[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1238 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]
S.1238
One Hundred Ninth Congress
of the
United States of America
AT THE FIRST SESSION
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday,
the fourth day of January, two thousand and five
An Act
To amend the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 to provide for the conduct
of projects that protect forests, and for other purposes.
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 ``Public Lands Corps Healthy Forests
Restoration Act of 2005''.
SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO THE PUBLIC LANDS CORPS ACT OF 1993.
(a) Definitions.--Section 203 of the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993
(16 U.S.C. 1722) is amended--
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (8), (9), (10), and (11) as
paragraphs (9), (10), (11), and (13), respectively;
(2) by inserting after paragraph (7) the following:
``(8) Priority project.--The term `priority project' means an
appropriate conservation project conducted on eligible service
lands to further 1 or more of the purposes of the Healthy Forests
Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6501 et seq.), as follows:
``(A) To reduce wildfire risk to a community, municipal
water supply, or other at-risk Federal land.
``(B) To protect a watershed or address a threat to forest
and rangeland health, including catastrophic wildfire.
``(C) To address the impact of insect or disease
infestations or other damaging agents on forest and rangeland
health.
``(D) To protect, restore, or enhance forest ecosystem
components to--
``(i) promote the recovery of threatened or endangered
species;
``(ii) improve biological diversity; or
``(iii) enhance productivity and carbon
sequestration.''; and
(3) by inserting after paragraph (11) (as redesignated by
paragraph (1)) the following:
``(12) Secretary.--The term `Secretary' means--
``(A) with respect to National Forest System land, the
Secretary of Agriculture; and
``(B) with respect to Indian lands, Hawaiian home lands, or
land administered by the Department of the Interior, the
Secretary of the Interior.''.
(b) Qualified Youth or Conservation Corps.--Section 204(c) of the
Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 (16 U.S.C. 1723(c)) is amended--
(1) by striking ``The Secretary of the Interior and the
Secretary of Agriculture are'' and inserting the following:
``(1) In general.--The Secretary is''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(2) Preference.--
``(A) In general.--For purposes of entering into contracts
and cooperative agreements under paragraph (1), the Secretary
may give preference to qualified youth or conservation corps
located in a specific area that have a substantial portion of
members who are economically, physically, or educationally
disadvantaged to carry out projects within the area.
``(B) Priority projects.--In carrying out priority projects
in a specific area, the Secretary shall, to the maximum extent
practicable, give preference to qualified youth or conservation
corps located in that specific area that have a substantial
portion of members who are economically, physically, or
educationally disadvantaged.''.
(c) Conservation Projects.--Section 204(d) of the Public Lands
Corps Act of 1993 (16 U.S.C. 1723(d)) is amended--
(1) in the first sentence--
(A) by striking ``The Secretary of the Interior and the
Secretary of Agriculture may each'' and inserting the
following:
``(1) In general.--The Secretary may''; and
(B) by striking ``such Secretary'' and inserting ``the
Secretary'';
(2) in the second sentence, by striking ``Appropriate
conservation'' and inserting the following:
``(2) Projects on indian lands.--Appropriate conservation'';
and
(3) by striking the third sentence and inserting the following:
``(3) Disaster prevention or relief projects.--The Secretary
may authorize appropriate conservation projects and other
appropriate projects to be carried out on Federal, State, local, or
private land as part of a Federal disaster prevention or relief
effort.''.
(d) Conservation Centers and Program Support.--Section 205 of the
Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 (16 U.S.C. 1724) is amended--
(1) by striking the heading and inserting the following:
``SEC. 205. CONSERVATION CENTERS AND PROGRAM SUPPORT.'';
(2) by striking subsection (a) and inserting the following:
``(a) Establishment and Use.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary may establish and use
conservation centers owned and operated by the Secretary for--
``(A) use by the Public Lands Corps; and
``(B) the conduct of appropriate conservation projects
under this title.
``(2) Assistance for conservation centers.--The Secretary may
provide to a conservation center established under paragraph (1)
any services, facilities, equipment, and supplies that the
Secretary determines to be necessary for the conservation center.
``(3) Standards for conservation centers.--The Secretary
shall--
``(A) establish basic standards of health, nutrition,
sanitation, and safety for all conservation centers established
under paragraph (1); and
``(B) ensure that the standards established under
subparagraph (A) are enforced.
``(4) Management.--As the Secretary determines to be
appropriate, the Secretary may enter into a contract or other
appropriate arrangement with a State or local government agency or
private organization to provide for the management of a
conservation center.''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(d) Assistance.--The Secretary may provide any services,
facilities, equipment, supplies, technical assistance, oversight,
monitoring, or evaluations that are appropriate to carry out this
title.''.
(e) Living Allowances and Terms of Service.--Section 207 of the
Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 (16 U.S.C. 1726) is amended--
(1) by striking subsection (a) and inserting the following:
``(a) Living Allowances.--The Secretary shall provide each
participant in the Public Lands Corps and each resource assistant with
a living allowance in an amount established by the Secretary.''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(c) Hiring.--The Secretary may--
``(1) grant to a member of the Public Lands Corps credit for
time served with the Public Lands Corps, which may be used toward
future Federal hiring; and
``(2) provide to a former member of the Public Lands Corps
noncompetitive hiring status for a period of not more than 120 days
after the date on which the member's service with the Public Lands
Corps is complete.''.
(f) Funding.--The Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 is amended--
(1) in section 210 (16 U.S.C. 1729), by adding at the end the
following:
``(c) Other Funds.--Amounts appropriated pursuant to the
authorization of appropriations under section 211 are in addition to
amounts allocated to the Public Lands Corps through other Federal
programs or projects.''; and
(2) by inserting after section 210 the following:
``SEC. 211. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
``(a) In General.--There is authorized to be appropriated to carry
out this title $12,000,000 for each fiscal year, of which $8,000,000 is
authorized to carry out priority projects and $4,000,000 of which is
authorized to carry out other appropriate conservation projects.
``(b) Disaster Relief or Prevention Projects.--Notwithstanding
subsection (a), any amounts made available under that subsection shall
be available for disaster prevention or relief projects.
``(c) Availability of Funds.--Notwithstanding any other provision
of law, amounts appropriated for any fiscal year to carry out this
title shall remain available for obligation and expenditure until the
end of the fiscal year following the fiscal year for which the amounts
are appropriated.''.
(g) Conforming Amendments.--The Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 is
amended--
(1) in section 204 (16 U.S.C. 1723)--
(A) in subsection (b)--
(i) in the first sentence, by striking ``Secretary of
the Interior or the Secretary of Agriculture'' and
inserting ``Secretary'';
(ii) in the third sentence, by striking ``Secretaries''
and inserting ``Secretary''; and
(iii) in the fourth sentence, by striking
``Secretaries'' and inserting ``Secretary''; and
(B) in subsection (e), by striking ``Secretary of the
Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture'' and inserting
``Secretary'';
(2) in section 205 (16 U.S.C. 1724)--
(A) in subsection (b), by striking ``Secretary of the
Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture'' and inserting
``Secretary''; and
(B) in subsection (c), by striking ``Secretary of the
Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture'' and inserting
``Secretary'';
(3) in section 206 (16 U.S.C. 1725)--
(A) in subsection (a)--
(i) in the first sentence--
(I) by striking ``Secretary of the Interior and the
Secretary of Agriculture are each'' and inserting
``Secretary is''; and
(II) by striking ``such Secretary'' and inserting
``the Secretary'';
(ii) in the third sentence, by striking ``Secretaries''
and inserting ``Secretary''; and
(iii) in the fourth sentence, by striking
``Secretaries'' and inserting ``Secretary''; and
(B) in the first sentence of subsection (b), by striking
``Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Agriculture''
and inserting ``the Secretary''; and
(4) in section 210 (16 U.S.C. 1729)--
(A) in subsection (a)--
(i) in paragraph (1), by striking ``Secretary of the
Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture are each'' and
inserting ``Secretary is''; and
(ii) in paragraph (2), by striking ``Secretary of the
Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture are each'' and
inserting ``Secretary is''; and
(B) in subsection (b), by striking ``Secretary of the
Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture'' and inserting
``Secretary''.
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.