I 
109TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6181 
To amend the National and Community Service Act of 1990 to establish 
a National Infrastructure Corps to address the Nation’s infrastructure 
needs and provide employment opportunities for unemployed individuals. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 26, 2006 
Mr. CLAY (for himself and Mr. OWENS) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To amend the National and Community Service Act of 1990 
to establish a National Infrastructure Corps to address 
the Nation’s infrastructure needs and provide employ-
ment opportunities for unemployed individuals. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Infrastruc-
ture Corps Act of 2006’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
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(1) The United States is suffering a worsening 
crisis in public infrastructure, including a lack or in-
sufficiency of railroad, mass transportation, power, 
water control, river navigation, port, oil refining, and 
hospital infrastructure facilities. 
(2) The ‘‘infrastructure report card’’ issued by 
the American Society of Civil Engineers estimates 
the need for $1,700,000,000,000 in investments to 
repair and replace obsolescent and broken-down in-
frastructure facilities in the United States. 
(3) The Nation’s infrastructure crisis became 
dramatically apparent after the breakdown of water 
control, transportation, and power infrastructure fa-
cilities in the Gulf States following Hurricanes 
Katrina and Rita. 
(4) Each $1,000,000,000 of Federal funding in-
vested in infrastructure facilities creates approxi-
mately 50,000 jobs and $6,000,000,000 in economic 
activity. 
(5) The United States continues to suffer high 
rates of unemployment in urban and rural areas, es-
pecially among males in their twenties, and individ-
uals and households continue to experience decreases 
in wages and real income. 
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(6) Regional, State, and local infrastructure re-
building projects require a great deal of semi-skilled 
and labor-intensive employment. 
(7) These projects include the necessary repair 
and rebuilding of large numbers of the Nation’s ‘‘up-
stream’’ dams, which could provide employment to 
100,000 individuals, and the replacement of the 10 
obsolete locks and dams on the Ohio River Mainstem 
system, which would generate approximately 20,000 
jobs over a multi-year period. 
(8) The Urban Youth Corps administered by 
the Departments of Housing and Urban Develop-
ment and Transportation, the National Civilian 
Community Corps, and other volunteer programs of 
the Corporation for National and Community Serv-
ice have greatly contributed to public works and dis-
aster response projects. 
(9) The authority of the Corporation for Na-
tional and Community Service should be expanded to 
provide employment opportunities and reverse trends 
in urban unemployment through the establishment 
of a National Infrastructure Corps modeled after the 
Community Conservation Corps created at the out-
set of the Great Depression. 
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SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE 
CORPS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Title I of the National and Com-
munity Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12501 et seq.) is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘Subtitle J—National 
Infrastructure Corps 
‘‘SEC. 199AA. DEFINITIONS. 
‘‘In this subtitle, the following definitions apply: 
‘‘(1) CORPS.—The term ‘Corps’ means the Na-
tional Infrastructure Corps established by section 
199BB. 
‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE
PROJECT.—The term ‘eligible 
project’ means a project for the construction or re-
pair of an economic infrastructure facility in the 
United States, including a power, rail, transport, 
port, inland navigation, water management, drinking 
water, energy, or hospital facility. 
‘‘(3) ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUAL.—The term ‘eligible 
individual’ means an individual who is— 
‘‘(A) unemployed or employed on a part- 
time basis due to economic reasons, as defined 
by the Secretary of Labor; 
‘‘(B) between the ages of 18 and 40; and 
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‘‘(C) a citizen of, or an alien lawfully ad-
mitted for permanent residence to, the United 
States. 
‘‘(4) QUALIFIED
INFRASTRUCTURE
CORPS.— 
The term ‘qualified infrastructure corps’ means a 
program established by a State or local government 
or by a nonprofit organization to carry out eligible 
projects and provide employment to eligible individ-
uals. 
‘‘SEC. 199BB. ESTABLISHMENT. 
‘‘There is established a National Infrastructure 
Corps, to be administered by the Corporation. 
‘‘SEC. 199CC. PURPOSES. 
‘‘The purposes of the Corps shall be— 
‘‘(1) to address the economic infrastructure 
needs of the Nation through the performance of eli-
gible projects; and 
‘‘(2) to address high rates of unemployment in 
urban and rural areas by providing employment op-
portunities to eligible individuals. 
‘‘SEC. 199DD. PARTICIPATION IN THE CORPS. 
‘‘(a) PARTICIPANTS.—The Corps shall be composed 
of not more than 40,000 eligible individuals recruited by 
the Corporation. 
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‘‘(b) TRAINING.—The Corporation may provide em-
ployment training for individuals participating in the 
Corps. The Corporation may provide such training by en-
tering into agreements with building trades unions and 
labor councils that regularly provide 4-week and 6-week 
training classes in construction and the building trades. 
‘‘(c) RESIDENCY PROGRAM.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Corporation may pro-
vide housing for individuals participating in the 
Corps. 
‘‘(2) CORPS HOUSING.—The Corporation shall 
provide such housing in a manner in which individ-
uals participating in the Corps reside with other 
Corps participants. 
‘‘(d) PERIOD OF PARTICIPATION.—An individual may 
participate in the Corps for a period of not more than 
1 year. 
‘‘SEC. 199EE. PROJECTS TO BE CARRIED OUT BY THE 
CORPS. 
‘‘(a) SELECTION OF PROJECTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Corporation shall se-
lect eligible projects to be carried out by the Corps 
and shall provide financial assistance for such 
projects using amounts appropriated to carry out 
this subtitle. 
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‘‘(2) PARTICIPATION OF ARMY CORPS OF ENGI-
NEERS.—The 
Corporation 
shall 
select 
eligible 
projects under paragraph (1) in cooperation with the 
Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of 
Engineers. 
‘‘(3) PROJECT
PROPOSALS.—The Corporation 
shall select eligible projects under this subsection 
based on proposals submitted to the Corporation by 
Federal, State, and local entities. The head of a 
Federal, State, or local entity shall submit such a 
proposal at the time and in the manner as the Cor-
poration requires. 
‘‘(4) DISASTER RELIEF ACTIVITIES.—In select-
ing eligible projects under this subsection, the Cor-
poration shall give priority to projects to repair vital 
infrastructure facilities damaged by natural disasters 
and emergencies, including projects to address dam-
ages resulting from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. 
‘‘(b) PERFORMANCE OF PROJECTS.— 
‘‘(1) COOPERATION WITH THE ARMY CORPS OF 
ENGINEERS.—The Corporation may enter into con-
tracts and cooperative agreements under which the 
Corps shall perform eligible projects in coordination 
with the Secretary of the Army, acting through the 
Chief of Engineers. 
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‘‘(2) COOPERATION
WITH
OTHER
FEDERAL 
AGENCIES.— 
‘‘(A) 
CONTRACTS
AND
COOPERATIVE 
AGREEMENTS.—The Corporation may enter 
into contracts and cooperative agreements 
under which the Corps shall perform eligible 
projects in coordination with the heads of other 
Federal entities, including— 
‘‘(i) the Urban Youth Corps, adminis-
tered by the Secretary of Housing and 
Urban Development; 
‘‘(ii) the Urban Youth Corps, adminis-
tered by the Secretary of Transportation; 
‘‘(iii) the National Resource Conserva-
tion Service of the Department of Agri-
culture; and 
‘‘(iv) the National Civilian Community 
Corps. 
‘‘(B) REPAIR
AND
REBUILDING
OF
UP-
STREAM STRUCTURES.—The Corporation shall 
seek to enter into a contract or cooperative 
agreement under this paragraph with the Chief 
of the National Resource Conservation Service 
for the rebuilding and repair of upstream struc-
tures across the Nation. 
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‘‘(3) USE
OF
QUALIFIED
INFRASTRUCTURE 
CORPS.— 
‘‘(A) 
CONTRACTS
AND
COOPERATIVE 
AGREEMENTS.—The Corporation may enter 
into contracts and cooperative agreements with 
any qualified infrastructure corps to perform el-
igible projects. 
‘‘(B) 
GRANTS.—The 
Corporation 
may 
make grants to States (and through States to 
local governments) for the purpose of estab-
lishing, operating, and supporting a qualified 
infrastructure corps that will perform eligible 
projects. 
‘‘(C) APPLICABILITY
OF
MATCHING
RE-
QUIREMENTS.—The matching funds require-
ment of section 121(e) shall apply to financial 
assistance provided under this paragraph. 
‘‘(c) COORDINATION OF ACTIVITIES.—The Corpora-
tion shall coordinate the activities of the Corps with other 
national service activities carried out under this title. 
‘‘SEC. 199FF. WAGES. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—All individuals participating in 
the Corps or in a qualified infrastructure corps performing 
work for the construction, alteration, or repair, including 
painting and decorating, of projects, buildings, and works 
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funded using amounts appropriated to carry out this sub-
title shall be paid wages at not less than the prevailing 
wages on similar construction in the locality as determined 
by the Secretary of Labor in accordance with sections 
3141–3144, 3146, and 3147 of title 40, United States 
Code. 
‘‘(b) AUTHORITY.—With respect to the determination 
of wages under paragraph (1), the Secretary of Labor 
shall have the authority and functions set forth in Reorga-
nization Plan No. 14 of 1950 (64 Stat. 1267) and section 
3145 of title 40, United States Code. 
‘‘SEC. 199GG. NON-FEDERAL STATUS. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Except as otherwise provided in 
this section, individuals participating in the Corps shall 
not, by reason of their status as such participants, be con-
sidered Federal employees and shall not be subject to the 
provisions of law relating to Federal employees. 
‘‘(b) WORK-RELATED INJURIES.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of subchapter 
I of chapter 81 of title 5, United States Code, relat-
ing to the compensation of Federal employees for 
work injuries, individuals participating in the Corps 
shall be considered as employees of the United 
States within the meaning of the term ‘employee’, as 
defined in section 8101 of such title. 
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‘‘(2) SPECIAL RULE.—In the application of the 
provisions of subchapter I of chapter 81 of title 5, 
United States Code, to an individual referred to in 
paragraph (1), the individual shall not be considered 
to be in the performance of duty while absent from 
the individual’s assigned post of duty unless the ab-
sence is authorized in accordance with procedures 
prescribed by the Director of the Corporation. 
‘‘(c) TORT CLAIMS PROCEDURE.—An individual par-
ticipating in the Corps shall be considered an employee 
of the United States for purposes of chapter 171 of title 
28, United States Code, relating to tort claims liability 
and procedure. 
‘‘SEC. 199HH. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
‘‘There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
this subtitle $900,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2007 
through 2010.’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents 
contained in section 1(b) of the National and Community 
Service Act of 1990 is amended by adding at the end of 
the items relating to title I the following: 
‘‘Subtitle J—National Infrastructure Corps 
‘‘Sec. 199AA. Definitions. 
‘‘Sec. 199BB. Establishment. 
‘‘Sec. 199CC. Purposes. 
‘‘Sec. 199DD. Participation in the Corps. 
‘‘Sec. 199EE. Projects to be carried out by the Corps. 
‘‘Sec. 199FF. Wages. 
‘‘Sec. 199GG. Non-Federal status. 
‘‘Sec. 199HH. Authorization of appropriations.’’. 
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SEC. 4. CONFORMING AMENDMENT. 
Section 122(a) of the National and Community Serv-
ice Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12572(a)) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating paragraph (15) as para-
graph (16); and 
(2) by inserting after paragraph (14) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(15) An economic infrastructure construction 
program such as the National Infrastructure Corps 
established under section 199BB or a qualified in-
frastructure corps as defined in section 199AA.’’. 
Æ 
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