I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3220 

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 

MAY 13, 2021 

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 1 of the fastest growing sectors of 

22 the United States economy before the 

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


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1 (4) the demand for outdoor recreation has in2 creased dramatically during the Coronavirus Disease 

3 2019 (COVID–19) pandemic; 

4 (5) the Federal Government and State and local 

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

6 projects and green infrastructure maintenance back7 log projects that would— 

8 (A) improve the quality of life and outdoor 

9 experiences of people of the United States; 

10 (B) make communities, especially commu11 nities that are traditionally underserved, more 

12 resilient to climate change, natural disasters, 

13 and wildfires; and 

14 (C) provide access to outdoor recreation 

15 opportunities to all people of the United States; 

16 (6) many facilities and natural resources lo17 cated on dedicated conservation land are in disrepair 

18 or degraded and in need of labor-intensive rehabili19 tation, restoration, and enhancement work that can20 not be carried out at existing staffing levels; 

21 (7) enhancing and maintaining environmentally 

22 and recreationally important land and waters 

23 through the participation of unemployed individuals 

24 in the United States in a conservation corps could— 


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1 (A) provide critical employment, education, 

2 and skill development opportunities to the indi3 viduals; 

4 (B) prepare the individuals for permanent 

5 jobs in the conservation field; and 

6 (C) benefit the economy and environment 

7 of the United States; and 

8 (8) existing networks of conservation corps are 

9 in place but need additional resources in order to 

10 scale up the activities of the conservation corps to 

11 meet growing deferred maintenance needs on public 

12 land. 

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

14 (1) to employ, during the 5-year period begin15 ning on the date of enactment of this Act, a total 

16 of 1,000,000 people in the United States in dedi17 cated conservation land projects to support the 

18 growing backlog of deferred conservation land 

19 projects; 

20 (2) to expose Participants to public service 

21 while furthering the understanding and appreciation 

22 of the Participants of the natural and cultural re23 sources of the United States; 

24 (3) to stimulate interest among Participants in 

25 conservation careers by exposing the Participants to 


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1 conservation professionals in land management 

2 agencies; and 

3 (4) to build on the existing network of con4 servation corps organizations working across the 

5 United States while providing for expanded partici6 pation in urban centers. 

7 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

8 In this Act: 

9 (1) CORPS.—The term ‘‘Corps’’ means the Re10 store Employment in Natural and Environmental 

11 Work Conservation Corps established by section 

12 4(a). 

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

14 National Council on the Restore Employment in 

15 Natural and Environmental Work Conservation 

16 Corps established under section 6(a). 

17 (3) ELIGIBLE AGENCY OR ORGANIZATION.—The 

18 term ‘‘eligible agency or organization’’ means— 

19 (A) a unit of local government; 

20 (B) a land trust; 

21 (C) a conservation nonprofit organization; 

22 or 

23 (D) a qualified youth service and conserva24 tion corps, including— 


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1 (i) an organization established 

2 under— 

3 (I) the National and Community 

4 Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12501 

5 et seq.); 

6 (II) title I of Public Law 91–378 

7 (commonly known as the ‘‘Youth Con8 servation Corps Act of 1970’’) (16 

9 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.); or 

10 (III) the Public Lands Corps Act 

11 of 1993 (16 U.S.C. 1721 et seq.), in12 cluding the Indian Youth Service 

13 Corps authorized under section 210 of 

14 that Act (16 U.S.C. 1727b); 

15 (ii) the Urban Youth Corps authorized 

16 under section 106 of the National and 

17 Community Service Trust Act of 1993 (42 

18 U.S.C. 12656); 

19 (iii) a qualified urban youth corps (as 

20 defined in section 106(c)(3) of the Na21 tional and Community Service Trust Act of 

22 1993 (42 U.S.C. 12656(c)(3))); and 

23 (iv) the Healthy Futures Corps estab24 lished under section 122(a)(2)(A) of the 


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1 National and Community Service Act of 

2 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12572(a)(2)(A)). 

3 (4) ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANT.—The term ‘‘eligi4 ble participant’’ means an individual who— 

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

6 the individual begins the term of service as a 

7 Participant; and 

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

9 States or lawful permanent resident alien of the 

10 United States. 

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

12 project’’ means any of the following: 

13 (A) A project to plant trees. 

14 (B) A project for the restoration and man15 agement of wildlife habitat. 

16 (C) A project to control invasive species. 

17 (D) A project for the conduct of prescribed 

18 burns, hazardous fuels reduction, or invasive 

19 species removal. 

20 (E) A project for the restoration of 

21 streams, wetlands, and other aquatic eco22 systems, including the Great Lakes and coastal 

23 areas. 

24 (F) A project to monitor water quality in 

25 streams and lakes. 


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

2 fish and wildlife surveys. 

3 (H) A project for the construction or main4 tenance of trails, bridges, campgrounds, picnic 

5 shelters, or other recreational amenities for use 

6 by the public. 

7 (I) A project for the construction or main8 tenance of parks and playgrounds. 

9 (J) A project to restore brownfield sites 

10 (as defined in section 101 of the Comprehensive 

11 Environmental Response, Compensation, and 

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

13 urban areas. 

14 (K) A project to construct rain gardens, 

15 grass waterways, pollinator gardens, or green 

16 schoolyards. 

17 (L) A project for the development of urban 

18 gardens and farms. 

19 (M) A project to plant native grasslands. 

20 (N) A project to provide environmental in21 terpretation or outdoor education. 

22 (O) A project to improve community resil23 iency to climate change and natural disasters, 

24 such as the installation of bioswales and per25 meable surfaces. 


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1 (P) Any other project determined to be ap2 propriate by the Secretaries. 

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

4 has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the 

5 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 

6 Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 

7 (7) OPPORTUNITY YOUTH.—The term ‘‘oppor8 tunity youth’’ means an individual who— 

9 (A) is not younger than the age of 16 or 

10 older than the age of 24; and 

11 (B) is not enrolled in school or partici12 pating in the labor market. 

13 (8) PARTICIPANT.—The term ‘‘Participant’’ 

14 means an eligible participant enrolled in the Corps. 

15 (9) PROGRAM PARTNER.—The term ‘‘Program 

16 partner’’ means— 

17 (A) a State or Indian Tribe administering 

18 a program for eligible projects or a grant pro19 gram under subsection (a) or (b) of section 5, 

20 as applicable; and 

21 (B) an eligible agency or organization car22 rying out eligible projects under section 

23 5(a)(3)(B). 


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1 (10) SECRETARIES.—The term ‘‘Secretaries’’ 

2 means the Secretary of Agriculture and the Sec3 retary of the Interior, acting jointly. 

4 (11) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of 

5 the several States, the District of Columbia, the 

6 Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and any other terri7 tory or possession of the United States. 

8 SEC. 4. RESTORE EMPLOYMENT IN NATURAL AND ENVI9 RONMENTAL WORK CONSERVATION CORPS. 

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

11 Department of the Interior and the Department of Agri12 culture the Restore Employment in Natural and Environ13 mental Work Conservation Corps program under which 

14 Participants shall carry out— 

15 (1) eligible projects administered by the Secre16 taries under this section; and 

17 (2) eligible projects administered by Program 

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

19 (b) PARTICIPANTS.— 

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

21 (A) eligible participants who are enrolled 

22 in the Corps by the Secretaries; and 

23 (B) eligible participants who are enrolled 

24 in the Corps by Program partners. 


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1 (2) REQUIREMENT.—In enrolling eligible par2 ticipants in the Corps under paragraph (1), the Sec3 retaries and Program partners shall ensure that 

4 Participants reflect the demographics of the area in 

5 which the Participants are carrying out an eligible 

6 project. 

7 (3) WORK EXPERIENCE.—The Secretaries and 

8 Program partners shall provide Participants— 

9 (A) meaningful, full-time, productive work 

10 in a natural or cultural resource setting; 

11 (B) a mix of work experience, basic and 

12 life skills, education, training, and support serv13 ices; and 

14 (C) the opportunity to develop an ethic of 

15 citizenship, community service, and environ16 mental stewardship through service to the com17 munity and the United States. 

18 (c) TERMS AND COMPENSATION.— 

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

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

21 (2) COMPENSATION.— 

22 (A) WAGES.—Participants shall be com23 pensated at a wage rate that is appropriate for 

24 the type of work performed by the Participant, 

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


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1 each year based on increases in the Consumer 

2 Price Index for the year). 

3 (B) EDUCATIONAL CREDIT; TUITION AS4 SISTANCE.—If a Participant completes at least 

5 1 year of service in the Corps, the Participant 

6 shall be eligible for— 

7 (i) an educational credit that may be 

8 applied toward a program of postsecondary 

9 education at an institution of higher edu10 cation that agrees to award the credit for 

11 participation in the Corps; and 

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

13 assistance to the Participant for purposes 

14 of continuing education. 

15 (d) TRAINING; APPRENTICESHIPS.—The Secretaries 

16 and Program partners shall— 

17 (1) ensure that 20 to 50 percent of the term of 

18 a Participant in the Corps is dedicated to education, 

19 training, and workforce readiness activities; and 

20 (2) provide curricula to Participants that im21 prove the future job prospects of Participants, in22 cluding through making available to Participants 

23 registered apprenticeships and other professional li24 censes or certifications. 


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1 (e) ADDITIONAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF

2 PROGRAM PARTNERS WITH RESPECT TO OPPORTUNITY

3 YOUTH.—A Program partner that enrolls Participants 

4 that are opportunity youth— 

5 (1) shall provide to the opportunity youth— 

6 (A) supervision and training; 

7 (B) adult mentoring; and 

8 (C) education, which may include— 

9 (i) basic instruction and remedial edu10 cation; 

11 (ii) language instruction for individ12 uals with limited English proficiency; 

13 (iii) secondary education services and 

14 activities, including dropout prevention and 

15 tutoring; and 

16 (iv) other activities that are delivered 

17 in conjunction with project-based service18 learning to the maximum extent prac19 ticable; and 

20 (2) may provide to the opportunity youth— 

21 (A) services to assist in the preparation 

22 for, and access to, postsecondary education op23 portunities, including— 

24 (i) counseling; and 


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1 (ii) assistance with applying for stu2 dent financial aid; 

3 (B) employability training, which may in4 clude— 

5 (i) development of basic skills, such 

6 as— 

7 (I) arriving on time to work; 

8 (II) being prepared to work; 

9 (III) following directions; 

10 (IV) working independently; 

11 (V) working with others; 

12 (VI) working safely; and 

13 (VII) demonstrating a commit14 ment to produce high-quality work; 

15 (ii) career counseling and job search 

16 assistance; and 

17 (iii) pathways to family sustaining 

18 jobs; and 

19 (C) supportive services, which may in20 clude— 

21 (i) health care, including mental 

22 health care, such as drug and alcohol 

23 abuse counseling; 

24 (ii) child care; and 

25 (iii) transportation. 


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1 (f) CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION.—The Secretaries 

2 shall provide each Participant with a certificate of comple3 tion bearing the signature of the Secretaries on the com4 pletion of a term of service in the Corps. 

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

6 FOR ELIGIBLE PROJECTS. 

7 (a) APPORTIONMENT TO STATES.— 

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

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

10 available for apportionment to the States for that 

11 fiscal year under section 7(a)(2), the Secretaries 

12 shall apportion— 

(A) 66 2 13 ⁄3 percent among States based on 

14 the proportion that— 

15 (i) the number of unemployed individ16 uals in each State, as determined based on 

17 the most recent data available; bears to 

18 (ii) the total number of unemployed 

19 individuals in all States as so determined; 

20 and 

(B) 33 1 21 ⁄3 percent among States based on 

22 the proportion that— 

23 (i) the population of each State; bears 

24 to 

25 (ii) the population of all States. 


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1 (2) MINIMUM APPORTIONMENT.—No State 

2 shall receive an apportionment under paragraph (1) 

3 for a fiscal year in an amount less than 

4 $42,000,000. 

5 (3) USE OF FUNDS.—Of the amounts appor6 tioned to a State under this subsection for a fiscal 

7 year— 

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

9 to administer a program for the conduct of eli10 gible projects by Participants enrolled in the 

11 program by the States; and 

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

13 to administer a grant program in the State 

14 under which the State provides grants to eligi15 ble agencies or organizations in the State for 

16 the conduct of eligible projects by Participants 

17 enrolled by the eligible agencies or organiza18 tions. 

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

20 Secretaries shall apportion, in accordance with a formula 

21 established by the Secretaries, amounts made available 

22 under section 7(a)(3) to Indian Tribes to administer a 

23 program for the conduct of eligible projects by Partici24 pants enrolled in the program by the Indian Tribe. 


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

2 Program partner for the conduct of eligible projects under 

3 this section, the Program partner— 

4 (1) may use not more than 20 percent for ad5 ministrative costs of administering and carrying out 

6 eligible projects (including costs of recruiting and 

7 hiring individuals to carry out eligible projects); 

8 (2) may use not more than 14 percent to pro9 vide continuing education to individuals admin10 istering or carrying out eligible projects; 

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

12 cost of equipment and supplies for eligible projects; 

13 and 

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

15 the costs of salaries of individuals administering or 

16 carrying out eligible projects. 

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

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

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

20 the third fiscal year beginning after the fiscal year during 

21 which the funds were made available shall be withdrawn 

22 from the State or Indian Tribe and reallocated by the Sec23 retaries to other States and Indian Tribes on the basis 

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


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1 that the Secretaries determine would best accomplish the 

2 purposes described in section 2(b). 

3 SEC. 6. NATIONAL COUNCIL ON THE RESTORE EMPLOY4 MENT IN NATURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL 

5 WORK CONSERVATION CORPS. 

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

7 the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Commerce, 

8 the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agen9 cy, the Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality, 

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

11 Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and 

12 Community Service, and the Assistant Secretary of the 

13 Army for Civil Works, through the execution of a memo14 randum of understanding, shall establish a National Coun15 cil on the Restore Employment in Natural and Environ16 mental Work Conservation Corps. 

17 (b) MEMBERSHIP.— 

18 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Council shall be com19 posed of— 

20 (A) the Director of the Bureau of Indian 

21 Affairs; 

22 (B) the Director of the Bureau of Land 

23 Management; 

24 (C) the Commissioner of Reclamation; 


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1 (D) the Chief of the Natural Resources 

2 Conservation Service; 

3 (E) the Director of the United States Fish 

4 and Wildlife Service; 

5 (F) the Director of the National Park 

6 Service; 

7 (G) the Administrator of the National Oce8 anic and Atmospheric Administration; 

9 (H) the Director of the Office of Surface 

10 Mining Reclamation and Enforcement; 

11 (I) the Chief of Engineers; 

12 (J) the Chief of the Forest Service; 

13 (K) the Director of the Office of Personnel 

14 Management; 

15 (L) the Administrator of the Environ16 mental Protection Agency; 

17 (M) the Chair of the Council on Environ18 mental Quality; 

19 (N) the Chief Executive Officer of the Cor20 poration for National and Community Service; 

21 and 

22 (O) other members that the signatories to 

23 the memorandum of understanding under sub24 section (a) determine to be appropriate for 

25 membership on the Council, including— 


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1 (i) the Secretary of Labor; 

2 (ii) the Secretary of Education; 

3 (iii) the Secretary of Health and 

4 Human Services; 

5 (iv) the Secretary of Housing and 

6 Urban Development; 

7 (v) the Secretary of Transportation; 

8 and 

9 (vi) the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. 

10 (2) CHAIR.— 

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

12 a Chair of the Council from among the mem13 bers of the Council described in subparagraphs 

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

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

16 shall serve for a term of 1 year. 

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

18 shall convene annual meetings of the Council during which 

19 the Council shall conduct an assessment of— 

20 (1) the Corps; and 

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

22 SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

23 (a) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be appro24 priated to carry out this Act $55,800,000,000 for the pe25 riod of fiscal years 2021 through 2025, of which— 


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

2 Secretaries to carry out eligible projects under sec3 tion 4(a)(1); 

4 (2) 57.5 percent shall be made available to the 

5 Secretaries for apportionment to States under sec6 tion 5(a); and 

7 (3) 5 percent shall be made available to the 

8 Secretaries for apportionment to Indian Tribes 

9 under section 5(b). 

10 (b) MATCHING FUNDS WAIVER.—Any otherwise ap11 plicable matching funds requirements, including under 

12 section 212(a)(1) of the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 

13 (16 U.S.C. 1729(a)(1)), shall be waived for projects car14 ried out using amounts made available under this Act. 

Æ 


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