I 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 2670 To amend the National and Community Service Act of 1990 to establish a Civilian Climate Corps to help communities respond to climate change and transition to a clean economy, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES APRIL 20, 2021 Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ (for herself, Ms. BARRAGA´N, Ms. MENG, Mr. BOWMAN, Mr. JONES, Ms. NORTON, Ms. PRESSLEY, Mr. POCAN, Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York, Mr. GARCI´A of Illinois, Ms. JAYAPAL, Mr. BLU- MENAUER, Mr. CARSON, Ms. OMAR, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Mr. CON- NOLLY, Ms. WILSON of Florida, and Mr. LARSON of Connecticut) intro- duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Edu- cation and Labor, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, 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 amend the National and Community Service Act of 1990 to establish a Civilian Climate Corps to help communities respond to climate change and transition to a clean econ- omy, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:50 Jun 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2670.IH H2670 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 2670 IH SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 1 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘The Civilian Climate 2 Corps for Jobs and Justice Act’’. 3 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 4 Congress finds the following: 5 (1) The effects of climate change include ex- 6 treme heat, drought, intensified storms and hurri- 7 canes, rising sea level, ocean acidification, inten- 8 sifying wildfires, and other natural disasters. 9 (2) These natural disasters exert profound im- 10 pacts on the lives and livelihoods of all individuals, 11 but some communities, particularly low-income com- 12 munities and communities of color, are dispropor- 13 tionately exposed and vulnerable to climate impacts 14 and pollution. 15 (3) To stem the worst effects of climate change, 16 the global economy must completely decarbonize and 17 remain carbon negative thereafter, which requires a 18 domestic economy-wide transition to a clean and 19 sustainable economy within a rapid timeframe. 20 (4) Such a transition requires a massive labor 21 mobilization and the development of a diverse, inclu- 22 sive, and skilled workforce. Historically underserved 23 communities must equitably receive the resources 24 they need to effectively mitigate and adapt to cli- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:50 Jun 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2670.IH H2670 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 2670 IH mate change, and displaced or unemployed workers 1 require retraining and support. 2 (5) Millions of people face unemployment and 3 barriers to opportunity, especially in low-income 4 rural, urban, and tribal environments. These chal- 5 lenges have been exacerbated by the COVID–19 cri- 6 sis, which also disproportionately affected low-in- 7 come people and young people of color, who cur- 8 rently face unemployment at rates double the na- 9 tional average. 10 (6) An existing network of national, State, trib- 11 al, and local service and conservation corps can be 12 rapidly scaled and supplemented to mobilize labor, 13 provide job opportunities and career training, and 14 help establish the workforce necessary to accomplish 15 the transition to a clean and just economy. 16 (7) Corps positions provide hands-on work ex- 17 perience, income, and job training for unemployed 18 individuals in the United States, as well as leader- 19 ship skills, an opportunity for community service, 20 and an understanding of environmental stewardship. 21 (8) The Corporation for National and Commu- 22 nity Service has the ability to recruit, select, fund, 23 and oversee 1,500,000 members of service corps by 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:50 Jun 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2670.IH H2670 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 2670 IH 2025 to complete important projects across the en- 1 tire country to help address the climate crisis. 2 (9) Unsatisfactory wages and working condi- 3 tions, and employers’ refusal to respect workers’ 4 rights to organize and collectively bargain, lead to 5 labor disputes, which threaten to frustrate or delay 6 the urgent mobilization necessary to address climate 7 change. Such disputes are prevented or minimized 8 when the law effectively protects the right of workers 9 to receive fair compensation and benefits, to form or 10 join unions, to collectively bargain over the terms 11 and conditions of employment, and to engage in 12 other concerted activities for mutual aid or protec- 13 tion. 14 SEC. 3. CIVILIAN CLIMATE CORPS PROGRAM. 15 (a) IN GENERAL.—The National and Community 16 Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12501 et seq.) is amended 17 by inserting after subtitle J of title I the following new 18 subtitle: 19 ‘‘Subtitle K—Civilian Climate 20 Corps 21 ‘‘SEC. 199O. PURPOSE; DEFINITIONS. 22 ‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this subtitle 23 to— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:50 Jun 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2670.IH H2670 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 2670 IH ‘‘(1) add to and increase the scale of the exist- 1 ing network of service programs to complete clean 2 energy, climate resilience, conservation, environ- 3 mental remediation, and sustainable infrastructure 4 projects necessary to respond to and solve the cli- 5 mate crisis, while providing education, workforce de- 6 velopment, and career pathways to participants, with 7 a focus on historically underserved communities; and 8 ‘‘(2) authorize the operation of, support for, 9 and assistance to service programs that meet na- 10 tional and community needs related to climate 11 change, clean energy, and environmental justice. 12 ‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this subtitle: 13 ‘‘(1) INDIAN COUNTRY.—The term ‘Indian 14 country’ has the meaning given that term in section 15 1151 of title 18, United States Code. 16 ‘‘(2) UNDER-RESOURCED COMMUNITY OF 17 NEED.—The term ‘under-resourced community of 18 need’ means— 19 ‘‘(A) a community with significant rep- 20 resentation of communities of color, low-income 21 communities, or tribal and indigenous commu- 22 nities, that experiences, or is at risk of experi- 23 encing, higher or more adverse human health or 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:50 Jun 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2670.IH H2670 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 2670 IH environmental effects, as compared to other 1 communities; 2 ‘‘(B) communities in Indian country; 3 ‘‘(C) a community facing economic transi- 4 tion, deindustrialization, and historic under- 5 investment; or 6 ‘‘(D) a community with a high rate of pov- 7 erty or unemployment, as determined by the Di- 8 rector in consultation with the advisory board 9 established in section 199X (referred to in this 10 subtitle as the ‘advisory board’) and appro- 11 priate Federal resources identifying environ- 12 mental justice communities. 13 ‘‘SEC. 199P. ESTABLISHMENT OF A CIVILIAN CLIMATE 14 CORPS. 15 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Corporation shall establish 16 the Civilian Climate Corps to carry out the purpose of this 17 subtitle. 18 ‘‘(b) PROGRAM COMPONENTS.—The Civilian Climate 19 Corps authorized by subsection (a) shall operate two pro- 20 gram components: 21 ‘‘(1) A national climate service program de- 22 scribed in section 199Q, for which 66 percent of the 23 funds appropriated to carry out this subtitle shall be 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:50 Jun 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2670.IH H2670 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 2670 IH made available for operation and administrative ex- 1 penses. 2 ‘‘(2) A national climate service grant program 3 described in section 199R, for which 34 percent of 4 the funds appropriated to carry out this subtitle 5 shall be made available for operation and adminis- 6 trative expenses. 7 ‘‘SEC. 199Q. NATIONAL CLIMATE SERVICE PROGRAM. 8 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Under the national climate serv- 9 ice program component of the Civilian Climate Corps es- 10 tablished by section 199P, participants shall work in 11 teams on Civilian Climate Corps projects. 12 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANTS.—An individual shall 13 be eligible for selection for the national climate service 14 program if the individual is, or will be, at least 17 years 15 of age on or before December 31 of the calendar year in 16 which the individual enrolls in the program, regardless of 17 immigration status. 18 ‘‘(c) DIVERSE BACKGROUND OF PARTICIPANTS; 19 GENDER REPRESENTATION.— 20 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In selecting individuals for 21 the national climate service program, the Director 22 appointed pursuant to section 199X(c)(1) (referred 23 to in this subtitle as the ‘Director’) shall ensure that 24 eligible participants are from economically, geo- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:50 Jun 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2670.IH H2670 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 2670 IH graphically, and ethnically diverse backgrounds. The 1 Director shall take appropriate steps to recruit and 2 select participants such that not less than 50 per- 3 cent of participants are from under-resourced com- 4 munities of need. 5 ‘‘(2) SERVICE IN COMMUNITIES OF ORIGIN.—To 6 the extent practicable, the Director shall ensure that 7 participants are provided opportunities to perform 8 service in their communities of origin if desired. 9 ‘‘(3) GENDER REPRESENTATION.—To the 10 greatest extent practicable, the Director shall ensure 11 inclusion and representation of all genders among 12 participants. 13 ‘‘(4) RURAL REPRESENTATION.—To the great- 14 est extent practicable, the Director shall ensure in- 15 clusion and representation of participants from 16 counties with a population of less than 50,000 resi- 17 dents. 18 ‘‘(d) PERIOD OF PARTICIPATION.—Individuals desir- 19 ing to participate in the national service program shall 20 enter into an agreement with the Director to participate 21 in the Civilian Climate Corps for a period of not less than 22 nine months and not more than one year, as specified by 23 the Director. Individuals may renew the agreement for not 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:50 Jun 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2670.IH H2670 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 2670 IH more than one additional such period, with any number 1 of years between periods of service. 2 ‘‘(e) DIRECTOR.—Upon the establishment of the Ci- 3 vilian Climate Corps, the Civilian Climate Corps national 4 climate service program shall be under the direction of the 5 Director. 6 ‘‘(f) MEMBERSHIP IN CIVILIAN CLIMATE CORPS.— 7 ‘‘(1) SELECTION OF MEMBERS.—The Director 8 or the Director’s designee shall select individuals for 9 participation within the national climate service pro- 10 gram, which shall grant the individual membership 11 within the Civilian Climate Corps. 12 ‘‘(2) APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP.—To be 13 selected to become a member of the Civilian Climate 14 Corps through the national climate service program, 15 an individual shall submit an application to the Di- 16 rector or to any other office as the Director may 17 designate, at such time, in such manner, and con- 18 taining such information as the Director shall re- 19 quire. At a minimum, the application shall contain 20 sufficient information to enable the Director, or the 21 campus director of the appropriate campus, to deter- 22 mine whether selection of the applicant for member- 23 ship in the Civilian Climate Corps is appropriate. 24 ‘‘(3) TEAM LEADERS.— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:50 Jun 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2670.IH H2670 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 2670 IH ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Director may se- 1 lect individuals with prior supervisory or service 2 experience to be team leaders within units in 3 the Civilian Climate Corps national climate 4 service program, to perform service that in- 5 cludes leading and supervising teams of Civilian 6 Climate Corps members. 7 ‘‘(B) RIGHTS AND BENEFITS.—A team 8 leader shall be provided the same rights and 9 benefits applicable to other Civilian Climate 10 Corps members, except that the Director may 11 increase the limitation on the amount of the liv- 12 ing allowance under section 199S(b) for a team 13 leader. 14 ‘‘(g) ORGANIZATION OF NATIONAL CLIMATE SERV- 15 ICE PROGRAM INTO UNITS.— 16 ‘‘(1) UNITS.—The national climate service pro- 17 gram shall be divided into units by the Director or 18 Director’s designee. Each Civilian Climate Corps 19 member shall be assigned to a unit. 20 ‘‘(2) UNIT LEADERS.—The leader of each unit 21 shall be selected by the Director. The designated 22 leader shall accompany the unit throughout the pe- 23 riod of agreed service of the members of the unit. 24 ‘‘(h) CAMPUSES.— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:50 Jun 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2670.IH H2670 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 2670 IH ‘‘(1) UNITS MAY BE ASSIGNED TO CAMPUSES.— 1 The units of the national climate service program 2 may be grouped together as appropriate in campuses 3 for operational, support, and, when necessary, 4 boarding purposes. The Civilian Climate Corps cam- 5 pus for a unit shall be in a facility or central loca- 6 tion established as the operational headquarters for 7 the unit. When necessary and appropriate, Civilian 8 Climate Corps members may be housed in the cam- 9 puses or provided housing vouchers and support in 10 cases where boarding is not possible. 11 ‘‘(2) CAMPUS DIRECTOR.—There shall be a 12 campus director for each campus. The campus direc- 13 tor is the head of the campus, and preference shall 14 be given to hiring directors that are members of the 15 community in which a campus is situated. 16 ‘‘(3) FACILITIES.—Upon the establishment of 17 the program, the Director shall identify Federal fa- 18 cilities in consultation with the General Services 19 Agency and the advisory board under section 199X 20 that may be used, in whole or in part, by the na- 21 tional climate service program. Eligible facilities 22 shall include existing campuses operated by the Cor- 23 poration and other programs. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:50 Jun 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2670.IH H2670 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 2670 IH ‘‘(4) ELIGIBLE SITE FOR A CAMPUS.—A cam- 1 pus may be located in a facility described in para- 2 graph (3) or in another facility [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]