Recognizing the legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) on its 80th anniversary.

Whereas 2013 is the 80th anniversary of the signing of the Emergency Conservation Work Act, a precursor to the Civilian Conservation Corps Act, that allowed for establishment of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC); Whereas the CCC deserves recognition for its lasting contribution to natural resources conservation and infrastructure improvements throughout the United States, and for its outstanding success in providing employment and training to millions of people in the United States during the Great Depression; Whereas the CCC coordinated a mobilization of men, material, and transportation on a scale never previously known in time of peace and managed more than 4,500 camps in every State and the then-territories of Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands; Whereas between 1933 and 1942, the CCC provided employment and vocational training for more than 3,000,000 men, including unemployed youths, more than 250,000 veterans of the Spanish American War and World War I, and more than 80,000 Native Americans in conservation and natural resources development work, defense work on military reservations, and forest protection; Whereas the CCC left a legacy of natural resources and infrastructure improvements that included planting more than 3,000,000,000 trees, building 46,854 bridges, restoring 3,980 historical structures, developing more than 800 State Parks, improving 3,462 beaches, creating 405,037 signs, markers, and monuments, and building 63,256 structures and 8,045 wells and pump houses; Whereas the benefits of many CCC projects are enjoyed today by thousands of people in the United States each year in the National Parks, State Parks, National Forests, National Monuments, and other lands and infrastructure in all States and numerous territories; Whereas CCC Legacy is a nonprofit organization that continues to cultivate and refine endeavors begun by CCC alumni in 1977; Whereas CCC Legacy's primary mission is to increase public awareness of the heritage and contributions of the CCC through featuring CCC alumni, their programs, and accomplishments; Whereas the main organizational goal for 2013 is the promotion of events around the country that celebrate the 80th anniversary of the CCC; Whereas the legacy of the CCC is also carried on today by the Nation’s Youth Service and Conservation Corps located in every State that provide service, education, and job training opportunities for thousands of youth yearly while they perform important projects in their communities and on public lands, such as disaster relief, rural development, conservation, housing, transportation and trails, energy efficiency, wildfire mitigation, and invasive species removal among others; Whereas Youth Service and Conservation Corps carry on the CCC legacy by enrolling thousands of youth while leveraging additional thousands of community volunteer partners to generate millions of hours of service each year and have educated and provided job skills to well over 1,000,000 young people; Whereas the 21st Century Conservation Service Corps (21CSC) is another effort to carry on the CCC legacy and grew out of a recommendation of the America’s Great Outdoors initiative in 2010 and will work through public-private and nonprofit partnerships to put thousands of young people and veterans in the United States to work protecting, restoring, and enhancing the Nation’s great outdoors; Whereas in 2012, the 21CSC Advisory Committee, which was established by the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Council on Environmental Quality, delivered recommendations on how to create a 21st Century Conservation Service Corps to engage young United States citizens in hands-on service and job training experiences on public lands and community green spaces; Whereas in 2013, eight Federal agencies (Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, the Interior, and Labor; Environmental Protection Agency; Council on Environmental Quality; Corporation for National and Community Service; Army Corps of Engineers) signed a memorandum of understanding establishing a National Council for the 21CSC to provide leadership and commitment to build the 21CSC; Whereas the Public Lands Service Corps Act and the Youth Corps Act have been previously introduced in the House of Representatives and Senate that would carry on the legacy of the CCC by helping the Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, and the Interior provide new service opportunities to restore the Nation's natural and infrastructure resources and train a new generation of conservation enthusiasts, and by promoting the use of the Youth Corps model through the Workforce Investment Act by providing assistance to organizations wishing to start Youth Corps in order to provide service opportunities in local communities along with education, job training, and support services; Whereas the CCC demonstrated the commitment of the United States to the conservation of land, water, and natural resources on a national level, leadership in the world on public conservation efforts, and instilled an appreciation for conservation and public service in millions of people in the United States; and Whereas the CCC provided a foundation of self-confidence, responsibility, discipline, cooperation, communication, and leadership for its millions of participants through education, training, and hard work, and its legacy should be continued for future generations through modern day Youth Service and Conservation Corps: Now, therefore, be it That the House of Representatives— (1) congratulates the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and its alumni on its 80th anniversary; (2) recognizes the important contributions to the United States made by the CCC and its participants; (3) encourages people in the United States to recognize the contributions and history of the CCC and its participants; and (4) supports continuation of the legacy of the CCC and the ideals of national service and community improvement.

Summary: Congratulates the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and its alumni on its 80th anniversary. Recognizes the contributions made by the CCC and its participants to the United States. Supports the continuation of the legacy of the CCC and the ideals of national service and community improvement.