Restore Employment in Natural and Environmental Work Conservation Corps Act

II 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 1370 To establish a Restore Employment in Natural and Environmental Work Conservation Corps in the Department of the Interior and the Depart- ment of Agriculture, and for other purposes. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES APRIL 26, 2021 Mr. DURBIN introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works A BILL To establish a Restore Employment in Natural and Environ- mental Work Conservation Corps in the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture, 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 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Restore Employment 4 in Natural and Environmental Work Conservation Corps 5 Act’’ or the ‘‘RENEW Conservation Corps Act’’. 6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. 7 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 8 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:59 May 25, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1370.IS S1370 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 2 •S 1370 IS (1) as a result of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 1 (COVID–19) pandemic, more than 40,000,000 peo- 2 ple in the United States have filed claims for unem- 3 ployment benefits since March 2020, which is a level 4 of unemployment not seen since the Great Depres- 5 sion; 6 (2) investments in fish, wildlife, and habitat 7 restoration and outdoor recreation infrastructure 8 generate as many as 33 jobs per $1,000,000 in- 9 vested, as demonstrated by the American Recovery 10 and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111–5; 11 123 Stat. 115); 12 (3) the outdoor recreation economy— 13 (A) generates $887,000,000,000 in eco- 14 nomic activity each year, which is 2.2 percent 15 of the gross domestic product of the United 16 States, according to the Bureau of Economic 17 Analysis; and 18 (B) was 1 of the fastest growing sectors of 19 the United States economy before the 20 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID–19) pan- 21 demic; 22 (4) the demand for outdoor recreation has in- 23 creased dramatically during the Coronavirus Disease 24 2019 (COVID–19) pandemic; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:59 May 25, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1370.IS S1370 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 3 •S 1370 IS (5) the Federal Government and State and local 1 governments and agencies have many ‘‘shovel-ready’’ 2 projects and green infrastructure maintenance back- 3 log projects that would— 4 (A) improve the quality of life and outdoor 5 experiences of people of the United States; 6 (B) make communities, especially commu- 7 nities that are traditionally underserved, more 8 resilient to climate change, natural disasters, 9 and wildfires; and 10 (C) provide access to outdoor recreation 11 opportunities to all people of the United States; 12 (6) many facilities and natural resources lo- 13 cated on dedicated conservation land are in disrepair 14 or degraded and in need of labor-intensive rehabili- 15 tation, restoration, and enhancement work that can- 16 not be carried out at existing staffing levels; 17 (7) enhancing and maintaining environmentally 18 and recreationally important land and waters 19 through the participation of unemployed individuals 20 in the United States in a conservation corps could— 21 (A) provide critical employment, education, 22 and skill development opportunities to the indi- 23 viduals; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:59 May 25, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1370.IS S1370 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 4 •S 1370 IS (B) prepare the individuals for permanent 1 jobs in the conservation field; and 2 (C) benefit the economy and environment 3 of the United States; and 4 (8) existing networks of conservation corps are 5 in place but need additional resources in order to 6 scale up the activities of the conservation corps to 7 meet growing deferred maintenance needs on public 8 land. 9 (b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are— 10 (1) to employ, during the 5-year period begin- 11 ning on the date of enactment of this Act, a total 12 of 1,000,000 people in the United States in dedi- 13 cated conservation land projects to support the 14 growing backlog of deferred conservation land 15 projects; 16 (2) to expose Participants to public service 17 while furthering the understanding and appreciation 18 of the Participants of the natural and cultural re- 19 sources of the United States; 20 (3) to stimulate interest among Participants in 21 conservation careers by exposing the Participants to 22 conservation professionals in land management 23 agencies; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:59 May 25, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1370.IS S1370 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 5 •S 1370 IS (4) to build on the existing network of con- 1 servation corps organizations working across the 2 United States while providing for expanded partici- 3 pation in urban centers. 4 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 5 In this Act: 6 (1) CORPS.—The term ‘‘Corps’’ means the Re- 7 store Employment in Natural and Environmental 8 Work Conservation Corps established by section 9 4(a). 10 (2) COUNCIL.—The term ‘‘Council’’ means the 11 National Council on the Restore Employment in 12 Natural and Environmental Work Conservation 13 Corps established under section 6(a). 14 (3) ELIGIBLE AGENCY OR ORGANIZATION.—The 15 term ‘‘eligible agency or organization’’ means— 16 (A) a unit of local government; 17 (B) a land trust; 18 (C) a conservation nonprofit organization; 19 or 20 (D) a qualified youth service and conserva- 21 tion corps, including— 22 (i) an organization established 23 under— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:59 May 25, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1370.IS S1370 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 6 •S 1370 IS (I) the National and Community 1 Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12501 2 et seq.); 3 (II) title I of Public Law 91–378 4 (commonly known as the ‘‘Youth Con- 5 servation Corps Act of 1970’’) (16 6 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.); or 7 (III) the Public Lands Corps Act 8 of 1993 (16 U.S.C. 1721 et seq.), in- 9 cluding the Indian Youth Service 10 Corps authorized under section 210 of 11 that Act (16 U.S.C. 1727b); 12 (ii) the Urban Youth Corps authorized 13 under section 106 of the National and 14 Community Service Trust Act of 1993 (42 15 U.S.C. 12656); 16 (iii) a qualified urban youth corps (as 17 defined in section 106(c)(3) of the Na- 18 tional and Community Service Trust Act of 19 1993 (42 U.S.C. 12656(c)(3))); and 20 (iv) the Healthy Futures Corps estab- 21 lished under section 122(a)(2)(A) of the 22 National and Community Service Act of 23 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12572(a)(2)(A)). 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:59 May 25, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1370.IS S1370 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 7 •S 1370 IS (4) ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANT.—The term ‘‘eligi- 1 ble participant’’ means an individual who— 2 (A) is 16 years of age or older at the time 3 the individual begins the term of service as a 4 Participant; and 5 (B) is a citizen or national of the United 6 States or lawful permanent resident alien of the 7 United States. 8 (5) ELIGIBLE PROJECT.—The term ‘‘eligible 9 project’’ means any of the following: 10 (A) A project to plant trees. 11 (B) A project for the restoration and man- 12 agement of wildlife habitat. 13 (C) A project to control invasive species. 14 (D) A project for the conduct of prescribed 15 burns, hazardous fuels reduction, or invasive 16 species removal. 17 (E) A project for the restoration of 18 streams, wetlands, and other aquatic eco- 19 systems, including the Great Lakes and coastal 20 areas. 21 (F) A project to monitor water quality in 22 streams and lakes. 23 (G) A project to assist with the conduct of 24 fish and wildlife surveys. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:59 May 25, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1370.IS S1370 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 8 •S 1370 IS (H) A project for the construction or main- 1 tenance of trails, bridges, campgrounds, picnic 2 shelters, or other recreational amenities for use 3 by the public. 4 (I) A project for the construction or main- 5 tenance of parks and playgrounds. 6 (J) A project to restore brownfield sites 7 (as defined in section 101 of the Comprehensive 8 Environmental Response, Compensation, and 9 Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 9601)) in 10 urban areas. 11 (K) A project to construct rain gardens, 12 grass waterways, pollinator gardens, or green 13 schoolyards. 14 (L) A project for the development of urban 15 gardens and farms. 16 (M) A project to plant native grasslands. 17 (N) A project to provide environmental in- 18 terpretation or outdoor education. 19 (O) A project to improve community resil- 20 iency to climate change and natural disasters, 21 such as the installation of bioswales and per- 22 meable surfaces. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:59 May 25, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1370.IS S1370 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 9 •S 1370 IS (P) A project for the collection, storage, 1 and propagation of native seed and plant mate- 2 rials. 3 (Q) Any other project determined to be ap- 4 propriate by the Secretaries. 5 (6) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ 6 has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the 7 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 8 Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 9 (7) OPPORTUNITY YOUTH.—The term ‘‘oppor- 10 tunity youth’’ means an individual who— 11 (A) is not younger than the age of 16 or 12 older than the age of 24; and 13 (B) is not enrolled in school or partici- 14 pating in the labor market. 15 (8) PARTICIPANT.—The term ‘‘Participant’’ 16 means an eligible participant enrolled in the Corps. 17 (9) PROGRAM PARTNER.—The term ‘‘Program 18 partner’’ means— 19 (A) a State or Indian Tribe administering 20 a program for eligible projects or a grant pro- 21 gram under subsection (a) or (b) of section 5, 22 as applicable; and 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:59 May 25, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1370.IS S1370 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 10 •S 1370 IS (B) an eligible agency or organization car- 1 rying out eligible projects under section 2 5(a)(3)(B). 3 (10) SECRETARIES.—The term ‘‘Secretaries’’ 4 means the Secretary of Agriculture and the Sec- 5 retary of the Interior, acting jointly. 6 (11) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of 7 the several States, the District of Columbia, the 8 Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and any other terri- 9 tory or possession of the United States. 10 SEC. 4. RESTORE EMPLOYMENT IN NATURAL AND ENVI- 11 RONMENTAL WORK CONSERVATION CORPS. 12 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the 13 Department of the Interior and the Department of Agri- 14 culture the Restore Employment in Natural and Environ- 15 mental Work Conservation Corps program under which 16 Participants shall carry out— 17 (1) eligible projects administered by the Secre- 18 taries under this section; and 19 (2) eligible projects administered by Program 20 partners under subsection (a) or (b) of section 5. 21 (b) PARTICIPANTS.— 22 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Corps shall consist of— 23 (A) eligible participants who are enrolled 24 in the Corps by the Secretaries; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:59 May 25, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1370.IS S1370 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 11 •S 1370 IS (B) eligible participants who are enrolled 1 in the Corps by Program partners. 2 (2) REQUIREMENT.—In enrolling eligible par- 3 ticipants in the Corps under paragraph (1), the Sec- 4 retaries and Program partners shall ensure that 5 Participants reflect the demographics of the area in 6 which the Participants are carrying out an eligible 7 project. 8 (3) WORK EXPERIENCE.—The Secretaries and 9 Program partners shall provide Participants— 10 (A) meaningful, full-time, productive work 11 in a natural or cultural resource setting; 12 (B) a mix of work experience, basic and 13 life skills, education, training, and support serv- 14 ices; and 15 (C) the opportunity to develop an ethic of 16 citizenship, community service, and environ- 17 mental stewardship through service to the com- 18 munity and the United States. 19 (c) TERMS AND COMPENSATION.— 20 (1) TERM.—Participants shall serve for a term 21 of at least 12 weeks, but not more than 1 year. 22 (2) COMPENSATION.— 23 (A) WAGES.—Participants shall be com- 24 pensated at a wage rate that is appropriate for 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:59 May 25, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1370.IS S1370 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 12 •S 1370 IS the type of work performed by the Participant, 1 but not less than $15 per hour (to be increased 2 each year based on increases in the Consumer 3 Price Index for the year). 4 (B) EDUCATIONAL CREDIT; TUITION AS- 5 SISTANCE.—If a Participant completes at least 6 1 year of service in the Corps, the Participant 7 shall be eligible for— 8 (i) an educational credit that may be 9 applied toward a program of postsecondary 10 education at an institution of higher edu- 11 cation that agrees to award the credit for 12 participation in the Corps; and 13 (ii) not more than $5,500 in tuition 14 assistance to the Participant for purposes 15 of continuing education. 16 (d) TRAINING; APPRENTICESHIPS.—The Secretaries 17 and Program partners shall— 18 (1) ensure that 20 to 50 percent of the term of 19 a Participant in the Corps is dedicated to education, 20 training, and workforce readiness activities; and 21 (2) provide curricula to Participants that im- 22 prove the future job prospects of Participants, in- 23 cluding through making available to Participants 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:59 May 25, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1370.IS S1370 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 13 •S 1370 IS registered apprenticeships and other professional li- 1 censes or certifications. 2 (e) ADDITIONAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF 3 PROGRAM PARTNERS WITH RESPECT TO OPPORTUNITY 4 YOUTH.—A Program partner that enrolls Participants 5 that are opportunity youth— 6 (1) shall provide to the opportunity youth— 7 (A) supervision and training; 8 (B) adult mentoring; and 9 (C) education, which may include— 10 (i) basic instruction and remedial edu- 11 cation; 12 (ii) language instruction for individ- 13 uals with limited English proficiency; 14 (iii) secondary education services and 15 activities, including dropout prevention and 16 tutoring; and 17 (iv) other activities that are delivered 18 in conjunction with project-based service- 19 learning to the maximum extent prac- 20 [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]