I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1612 
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-learning opportunities on public lands, help restore the Nation’s 
natural, cultural, historic, archaeological, recreational, and scenic re-
sources, train a new generation of public land managers and enthusiasts, 
and promote the value of public service. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 19, 2009 
Mr. GRIJALVA (for himself and Mr. RAHALL) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addi-
tion to the Committees on Agriculture and Education and Labor, 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 com-
mittee concerned 
A BILL 
To amend the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 to expand 
the authorization of the Secretaries of Agriculture, Com-
merce, and the Interior to provide service-learning oppor-
tunities on public lands, help restore the Nation’s nat-
ural, cultural, historic, archaeological, recreational, and 
scenic resources, train a new generation of public land 
managers and enthusiasts, and promote the value of 
public service. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Public Lands Service 
Corps Act of 2009’’. 
SEC. 2. REFERENCE. 
A reference in this Act to ‘‘the Act’’ is a reference 
to the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 (16 U.S.C. 1721 
et seq.; title II of Public Law 91–378). 
SEC. 3. AMENDMENTS TO THE PUBLIC LANDS CORPS ACT 
OF 1993. 
(a) NAME AND PROJECT DESCRIPTION CHANGES.— 
The Act is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘Public Lands Corps’’ each 
place it appears and inserting ‘‘Public Lands Service 
Corps’’; 
(2) by striking ‘‘conservation center’’ each place 
it appears and inserting ‘‘residential conservation 
center’’; and 
(3) 
by 
striking 
‘‘appropriate 
conservation 
projects’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘ap-
propriate natural and cultural resources conservation 
projects’’. 
(b) FINDINGS.—Section 202(a) of the Act is amend-
ed as follows: 
(1) In paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘the natural 
and cultural’’ and inserting ‘‘natural and cultural’’. 
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(2) In paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘, cultural, 
historic, archaeological, recreational and scenic’’ 
after ‘‘Many facilities and natural’’. 
(3) By adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(4) Young men and women who participate in 
the rehabilitation and restoration of our nation’s 
natural, 
cultural, 
historic, 
archaeological, 
rec-
reational, and scenic treasures will gain an increased 
appreciation and understanding of our public lands 
and of the value of public service, and are likely to 
become life-long advocates for those values. 
‘‘(5) The work of conservation corps can benefit 
communities adjacent to public lands, through im-
provement of civic engagement and participation 
among corps participants and those they serve, im-
proving student engagement, student achievement, 
graduation rates, and college attendance rates, and 
the improvement and rehabilitation of public assets, 
including parks, forests, trails, rivers, estuaries, and 
coastal and marine areas.’’. 
(c) PURPOSE.—Section 202(b) of the Act is amended 
as follows: 
(1) In paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘natural re-
sources’’ and inserting ‘‘natural, cultural, historic, 
archaeological, recreational and scenic resources’’. 
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(2) In paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 
end. 
(3) By amending paragraph (5) to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(5) instill in a new generation of young men 
and women from across the nation, including those 
from diverse backgrounds, the desire to seek careers 
in natural and cultural resource stewardship and 
public service by allowing them to work directly with 
conservation professionals in land management 
agencies; and’’. 
(4) By inserting after paragraph (5), the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(6) promote public understanding and appre-
ciation of the mission and work of the federal land, 
coastal, and ocean management agencies.’’. 
(d) DEFINITIONS.—Section 203 of the Act is amend-
ed as follows: 
(1) By amending paragraph (1) to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(1) APPROPRIATE
NATURAL
AND
CULTURAL 
RESOURCES
CONSERVATION
PROJECT.—The term 
‘appropriate natural and cultural conservation 
project’ means any project for the conservation, res-
toration, construction, or rehabilitation of natural, 
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cultural, historic, archaeological, recreational, or sce-
nic resources.’’. 
(2) By striking paragraph (8). 
(3) By redesignating paragraphs (9), (10), 
(11), (12), and (13) as paragraphs (8), (9), (10), 
(11), and (12), respectively. 
(4) By amending paragraph (8) (as so redesig-
nated) to read as follows: 
‘‘(8) PUBLIC LANDS.—The term ‘public lands’ 
means any lands or waters (or interest therein) 
owned or administered by the United States, includ-
ing those areas of coastal and ocean waters, the 
Great Lakes and their connecting waters, and sub-
merged lands over which the United States exercises 
jurisdiction, except that such term does not include 
any Indian lands.’’. 
(5) In paragraph (9) (as so redesignated)— 
(A) in subparagraph (B), by striking 
‘‘and’’ at the end; 
(B) in subparagraph (C), by striking the 
period and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(D) makes available for audit for each fis-
cal year for which the qualified youth or con-
servation corps receives Federal funds under 
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this Act, all information pertaining to the ex-
penditure of the funds, any matching funds, 
and participant demographics.’’. 
(6) In paragraph (11) (as so redesignated)— 
(A) in subparagraph (A), by striking 
‘‘and’’ at the end; 
(B) in subparagraph (B), by striking the 
period and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(C) with respect to the National Marine 
Sanctuary System, coral reefs, and other coast-
al, estuarine and marine habitats, and other 
lands and facilities administered by the Na-
tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 
the Secretary of Commerce.’’. 
(7) By adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(13) 
RESIDENTIAL
CONSERVATION
CEN-
TERS.—The term ‘residential conservation centers’ 
means the facilities authorized under section 205. 
‘‘(14) CONSULTING INTERN.—The term ‘con-
sulting intern’ means a consulting intern selected 
under section 205.’’. 
(e) PUBLIC LANDS SERVICE CORPS PROGRAM.—Sec-
tion 204 of the Act is amended as follows: 
(1) In subsection (a)— 
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(B) by redesignating paragraph (2) as 
paragraph (3); and 
(C) by inserting after paragraph (1) the 
following: 
‘‘(2) RECRUITMENT.—The Secretary shall un-
dertake, or contract for, a program to attract eligi-
ble youth to the Corps by publicizing Corps opportu-
nities through high schools, colleges, employment 
centers, and other appropriate institutions.’’. 
(4) By redesignating subsection (d) as sub-
section (e). 
(5) By inserting after subsection (c) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(d) TRAINING.—The Secretary shall establish a 
training program based at appropriate residential con-
servation centers or at other suitable regional Federal or 
other appropriate facilities or sites to provide training for 
Corps members. The Secretary shall— 
‘‘(1) ensure that the duration and comprehen-
siveness of the training program shall be commensu-
rate with the projects Corps members are expected 
to undertake; 
‘‘(2) develop department-wide standards for the 
program that include training in— 
‘‘(A) resource stewardship; 
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‘‘(B) health and safety; 
‘‘(C) ethics for those in public service; 
‘‘(D) teamwork and leadership; and 
‘‘(E) interpersonal communications; 
‘‘(3) direct the National Park Service, the Bu-
reau of Land Management, and the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service in the case of the Department of the 
Interior, the U.S. Forest Service in the case of the 
Department of Agriculture, and the National Oce-
anic and Atmospheric Administration in the case of 
the Department of Commerce, to develop agency- 
specific training guidelines to ensure that Corps 
members enrolled to undertake projects for a specific 
agency are appropriately informed about matters 
specific to that agency, including— 
‘‘(A) the history and organization of the 
agency; 
‘‘(B) the agency’s core values; and 
‘‘(C) any agency-specific standards for the 
management of natural, cultural, historic, ar-
chaeological, recreational, and scenic resources; 
and 
‘‘(4) take into account training already received 
by Corps members enrolled from qualified youth or 
conservation corps.’’. 
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(6) In subsection (e) (as so redesignated)— 
(A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘The 
Secretary may utilize the Corps or any qualified 
youth or conservation corps to carry out appro-
priate’’ and inserting ‘‘The Secretary may use 
the Corps or any qualified youth or conserva-
tion corps to carry out, under appropriate su-
pervision and training, appropriate natural and 
cultural resource’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘on public lands.’’ insert-
ing the following: ‘‘on eligible service lands. 
Such projects may include, but are not limited 
to, the following: 
‘‘(A) Protection, restoration, or enhancement of 
ecosystem components to promote species recovery, 
improve biological diversity, enhance productivity 
and carbon sequestration, and enhance adaptability 
and resilience of public lands and resources in the 
face of climate change and other natural and human 
disturbances. 
‘‘(B) Promoting the health of forest and public 
lands and coastal and marine areas, including— 
‘‘(i) protection and restoration of water-
sheds and forest, riparian, estuarine, grassland, 
coral reef, intertidal, or other habitat; 
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‘‘(ii) reduction of wildfire risk and mitiga-
tion of damage from insects, disease, and disas-
ters; 
‘‘(iii) erosion control; 
‘‘(iv) control or removal of invasive, nox-
ious, or non-native species; and 
‘‘(v) restoration of native species. 
‘‘(C) Collection of biological, archaeological, and 
other scientific data, including monitoring of cli-
matological information, species populations and 
movement, habitat status, and other factors. 
‘‘(D) Assisting in historical and cultural re-
search, museum curatorial work, oral history 
projects, documentary photography, and activities 
that support the creation of public works of art re-
lated to public lands. 
‘‘(E) Construction, repair, rehabilitation and 
maintenance of roads, trails, campgrounds, and 
other visitor facilities, and employee housing, his-
toric sites and structures, and facilities that further 
the purposes of the Public Lands Service Corps.’’. 
(C) By redesignating paragraphs (2) and 
(3) as paragraph (4) and (5), respectively. 
(D) By inserting after paragraph (1) the 
following: 
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‘‘(2) VISITOR SERVICES.—The Secretary may— 
‘‘(A) enter into or amend an existing coop-
erative agreement with a cooperating associa-
tion, educational institute, friends group, or 
similar non-profit partner organization for the 
purpose of providing training and work experi-
ence to Corps members in areas including, but 
not limted to, sales, office work, accounting, 
and management provided that the work experi-
ence directly relates to the protection and man-
agement of the public lands; and 
‘‘(B) allow Corps members to help provide 
information and orientation services that pro-
mote visitor safety and enjoyment of public 
lands, and assist in the gathering of visitor use 
data. 
‘‘(3) INTERPRETATION.—The Secretary may 
not assign Corps members to provide interpretation 
or education services for the public. However, under 
the direct and immediate supervision of an agency 
employee, Corps members may— 
‘‘(A) provide orientation and information 
services to visitors; 
‘‘(B) assist agency employees in the deliv-
ery of interpretive or educational programs 
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