II 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1993 

To establish the 21st Century Conservation Service Corps to place youth 

and veterans in the United States in national service positions to protect, 

restore, and enhance the great outdoors of the United States, and for 

other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

AUGUST 5, 2015 

Mr. MCCAIN (for himself and Mr. BENNET) introduced the following bill; 

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

A BILL 

To establish the 21st Century Conservation Service Corps 

to place youth and veterans in the United States in 

national service positions to protect, restore, and enhance 

the great outdoors of the United States, and for other 

purposes. 

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

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘21st Century Con5 servation Service Corps Act of 2015’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. PURPOSE. 

2 The purpose of this Act is to engage youth and vet3 erans in the United States in national service positions 

4 to protect, restore, and enhance the outdoors of the United 

5 States, including to— 

6 (1) channel widespread interest among youth 

7 and veterans in the United States in serving in na8 tional service positions to help protect, restore, en9 hance, and increase public access to and use of na10 tional parks, public and tribal land or water, and 

11 natural, cultural, and historical resources and treas12 ures for the enjoyment and use of future generations 

13 while spurring economic development and outdoor 

14 recreation by carrying out high-quality, cost-effective 

15 21CSC projects; 

16 (2) ensure that, in any State, tribal land or 

17 water, or territory of the United States, the activi18 ties and expertise of 21CSC participants will be ac19 cessible to public organizations, nonprofit organiza20 tions, and tribal agencies responsible for the stew21 ardship of public land or water, private land or 

22 water (with a direct or recognized public benefit and 

23 in coordination with the owner of such land or 

24 water), or tribal land or water; and 

25 (3) place youth and veterans in national service 

26 positions to protect, restore, and enhance the great 


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1 outdoors of the United States, through collaborative 

2 efforts involving relevant Federal departments and 

3 Federal agencies to minimize undue duplication, le4 verage existing resources, and maximize project com5 pletion in a cost-effective manner. 

6 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 

8 (1) 21CSC ORGANIZATION.—The term ‘‘21CSC 

9 organization’’ means an organization that is ap10 proved by a participating entity for participation in 

11 the 21st Century Conservation Service Corps. 

12 (2) 21CSC PARTICIPANT.—The term ‘‘21CSC 

13 participant’’ means an individual who is selected by 

14 a 21CSC organization to serve on a 21CSC project. 

15 (3) 21CSC PROJECT.—The term ‘‘21CSC 

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

17 21CSC organization. 

18 (4) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

19 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 

20 meaning given the term in section 102 of the Higher 

21 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002), except 

22 that such term shall not include— 

23 (A) an institution outside the United 

24 States, as described in subsection (a)(1)(C) of 

25 such section; and 


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1 (B) an institution described in section 

2 101(b) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1001(b)). 

3 (5) PARTICIPATING ENTITY.—The term ‘‘par4 ticipating entity’’ means a Federal entity headed by 

5 an officer described in any of paragraphs (1) 

6 through (13) of section 5(b). 

7 (6) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of 

8 the several States of the United States, the District 

9 of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the 

10 United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American 

11 Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern 

12 Mariana Islands. 

13 (7) TRIBAL AGENCY.—The term ‘‘tribal agen14 cy’’ has the meaning given the term ‘‘Indian tribe’’ 

15 in section 101 of the National and Community Serv16 ice Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12511). 

17 (8) TRIBAL LAND OR WATER.—The term ‘‘trib18 al land or water’’ means any real property or water 

19 owned by a tribal agency, any real property or water 

20 held in trust by the United States for an Indian (for 

21 the purpose of this paragraph, as defined in such 

22 section) or tribal agency, and any real property or 

23 water held by an Indian or tribal agency that is sub24 ject to restrictions on alienation imposed by the 

25 United States. 


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

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

3 United States Code. 

4 (10) YOUTH.—The term ‘‘youth’’ means an in5 dividual who is not younger than age 15 and not 

6 older than age 28. 

7 SEC. 4. ESTABLISHING THE 21ST CENTURY CONSERVATION 

8 SERVICE CORPS. 

9 There is established a 21st Century Conservation 

10 Service Corps (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘21CSC’’), 

11 consisting of 21CSC organizations and 21CSC partici12 pants and in partnership with the participating entities, 

13 to carry out the purpose of this Act. 

14 SEC. 5. PARTICIPATING ENTITIES. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—The 21CSC shall be implemented 

16 jointly by the participating entities, which shall have the 

17 authority to support the 21CSC by carrying out the activi18 ties described in subsection (c). 

19 (b) LIST OF ENTITIES.—The participating entities 

20 shall be the entities headed by each of the following offi21 cers: 

22 (1) The Secretary of the Interior. 

23 (2) The Secretary of Agriculture. 

24 (3) The Secretary of Transportation. 

25 (4) The Secretary of Labor. 


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1 (5) The Secretary of Energy. 

2 (6) The Secretary of Defense. 

3 (7) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs. 

4 (8) The Secretary of Commerce. 

5 (9) The Administrator of the Environmental 

6 Protection Agency. 

7 (10) The Chair of the Council on Environ8 mental Quality. 

9 (11) The Chief Executive Officer of the Cor10 poration for National and Community Service. 

11 (12) The Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil 

12 Works). 

13 (13) The head of any other Federal agency des14 ignated by the President as necessary to serve as a 

15 participating entity. 

16 (c) SUPPORTING THE 21CSC.— 

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—The participating entities 

18 may support the 21CSC by— 

19 (A) establishing standards for the 21CSC; 

20 (B) establishing a process for organiza21 tions to apply and be approved to become 

22 21CSC organizations; 

23 (C) developing and supporting the public24 private partnerships described in subsection 

25 (e)(1); 


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1 (D) using or leveraging existing funding or 

2 acquiring funding and other resources under 

3 section 7 to support 21CSC projects through 

4 the cooperative agreements described in sub5 section (e); 

6 (E) leveraging existing resources described 

7 in section 7(b) to expand the use of the 21CSC 

8 to meet the missions of such entities; 

9 (F) utilizing technology to support 21CSC 

10 projects; and 

11 (G) collecting performance data on 21CSC 

12 projects to prepare the reports required by 

13 paragraph (3)(A) and demonstrate the impact 

14 of such projects. 

15 (2) COORDINATION TO MINIMIZE UNDUE DUPLI16 CATION AND MAXIMIZE PROJECT COMPLETION IN A

17 COST-EFFECTIVE MANNER.— 

18 (A) COORDINATION WITH FEDERAL DE19 PARTMENTS AND AGENCIES.—The participating 

20 entities shall coordinate with each other and 

21 with Federal departments and Federal agencies, 

22 affected by or engaging in activities that are 

23 similar to 21CSC projects, to— 

24 (i) minimize to the greatest extent 

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1 cific project activities performed by the 

2 Federal departments and Federal agencies 

3 described in this subparagraph; and 

4 (ii) maximize project completion in a 

5 cost-effective manner by collaborating to 

6 leverage existing resources described in 

7 section 7(b). 

8 (B) COORDINATION AMONG ENTITIES.— 

9 Each participating entity shall, when feasible, 

10 coordinate activities with other participating en11 tities to approve 21CSC organizations and col12 lect the data required by paragraph 3(A). 

13 (C) GUIDANCE.—The participating entities 

14 shall, when practicable, seek guidance from— 

15 (i) the Corporation for National and 

16 Community Service, which has extensive 

17 experience in developing and administering 

18 national service programs; and 

19 (ii) the Department of Veterans Af20 fairs on ways to increase participation of 

21 veterans in 21CSC projects. 

22 (3) REPORTING.— 

23 (A) 21CSC REPORTS.— 

24 (i) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 

25 year after the date of enactment of this 


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1 Act, and annually thereafter, all partici2 pating entities shall submit the required 

3 data described in clause (ii) to the Cor4 poration for National and Community 

5 Service. 

6 (ii) REQUIRED DATA.—The Corpora7 tion for National and Community Service, 

8 in coordination with the participating enti9 ties, shall prepare and submit an annual 

10 report to the Comptroller General of the 

11 United States that includes required data, 

12 for the year covered by the report, con13 sisting of— 

14 (I) the number of 21CSC partici15 pants engaging in 21CSC projects and 

16 the length of the term of service for 

17 each participant; 

18 (II) the total amount of funding 

19 provided by participating entities for 

20 such service; 

21 (III) the type of service per22 formed by 21CSC participants and 

23 the impact and accomplishments of 

24 such service; and 


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1 (IV) other similar data deter2 mined to be appropriate by the Comp3 troller General of the United States, 

4 in consultation with the Corporation 

5 for National and Community Service 

6 and the participating entities, includ7 ing data sufficient to determine the 

8 effectiveness of 21CSC organizations 

9 in carrying out activities to achieve 

10 the purpose of this Act in a manner 

11 that is cost-effective and does not un12 duly duplicate or overlap with other 

13 activities or programs carried out by 

14 Federal departments and Federal 

15 agencies. 

16 (iii) DATA COLLECTION.—The Cor17 poration for National and Community 

18 Service may coordinate with 21CSC orga19 nizations to collect the required data de20 scribed in clause (ii). 

21 (B) COMPTROLLER GENERAL REPORTS.— 

22 Not later than 6 months after the date of sub23 mission of a report under subparagraph (A), 

24 the Comptroller General of the United States 

25 shall prepare and submit a report to Congress 


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1 that, with respect to the year covered by the re2 port submitted under subparagraph (A), in3 cludes— 

4 (i) the data described in subparagraph 

5 (A)(ii); 

6 (ii) an assessment, based on such 

7 data, of the effectiveness of 21CSC organi8 zations in achieving the purpose of this Act 

9 in a manner that is cost-effective and does 

10 not unduly duplicate or overlap with other 

11 activities or programs carried out by Fed12 eral departments and Federal agencies; 

13 and 

14 (iii) recommendations on how to more 

15 effectively manage and carry out 21CSC 

16 projects to achieve the purpose of this Act 

17 in the manner described in clause (ii). 

18 (d) GIFTS AND DONATIONS.—The participating enti19 ties may accept, use, and dispose of contributions that are 

20 gifts or donations of money, services, or property to sup21 port the development, implementation, and expansion of 

22 21CSC projects, in accordance with applicable laws, in23 cluding regulations. 

24 (e) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS WITH 21CSC ORGA25 NIZATIONS.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Each participating entity 

2 shall have the authority to— 

3 (A) develop public-private partnerships 

4 with 21CSC organizations by entering into co5 operative agreements with such organizations to 

6 support and carry out 21CSC projects; and 

7 (B) leverage existing resources described in 

8 section 7(b) to support such cooperative agree9 ments. 

10 (2) TYPE OF COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT.—A 

11 cooperative agreement under this subsection may 

12 be— 

13 (A) limited to an agreement for a specific 

14 21CSC project; 

15 (B) a broad agreement covering multiple 

16 planned or future 21CSC projects; or 

17 (C) an agreement for a 21CSC project to 

18 be part of a broader conservation service corps 

19 initiative carried out in partnership with a Fed20 eral or State government or a tribal agency. 

21 (3) SET SHARE.—A cooperative agreement 

22 under this subsection shall include provisions speci23 fying the share that the 21CSC organization will 

24 provide under section 7(c). 


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1 SEC. 6. 21CSC ORGANIZATIONS AND 21CSC PROJECTS. 

2 (a) 21CSC ORGANIZATIONS.—To be approved as a 

3 21CSC organization, an organization seeking approval 

4 shall, to the maximum extent practicable, demonstrate the 

5 capability to meet, and provide an assurance that the or6 ganization will meet, each requirement under subsection 

7 (b). 

8 (b) 21CSC PROJECTS.— 

9 (1) 21CSC PARTICIPANTS ENGAGED BY 21CSC

10 ORGANIZATIONS.— 

11 (A) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out a 

12 21CSC project, to the maximum extent prac13 ticable, a 21CSC organization shall select indi14 viduals to be 21CSC participants who, in addi15 tion to meeting the requirements of subpara16 graph (B), are— 

17 (i) youth, notwithstanding the require18 ments under paragraphs (3) and (4) of 

19 section 137(a) of the National and Com20 munity Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 

21 12591(a)) for any 21CSC participant par22 ticipating in a 21CSC project supported 

23 and carried out by the Corporation for Na24 tional and Community Service; or 

25 (ii) veterans not older than age 35. 


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1 (B) CITIZENSHIP REQUIREMENT.—To be 

2 selected as a 21CSC participant, an individual 

3 shall be— 

4 (i) a citizen or national of the United 

5 States; or 

6 (ii) a lawful permanent resident alien 

7 of the United States. 

8 (C) EMPHASIS ON DIVERSITY AND INCLU9 SION.—In selecting 21CSC participants, the or10 ganization shall make deliberate outreach ef11 forts to engage traditionally underserved popu12 lations, including veterans and disadvantaged 

13 youth (as defined in section 101 of the National 

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

15 12511)). 

16 (2) COMPENSATION FOR PARTICIPANTS.—The 

17 organization shall provide compensation to each 

18 21CSC participant that shall include 1 or more of 

19 the following: 

20 (A) A wage. 

21 (B) A stipend. 

22 (C) A living allowance. 

23 (D) An educational credit that may be ap24 plied towards a program of postsecondary edu25 cation at a participating institution of higher 


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1 education that agrees to award such credit for 

2 participation in a 21CSC project. 

3 (3) ORGANIZATION OF SERVICE FOR PARTICI4 PANTS.— 

5 (A) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the 

6 21CSC project, the organization shall, to the 

7 maximum extent practicable, organize 21CSC 

8 participants as— 

9 (i) crew-based participants who— 

10 (I) serve together with other 

11 crew-based participants; and 

12 (II) are directly supervised by 

13 trained and experienced crew-based 

14 leaders or conservation professionals; 

15 or 

16 (ii) individual or small team-based 

17 participants who serve— 

18 (I) individually or in a coordi19 nated small team; 

20 (II) under the direction of con21 servation professionals; and 

22 (III) on initiatives that require 

23 specific skills and dedicated attention. 

24 (B) VETERAN AND CIVILIAN COOPERA25 TION.—The organization shall, to the extent 


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1 practicable, encourage cooperation among vet2 eran and civilian 21CSC participants. 

3 (4) 21CSC PROJECTS.—The organization shall 

4 carry out a 21CSC project that includes national 

5 service involving— 

6 (A) protecting, restoring, and enhancing 

7 national parks, public and tribal land or water, 

8 and natural, cultural, and historical resources 

9 and treasures; 

10 (B) supporting outdoor recreation and 

11 urban green spaces; 

12 (C) restoring and safeguarding the natural 

13 resources of the United States, such as through 

14 trail maintenance, removal of invasive species, 

15 wildfire prevention, historic preservation, and 

16 disaster relief; or 

17 (D) service that is primarily indoors, such 

18 as service in science, policy, or program intern19 ships, with a clear benefit for natural, cultural, 

20 or historic resources or treasures. 

21 (5) 21CSC PARTICIPANT OUTCOMES.—In car22 rying out a 21CSC project, the organization shall 

23 provide 21CSC participants with— 


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1 (A) job skill development to prepare such 

2 participants for success in the 21st century 

3 workforce; 

4 (B) community skill development to help 

5 such participants acquire an ethic of service to 

6 others and become more effective resource and 

7 community stewards; and 

8 (C) a greater understanding of the natural, 

9 cultural, or historic resources or treasures in 

10 the United States. 

11 (c) EXCLUSION FROM PREVAILING WAGE, HOUR, 

12 AND CHILD LABOR LAWS.— 

13 (1) PREVAILING WAGE AND HOURS LAWS.—Any 

14 form of compensation, including stipends, provided 

15 to 21CSC participants under subsection (b)(2) shall 

16 not be subject to the requirements of prevailing 

17 wage laws under subchapter IV of chapter 31 of title 

18 40, United States Code. 

19 (2) NONEMPLOYEE STATUS.—A 21CSC partici20 pant shall not be considered— 

21 (A) an employee of the 21CSC organiza22 tion that selected such participant to serve on 

23 a 21CSC project under this Act, in the same 

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1 tion 101(30) of the National and Community 

2 Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12511(30)); or 

3 (B) a Federal employee, and shall not be 

4 subject to the provisions of law relating to Fed5 eral employment, except that such provisions 

6 shall apply to any 21CSC participant to the ex7 tent provided for a participant or crew leader 

8 under section 199M(b) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 

9 12655n(b)). 

10 (d) ELIGIBILITY FOR NONCOMPETITIVE HIRING STA11 TUS.— 

12 (1) IN GENERAL.—A qualified individual de13 scribed in paragraph (2) shall be eligible for appoint14 ment in the competitive service in the same manner 

15 as Peace Corps volunteers as prescribed in Executive 

16 Order 11103 (22 U.S.C. 2504 note; relating to Pro17 viding for the Appointment of Former Peace Corps 

18 Volunteers to the Civilian Career Services), as 

19 amended by Executive Order 12107 (44 Fed. Reg. 

20 1055; relating to the Civil Service Commission and 

21 Labor-Management in the Federal Service). 

22 (2) QUALIFIED INDIVIDUAL.—A qualified indi23 vidual described in this subsection is an individual 

24 who is certified by the corresponding participating 

25 entities as having successfully completed 1 or more 


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1 terms of service, as determined by an agreement be2 tween the 21CSC organization and the 21CSC par3 ticipant, that, in total, are not less than 640 hours. 

4 (3) PERIOD.—A qualified individual described 

5 in paragraph (2) shall be eligible for an appointment 

6 under paragraph (1) during the 2-year period begin7 ning on the date on which such individual completes 

8 1 or more terms of service, as determined under 

9 paragraph (2), that, in total, are not less than 640 

10 hours. 

11 SEC. 7. FUNDING. 

12 (a) INVESTMENTS.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—In addition to using funding 

14 provided under subsections (b) and (c), to fund 

15 21CSC projects, each 21CSC organization shall le16 verage the funds provided under such subsections by 

17 soliciting in cash or in-kind contributions from pub18 lic or private sources. 

19 (2) METHODS.—To leverage the funds under 

20 paragraph (1), each 21CSC organization may solicit 

21 contributions by using innovative strategies, such as 

22 crowd-funding. 

23 (b) EXISTING RESOURCES.—In addition to using 

24 funding provided under subsections (a) and (c), to fund 

25 a 21CSC project, each participating entity shall be limited 


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1 to using existing resources that have been appropriated 

2 or allocated to such participating entity, as of the period 

3 of implementation of such 21CSC project, under laws and 

4 authorities other than this Act. 

5 (c) SET SHARE.—A 21CSC organization conducting 

6 a 21CSC project shall provide a share of not less than 

7 10 percent of the total cost of such project. The organiza8 tion may provide the share in cash or in kind from State, 

9 local, or private sources. 

10 SEC. 8. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION. 

11 Except as provided in section 6(b)(1)(A)(i), the re12 quirements and authorities provided under this Act for 

13 21CSC participants, 21CSC organizations, and partici14 pating entities with respect to a 21CSC project shall be 

15 in addition to the requirements and authorities provided 

16 under other Federal law for such participants, organiza17 tions, and entities with respect to that project. 

Æ 


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