II 

Calendar No. 282 

112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 896 

[Report No. 112–120] 

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 

MAY 5, 2011 

Mr. BINGAMAN (for himself, Mr. UDALL of New Mexico, Mr. BEGICH, Mrs. 

BOXER, Ms. SNOWE, and Mr. COONS) introduced the following bill; which 

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

Resources 

JANUARY 13, 2012 

Reported under authority of the order of the Senate of December 17, 2011, 

by Mr. BINGAMAN, with amendments 

[Omit the part struck through and insert the part printed in italic] 

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 


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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, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Public Lands Service 

5 Corps Act of 2011’’. 

6 SEC. 2. AMENDMENT TO SHORT TITLE. 

7 Section 201 of the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 

8 (16 U.S.C. 1701 note; 107 Stat. 848) is amended to read 

9 as follows: 

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

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

12 ‘Public Lands Service Corps Act of 1993’. 

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

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

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

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

17 Service Corps Act of 1993’.’’. 

18 SEC. 3. REFERENCE. 

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

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

21 1721 et seq.; title II of Public Law 91–378). 


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1 SEC. 4. AMENDMENTS TO THE PUBLIC LANDS SERVICE 

2 CORPS ACT OF 1993. 

3 (a) NAME AND PROJECT DESCRIPTION CHANGES.— 

4 The Act is amended— 

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

6 LANDS CORPS’’ and inserting ‘‘PUBLIC 

7 LANDS SERVICE CORPS’’; 

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

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

10 inserting ‘‘PUBLIC LANDS SERVICE CORPS’’; 

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

12 1729(a)(2)), in the heading, by striking ‘‘PUBLIC

13 LANDS’’; 

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

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

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

17 it appears and inserting ‘‘residential conservation 

18 center’’; 

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

20 place it appears and inserting ‘‘residential conserva21 tion centers’’; 

22 (7) by striking ‘‘appropriate conservation 

23 project’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘appro24 priate natural and cultural resources conservation 

25 project’’; and 


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1 (8) by striking ‘‘appropriate conservation 

2 projects’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘ap3 propriate natural and cultural resources conservation 

4 projects’’. 

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

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

7 (1) in paragraph (1)— 

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

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

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

11 and inserting ‘‘natural and cultural’’; 

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

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

14 (3) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol15 lowing: 

16 ‘‘(2) Participants in conservation corps receive 

17 meaningful education and training, and their experi18 ence with conservation corps provides preparation 

19 for careers in public service. 

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

21 the rehabilitation and restoration of the natural, cul22 tural, historic, archaeological, recreational, and sce23 nic treasures of the United States will gain an in24 creased appreciation and understanding of the public 

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


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1 value of public service, and are likely to become life2 long advocates for those values.’’; 

3 (4) in paragraph (4) (as redesignated by para4 graph (2)), by inserting ‘‘, cultural, historic, archae5 ological, recreational, and scenic’’ after ‘‘Many facili6 ties and natural’’; and 

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

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

9 communities adjacent to public lands and facilities 

10 through renewed civic engagement and participation 

11 by corps participants and those they serve, improved 

12 student achievement, and restoration and rehabilita13 tion of public assets.’’. 

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

15 of the Act is amended to read as follows: 

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

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

18 public service while furthering their understanding 

19 and appreciation of the natural, cultural, historic, 

20 archaeological, recreational, and scenic resources of 

21 the United States; 

22 ‘‘(2) to facilitate training and recruitment op23 portunities in which service is credited as qualifying 

24 experience for careers in the management of such 

25 resources; 


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

2 and women from across the United States, including 

3 young men and women from diverse backgrounds, 

4 the desire to seek careers in resource stewardship 

5 and public service by allowing them to work directly 

6 with professionals in agencies responsible for the 

7 management of the natural, cultural, historic, ar8 chaeological, recreational, and scenic resources of 

9 the United States; 

10 ‘‘(4) to perform, in a cost-effective manner, ap11 propriate natural and cultural resources conservation 

12 projects where such projects are not being performed 

13 by existing employees; 

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

15 Indian tribes in performing research and public edu16 cation tasks associated with the conservation of nat17 ural, cultural, historic, archaeological, recreational, 

18 and scenic resources; 

19 ‘‘(6) to expand educational opportunities on 

20 public lands and by rewarding individuals who par21 ticipate in conservation corps with an increased abil22 ity to pursue higher education and job training; 

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1 pating Federal agencies through training opportuni2 ties, community service and outreach, and other ap3 propriate means; and 

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

5 tribes to establish the Indian Youth Service Corps so 

6 that Indian youth can benefit from carrying out 

7 projects on Indian lands that the Indian tribes and 

8 communities determine to be priorities.’’. 

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

10 the Act is amended— 

11 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (3) through 

12 (7), (8) through (10), and (11) through (13) as 

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

14 (15) through (17), respectively; 

15 (2) by striking paragraphs (1) and (2) and in16 serting the following: 

17 ‘‘(1) APPROPRIATE NATURAL AND CULTURAL

18 RESOURCES CONSERVATION PROJECT.—The term 

19 ‘appropriate natural and cultural resources conserva20 tion project’ means any project for the conservation, 

21 restoration, construction, or rehabilitation of nat22 ural, cultural, historic, archaeological, recreational, 

23 or scenic resources. 


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1 ‘‘(2) CONSULTING INTERN.—The term ‘con2 sulting intern’ means a consulting intern selected 

3 under section 206(a)(2). 

4 ‘‘(3) CORPS AND PUBLIC LANDS SERVICE

5 CORPS.—The terms ‘Corps’ and ‘Public Lands Serv6 ice Corps’ mean the Public Lands Service Corps es7 tablished under section 204(a). 

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

9 participant’ means an individual enrolled— 

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

11 Service Corps; or 

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

13 intern.’’; 

14 (3) by inserting after paragraph (9) (as redesig15 nated by paragraph (1)) the following: 

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

17 term ‘Indian Youth Service Corps’ means a qualified 

18 youth or conservation corps established under sec19 tion 207 that— 

20 ‘‘(A) enrolls individuals between the ages 

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

22 Indians; and 

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

24 resolution that describes the agreement between 

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1 servation corps to operate an Indian Youth 

2 Service Corps program for the benefit of the 

3 members of the Indian tribe.’’; 

4 (4) by amending paragraph (12) (as redesig5 nated by paragraph (1)) to read as follows: 

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

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

8 or administered by the United States, including 

9 those areas of coastal and ocean waters, the Great 

10 Lakes and their connecting waters, and submerged 

11 lands over which the United States exercises juris12 diction, except that such term does not include In13 dian lands.’’; 

14 (5) by amending paragraph (13) (as redesig15 nated by paragraph (1)) as follows: 

16 (A) in subparagraph (A)— 

17 (i) by striking ‘‘full-time,’’; 

18 (ii) by inserting ‘‘on eligible service 

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

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

21 ‘‘15’’; 

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

23 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

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

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


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

2 ‘‘(D) makes available for audit for each fis3 cal year for which the qualified youth or con4 servation corps receives Federal funds under 

5 this Act, all information pertaining to the ex6 penditure of the funds, any matching funds, 

7 and participant demographics.’’; 

8 (6) by inserting after paragraph 13 (as redesig9 nated by paragraph (1)) the following: 

10 ‘‘(14) RESIDENTIAL CONSERVATION CEN11 TERS.—The term ‘residential conservation centers’ 

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

13 (7) in paragraph (15) (as redesignated by para14 graph (1)), by striking ‘‘206’’ and inserting 

15 ‘‘206(a)(1)’’; and 

16 (8) in paragraph (16) (as redesignated by para17 graph (1))— 

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

19 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

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

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

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

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

24 Sanctuary System, coral reefs, and other coast25 al, estuarine, and marine habitats, and other 


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1 lands and facilities administered by the Na2 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 

3 the Secretary of Commerce.’’. 

4 (e) PUBLIC LANDS SERVICE CORPS PROGRAM.—Sec5 tion 204 of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1723), as amended by sub6 section (a), is amended— 

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

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

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

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

11 following: 

12 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF PUBLIC LANDS SERVICE

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

14 Interior, the Department of Agriculture, and the Depart15 ment of Commerce a Public Lands Service Corps. 

16 ‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT OF CORPS OFFICE; COORDI17 NATORS; LIAISON.— 

18 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT OF OFFICES.— 

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

20 The Secretary of the Interior shall establish a 

21 department-level office to coordinate the Corps 

22 activities within the Department of the Interior. 

23 ‘‘(B) DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.— 

24 The Secretary of Agriculture shall establish 


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1 within the Forest Service an office to coordinate 

2 the Corps activities within that agency. 

3 ‘‘(C) DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE.—The 

4 Secretary of Commerce shall establish within 

5 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin6 istration an office to coordinate the Corps ac7 tivities within that agency. 

8 ‘‘(2) ESTABLISHMENT OF COORDINATORS.— 

9 The Secretary shall designate a Public Lands Serv10 ice Corps coordinator for each agency under the ju11 risdiction of the Secretary that administers Corps 

12 activities. 

13 ‘‘(3) ESTABLISHMENT OF LIAISON.—The Sec14 retary of the Interior shall establish an Indian Youth 

15 Service Corps liaison that will— 

16 ‘‘(A) provide outreach to Indian tribes 

17 about opportunities for establishing Corps and 

18 Indian Youth Service Corps programs; and 

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

20 the Corporation for National Service to identify 

21 and establish Corps and Indian Youth Service 

22 Corps opportunities for Indian youth.’’; 

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

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

25 ‘‘(c) PARTICIPANTS.— 


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

2 in the Corps individuals who are— 

3 ‘‘(A) hired by an agency under the juris4 diction of the Secretary to perform work au5 thorized under this Act; or 

6 ‘‘(B) members of a qualified youth or con7 servation corps with which the Secretary has 

8 entered into a cooperative agreement to perform 

9 work authorized under this Act. 

10 ‘‘(2) RESOURCE ASSISTANTS AND CONSULTING

11 INTERNS.—The Secretary may also enroll in the 

12 Corps resource assistants and consulting interns in 

13 accordance with section 206(a). 

14 ‘‘(3) ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS.—To be eligi15 ble for enrollment as a Corps participant, an indi16 vidual shall— 

17 ‘‘(A) be between the ages of 15 and 25, in18 clusive; and 

19 ‘‘(B) satisfy the requirements of section 

20 137(a)(5) of the National and Community Serv21 ice Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12591(a)(5)). 

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

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

24 service, which may be served over a period that ex25 ceeds 2 calendar years. 


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1 ‘‘(5) CIVIL SERVICE.—An individual may be en2 rolled as a Corps participant without regard to the 

3 civil service and classification laws, rules, or regula4 tions of the United States. 

5 ‘‘(6) PREFERENCE.—The Secretary may estab6 lish a preference for the enrollment as Corps partici7 pants individuals who are economically, physically, 

8 or educationally disadvantaged.’’; 

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.— 

10 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall estab11 lish a training program based at appropriate resi12 dential conservation centers or at other suitable re13 gional Federal or other appropriate facilities or sites 

14 to provide training for Corps participants. 

15 ‘‘(2) REQUIREMENTS.—In establishing a train16 ing program under paragraph (1), the Secretary 

17 shall— 

18 ‘‘(A) ensure that the duration and com19 prehensiveness of the training program shall be 

20 commensurate with the projects Corps partici21 pants are expected to undertake; 

22 ‘‘(B) develop department-wide standards 

23 for the program that include training in— 

24 ‘‘(i) resource stewardship; 

25 ‘‘(ii) health and safety; 


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1 ‘‘(iii) ethics for individuals in public 

2 service; 

3 ‘‘(iv) teamwork and leadership; and 

4 ‘‘(v) interpersonal communications; 

5 ‘‘(C) direct the participating agencies with6 in the Department of the Interior, the Forest 

7 Service in the case of the Department of Agri8 culture, and the National Oceanic and Atmos9 pheric Administration in the case of the De10 partment of Commerce, to develop agency-spe11 cific training guidelines to ensure that Corps 

12 participants are appropriately informed about 

13 matters specific to that agency, including— 

14 ‘‘(i) the history and organization of 

15 the agency; 

16 ‘‘(ii) the mission of the agency; and 

17 ‘‘(iii) any agency-specific standards 

18 for the management of natural, cultural, 

19 historic, archaeological, recreational, and 

20 scenic resources; and 

21 ‘‘(D) take into account training already re22 ceived by Corps participants enrolled from 

23 qualified youth or conservation corps.’’; 

24 (6) in subsection (f) (as redesignated by para25 graph (1))— 


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1 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

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

3 GENERAL.—’’ and inserting ‘‘USE OF

4 CORPS; PROJECTS.—’’; 

5 (ii) by striking ‘‘The Secretary may 

6 utilize the Corps or any qualified youth or 

7 conservation corps to carry out’’ and in8 serting the following: 

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

10 use the Corps to carry out, with appropriate su11 pervision and training,’’; 

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

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

14 and 

15 (iv) by adding at the end the fol16 lowing: 

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

18 cultural resources conservation projects carried 

19 out under this section may include— 

20 ‘‘(i) protecting, restoring, or enhanc21 ing ecosystem components to promote spe22 cies recovery, improve biological diversity, 

23 enhance productivity and carbon sequestra24 tion, and enhance adaptability and resil25 ience of eligible service lands and resources 


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1 to climate change and other natural and 

2 human disturbances; 

3 ‘‘(ii) promoting the health of eligible 

4 service lands, including— 

5 ‘‘(I) protecting and restoring wa6 tersheds and forest, grassland, ripar7 ian, estuarine, marine, or other habi8 tat; 

9 ‘‘(II) reducing the risk of 

10 uncharacteristically severe wildfire 

11 and mitigating damage from insects, 

12 disease, and disasters; 

13 ‘‘(III) controlling erosion; 

14 ‘‘(IV) controlling and removing 

15 invasive, noxious, or nonnative spe16 cies; and 

17 ‘‘(V) restoring native species; 

18 ‘‘(iii) collecting biological, archae19 ological, and other scientific data, includ20 ing climatological information, species pop21 ulations and movement, habitat status, and 

22 other information; 

23 ‘‘(iv) assisting in historical and cul24 tural research, museum curatorial work, 

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1 raphy, and activities that support the cre2 ation of public works of art related to eligi3 ble service lands; and 

4 ‘‘(v) constructing, repairing, rehabili5 tating, and maintaining roads, trails, 

6 campgrounds and other visitor facilities, 

7 employee housing, cultural and historic 

8 sites and structures, and other facilities 

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

10 (B) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and 

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

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

13 following: 

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

15 ‘‘(A) enter into or amend an existing coop16 erative agreement with a cooperating associa17 tion, educational institution, friends group, or 

18 similar nonprofit partner organization for the 

19 purpose of providing training and work experi20 ence to Corps participants in areas such as 

21 sales, office work, accounting, and management, 

22 provided that the work experience directly re23 lates to the conservation and management of el24 igible service lands; and 


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1 ‘‘(B) allow Corps participants to help pro2 mote visitor safety and enjoyment of eligible 

3 service lands, and assist in the gathering of vis4 itor use data. 

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

6 permit Corps participants to provide interpretation 

7 or education services for the public under the direct 

8 and immediate supervision of an agency employee— 

9 ‘‘(A) to provide orientation and informa10 tion services to visitors; 

11 ‘‘(B) to assist agency employees in the de12 livery of interpretive or educational programs 

13 where audience size, environmental conditions, 

14 safety, or other factors make such assistance 

15 desirable; 

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

17 personal experience of the Corps participants 

18 for the purpose of promoting public awareness 

19 of the Corps, the role of the Corps in public 

20 land management agencies, and the availability 

21 of the Corps to potential participants; and 

22 ‘‘(D) to create nonpersonal interpretive 

23 products, such as website content, Junior Rang24 er program books, printed handouts, and audio25 visual programs.’’; 


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1 (7) in subsection (g) (as redesignated by para2 graph (1))— 

3 (A) in the matter preceding the first para4 graph, by striking ‘‘those projects which’’ and 

5 inserting ‘‘priority projects and other projects 

6 that’’; and 

7 (B) by striking paragraph (2) and insert8 ing the following: 

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

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

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

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

13 allow volunteers from other programs administered or des14 ignated by the Secretary to participate as volunteers in 

15 projects carried out under this section. 

16 ‘‘(j) CRIMINAL HISTORY CHECKS.— 

17 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The requirements of sec18 tion 189D(b) of the National and Community Serv19 ice Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12645g(b)) shall apply 

20 to each individual age 18 or older seeking— 

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

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

23 Act; or 


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

2 contact with Corps participants in activities au3 thorized under this Act. 

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

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

6 the National and Community Service Act of 1990 

7 (42 U.S.C. 12645g(c)(1)–(4)) apply to an individual 

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

9 be eligible for the position or activity described in 

10 paragraph (1), unless the Secretary provides an ex11 emption for good cause.’’. 

12 (f) RESIDENTIAL CONSERVATION CENTERS AND

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

14 the Act is amended— 

15 (1) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘CON16 SERVATION’’ and inserting ‘‘RESIDENTIAL CON17 SERVATION’’; 

18 (2) in subsection (a)— 

19 (A) by amending paragraph (1) to read as 

20 follows: 

21 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may estab22 lish residential conservation centers for— 

23 ‘‘(A) such housing, food service, medical 

24 care, transportation, and other services as the 


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1 Secretary deems necessary for Corps partici2 pants; and 

3 ‘‘(B) the conduct of appropriate natural 

4 and cultural resources conservation projects 

5 under this Act.’’; 

6 (B) by striking paragraph (2); 

7 (C) by redesignating paragraphs (3) and 

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

9 (D) in paragraph (2) (as redesignated by 

10 subparagraph (C)), in the heading, by striking 

11 ‘‘FOR CONSERVATION CENTERS’’; and 

12 (E) in paragraph (3) (as redesignated by 

13 subparagraph (C)), by striking ‘‘a State or local 

14 government agency’’ and inserting ‘‘another 

15 Federal agency, State, local government,’’; 

16 (3) in subsection (b)— 

17 (A) by striking ‘‘The Secretary’’ and in18 serting the following: 

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

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

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

22 may make arrangements with another Federal agen23 cy, State, local government, or private organization 

24 to provide temporary housing for Corps participants 

25 as needed and available. 


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

2 where Corps participants can reasonably be expected 

3 to reside at their own homes, the Secretary may 

4 fund or provide transportation to and from project 

5 sites.’’; 

6 (4) by redesignating subsection (d) as sub7 section (f); 

8 (5) by inserting after subsection (c) the fol9 lowing: 

10 ‘‘(d) FACILITIES.—The Secretary may, as an appro11 priate natural and cultural resources conservation project, 

12 direct Corps participants to aid in the construction or re13 habilitation of residential conservation center facilities, in14 cluding housing. 

15 ‘‘(e) MENTORS.—The Secretary may recruit from 

16 programs, such as Federal volunteer and encore service 

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

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

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

20 services to Corps participants.’’; and 

21 (6) in subsection (f) (as redesignated by para22 graph (4)), by striking ‘‘that are appropriate’’ and 

23 all that follows through the period and inserting 

24 ‘‘that the Secretary determines to be necessary for 

25 a residential conservation center.’’. 


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1 (g) RESOURCE ASSISTANTS AND CONSULTING IN2 TERNS.—Section 206 of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1725) is 

3 amended— 

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

5 CONSULTING INTERNS’’ before the period; 

6 (2) by striking subsections (a) and (b) and in7 serting the following: 

8 ‘‘(a) AUTHORIZATION.— 

9 ‘‘(1) RESOURCE ASSISTANTS.— 

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

11 provide individual placements of resource assist12 ants with any agency under the jurisdiction of 

13 the Secretary that carries out appropriate nat14 ural and cultural resources conservation 

15 projects to carry out research or resource pro16 tection activities on behalf of the agency. 

17 ‘‘(B) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible for se18 lection as a resource assistant, an individual 

19 shall be at least 17 years of age. 

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

21 assistants for placement under this paragraph, 

22 the Secretary shall give a preference to individ23 uals who are enrolled in an institution of higher 

24 education or are recent graduates from an insti25 tution of higher education, with particular atVerDate Mar 15 2010 23:09 Jan 13, 2012 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00025 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S896.RS S896

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1 tention given to ensuring full representation of 

2 women and participants from Historically Black 

3 Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-serving in4 stitutions, and Tribal Colleges and Universities. 

5 ‘‘(2) CONSULTING INTERNS.— 

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

7 provide individual placements of consulting in8 terns with any agency under the jurisdiction of 

9 the Secretary that carries out appropriate nat10 ural and cultural resources conservation 

11 projects to carry out management analysis ac12 tivities on behalf of the agency. 

13 ‘‘(B) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible for se14 lection as a consulting intern, an individual 

15 shall be enrolled in, and have completed at least 

16 1 full year at, a graduate or professional school 

17 that has been accredited by an accrediting body 

18 recognized by the Secretary of Education. 

19 ‘‘(b) USE OF EXISTING NONPROFIT ORGANIZA20 TIONS.— 

21 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Whenever 1 or more non22 profit organizations can provide appropriate recruit23 ment and placement services to fulfill the require24 ments of this section, the Secretary may implement 

25 this section through such organizations. 


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1 ‘‘(2) EXPENSES.—Participating organizations 

2 shall contribute to the expenses of providing and 

3 supporting the resource assistants or consulting in4 terns from sources of funding other than the Sec5 retary, at a level of not less than 25 percent of the 

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

7 sources) of each participant in the resource assistant 

8 or consulting intern program who has been recruited 

9 and placed through that organization. 

10 ‘‘(3) REPORTING.—Each participating organi11 zation shall be required to submit an annual report 

12 evaluating the scope, size, and quality of the pro13 gram, including the value of work contributed by the 

14 resource assistants and consulting interns, to the 

15 mission of the agency.’’. 

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

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

18 1726 through 1730) as sections 209 through 213, respec19 tively. 

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

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

22 the following: 

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

24 ‘‘(a) AUTHORIZATION OF COOPERATIVE AGREE25 MENTS AND COMPETITIVE GRANTS.—The Secretary is auVerDate Mar 15 2010 23:09 Jan 13, 2012 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00027 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S896.RS S896

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1 thorized to enter into cooperative agreements with, or 

2 make competitive grants to, Indian tribes and qualified 

3 youth or conservation corps for the establishment and ad4 ministration of Indian Youth Service Corps programs to 

5 carry out appropriate natural and cultural resources con6 servation projects on Indian lands. 

7 ‘‘(b) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive assist8 ance under this section, an Indian tribe or a qualified 

9 youth or conservation corps shall submit to the Secretary 

10 an application in such manner and containing such infor11 mation as the Secretary may require, including— 

12 ‘‘(1) a description of the methods by which In13 dian youth will be recruited for and retained in the 

14 Indian Youth Service Corps; 

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

16 out by the Indian Youth Service Corps; 

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

18 identified; and 

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

20 direct community benefits provided by, the proposed 

21 projects.’’. 

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

23 after section 207 (as amended by subsection (i)) the fol24 lowing: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 208. GUIDANCE. 

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

3 available to the Secretary to carry out this Act, the Sec4 retary shall issue guidelines for the management of pro5 grams under the jurisdiction of the Secretary that are au6 thorized under this Act.’’. 

7 (k) LIVING ALLOWANCES AND TERMS OF SERV8 ICE.—Section 209 of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1726) (as redes9 ignated by subsection (h)) is amended by striking sub10 sections (a), (b), and (c) and inserting the following: 

11 ‘‘(a) LIVING ALLOWANCES.— 

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

13 each Corps participant with a living allowance in an 

14 amount established by the Secretary. 

15 ‘‘(2) COST-OF-LIVING DIFFERENTIAL; TRAVEL

16 COSTS.—The Secretary may— 

17 ‘‘(A) apply a cost-of-living differential to 

18 the living allowances established under para19 graph (1); and 

20 ‘‘(B) if the Secretary determines reim21 bursement to be appropriate, reimburse Corps 

22 ‘‘(2) TRAVEL COSTS.—The Secretary may reim23 burse Corps participants for travel costs at the be24 ginning and end of the term of service of the Corps 

25 participants. 

26 ‘‘(b) TERMS OF SERVICE.— 


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

2 shall agree to participate for such term of service as 

3 may be established by the Secretary. 

4 ‘‘(2) CONSULTATIONS.—With respect to the In5 dian Youth Service Corps, the term of service shall 

6 be established in consultation with the affected In7 dian tribe or tribally authorized organization. 

8 ‘‘(c) HIRING PREFERENCE AND FUTURE EMPLOY9 MENT.—The Secretary may— 

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

11 time served as a Corps participant, which may be 

12 used toward future Federal hiring; 

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

14 Corps or the Indian Youth Service Corps non15 competitive hiring status for a period of not more 

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

17 the candidate in the Corps or the Indian Youth 

18 Service Corps was complete, if the candidate— 

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

20 on an appropriate natural or cultural resources 

21 conservation project that included at least 120 

22 hours through the Corps or the Indian Youth 

23 Service Corps; and 


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1 ‘‘(B) meets Office of Personnel Manage2 ment qualification standards for the position for 

3 which the candidate is applying; 

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

5 consulting intern noncompetitive hiring status for a 

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

7 which the individual has completed an under8 graduate or graduate degree, respectively, from an 

9 accredited institution, if the candidate— 

10 ‘‘(A) successfully fulfilled the resource as11 sistant or consulting intern program require12 ments; and 

13 ‘‘(B) meets Office of Personnel Manage14 ment qualification standards for the position for 

15 which the candidate is applying; and 

16 ‘‘(4) provide, or enter into contracts or coopera17 tive agreements with qualified employment agencies 

18 to provide, alumni services such as job and edu19 cation counseling, referrals, verification of service, 

20 communications, and other appropriate services to 

21 Corps participants who have completed the term of 

22 service.’’. 

23 (l) NATIONAL SERVICE EDUCATIONAL AWARDS.— 

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

25 by subsection (h)) is amended— 


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

2 (a)(4)), in the first sentence— 

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

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

5 participant’’; and 

6 (B) by striking ‘‘participant or resource as7 sistant’’ and inserting ‘‘Corps participant’’; and 

8 (2) in subsection (b)— 

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

10 Corps or resource assistants’’ and inserting 

11 ‘‘Corps participants’’; and 

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

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

14 (16 U.S.C. 1728) (as redesignated by subsection (h)) is 

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

16 follows through the period and inserting ‘‘Corps partici17 pants.’’. 

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

19 1729) (as redesignated by subsection (h)) is amended— 

20 (1) in subsection (a)— 

21 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

22 (i) in the second sentence, by striking 

23 ‘‘non-federal sources’’ and inserting 

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


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1 (ii) by inserting after the second sen2 tence the following: ‘‘The Secretary may 

3 pay up to 90 percent of the costs of a 

4 project if the Secretary determines that the 

5 reduction is necessary to enable participa6 tion from a greater range of organizations 

7 or individuals.’’; and 

8 (B) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘or In9 dian Youth Service Corps’’ after ‘‘Corps’’ each 

10 place it appears; 

11 (2) by amending subsection (b) to read as fol12 lows: 

13 ‘‘(b) FUNDS AVAILABLE UNDER NATIONAL AND

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

15 Secretary shall be eligible to apply for and receive assist16 ance under section 121(b) of the National and Community 

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

18 (3) in subsection (c)— 

19 (A) by striking ‘‘section 211’’ and insert20 ing ‘‘section 213’’; and 

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

22 Corps’’ after ‘‘Corps’’. 

23 (o) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 

24 213 of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1730) (as redesignated by sub25 section (h)) is amended— 


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1 (1) by amending subsection (a) to read as fol2 lows: 

3 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be ap4 propriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out 

5 this Act.’’; 

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

7 that follows through the period and inserting ‘‘year.’’; 

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

9 (3) by redesignating subsection (c) as sub10 section (b). 


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Calendar No. 282 

112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 896 

[Report No. 112–120] 

A BILL 

To amend the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 to 

of public service. managers and enthusiasts; and promote the value sources; train a new generation of public land toric, archaeological, recreational and scenic rehelp restore the nation’s natural, cultural, hisvide service opportunities for young Americans; Agriculture, Commerce, and the Interior to proexpand the authorization of the Secretaries of 

JANUARY 13, 2012 

Reported with amendments 


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