21st Century Civilian Conservation Corps Act

II 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION S. 4434 To carry out a Civilian Conservation Corps program, provide supplemental appropriations for certain conservation activities, to provide for increased reforestation across the United States, to provide incentives for agricul- tural producers to carry out climate stewardship practices, and for other purposes. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES AUGUST 4, 2020 Mr. WYDEN (for himself and Mr. BOOKER) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry A BILL To carry out a Civilian Conservation Corps program, provide supplemental appropriations for certain conservation ac- tivities, to provide for increased reforestation across the United States, to provide incentives for agricultural pro- ducers to carry out climate stewardship practices, 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 ‘‘21st Century Civilian 4 Conservation Corps Act’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:55 Aug 25, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4434.IS S4434 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •S 4434 IS SEC. 2. CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CORPS. 1 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Title I of the Workforce Inno- 2 vation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3111 et seq.) is 3 amended— 4 (1) by redesignating subtitle E (29 U.S.C. 3241 5 et seq.) as subtitle F; and 6 (2) by inserting after subtitle D the following: 7 ‘‘Subtitle E—Civilian Conservation 8 Corps 9 ‘‘SEC. 176. CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CORPS PROGRAM. 10 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 11 ‘‘(1) MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS.—The term 12 ‘member organizations’ means the boards, entities, 13 and agencies that agree to an agreement described 14 in subsection (d). 15 ‘‘(2) QUALIFIED ENTITY.—The term ‘qualified 16 entity’ means an entity carrying out a program 17 using qualified youth or conservation corps criteria. 18 ‘‘(3) QUALIFIED YOUTH OR CONSERVATION 19 CORPS CRITERIA.—The term ‘qualified youth or con- 20 servation corps criteria’ means the model and stand- 21 ards for a program described in section 203(11) of 22 the Public Land Corps Act of 1993 (16 U.S.C. 23 1722(11)). 24 ‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall estab- 25 lish and carry out a Civilian Conservation Corps program. 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:55 Aug 25, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4434.IS S4434 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •S 4434 IS The program shall be carried out using qualified youth 1 or conservation corps criteria and through Civilian Con- 2 servation Corps projects. 3 ‘‘(c) GRANTS.—In carrying out the Civilian Conserva- 4 tion Corps program, the Secretary shall make grants to 5 eligible State boards and local boards, acting in partner- 6 ship with member organizations, to carry out Civilian Con- 7 servation Corps projects. 8 ‘‘(d) ELIGIBLE BOARDS.—To be eligible to receive a 9 grant under this section, a State board or local board shall 10 have entered into an agreement with 1 or more qualified 11 entities and, at the option of the board involved, 1 or more 12 applicable State or local agencies, to carry out a Civilian 13 Conservation Corps project. The agreement shall specify 14 the roles of the State board or local board, of each quali- 15 fied entity, and of any other applicable State or local agen- 16 cy involved, in carrying out the Civilian Conservation 17 Corps project. 18 ‘‘(e) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive a grant 19 under this section for a Civilian Conservation Corps 20 project, the State board or local board shall submit an 21 application to the Secretary, at such time and in such 22 manner as the Secretary may require, that contains— 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:55 Aug 25, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4434.IS S4434 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •S 4434 IS ‘‘(1) a description of the project, including how 1 the projects relates to goals described in subsection 2 (h); 3 ‘‘(2) a copy of the agreement described in sub- 4 section (d); 5 ‘‘(3) the scope of work and budget for the 6 project; 7 ‘‘(4) the number of enrollees needed to carry 8 out the project; 9 ‘‘(5) a description of the manner in which the 10 member organizations shall recruit, screen, and se- 11 lect enrollees; 12 ‘‘(6) a description of the manner in which the 13 qualified entities will provide, through the project— 14 ‘‘(A) education, work experience, and 15 work-based learning; and 16 ‘‘(B) training, such as basic skills training, 17 the development of job-specific occupational 18 skills, or other training activities, designed to 19 lead to the attainment of an industry-recog- 20 nized credential, including a description of the 21 training that leads to the credential; 22 ‘‘(7) a description of the stipend, allowance, or 23 other benefits an enrollee in the project will receive; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:55 Aug 25, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4434.IS S4434 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •S 4434 IS ‘‘(8) a description of the supportive services 1 that an enrollee in the project will receive; and 2 ‘‘(9) information specifying how the member or- 3 ganizations will collect such information on the 4 project and enrollees as the Secretary may require, 5 and submit a report containing that information to 6 the Secretary. 7 ‘‘(f) PRIORITY.— 8 ‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 9 ‘‘(A) DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITY.—The 10 term ‘disadvantaged community’ means a com- 11 munity (including a city, town, county, or rea- 12 sonably isolated and divisible segment of a larg- 13 er municipality) with an annual median house- 14 hold income that is less than 100 percent of the 15 statewide annual median household income for 16 the State in which the community is located, 17 according to the most recent decennial census. 18 ‘‘(B) HIGH-POVERTY COMMUNITY.—The 19 term ‘high-poverty community’ means any cen- 20 sus block group in an urban area in which not 21 less than 30 percent of the population lives 22 below the poverty line (as defined in section 23 673 of the Community Services Block Grant 24 Act (42 U.S.C. 9902)). 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:55 Aug 25, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4434.IS S4434 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •S 4434 IS ‘‘(2) GRANTS.—In making grants under this 1 section, the Secretary of Labor shall give priority to 2 funding projects that— 3 ‘‘(A) maximize quantifiable environmental 4 benefits for the least cost; and 5 ‘‘(B) are carried out in high-poverty com- 6 munities or disadvantaged communities. 7 ‘‘(g) FISCAL AGENT.—The State board or local board 8 shall act as the fiscal agent for the grant and shall dis- 9 tribute funds for the Civilian Conservation Corps project 10 to the member organizations involved. 11 ‘‘(h) ELIGIBLE USE OF FUNDS.—Qualified entities 12 may use funds distributed for each Civilian Conservation 13 Corps project, with goals relating to conservation, outdoor 14 recreation, or other environmental matters, for— 15 ‘‘(1) education, work experience, and workforce 16 investment activities outlined in section 129(c)(2) re- 17 lated to conservation, outdoor recreation, and other 18 environmental industries; 19 ‘‘(2) other education and training activities that 20 focus on career development in such industries; 21 ‘‘(3) activities leading to development and com- 22 pletion of the project; 23 ‘‘(4) activities for data collection, management, 24 and reporting; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:55 Aug 25, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4434.IS S4434 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •S 4434 IS ‘‘(5) other activities designed to lead to success- 1 ful completion of the project and workforce develop- 2 ment outcomes; and 3 ‘‘(6) any administrative activities supporting 4 the project. 5 ‘‘(i) QUALIFIED YOUTH OR CONSERVATION CORPS.— 6 In carrying out projects under this section, the Secretary 7 shall— 8 ‘‘(1) consult with the National Association of 9 Service and Conservation Corps— 10 ‘‘(A) to establish standards used to iden- 11 tify appropriate types of Civilian Conservation 12 Corps projects, and activities to be provided 13 and workforce development outcomes sought, 14 through those projects; and 15 ‘‘(B) to establish specific performance ac- 16 countability measures for evaluating Civilian 17 Conservation Corps projects; and 18 ‘‘(2) enter into a contract or cooperative agree- 19 ment with the National Association of Service and 20 Conservation Corps to develop recommendations for 21 the standards and measures described in paragraph 22 (1). 23 ‘‘(j) FEDERAL COORDINATION.—The Secretary of 24 Labor shall monitor and track, through an online platform 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:55 Aug 25, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4434.IS S4434 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •S 4434 IS that is usable by personnel across Federal agencies, the 1 expenditure of the amounts made available to carry out 2 this section.’’. 3 (b) FUNDING.—The following amounts are appro- 4 priated, out of any amounts in the Treasury not otherwise 5 appropriated, to the Secretary of Labor for the Civilian 6 Conservation Corps program established under subtitle E 7 of title I of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity 8 Act, $9,000,000,000 for the fiscal year ending September 9 30, 2020, to remain available through September 30, 10 2022. 11 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 12 (1) ONE-STOP DELIVERY SYSTEMS.—Section 13 121(b)(1)(C)(ii)(II) of the Workforce Innovation and 14 Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3151(b)(1)(C)(ii)(II)) is 15 amended by striking ‘‘subtitles C through E’’ and 16 inserting ‘‘subtitles C, D, and F’’. 17 (2) TRANSITION.—Section 503(b) of the Work- 18 force Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 19 3343(b)) is amended by inserting before the period 20 at the end the following: ‘‘(as in effect on the day 21 before the date of enactment of the Workforce Inno- 22 vation and Opportunity Act)’’. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:55 Aug 25, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4434.IS S4434 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 9 •S 4434 IS (d) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents in 1 section 1(b) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity 2 Act is amended— 3 (1) by striking the item relating to the subtitle 4 heading for subtitle E of title I and inserting the fol- 5 lowing: 6 ‘‘Subtitle F—Administration’’; and 7 (2) by inserting after the item relating to sec- 8 tion 172 the following: 9 ‘‘Subtitle E—Civilian Conservation Corps ‘‘Sec. 176. Civilian Conservation Corps program.’’. SEC. 3. SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE FOR- 10 EST SERVICE AND THE BUREAU OF LAND 11 MANAGEMENT. 12 (a) IN GENERAL.—The following amounts are appro- 13 priated, out of any amounts in the Treasury not otherwise 14 appropriated, for the fiscal year ending September 30, 15 2020, and for other purposes: 16 (1) FOREST SERVICE SUPPLEMENTAL APPRO- 17 PRIATIONS.—For an additional amount for the For- 18 est Service, $3,500,000,000 for ‘‘National Forest 19 System’’, to remain available through September 30, 20 2023, which shall be used for hazardous fuels man- 21 agement activities, subject to the conditions de- 22 scribed in subsection (b). 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:55 Aug 25, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4434.IS S4434 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 10 •S 4434 IS (2) BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT SUPPLE- 1 MENTAL APPROPRIATIONS.—For an additional 2 amount for the Bureau of Land Management, 3 $2,000,000,000 for ‘‘Management of Lands and Re- 4 sources’’, to remain available until September 30, 5 2021, which shall be used for hazardous fuels man- 6 agement activities, subject to the conditions de- 7 scribed in subsection (b). 8 (b) CONDITIONS.—In using amounts made available 9 under paragraph (1) or (2) of subsection (a), the Sec- 10 retary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the For- 11 est Service, or the Secretary of the Interior, acting 12 through the Director of the Bureau of Land Management, 13 respectively (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Secretary 14 concerned’’)— 15 (1) shall prioritize hazardous fuels reduction 16 projects using those amounts for projects— 17 (A) for which any applicable processes 18 under the National Environmental Policy Act of 19 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) have been com- 20 pleted or are in the process of being completed; 21 (B) that are noncommercial; 22 (C) that focus on small diameter trees, 23 thinning, strategic fuel breaks, and fire use to 24 modify fire behavior, as measured by the pro- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:55 Aug 25, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4434.IS S4434 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 11 •S 4434 IS jected reduction of uncharacteristically severe 1 wildfire effects for the forest type (such as ad- 2 verse soil impacts, tree mortality, or other im- 3 pacts); 4 (D) that maximize the retention of large 5 trees, as appropriate for the forest type, to the 6 extent that the trees promote fire-resilient 7 stands; 8 (E) that do not include the establishment 9 of permanent roads; 10 (F) that include a commitment of funding 11 to decommission all temporary roads con- 12 structed to carry out the project; 13 (G) that are located in fire regime I, fire 14 regime II, or fire regime III (as those terms are 15 defined in section 101 of the Healthy Forests 16 Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6511)); 17 and 18 (H) that are located in forests that exhibit 19 the greatest vulnerability to mortality and cata- 20 strophic wildfire; and 21 (2) shall not harvest vegetation using mechan- 22 ical treatment— 23 (A) from old growth stands, unless the old 24 growth stand is part of a science-based ecologi- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:55 Aug 25, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4434.IS S4434 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 12 •S 4434 IS cal restoration project authorized by the Sec- 1 retary concerned that meets applicable protec- 2 tion and old growth enhancement objectives, as 3 determined by the Secretary concerned; 4 (B) within an inventoried roadless area; 5 (C) within a component of the National 6 Wilderness Preservation System; 7 (D) within a wilderness study area in 8 which restoration would impair the suitability of 9 the area to be designated as a component of the 10 National Wilderness Preservation System, as 11 determined by the Secretary concerned; or 12 (E) within a research natural area, as des- 13 ignated by the Forest Service. 14 (c) REPORTS.—The Secretary concer [Text truncated for display. 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