I 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8746 

To establish a Restore Employment in Natural and Environmental Work 

Conservation Corps in the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 12, 2020 

Mr. RUSH introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, 

Energy and Commerce, and Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To establish a Restore Employment in Natural and Environmental Work Conservation Corps in the Department of 

the Interior and the Department of Agriculture, 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 ‘‘Restore Employment 

5 in Natural and Environmental Work Conservation Corps 

6 Act’’ or the ‘‘RENEW Conservation Corps Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. 

2 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 

3 (1) as a result of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 

4 (COVID–19) pandemic, more than 40,000,000 peo5 ple in the United States have filed claims for unem6 ployment benefits since March 2020, which is a level 

7 of unemployment not seen since the Great Depres8 sion; 

9 (2) investments in fish, wildlife, and habitat 

10 restoration and outdoor recreation infrastructure 

11 generate as many as 33 jobs per $1,000,000 in12 vested, as demonstrated by the American Recovery 

13 and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111–5; 

14 123 Stat. 115); 

15 (3) the outdoor recreation economy— 

16 (A) generates $887,000,000,000 in eco17 nomic activity each year, which is 2.2 percent 

18 of the gross domestic product of the United 

19 States, according to the Bureau of Economic 

20 Analysis; and 

21 (B) was one of the fastest growing sectors 

22 of the United States economy before the 

23 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID–19) pan24 demic; 

25 (4) the Federal Government and State and local 

26 governments and agencies have many ‘‘shovel-ready’’ 


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1 projects and green infrastructure maintenance back2 log projects that would improve the quality of life, 

3 outdoor experiences, and access to outdoor recre4 ation opportunities of people of the United States on 

5 completion of the projects; 

6 (5) many facilities and natural resources lo7 cated on dedicated conservation land are in disrepair 

8 or degraded and in need of labor-intensive rehabili9 tation, restoration, and enhancement work that can10 not be carried out at existing staffing levels; 

11 (6) enhancing and maintaining environmentally 

12 and recreationally important land and waters 

13 through the participation of unemployed individuals 

14 in the United States in a conservation corps could— 

15 (A) provide critical employment, education, 

16 and skill development opportunities to the indi17 viduals; 

18 (B) prepare the individuals for permanent 

19 jobs in the conservation field; and 

20 (C) benefit the economy and environment 

21 of the United States; and 

22 (7) existing networks of conservation corps are 

23 in place but need additional resources in order to 

24 scale up the activities of the conservation corps to 


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1 meet growing deferred maintenance needs on public 

2 land. 

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

4 (1) to employ, during the 5-year period begin5 ning on the date of enactment of this Act, a total 

6 of 1,000,000 people in the United States in dedi7 cated conservation land projects to support the 

8 growing backlog of deferred conservation land 

9 projects; 

10 (2) to expose Participants to public service 

11 while furthering the understanding and appreciation 

12 of the Participants of the natural and cultural re13 sources of the United States; 

14 (3) to stimulate interest among Participants in 

15 conservation careers by exposing the Participants to 

16 conservation professionals in land management 

17 agencies; and 

18 (4) to build on the existing network of con19 servation corps organizations working across the 

20 United States while providing for expanded partici21 pation in urban centers. 

22 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

23 In this Act: 

24 (1) CORPS.—The term ‘‘Corps’’ means the Re25 store Employment in Natural and Environmental 


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1 Work Conservation Corps established by section 

2 4(a). 

3 (2) COUNCIL.—The term ‘‘Council’’ means the 

4 National Council on the Restore Employment in 

5 Natural and Environmental Work Conservation 

6 Corps established under section 6(a). 

7 (3) ELIGIBLE LOCAL AGENCY.—The term ‘‘eli8 gible local agency’’ means a unit of local govern9 ment, land trust, or similar conservation nonprofit 

10 organization. 

11 (4) ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANT.—The term ‘‘eligi12 ble participant’’ means an individual who— 

13 (A) is 16 years of age or older at the time 

14 the individual begins the term of service as a 

15 Participant; and 

16 (B) is a citizen or national of the United 

17 States or lawful permanent resident alien of the 

18 United States. 

19 (5) ELIGIBLE PROJECT.—The term ‘‘eligible 

20 project’’ means any of the following: 

21 (A) A project to plant trees. 

22 (B) A project for the restoration and man23 agement of wildlife habitat. 

24 (C) A project to control invasive species. 


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1 (D) A project for the conduct of prescribed 

2 burns. 

3 (E) A project for the restoration of 

4 streams, wetlands, and other aquatic eco5 systems. 

6 (F) A project to monitor water quality in 

7 streams and lakes. 

8 (G) A project to assist with the conduct of 

9 fish and wildlife surveys. 

10 (H) A project for the construction or main11 tenance of trails, bridges, campgrounds, picnic 

12 shelters, or other recreational amenities for use 

13 by the public. 

14 (I) A project for the construction or main15 tenance of parks and playgrounds. 

16 (J) A project to restore brownfield sites 

17 (as defined in section 101 of the Comprehensive 

18 Environmental Response, Compensation, and 

19 Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 9601)) in 

20 urban areas. 

21 (K) A project to construct rain gardens, 

22 grass waterways, pollinator gardens, or green 

23 schoolyards. 

24 (L) A project for the development of urban 

25 gardens and farms. 


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1 (M) A project to plant native grasslands. 

2 (N) A project to provide environmental in3 terpretation or outdoor education. 

4 (O) Any other project determined to be ap5 propriate by the Secretaries. 

6 (6) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ 

7 has the meaning given the term ‘‘Indian tribe’’ in 

8 section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Edu9 cation Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 

10 (7) PARTICIPANT.—The term ‘‘Participant’’ 

11 means an eligible participant enrolled in the Corps. 

12 (8) PROGRAM PARTNER.—The term ‘‘Program 

13 partner’’ means— 

14 (A) a State or Indian Tribe administering 

15 a program for eligible projects or a grant pro16 gram under subsection (a) or (b) of section 5, 

17 as applicable; and 

18 (B) an eligible local agency carrying out el19 igible projects under section 5(a)(3)(B). 

20 (9) SECRETARIES.—The term ‘‘Secretaries’’ 

21 means the Secretary of Agriculture and the Sec22 retary of the Interior, acting jointly. 

23 (10) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of 

24 the several States, the District of Columbia, the 


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1 Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and any other terri2 tory or possession of the United States. 

3 SEC. 4. RESTORE EMPLOYMENT IN NATURAL AND ENVI4 RONMENTAL WORK CONSERVATION CORPS. 

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

6 Department of the Interior and the Department of Agri7 culture the Restore Employment in Natural and Environ8 mental Work Conservation Corps program under which 

9 Participants shall carry out— 

10 (1) eligible projects administered by the Secre11 taries under this section; and 

12 (2) eligible projects administered by Program 

13 partners under subsection (a) or (b) of section 5. 

14 (b) PARTICIPANTS.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Corps shall consist of— 

16 (A) eligible participants who are enrolled 

17 in the Corps by the Secretaries; and 

18 (B) eligible participants who are enrolled 

19 in the Corps by Program partners. 

20 (2) REQUIREMENT.—In enrolling eligible par21 ticipants in the Corps under paragraph (1), the Sec22 retaries and Program partners shall ensure that 

23 Participants reflect the demographics of the area in 

24 which the Participants are carrying out an eligible 

25 project. 


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1 (c) TERMS AND COMPENSATION.— 

2 (1) TERM.—Participants shall serve for a term 

3 of at least 12 weeks, but not more than 1 year. 

4 (2) COMPENSATION.— 

5 (A) WAGES.—Participants shall be com6 pensated at a wage rate that is appropriate for 

7 the type of work performed by the Participant, 

8 but not less than $15 per hour (to be increased 

9 each year based on increases in the Consumer 

10 Price Index for the year). 

11 (B) EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE.—If a Par12 ticipant completes at least 1 year of service in 

13 the Corps, Participants shall be eligible for— 

14 (i) an educational credit that may be 

15 applied toward a program of postsecondary 

16 education at an institution of higher edu17 cation that agrees to award the credit for 

18 participation in the Corps; and 

19 (ii) not more than $5,500 in tuition 

20 assistance to the Participant for purposes 

21 of continuing education. 

22 (d) TRAINING; APPRENTICESHIPS.—The Secretaries 

23 and Program partners shall— 


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1 (1) ensure that Participants are provided at 

2 least 2 weeks of training during each term of the ap3 plicable Participant; and 

4 (2) provide curricula to Participants that im5 prove the future job prospects of Participants, in6 cluding through making available to Participants 

7 registered apprenticeships and other professional li8 censes or certifications. 

9 SEC. 5. STATE, TRIBAL, AND LOCAL FUNDING PROGRAM 

10 FOR ELIGIBLE PROJECTS. 

11 (a) APPORTIONMENT TO STATES.— 

12 (1) IN GENERAL.—For each fiscal year, subject 

13 to paragraphs (2) and (3), of the amounts made 

14 available for apportionment to the States for that 

15 fiscal year under section 7(2), the Secretaries shall 

16 apportion— 

(A) 662 17 ⁄3 percent among States based on 

18 the proportion that— 

19 (i) the number of unemployed individ20 uals in each State, as determined based on 

21 the most recent data available; bears to 

22 (ii) the total number of unemployed 

23 individuals in all States as so determined; 

24 and 


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(B) 331 1 ⁄3 percent among States based on 

2 the proportion that— 

3 (i) the population of each State; bears 

4 to 

5 (ii) the population of all States. 

6 (2) MINIMUM APPORTIONMENT.—No State 

7 shall receive an apportionment under paragraph (1) 

8 for a fiscal year in an amount less than 

9 $42,000,000. 

10 (3) USE OF FUNDS.—Of the amounts appor11 tioned to a State under this subsection for a fiscal 

12 year— 

13 (A) 50 percent shall be used by the State 

14 to administer a program for the conduct of eli15 gible projects by Participants enrolled in the 

16 program by the States; and 

17 (B) 50 percent shall be used by the State 

18 to administer a grant program in the State 

19 under which the State provides grants to eligi20 ble local agencies in the State for the conduct 

21 of eligible projects by Participants enrolled by 

22 the eligible local agencies. 

23 (b) TRIBAL PROGRAM.—For each fiscal year, the 

24 Secretaries shall apportion, in accordance with a formula 

25 established by the Secretaries, amounts made available 


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1 under section 7(3) to Indian Tribes to administer a pro2 gram for the conduct of eligible projects by Participants 

3 enrolled in the program by the Indian Tribe. 

4 (c) USE OF FUNDS.—Of the amounts provided to a 

5 Program partner for the conduct of eligible projects under 

6 this section, the Program partner— 

7 (1) may use not more than 20 percent for ad8 ministrative costs of administering and carrying out 

9 eligible projects (including costs of recruiting and 

10 hiring individuals to carry out eligible projects); 

11 (2) may use not more than 14 percent to pro12 vide continuing education to individuals admin13 istering or carrying out eligible projects; 

14 (3) may use not more than 8 percent for the 

15 cost of equipment and supplies for eligible projects; 

16 and 

17 (4) shall use the remainder of the amounts for 

18 the costs of salaries of individuals administering or 

19 carrying out eligible projects. 

20 (d) REALLOCATION.—Any funds made available to a 

21 State or Indian Tribe under subsection (a) or (b) that are 

22 not obligated by the State or Indian Tribe at the end of 

23 the third fiscal year beginning after the fiscal year during 

24 which the funds were made available shall be withdrawn 

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1 retaries to other States and Indian Tribes on the basis 

2 of need, as determined by the Secretaries, and in amounts 

3 that the Secretaries determine would best accomplish the 

4 purposes described in section 2(b). 

5 SEC. 6. NATIONAL COUNCIL ON THE RESTORE EMPLOY6 MENT IN NATURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL 

7 WORK CONSERVATION CORPS. 

8 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of the Interior, 

9 the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Commerce, 

10 the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agen11 cy, the Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality, 

12 the Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Chief 

13 Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and 

14 Community Service, and the Assistant Secretary of the 

15 Army for Civil Works, through the execution of a memo16 randum of understanding, shall establish a National Coun17 cil on the Restore Employment in Natural and Environ18 mental Work Conservation Corps. 

19 (b) MEMBERSHIP.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Council shall be com21 posed of— 

22 (A) the Director of the Bureau of Indian 

23 Affairs; 

24 (B) the Director of the Bureau of Land 

25 Management; 


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1 (C) the Commissioner of Reclamation; 

2 (D) the Chief of the Natural Resources 

3 Conservation Service; 

4 (E) the Director of the United States Fish 

5 and Wildlife Service; 

6 (F) the Director of the National Park 

7 Service; 

8 (G) the Administrator of the National Oce9 anic and Atmospheric Administration; 

10 (H) the Director of the Office of Surface 

11 Mining Reclamation and Enforcement; 

12 (I) the Chief of Engineers; 

13 (J) the Chief of the Forest Service; 

14 (K) the Director of the Office of Personnel 

15 Management; 

16 (L) the Administrator of the Environ17 mental Protection Agency; 

18 (M) the Chair of the Council on Environ19 mental Quality; 

20 (N) the Chief Executive Officer of the Cor21 poration for National and Community Service; 

22 and 

23 (O) other members that the signatories to 

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1 section (a) determine to be appropriate for 

2 membership on the Council, including— 

3 (i) the Secretary of Labor; 

4 (ii) the Secretary of Education; 

5 (iii) the Secretary of Health and 

6 Human Services; 

7 (iv) the Secretary of Housing and 

8 Urban Development; 

9 (v) the Secretary of Transportation; 

10 and 

11 (vi) the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. 

12 (2) CHAIR.— 

13 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Council shall select 

14 a Chair of the Council from among the mem15 bers of the Council described in subparagraphs 

16 (A) through (M) of paragraph (1). 

17 (B) TERM.—The Chair of the Council 

18 shall serve for a term of 1 year. 

19 (c) ANNUAL MEETING.—The Chair of the Council 

20 shall convene annual meetings of the Council during which 

21 the Council shall conduct an assessment of— 

22 (1) the Corps; and 

23 (2) eligible projects carried out by the Corps. 


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1 SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

2 There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

3 this Act $55,800,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 

4 2021 through 2025, of which— 

5 (1) 37.5 percent shall be made available to the 

6 Secretaries to carry out eligible projects under sec7 tion 4(a)(1); 

8 (2) 57.5 percent shall be made available to the 

9 Secretaries for apportionment to States under sec10 tion 5(a); and 

11 (3) 5 percent shall be made available to the 

12 Secretaries for apportionment to Indian Tribes 

13 under section 5(b). 

Æ 


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