[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6181 Introduced in House (IH)]








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 employment opportunities for unemployed individuals.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``National Infrastructure Corps Act of 
2006''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The United States is suffering a worsening crisis in 
        public infrastructure, including a lack or insufficiency 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 infrastructure facilities in the 
        United States.
            (3) The Nation's infrastructure crisis became dramatically 
        apparent after the breakdown of water control, transportation, 
        and power infrastructure facilities in the Gulf States 
        following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
            (4) Each $1,000,000,000 of Federal funding invested in 
        infrastructure facilities creates approximately 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, especially among males 
        in their twenties, and individuals and households continue to 
        experience decreases in wages and real income.
            (6) Regional, State, and local infrastructure rebuilding 
        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 ``upstream'' 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 Development and Transportation, the 
        National Civilian Community Corps, and other volunteer programs 
        of the Corporation for National and Community Service have 
        greatly contributed to public works and disaster response 
        projects.
            (9) The authority of the Corporation for National 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 outset of 
        the Great Depression.

SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE CORPS.

    (a) In General.--Title I of the National and Community 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 National 
        Infrastructure Corps established by section 199BB.
            ``(2) Eligible project.--The term `eligible project' means 
        a project for the construction or repair 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
                    ``(C) a citizen of, or an alien lawfully admitted 
                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 
        individuals.

``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 eligible projects; and
            ``(2) to address high rates of unemployment in urban and 
        rural areas by providing employment opportunities 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.
    ``(b) Training.--The Corporation may provide employment training 
for individuals participating in the Corps. The Corporation may provide 
such training by entering 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 provide housing for 
        individuals participating in the Corps.
            ``(2) Corps housing.--The Corporation shall provide such 
        housing in a manner in which individuals 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 select 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.
            ``(2) Participation of army corps of engineers.--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 
        Corporation requires.
            ``(4) Disaster relief activities.--In selecting eligible 
        projects under this subsection, the Corporation shall give 
        priority to projects to repair vital infrastructure facilities 
        damaged by natural disasters and emergencies, including 
        projects to address damages resulting from Hurricanes Katrina 
        and Rita.
    ``(b) Performance of Projects.--
            ``(1) Cooperation with the army corps of engineers.--The 
        Corporation may enter into contracts 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.
            ``(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, administered 
                        by the Secretary of Housing and Urban 
                        Development;
                            ``(ii) the Urban Youth Corps, administered 
                        by the Secretary of Transportation;
                            ``(iii) the National Resource Conservation 
                        Service of the Department of Agriculture; and
                            ``(iv) the National Civilian Community 
                        Corps.
                    ``(B) Repair and rebuilding of upstream 
                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 
                structures across the Nation.
            ``(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 eligible projects.
                    ``(B) Grants.--The Corporation may make grants to 
                States (and through States to local governments) for 
                the purpose of establishing, operating, and supporting 
                a qualified infrastructure corps that will perform 
                eligible projects.
                    ``(C) Applicability of matching requirements.--The 
                matching funds requirement of section 121(e) shall 
                apply to financial assistance provided under this 
                paragraph.
    ``(c) Coordination of Activities.--The Corporation 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 funded using amounts appropriated to carry out 
this subtitle 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 Reorganization 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 considered 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, relating 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.
            ``(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 
        absence is authorized in accordance with procedures prescribed 
        by the Director of the Corporation.
    ``(c) Tort Claims Procedure.--An individual participating 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.''.

SEC. 4. CONFORMING AMENDMENT.

    Section 122(a) of the National and Community Service Act of 1990 
(42 U.S.C. 12572(a)) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraph (15) as paragraph (16); and
            (2) by inserting after paragraph (14) the following:
            ``(15) An economic infrastructure construction program such 
        as the National Infrastructure Corps established under section 
        199BB or a qualified infrastructure corps as defined in section 
        199AA.''.
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