Lands 

15 Service Corps Act of 1993’.’’. 

16 SEC. 3. REFERENCE. 

17 A reference in this Act to ‘‘the Act’’ is a reference 

18 to the Public Lands Service Corps Act of 1993 (16 U.S.C. 

19 1721 et seq.; title II of Public Law 91–378). 

20 SEC. 4. AMENDMENTS TO THE PUBLIC LANDS SERVICE 

21 CORPS ACT OF 1993. 

22 (a) NAME AND PROJECT DESCRIPTION CHANGES.— 

23 The Act is amended— 

24 (1) in the title heading, by striking ‘‘PUBLIC 

25 LANDS CORPS’’ and inserting ‘‘PUBLIC 

26 LANDS SERVICE CORPS’’; 


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1 (2) in section 204 (16 U.S.C. 1723), in the 

2 heading, by striking ‘‘PUBLIC LANDS CORPS’’ and 

3 inserting ‘‘PUBLIC LANDS SERVICE CORPS’’; 

4 (3) in section 210(a)(2) (16 U.S.C. 

5 1729(a)(2)), in the heading, by striking ‘‘PUBLIC

6 LANDS’’; 

7 (4) by striking ‘‘Public Lands Corps’’ each 

8 place it appears and inserting ‘‘Corps’’; 

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

10 it appears and inserting ‘‘residential conservation 

11 center’’; 

12 (6) by striking ‘‘conservation centers’’ each 

13 place it appears and inserting ‘‘residential conserva14 tion centers’’; 

15 (7) by striking ‘‘appropriate conservation 

16 project’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘appro17 priate natural and cultural resources conservation 

18 project’’; and 

19 (8) by striking ‘‘appropriate conservation 

20 projects’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘ap21 propriate natural and cultural resources conservation 

22 projects’’. 

23 (b) FINDINGS.—Section 202(a) (16 U.S.C. 1721(a)) 

24 of the Act, as amended by subsection (a), is amended— 

25 (1) in paragraph (1)— 


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1 (A) by striking ‘‘Corps can benefit’’ and 

2 inserting ‘‘conservation corps can benefit’’; and 

3 (B) by striking ‘‘the natural and cultural’’ 

4 and inserting ‘‘natural and cultural’’; 

5 (2) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and (3) as 

6 paragraphs (4) and (5), respectively; 

7 (3) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol8 lowing: 

9 ‘‘(2) Participants in conservation corps receive 

10 meaningful education and training, and their experi11 ence with conservation corps provides preparation 

12 for careers in public service. 

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

14 the rehabilitation and restoration of the natural, cul15 tural, historic, archaeological, recreational, and sce16 nic treasures of the United States will gain an in17 creased appreciation and understanding of the public 

18 lands and heritage of the United States, and of the 

19 value of public service, and are likely to become life20 long advocates for those values.’’; 

21 (4) in paragraph (4) (as redesignated by para22 graph (2)), by inserting ‘‘, cultural, historic, archae23 ological, recreational, and scenic’’ after ‘‘Many facili24 ties and natural’’; and 

25 (5) by adding at the end the following: 


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

2 communities adjacent to public lands and facilities 

3 through renewed civic engagement and participation 

4 by corps participants and those they serve, improved 

5 student achievement, and restoration and rehabilita6 tion of public assets.’’. 

7 (c) PURPOSE.—Section 202(b) (16 U.S.C. 1721(b)) 

8 of the Act is amended to read as follows: 

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

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

11 public service while furthering their understanding 

12 and appreciation of the natural, cultural, historic, 

13 archaeological, recreational, and scenic resources of 

14 the United States; 

15 ‘‘(2) to facilitate training and recruitment op16 portunities in which service is credited as qualifying 

17 experience for careers in the management of such 

18 resources; 

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

20 and women from across the United States, including 

21 young men and women from diverse backgrounds, 

22 the desire to seek careers in resource stewardship 

23 and public service by allowing them to work directly 

24 with professionals in agencies responsible for the 

25 management of the natural, cultural, historic, arVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:36 May 08, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1160.IS S1160

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1 chaeological, recreational, and scenic resources of 

2 the United States; 

3 ‘‘(4) to perform, in a cost-effective manner, ap4 propriate natural and cultural resources conservation 

5 projects where such projects are not being performed 

6 by existing employees; 

7 ‘‘(5) to assist State and local governments and 

8 Indian tribes in performing research and public edu9 cation tasks associated with the conservation of nat10 ural, cultural, historic, archaeological, recreational, 

11 and scenic resources; 

12 ‘‘(6) to expand educational opportunities on 

13 public lands and by rewarding individuals who par14 ticipate in conservation corps with an increased abil15 ity to pursue higher education and job training; 

16 ‘‘(7) to promote public understanding and ap17 preciation of the missions and the natural and cul18 tural resources conservation work of the partici19 pating Federal agencies through training opportuni20 ties, community service and outreach, and other ap21 propriate means; and 

22 ‘‘(8) to create a grant program for Indian 

23 tribes to establish the Indian Youth Service Corps so 

24 that Indian youth can benefit from carrying out 


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1 projects on Indian lands that the Indian tribes and 

2 communities determine to be priorities.’’. 

3 (d) DEFINITIONS.—Section 203 (16 U.S.C. 1722) of 

4 the Act is amended— 

5 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (3) through 

6 (7), (8) through (10), and (11) through (13) as 

7 paragraphs (5) through (9), (11) through (13), and 

8 (15) through (17), respectively; 

9 (2) by striking paragraphs (1) and (2) and in10 serting the following: 

11 ‘‘(1) APPROPRIATE NATURAL AND CULTURAL

12 RESOURCES CONSERVATION PROJECT.—The term 

13 ‘appropriate natural and cultural resources conserva14 tion project’ means any project for the conservation, 

15 restoration, construction, or rehabilitation of nat16 ural, cultural, historic, archaeological, recreational, 

17 or scenic resources. 

18 ‘‘(2) CONSULTING INTERN.—The term ‘con19 sulting intern’ means a consulting intern selected 

20 under section 206(a)(2). 

21 ‘‘(3) CORPS AND PUBLIC LANDS SERVICE

22 CORPS.—The terms ‘Corps’ and ‘Public Lands Serv23 ice Corps’ mean the Public Lands Service Corps es24 tablished under section 204(a). 


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1 ‘‘(4) CORPS PARTICIPANT.—The term ‘Corps 

2 participant’ means an individual enrolled— 

3 ‘‘(A) in the Corps or the Indian Youth 

4 Service Corps; or 

5 ‘‘(B) as a resource assistant or consulting 

6 intern.’’; 

7 (3) by inserting after paragraph (9) (as redesig8 nated by paragraph (1)) the following: 

9 ‘‘(10) INDIAN YOUTH SERVICE CORPS.—The 

10 term ‘Indian Youth Service Corps’ means a qualified 

11 youth or conservation corps established under sec12 tion 207 that— 

13 ‘‘(A) enrolls individuals between the ages 

14 of 15 and 25, inclusive, a majority of whom are 

15 Indians; and 

16 ‘‘(B) is established pursuant to a tribal 

17 resolution that describes the agreement between 

18 the Indian tribe and the qualified youth or con19 servation corps to operate an Indian Youth 

20 Service Corps program for the benefit of the 

21 members of the Indian tribe.’’; 

22 (4) by amending paragraph (12) (as redesig23 nated by paragraph (1)) to read as follows: 

24 ‘‘(12) PUBLIC LANDS.—The term ‘public lands’ 

25 means any land or water (or interest therein) owned 


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1 or administered by the United States, including 

2 those areas of coastal and ocean waters, the Great 

3 Lakes and their connecting waters, and submerged 

4 lands over which the United States exercises juris5 diction, except that such term does not include In6 dian lands.’’; 

7 (5) by amending paragraph (13) (as redesig8 nated by paragraph (1)) as follows: 

9 (A) in subparagraph (A)— 

10 (i) by striking ‘‘full-time,’’; 

11 (ii) by inserting ‘‘on eligible service 

12 lands’’ after ‘‘resource setting’’; and 

13 (iii) by striking ‘‘16’’ and inserting 

14 ‘‘15’’; 

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

16 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

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

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

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

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

23 this Act, all information pertaining to the ex24 penditure of the funds, any matching funds, 

25 and participant demographics.’’; 


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1 (6) by inserting after paragraph 13 (as redesig2 nated by paragraph (1)) the following: 

3 ‘‘(14) RESIDENTIAL CONSERVATION CEN4 TERS.—The term ‘residential conservation centers’ 

5 means the facilities authorized under section 205.’’; 

6 (7) in paragraph (15) (as redesignated by para7 graph (1)), by striking ‘‘206’’ and inserting 

8 ‘‘206(a)(1)’’; and 

9 (8) in paragraph (16) (as redesignated by para10 graph (1))— 

11 (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

12 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

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

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

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

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

17 Sanctuary System, coral reefs, and other coast18 al, estuarine, and marine habitats, and other 

19 lands and facilities administered by the Na20 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 

21 the Secretary of Commerce.’’. 

22 (e) PUBLIC LANDS SERVICE CORPS PROGRAM.—Sec23 tion 204 of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1723), as amended by sub24 section (a), is amended— 


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1 (1) by redesignating subsections (b) and (c) and 

2 subsections (d) through (f) as subsections (c) and 

3 (d) and subsections (f) through (h), respectively; 

4 (2) by striking subsection (a) and inserting the 

5 following: 

6 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF PUBLIC LANDS SERVICE

7 CORPS.—There is established in the Department of the 

8 Interior, the Department of Agriculture, and the Depart9 ment of Commerce a Public Lands Service Corps. 

10 ‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT OF CORPS OFFICE; COORDI11 NATORS; LIAISON.— 

12 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT OF OFFICES.— 

13 ‘‘(A) DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR.— 

14 The Secretary of the Interior shall establish a 

15 department-level office to coordinate the Corps 

16 activities within the Department of the Interior. 

17 ‘‘(B) DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.— 

18 The Secretary of Agriculture shall establish 

19 within the Forest Service an office to coordinate 

20 the Corps activities within that agency. 

21 ‘‘(C) DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE.—The 

22 Secretary of Commerce shall establish within 

23 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin24 istration an office to coordinate the Corps ac25 tivities within that agency. 


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1 ‘‘(2) ESTABLISHMENT OF COORDINATORS.— 

2 The Secretary shall designate a Public Lands Serv3 ice Corps coordinator for each agency under the ju4 risdiction of the Secretary that administers Corps 

5 activities. 

6 ‘‘(3) ESTABLISHMENT OF LIAISON.—The Sec7 retary of the Interior shall establish an Indian Youth 

8 Service Corps liaison that will— 

9 ‘‘(A) provide outreach to Indian tribes 

10 about opportunities for establishing Corps and 

11 Indian Youth Service Corps programs; and 

12 ‘‘(B) coordinate with the Tribal Liaison of 

13 the Corporation for National Service to identify 

14 and establish Corps and Indian Youth Service 

15 Corps opportunities for Indian youth.’’; 

16 (3) by amending subsection (c) (as redesignated 

17 by paragraph (1)) to read as follows: 

18 ‘‘(c) PARTICIPANTS.— 

19 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may enroll 

20 in the Corps individuals who are— 

21 ‘‘(A) hired by an agency under the juris22 diction of the Secretary to perform work au23 thorized under this Act; or 

24 ‘‘(B) members of a qualified youth or con25 servation corps with which the Secretary has 


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1 entered into a cooperative agreement to perform 

2 work authorized under this Act. 

3 ‘‘(2) RESOURCE ASSISTANTS AND CONSULTING

4 INTERNS.—The Secretary may also enroll in the 

5 Corps resource assistants and consulting interns in 

6 accordance with section 206(a). 

7 ‘‘(3) ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS.—To be eligi8 ble for enrollment as a Corps participant, an indi9 vidual shall— 

10 ‘‘(A)(i) be between the ages of 15 and 25, 

11 inclusive; or 

12 ‘‘(ii) in the case of a military veteran, be 

13 not older than 35; and 

14 ‘‘(B) satisfy the requirements of section 

15 137(a)(5) of the National and Community Serv16 ice Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12591(a)(5)). 

17 ‘‘(4) TERMS.—Each Corps participant may be 

18 enrolled in the Corps for a term of up to 2 years of 

19 service, which may be served over a period that ex20 ceeds 2 calendar years. 

21 ‘‘(5) CIVIL SERVICE.—An individual may be en22 rolled as a Corps participant without regard to the 

23 civil service and classification laws, rules, or regula24 tions of the United States. 


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1 ‘‘(6) PREFERENCE.—The Secretary may estab2 lish a preference for the enrollment as Corps partici3 pants individuals who are economically, physically, 

4 or educationally disadvantaged. 

5 ‘‘(7) LOCAL PREFERENCE.—The Secretary may 

6 establish a preference for enrollment of Corps par7 ticipants individuals who live in that State or re8 gion.’’; 

9 (4) in subsection (d) (as redesignated by para10 graph (1))— 

11 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

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

13 (ii) by striking ‘‘subsection (d)’’ and 

14 inserting ‘‘subsection (f)’’; 

15 (B) by striking paragraph (2); and 

16 (C) by inserting after paragraph (1) the 

17 following: 

18 ‘‘(2) RECRUITMENT.—The Secretary shall carry 

19 out, or enter into cooperative agreements to provide, 

20 a program to attract eligible youth to the Corps by 

21 publicizing Corps opportunities through high schools, 

22 colleges, employment centers, electronic media, and 

23 other appropriate institutions and means. 

24 ‘‘(3) PREFERENCE.—In entering into coopera25 tive agreements under paragraph (1) or awarding 


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1 competitive grants to Indian tribes or tribally au2 thorized organizations under section 207, the Sec3 retary may give preference to qualified youth or con4 servation corps that are located in specific areas 

5 where a substantial portion of members are economi6 cally, physically, or educationally disadvantaged.’’; 

7 (5) by inserting after subsection (d) (as redesig8 nated by paragraph (1)) the following: 

9 ‘‘(e) TRAINING.—For purposes of training, the Sec10 retary shall take into account training already received by 

11 Corps participants enrolled from qualified youth or con12 servation corps.’’; 

13 (6) in subsection (f) (as redesignated by para14 graph (1))— 

15 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

16 (i) in the heading, by striking ‘‘IN

17 GENERAL.—’’ and inserting ‘‘USE OF

18 CORPS; PROJECTS.—’’; 

19 (ii) by striking ‘‘The Secretary may 

20 utilize the Corps or any qualified youth or 

21 conservation corps to carry out’’ and in22 serting the following: 

23 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may 

24 use the Corps to carry out, with appropriate su25 pervision and training,’’; 


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1 (iii) by striking ‘‘on public lands’’ and 

2 inserting on ‘‘on eligible service lands’’; 

3 and 

4 (iv) by adding at the end the fol5 lowing: 

6 ‘‘(B) PROJECTS.—Appropriate natural and 

7 cultural resources conservation projects carried 

8 out under this section may include— 

9 ‘‘(i) protecting, restoring, or enhanc10 ing ecosystem components to promote spe11 cies recovery, improve biological diversity, 

12 enhance productivity and carbon sequestra13 tion, and enhance adaptability and resil14 ience of eligible service lands and resources 

15 to climate change and other natural and 

16 human disturbances; 

17 ‘‘(ii) promoting the health of eligible 

18 service lands, including— 

19 ‘‘(I) protecting and restoring wa20 tersheds and forest, grassland, ripar21 ian, estuarine, marine, or other habi22 tat; 

23 ‘‘(II) reducing the risk of 

24 uncharacteristically severe wildfire 


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1 and mitigating damage from insects, 

2 disease, and disasters; 

3 ‘‘(III) controlling erosion; 

4 ‘‘(IV) controlling and removing 

5 invasive, noxious, or nonnative spe6 cies; and 

7 ‘‘(V) restoring native species; 

8 ‘‘(iii) collecting biological, archae9 ological, and other scientific data, includ10 ing climatological information, species pop11 ulations and movement, habitat status, and 

12 other information; 

13 ‘‘(iv) assisting in historical and cul14 tural research, museum curatorial work, 

15 oral history projects, documentary photog16 raphy, and activities that support the cre17 ation of public works of art related to eligi18 ble service lands; and 

19 ‘‘(v) constructing, repairing, rehabili20 tating, and maintaining roads, trails, 

21 campgrounds and other visitor facilities, 

22 employee housing, cultural and historic 

23 sites and structures, and other facilities 

24 that further the purposes of this Act.’’; 


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1 (B) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and 

2 (3) as paragraphs (4) and (5), respectively; and 

3 (C) by inserting after paragraph (1) the 

4 following: 

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

6 ‘‘(A) enter into or amend an existing coop7 erative agreement with a cooperating associa8 tion, educational institution, friends group, or 

9 similar nonprofit partner organization for the 

10 purpose of providing training and work experi11 ence to Corps participants in areas such as 

12 sales, office work, accounting, and management, 

13 provided that the work experience directly re14 lates to the conservation and management of el15 igible service lands; and 

16 ‘‘(B) allow Corps participants to help pro17 mote visitor safety and enjoyment of eligible 

18 service lands, and assist in the gathering of vis19 itor use data. 

20 ‘‘(3) INTERPRETATION.—The Secretary may 

21 permit Corps participants to provide interpretation 

22 or education services for the public under the direct 

23 and immediate supervision of an agency employee— 

24 ‘‘(A) to provide orientation and informa25 tion services to visitors; 


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1 ‘‘(B) to assist agency employees in the de2 livery of interpretive or educational programs 

3 where audience size, environmental conditions, 

4 safety, or other factors make such assistance 

5 desirable; 

6 ‘‘(C) to present programs that relate the 

7 personal experience of the Corps participants 

8 for the purpose of promoting public awareness 

9 of the Corps, the role of the Corps in public 

10 land management agencies, and the availability 

11 of the Corps to potential participants; and 

12 ‘‘(D) to create nonpersonal interpretive 

13 products, such as website content, Junior Rang14 er program books, printed handouts, and audio15 visual programs.’’; 

16 (7) in subsection (g) (as redesignated by para17 graph (1))— 

18 (A) in the matter preceding the first para19 graph, by striking ‘‘those projects which’’ and 

20 inserting ‘‘priority projects and other projects 

21 that’’; and 

22 (B) by striking paragraph (2) and insert23 ing the following: 

24 ‘‘(2) will instill in Corps participants a work 

25 ethic and a sense of public service;’’; and 


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1 (8) by adding at the end the following: 

2 ‘‘(i) OTHER PARTICIPANTS.—The Secretary may 

3 allow volunteers from other programs administered or des4 ignated by the Secretary to participate as volunteers in 

5 projects carried out under this section. 

6 ‘‘(j) CRIMINAL HISTORY CHECKS.— 

7 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The requirements of sec8 tion 189D(b) of the National and Community Serv9 ice Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12645g(b)) shall apply 

10 to each individual age 18 or older seeking— 

11 ‘‘(A) to become a Corps participant; 

12 ‘‘(B) to receive funds authorized under this 

13 Act; or 

14 ‘‘(C) to supervise or otherwise have regular 

15 contact with Corps participants in activities au16 thorized under this Act. 

17 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBILITY PROHIBITION.—If any of 

18 paragraphs (1) through (4) of section 189D(c) of 

19 the National and Community Service Act of 1990 

20 (42 U.S.C. 12645g(c)(1)–(4)) apply to an individual 

21 described in paragraph (1), that individual shall not 

22 be eligible for the position or activity described in 

23 paragraph (1), unless the Secretary provides an ex24 emption for good cause.’’. 


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1 (f) RESIDENTIAL CONSERVATION CENTERS AND

2 PROGRAM SUPPORT.—Section 205 (16 U.S.C. 1724) of 

3 the Act is amended— 

4 (1) in subsection (b)— 

5 (A) by striking ‘‘The Secretary’’ and in6 serting the following: 

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

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

9 ‘‘(2) TEMPORARY HOUSING.—The Secretary 

10 may make arrangements with another Federal agen11 cy, State, local government, or private organization 

12 to provide temporary housing for Corps participants 

13 as needed and available. 

14 ‘‘(3) TRANSPORTATION.—In project areas 

15 where Corps participants reside at their own homes, 

16 the Secretary may provide transportation to and 

17 from project sites.’’; 

18 (2) by redesignating subsection (d) as sub19 section (e); 

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

22 ‘‘(d) MENTORS.—The Secretary may recruit from 

23 programs, such as Federal volunteer and encore service 

24 programs, and from veterans groups, military retirees, and 

25 active duty personnel, such adults as may be suitable and 


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1 qualified to provide training, mentoring, and crew-leading 

2 services to Corps participants.’’; and 

3 (4) in subsection (e)(as redesignated by para4 graph (2)), by striking ‘‘that are appropriate’’ and 

5 all that follows through the period and inserting 

6 ‘‘that the Secretary determines to be necessary for 

7 a residential conservation center.’’. 

8 (g) RESOURCE ASSISTANTS AND CONSULTING IN9 TERNS.—Section 206 of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1725) is 

10 amended— 

11 (1) in the section heading, by inserting ‘‘AND

12 CONSULTING INTERNS’’ before the period; 

13 (2) by striking subsections (a) and (b) and in14 serting the following: 

15 ‘‘(a) AUTHORIZATION.— 

16 ‘‘(1) RESOURCE ASSISTANTS.— 

17 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may 

18 provide individual placements of resource assist19 ants with any agency under the jurisdiction of 

20 the Secretary that carries out appropriate nat21 ural and cultural resources conservation 

22 projects to carry out research or resource pro23 tection activities on behalf of the agency. 


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1 ‘‘(B) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible for se2 lection as a resource assistant, an individual 

3 shall be at least 17 years of age. 

4 ‘‘(C) PREFERENCE.—In selecting resource 

5 assistants for placement under this paragraph, 

6 the Secretary shall give a preference to individ7 uals who are enrolled in an institution of higher 

8 education or are recent graduates from an insti9 tution of higher education, with particular at10 tention given to ensuring full representation of 

11 women and participants from Historically Black 

12 Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-serving in13 stitutions, and Tribal Colleges and Universities. 

14 ‘‘(2) CONSULTING INTERNS.— 

15 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may 

16 provide individual placements of consulting in17 terns with any agency under the jurisdiction of 

18 the Secretary that carries out appropriate nat19 ural and cultural resources conservation 

20 projects to carry out management analysis ac21 tivities on behalf of the agency. 

22 ‘‘(B) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible for se23 lection as a consulting intern, an individual 

24 shall be enrolled in, and have completed at least 

25 1 full year at, a graduate or professional school 


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1 that has been accredited by an accrediting body 

2 recognized by the Secretary of Education. 

3 ‘‘(b) USE OF EXISTING NONPROFIT ORGANIZA4 TIONS.— 

5 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Whenever 1 or more non6 profit organizations can provide appropriate recruit7 ment and placement services to fulfill the require8 ments of this section, the Secretary may implement 

9 this section through such organizations. 

10 ‘‘(2) EXPENSES.—Participating organizations 

11 shall contribute to the expenses of providing and 

12 supporting the resource assistants or consulting in13 terns from sources of funding other than the Sec14 retary, at a level of not less than 25 percent of the 

15 total costs (15 percent of which may be from in-kind 

16 sources) of each participant in the resource assistant 

17 or consulting intern program who has been recruited 

18 and placed through that organization. 

19 ‘‘(3) REPORTING.—Each participating organi20 zation shall be required to submit an annual report 

21 evaluating the scope, size, and quality of the pro22 gram, including the value of work contributed by the 

23 resource assistants and consulting interns, to the 

24 mission of the agency.’’. 


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1 (h) TECHNICAL AMENDMENT.—The Act is amended 

2 by redesignating sections 207 through 211 (16 U.S.C. 

3 1726 through 1730) as sections 209 through 213, respec4 tively. 

5 (i) INDIAN YOUTH SERVICE CORPS.—The Act is 

6 amended by inserting after section 206 (16 U.S.C. 1725) 

7 the following: 

8 ‘‘SEC. 207. INDIAN YOUTH SERVICE CORPS. 

9 ‘‘(a) AUTHORIZATION OF COOPERATIVE AGREE10 MENTS AND COMPETITIVE GRANTS.—The Secretary is au11 thorized to enter into cooperative agreements with, or 

12 make competitive grants to, Indian tribes and qualified 

13 youth or conservation corps for the establishment and ad14 ministration of Indian Youth Service Corps programs to 

15 carry out appropriate natural and cultural resources con16 servation projects on Indian lands. 

17 ‘‘(b) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive assist18 ance under this section, an Indian tribe or a qualified 

19 youth or conservation corps shall submit to the Secretary 

20 an application in such manner and containing such infor21 mation as the Secretary may require, including— 

22 ‘‘(1) a description of the methods by which In23 dian youth will be recruited for and retained in the 

24 Indian Youth Service Corps; 


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1 ‘‘(2) a description of the projects to be carried 

2 out by the Indian Youth Service Corps; 

3 ‘‘(3) a description of how the projects were 

4 identified; and 

5 ‘‘(4) an explanation of the impact of, and the 

6 direct community benefits provided by, the proposed 

7 projects.’’. 

8 (j) GUIDANCE.—The Act is amended by inserting 

9 after section 207 (as amended by subsection (i)) the fol10 lowing: 

11 ‘‘SEC. 208. GUIDANCE. 

12 ‘‘Not later than 18 months after funds are made 

13 available to the Secretary to carry out this Act, the Sec14 retary shall issue guidelines for the management of pro15 grams under the jurisdiction of the Secretary that are au16 thorized under this Act.’’. 

17 (k) LIVING ALLOWANCES AND TERMS OF SERV18 ICE.—Section 209 of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1726) (as redes19 ignated by subsection (h)) is amended by striking sub20 sections (a), (b), and (c) and inserting the following: 

21 ‘‘(a) LIVING ALLOWANCES.— 

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

23 each Corps participant with a living allowance in an 

24 amount established by the Secretary. 


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1 ‘‘(2) TRAVEL COSTS.—The Secretary may reim2 burse Corps participants for travel costs at the be3 ginning and end of the term of service of the Corps 

4 participants. 

5 ‘‘(b) TERMS OF SERVICE.— 

6 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each Corps participant 

7 shall agree to participate for such term of service as 

8 may be established by the Secretary. 

9 ‘‘(2) CONSULTATIONS.—With respect to the In10 dian Youth Service Corps, the term of service shall 

11 be established in consultation with the affected In12 dian tribe or tribally authorized organization. 

13 ‘‘(c) HIRING PREFERENCE AND FUTURE EMPLOY14 MENT.—The Secretary may— 

15 ‘‘(1) grant to a Corps participant credit for 

16 time served as a Corps participant, which may be 

17 used toward future Federal hiring; 

18 ‘‘(2) provide to a former participant of the 

19 Corps or the Indian Youth Service Corps non20 competitive hiring status for a period of not more 

21 than 2 years after the date on which the service of 

22 the candidate in the Corps or the Indian Youth 

23 Service Corps was complete, if the candidate— 

24 ‘‘(A) has served a minimum of 960 hours 

25 on an appropriate natural or cultural resources 


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1 conservation project that included at least 120 

2 hours through the Corps or the Indian Youth 

3 Service Corps; and 

4 ‘‘(B) meets Office of Personnel Manage5 ment qualification standards for the position for 

6 which the candidate is applying; 

7 ‘‘(3) provide to a former resource assistant or 

8 consulting intern noncompetitive hiring status for a 

9 period of not more than 2 years after the date on 

10 which the individual has completed an under11 graduate or graduate degree, respectively, from an 

12 accredited institution, if the candidate— 

13 ‘‘(A) successfully fulfilled the resource as14 sistant or consulting intern program require15 ments; and 

16 ‘‘(B) meets Office of Personnel Manage17 ment qualification standards for the position for 

18 which the candidate is applying; and 

19 ‘‘(4) provide, or enter into contracts or coopera20 tive agreements with qualified employment agencies 

21 to provide, alumni services such as job and edu22 cation counseling, referrals, verification of service, 

23 communications, and other appropriate services to 

24 Corps participants who have completed the term of 

25 service.’’. 


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1 (l) NATIONAL SERVICE EDUCATIONAL AWARDS.— 

2 Section 210 (16 U.S.C. 1727) of the Act (as redesignated 

3 by subsection (h)) is amended— 

4 (1) in subsection (a) (as amended by subsection 

5 (a)(4)), in the first sentence— 

6 (A) by striking ‘‘participant in the Corps 

7 or a resource assistant’’ and inserting ‘‘Corps 

8 participant’’; and 

9 (B) by striking ‘‘participant or resource as10 sistant’’ and inserting ‘‘Corps participant’’; and 

11 (2) in subsection (b)— 

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

13 Corps or resource assistants’’ and inserting 

14 ‘‘Corps participants’’; and 

15 (B) by striking ‘‘or a resource assistant’’. 

16 (m) NONDISPLACEMENT.—Section 211 of the Act 

17 (16 U.S.C. 1728) (as redesignated by subsection (h)) is 

18 amended by striking ‘‘activities carried out’’ and all that 

19 follows through the period and inserting ‘‘Corps partici20 pants.’’. 

21 (n) FUNDING.—Section 212 of the Act (16 U.S.C. 

22 1729) (as redesignated by subsection (h)) is amended— 

23 (1) in subsection (a)— 

24 (A) in paragraph (1)— 


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1 (i) in the second sentence, by striking 

2 ‘‘non-federal sources’’ and inserting 

3 ‘‘sources other than the Secretary’’; and 

4 (ii) by inserting after the second sen5 tence the following: ‘‘The Secretary may 

6 pay up to 90 percent of the costs of a 

7 project if the Secretary determines that the 

8 reduction is necessary to enable participa9 tion from a greater range of organizations 

10 or individuals.’’; and 

11 (B) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘or In12 dian Youth Service Corps’’ after ‘‘Corps’’ each 

13 place it appears; 

14 (2) by amending subsection (b) to read as fol15 lows: 

16 ‘‘(b) FUNDS AVAILABLE UNDER NATIONAL AND

17 COMMUNITY SERVICE ACT.—To carry out this Act, the 

18 Secretary shall be eligible to apply for and receive assist19 ance under section 121(b) of the National and Community 

20 Service Act (42 U.S.C. 12571(b)).’’; and 

21 (3) in subsection (c)— 

22 (A) by striking ‘‘section 211’’ and insert23 ing ‘‘section 213’’; and 

24 (B) by inserting ‘‘or Indian Youth Service 

25 Corps’’ after ‘‘Corps’’. 


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1 (o) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 

2 213 of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1730) (as redesignated by sub3 section (h)) is amended— 

4 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘year’’ and all 

5 that follows through the period and inserting 

6 ‘‘year.’’; 

7 (2) by striking subsection (b); and 

8 (3) by redesignating subsection (c) as sub9 section (b). 

Æ 


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