II 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 896 

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, and Mr. BEGICH) 

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, 


rfrederick on DSKD9S0YB1PROD with BILLS
2 

•S 896 IS

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

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

3 Corps Act of 2011’’. 

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’’; 


rfrederick on DSKD9S0YB1PROD with BILLS
3 

•S 896 IS

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)— 


rfrederick on DSKD9S0YB1PROD with BILLS
4 

•S 896 IS

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: 


rfrederick on DSKD9S0YB1PROD with BILLS
5 

•S 896 IS

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 Mar 15 2010 23:50 May 05, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S896.IS S896

rfrederick on DSKD9S0YB1PROD with BILLS
6 

•S 896 IS

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 


rfrederick on DSKD9S0YB1PROD with BILLS
7 

•S 896 IS

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). 


rfrederick on DSKD9S0YB1PROD with BILLS
8 

•S 896 IS

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 


rfrederick on DSKD9S0YB1PROD with BILLS
9 

•S 896 IS

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.’’; 


rfrederick on DSKD9S0YB1PROD with BILLS
10 

•S 896 IS

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— 


rfrederick on DSKD9S0YB1PROD with BILLS
11 

•S 896 IS

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. 


rfrederick on DSKD9S0YB1PROD with BILLS
12 

•S 896 IS

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 


rfrederick on DSKD9S0YB1PROD with BILLS
13 

•S 896 IS

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) be between the ages of 15 and 25, in11 clusive; and 

12 ‘‘(B) satisfy the requirements of section 

13 137(a)(5) of the National and Community Serv14 ice Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12591(a)(5)). 

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

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

17 service, which may be served over a period that ex18 ceeds 2 calendar years. 

19 ‘‘(5) CIVIL SERVICE.—An individual may be en20 rolled as a Corps participant without regard to the 

21 civil service and classification laws, rules, or regula22 tions of the United States. 

23 ‘‘(6) PREFERENCE.—The Secretary may estab24 lish a preference for the enrollment as Corps particiVerDate Mar 15 2010 23:50 May 05, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S896.IS S896

rfrederick on DSKD9S0YB1PROD with BILLS
14 

•S 896 IS

1 pants individuals who are economically, physically, 

2 or educationally disadvantaged.’’; 

3 (4) in subsection (d) (as redesignated by para4 graph (1))— 

5 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

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

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

8 inserting ‘‘subsection (f)’’; 

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

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

11 following: 

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

13 out, or enter into cooperative agreements to provide, 

14 a program to attract eligible youth to the Corps by 

15 publicizing Corps opportunities through high schools, 

16 colleges, employment centers, electronic media, and 

17 other appropriate institutions and means. 

18 ‘‘(3) PREFERENCE.—In entering into coopera19 tive agreements under paragraph (1) or awarding 

20 competitive grants to Indian tribes or tribally au21 thorized organizations under section 207, the Sec22 retary may give preference to qualified youth or con23 servation corps that are located in specific areas 

24 where a substantial portion of members are economi25 cally, physically, or educationally disadvantaged.’’; 


rfrederick on DSKD9S0YB1PROD with BILLS
15 

•S 896 IS

1 (5) by inserting after subsection (d) (as redesig2 nated by paragraph (1)) the following: 

3 ‘‘(e) TRAINING.— 

4 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall estab5 lish a training program based at appropriate resi6 dential conservation centers or at other suitable re7 gional Federal or other appropriate facilities or sites 

8 to provide training for Corps participants. 

9 ‘‘(2) REQUIREMENTS.—In establishing a train10 ing program under paragraph (1), the Secretary 

11 shall— 

12 ‘‘(A) ensure that the duration and com13 prehensiveness of the training program shall be 

14 commensurate with the projects Corps partici15 pants are expected to undertake; 

16 ‘‘(B) develop department-wide standards 

17 for the program that include training in— 

18 ‘‘(i) resource stewardship; 

19 ‘‘(ii) health and safety; 

20 ‘‘(iii) ethics for individuals in public 

21 service; 

22 ‘‘(iv) teamwork and leadership; and 

23 ‘‘(v) interpersonal communications; 

24 ‘‘(C) direct the participating agencies with25 in the Department of the Interior, the Forest 


rfrederick on DSKD9S0YB1PROD with BILLS
16 

•S 896 IS

1 Service in the case of the Department of Agri2 culture, and the National Oceanic and Atmos3 pheric Administration in the case of the De4 partment of Commerce, to develop agency-spe5 cific training guidelines to ensure that Corps 

6 participants are appropriately informed about 

7 matters specific to that agency, including— 

8 ‘‘(i) the history and organization of 

9 the agency; 

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

11 ‘‘(iii) any agency-specific standards 

12 for the management of natural, cultural, 

13 historic, archaeological, recreational, and 

14 scenic resources; and 

15 ‘‘(D) take into account training already re16 ceived by Corps participants enrolled from 

17 qualified youth or conservation corps.’’; 

18 (6) in subsection (f) (as redesignated by para19 graph (1))— 

20 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

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

22 GENERAL.—’’ and inserting ‘‘USE OF

23 CORPS; PROJECTS.—’’; 

24 (ii) by striking ‘‘The Secretary may 

25 utilize the Corps or any qualified youth or 


rfrederick on DSKD9S0YB1PROD with BILLS
17 

•S 896 IS

1 conservation corps to carry out’’ and in2 serting the following: 

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

4 use the Corps to carry out, with appropriate su5 pervision and training,’’; 

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

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

8 and 

9 (iv) by adding at the end the fol10 lowing: 

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

12 cultural resources conservation projects carried 

13 out under this section may include— 

14 ‘‘(i) protecting, restoring, or enhanc15 ing ecosystem components to promote spe16 cies recovery, improve biological diversity, 

17 enhance productivity and carbon sequestra18 tion, and enhance adaptability and resil19 ience of eligible service lands and resources 

20 to climate change and other natural and 

21 human disturbances; 

22 ‘‘(ii) promoting the health of eligible 

23 service lands, including— 

24 ‘‘(I) protecting and restoring wa25 tersheds and forest, grassland, riparVerDate Mar 15 2010 23:50 May 05, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00017 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S896.IS S896

rfrederick on DSKD9S0YB1PROD with BILLS
18 

•S 896 IS

1 ian, estuarine, marine, or other habi2 tat; 

3 ‘‘(II) reducing the risk of 

4 uncharacteristically severe wildfire 

5 and mitigating damage from insects, 

6 disease, and disasters; 

7 ‘‘(III) controlling erosion; 

8 ‘‘(IV) controlling and removing 

9 invasive, noxious, or nonnative spe10 cies; and 

11 ‘‘(V) restoring native species; 

12 ‘‘(iii) collecting biological, archae13 ological, and other scientific data, includ14 ing climatological information, species pop15 ulations and movement, habitat status, and 

16 other information; 

17 ‘‘(iv) assisting in historical and cul18 tural research, museum curatorial work, 

19 oral history projects, documentary photog20 raphy, and activities that support the cre21 ation of public works of art related to eligi22 ble service lands; and 

23 ‘‘(v) constructing, repairing, rehabili24 tating, and maintaining roads, trails, 

25 campgrounds and other visitor facilities, 


rfrederick on DSKD9S0YB1PROD with BILLS
19 

•S 896 IS

1 employee housing, cultural and historic 

2 sites and structures, and other facilities 

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

4 (B) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and 

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

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

7 following: 

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

9 ‘‘(A) enter into or amend an existing coop10 erative agreement with a cooperating associa11 tion, educational institution, friends group, or 

12 similar nonprofit partner organization for the 

13 purpose of providing training and work experi14 ence to Corps participants in areas such as 

15 sales, office work, accounting, and management, 

16 provided that the work experience directly re17 lates to the conservation and management of el18 igible service lands; and 

19 ‘‘(B) allow Corps participants to help pro20 mote visitor safety and enjoyment of eligible 

21 service lands, and assist in the gathering of vis22 itor use data. 

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

24 permit Corps participants to provide interpretation 


rfrederick on DSKD9S0YB1PROD with BILLS
20 

•S 896 IS

1 or education services for the public under the direct 

2 and immediate supervision of an agency employee— 

3 ‘‘(A) to provide orientation and informa4 tion services to visitors; 

5 ‘‘(B) to assist agency employees in the de6 livery of interpretive or educational programs 

7 where audience size, environmental conditions, 

8 safety, or other factors make such assistance 

9 desirable; 

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

11 personal experience of the Corps participants 

12 for the purpose of promoting public awareness 

13 of the Corps, the role of the Corps in public 

14 land management agencies, and the availability 

15 of the Corps to potential participants; and 

16 ‘‘(D) to create nonpersonal interpretive 

17 products, such as website content, Junior Rang18 er program books, printed handouts, and audio19 visual programs.’’; 

20 (7) in subsection (g) (as redesignated by para21 graph (1))— 

22 (A) in the matter preceding the first para23 graph, by striking ‘‘those projects which’’ and 

24 inserting ‘‘priority projects and other projects 

25 that’’; and 


rfrederick on DSKD9S0YB1PROD with BILLS
21 

•S 896 IS

1 (B) by striking paragraph (2) and insert2 ing the following: 

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

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

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

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

7 allow volunteers from other programs administered or des8 ignated by the Secretary to participate as volunteers in 

9 projects carried out under this section. 

10 ‘‘(j) CRIMINAL HISTORY CHECKS.— 

11 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The requirements of sec12 tion 189D(b) of the National and Community Serv13 ice Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12645g(b)) shall apply 

14 to each individual age 18 or older seeking— 

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

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

17 Act; or 

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

19 contact with Corps participants in activities au20 thorized under this Act. 

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

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

23 the National and Community Service Act of 1990 

24 (42 U.S.C. 12645g(c)(1)–(4)) apply to an individual 

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


rfrederick on DSKD9S0YB1PROD with BILLS
22 

•S 896 IS

1 be eligible for the position or activity described in 

2 paragraph (1), unless the Secretary provides an ex3 emption for good cause.’’. 

4 (f) RESIDENTIAL CONSERVATION CENTERS AND

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

6 the Act is amended— 

7 (1) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘CON8 SERVATION’’ and inserting ‘‘RESIDENTIAL CON9 SERVATION’’; 

10 (2) in subsection (a)— 

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

12 follows: 

13 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may estab14 lish residential conservation centers for— 

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

16 care, transportation, and other services as the 

17 Secretary deems necessary for Corps partici18 pants; and 

19 ‘‘(B) the conduct of appropriate natural 

20 and cultural resources conservation projects 

21 under this Act.’’; 

22 (B) by striking paragraph (2); 

23 (C) by redesignating paragraphs (3) and 

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


rfrederick on DSKD9S0YB1PROD with BILLS
23 

•S 896 IS

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

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

3 ‘‘FOR CONSERVATION CENTERS’’; and 

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

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

6 government agency’’ and inserting ‘‘another 

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

8 (3) in subsection (b)— 

9 (A) by striking ‘‘The Secretary’’ and in10 serting the following: 

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

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

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

14 may make arrangements with another Federal agen15 cy, State, local government, or private organization 

16 to provide temporary housing for Corps participants 

17 as needed and available. 

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

19 where Corps participants can reasonably be expected 

20 to reside at their own homes, the Secretary may 

21 fund or provide transportation to and from project 

22 sites.’’; 

23 (4) by redesignating subsection (d) as sub24 section (f); 


rfrederick on DSKD9S0YB1PROD with BILLS
24 

•S 896 IS

1 (5) by inserting after subsection (c) the fol2 lowing: 

3 ‘‘(d) FACILITIES.—The Secretary may, as an appro4 priate natural and cultural resources conservation project, 

5 direct Corps participants to aid in the construction or re6 habilitation of residential conservation center facilities, in7 cluding housing. 

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

9 programs, such as Federal volunteer and encore service 

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

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

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

13 services to Corps participants.’’; and 

14 (6) in subsection (f) (as redesignated by para15 graph (4)), by striking ‘‘that are appropriate’’ and 

16 all that follows through the period and inserting 

17 ‘‘that the Secretary determines to be necessary for 

18 a residential conservation center.’’. 

19 (g) RESOURCE ASSISTANTS AND CONSULTING IN20 TERNS.—Section 206 of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1725) is 

21 amended— 

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

23 CONSULTING INTERNS’’ before the period; 

24 (2) by striking subsections (a) and (b) and in25 serting the following: 


rfrederick on DSKD9S0YB1PROD with BILLS
25 

•S 896 IS

1 ‘‘(a) AUTHORIZATION.— 

2 ‘‘(1) RESOURCE ASSISTANTS.— 

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

4 provide individual placements of resource assist5 ants with any agency under the jurisdiction of 

6 the Secretary that carries out appropriate nat7 ural and cultural resources conservation 

8 projects to carry out research or resource pro9 tection activities on behalf of the agency. 

10 ‘‘(B) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible for se11 lection as a resource assistant, an individual 

12 shall be at least 17 years of age. 

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

14 assistants for placement under this paragraph, 

15 the Secretary shall give a preference to individ16 uals who are enrolled in an institution of higher 

17 education or are recent graduates from an insti18 tution of higher education, with particular at19 tention given to ensuring full representation of 

20 women and participants from Historically Black 

21 Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-serving in22 stitutions, and Tribal Colleges and Universities. 

23 ‘‘(2) CONSULTING INTERNS.— 

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

25 provide individual placements of consulting inVerDate Mar 15 2010 23:50 May 05, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00025 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S896.IS S896

rfrederick on DSKD9S0YB1PROD with BILLS
26 

•S 896 IS

1 terns with any agency under the jurisdiction of 

2 the Secretary that carries out appropriate nat3 ural and cultural resources conservation 

4 projects to carry out management analysis ac5 tivities on behalf of the agency. 

6 ‘‘(B) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible for se7 lection as a consulting intern, an individual 

8 shall be enrolled in, and have completed at least 

9 1 full year at, a graduate or professional school 

10 that has been accredited by an accrediting body 

11 recognized by the Secretary of Education. 

12 ‘‘(b) USE OF EXISTING NONPROFIT ORGANIZA13 TIONS.— 

14 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Whenever 1 or more non15 profit organizations can provide appropriate recruit16 ment and placement services to fulfill the require17 ments of this section, the Secretary may implement 

18 this section through such organizations. 

19 ‘‘(2) EXPENSES.—Participating organizations 

20 shall contribute to the expenses of providing and 

21 supporting the resource assistants or consulting in22 terns from sources of funding other than the Sec23 retary, at a level of not less than 25 percent of the 

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

25 sources) of each participant in the resource assistant 


rfrederick on DSKD9S0YB1PROD with BILLS
27 

•S 896 IS

1 or consulting intern program who has been recruited 

2 and placed through that organization. 

3 ‘‘(3) REPORTING.—Each participating organi4 zation shall be required to submit an annual report 

5 evaluating the scope, size, and quality of the pro6 gram, including the value of work contributed by the 

7 resource assistants and consulting interns, to the 

8 mission of the agency.’’. 

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

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

11 1726 through 1730) as sections 209 through 213, respec12 tively. 

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

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

15 the following: 

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

17 ‘‘(a) AUTHORIZATION OF COOPERATIVE AGREE18 MENTS AND COMPETITIVE GRANTS.—The Secretary is au19 thorized to enter into cooperative agreements with, or 

20 make competitive grants to, Indian tribes and qualified 

21 youth or conservation corps for the establishment and ad22 ministration of Indian Youth Service Corps programs to 

23 carry out appropriate natural and cultural resources con24 servation projects on Indian lands. 


rfrederick on DSKD9S0YB1PROD with BILLS
28 

•S 896 IS

1 ‘‘(b) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive assist2 ance under this section, an Indian tribe or a qualified 

3 youth or conservation corps shall submit to the Secretary 

4 an application in such manner and containing such infor5 mation as the Secretary may require, including— 

6 ‘‘(1) a description of the methods by which In7 dian youth will be recruited for and retained in the 

8 Indian Youth Service Corps; 

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

10 out by the Indian Youth Service Corps; 

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

12 identified; and 

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

14 direct community benefits provided by, the proposed 

15 projects.’’. 

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

17 after section 207 (as amended by subsection (i)) the fol18 lowing: 

19 ‘‘SEC. 208. GUIDANCE. 

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

21 available to the Secretary to carry out this Act, the Sec22 retary shall issue guidelines for the management of pro23 grams under the jurisdiction of the Secretary that are au24 thorized under this Act.’’. 


rfrederick on DSKD9S0YB1PROD with BILLS
29 

•S 896 IS

1 (k) LIVING ALLOWANCES AND TERMS OF SERV2 ICE.—Section 209 of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1726) (as redes3 ignated by subsection (h)) is amended by striking sub4 sections (a), (b), and (c) and inserting the following: 

5 ‘‘(a) LIVING ALLOWANCES.— 

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

7 each Corps participant with a living allowance in an 

8 amount established by the Secretary. 

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

10 COSTS.—The Secretary may— 

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

12 the living allowances established under para13 graph (1); and 

14 ‘‘(B) if the Secretary determines reim15 bursement to be appropriate, reimburse Corps 

16 participants for travel costs at the beginning 

17 and end of the term of service of the Corps par18 ticipants. 

19 ‘‘(b) TERMS OF SERVICE.— 

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

21 shall agree to participate for such term of service as 

22 may be established by the Secretary. 

23 ‘‘(2) CONSULTATIONS.—With respect to the In24 dian Youth Service Corps, the term of service shall 


rfrederick on DSKD9S0YB1PROD with BILLS
30 

•S 896 IS

1 be established in consultation with the affected In2 dian tribe or tribally authorized organization. 

3 ‘‘(c) HIRING PREFERENCE AND FUTURE EMPLOY4 MENT.—The Secretary may— 

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

6 time served as a Corps participant, which may be 

7 used toward future Federal hiring; 

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

9 Corps or the Indian Youth Service Corps non10 competitive hiring status for a period of not more 

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

12 the candidate in the Corps or the Indian Youth 

13 Service Corps was complete, if the candidate— 

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

15 on an appropriate natural or cultural resources 

16 conservation project that included at least 120 

17 hours through the Corps or the Indian Youth 

18 Service Corps; and 

19 ‘‘(B) meets Office of Personnel Manage20 ment qualification standards for the position for 

21 which the candidate is applying; 

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

23 consulting intern noncompetitive hiring status for a 

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

25 which the individual has completed an underVerDate Mar 15 2010 23:50 May 05, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00030 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S896.IS S896

rfrederick on DSKD9S0YB1PROD with BILLS
31 

•S 896 IS

1 graduate or graduate degree, respectively, from an 

2 accredited institution, if the candidate— 

3 ‘‘(A) successfully fulfilled the resource as4 sistant or consulting intern program require5 ments; and 

6 ‘‘(B) meets Office of Personnel Manage7 ment qualification standards for the position for 

8 which the candidate is applying; and 

9 ‘‘(4) provide, or enter into contracts or coopera10 tive agreements with qualified employment agencies 

11 to provide, alumni services such as job and edu12 cation counseling, referrals, verification of service, 

13 communications, and other appropriate services to 

14 Corps participants who have completed the term of 

15 service.’’. 

16 (l) NATIONAL SERVICE EDUCATIONAL AWARDS.— 

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

18 by subsection (h)) is amended— 

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

20 (a)(4)), in the first sentence— 

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

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

23 participant’’; and 

24 (B) by striking ‘‘participant or resource as25 sistant’’ and inserting ‘‘Corps participant’’; and 


rfrederick on DSKD9S0YB1PROD with BILLS
32 

•S 896 IS

1 (2) in subsection (b)— 

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

3 Corps or resource assistants’’ and inserting 

4 ‘‘Corps participants’’; and 

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

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

7 (16 U.S.C. 1728) (as redesignated by subsection (h)) is 

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

9 follows through the period and inserting ‘‘Corps partici10 pants.’’. 

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

12 1729) (as redesignated by subsection (h)) is amended— 

13 (1) in subsection (a)— 

14 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

15 (i) in the second sentence, by striking 

16 ‘‘non-federal sources’’ and inserting 

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

18 (ii) by inserting after the second sen19 tence the following: ‘‘The Secretary may 

20 pay up to 90 percent of the costs of a 

21 project if the Secretary determines that the 

22 reduction is necessary to enable participa23 tion from a greater range of organizations 

24 or individuals.’’; and 


rfrederick on DSKD9S0YB1PROD with BILLS
33 

•S 896 IS

1 (B) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘or In2 dian Youth Service Corps’’ after ‘‘Corps’’ each 

3 place it appears; 

4 (2) by amending subsection (b) to read as fol5 lows: 

6 ‘‘(b) FUNDS AVAILABLE UNDER NATIONAL AND

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

8 Secretary shall be eligible to apply for and receive assist9 ance under section 121(b) of the National and Community 

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

11 (3) in subsection (c)— 

12 (A) by striking ‘‘section 211’’ and insert13 ing ‘‘section 213’’; and 

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

15 Corps’’ after ‘‘Corps’’. 

16 (o) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 

17 213 of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1730) (as redesignated by sub18 section (h)) is amended— 

19 (1) by amending subsection (a) to read as fol20 lows: 

21 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be ap22 propriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out 

23 this Act.’’; 

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


rfrederick on DSKD9S0YB1PROD with BILLS
34 

•S 896 IS

1 (3) by redesignating subsection (c) as sub2 section (b). 

Æ 


rfrederick on DSKD9S0YB1PROD with BILLS