[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1394 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1394

 To amend the National and Community Service Act of 1990 to establish 
   the Clean Energy Corps to mobilize young people to promote energy 
         conservation and mitigate threats to the environment.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 9, 2009

  Mr. Inslee (for himself and Mr. Sarbanes) introduced the following 
    bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the National and Community Service Act of 1990 to establish 
   the Clean Energy Corps to mobilize young people to promote energy 
         conservation and mitigate threats to the environment.

    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 ``Clean Energy Corps Act''.

SEC. 2. AMENDMENT TO THE NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE ACT OF 1990.

    Title I of the National and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 
U.S.C. 12511 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

                    ``Subtitle J--Clean Energy Corps

``SEC. 199P. GENERAL AUTHORITY.

    ``The Corporation for National and Community Service (in this title 
referred to as the `Corporation') shall make grants to States and 
eligible entities for the creation or expansion of full-time or part-
time Clean Energy Corps programs.

``SEC. 199Q. APPLICATION.

    ``(a) In General.--To be eligible to receive a grant under this 
subtitle, a State or eligible entity shall submit an application to the 
Corporation at such time, in such manner, and containing such 
information as the Corporation may reasonably require.
    ``(b) Process.--The Corporation shall consult with state and local 
Conservation Corps in the development of the application guidelines.
    ``(c) Disadvantaged Youth.--To acknowledge the focused enrollment 
of disadvantaged youth and young adults in the Clean Energy Corps, the 
Corporation shall--
            ``(1) allow a higher cost-per-member to enable Clean Energy 
        Corps programs to provide the necessary supportive services to 
        ensure the success of the participants; and
            ``(2) allow for greater flexibility in retention rates.
    ``(d) Consideration of Residential Corps.--The Corporation shall 
allow for equal consideration of residential Corps program 
opportunities since residential Corps thrive in rural areas that 
commonly lack opportunities for young adults, enable the participation 
for emancipated foster youth, gang involved youth, and others lacking a 
safe and stable home environment, allow for more structured time for 
work, training, education and counseling, and provide disaster 
response-ready crews immediately upon request.
    ``(e) Equitable Treatment.--In the consideration of applications, 
the Corporation shall ensure the equitable treatment of both urban and 
rural areas.

``SEC. 199R. FOCUS OF PROGRAMS.

    ``(a) In General.--Programs that receive assistance under this 
subtitle may carry out activities that--
            ``(1) meet an identifiable public need with specific 
        emphasis on projects in support of energy conservation, 
        infrastructure and transportation improvement, and emergency 
        operations, including--
                    ``(A) improving the energy efficiency of housing 
                for elderly and low-income people;
                    ``(B) building energy-efficient ``green'' housing 
                for elderly and low-income people;
                    ``(C) environmental education and energy 
                conservation education for elementary and secondary 
                school students and the public;
                    ``(D) reusing and recycling including 
                deconstruction;
                    ``(E) the repair, renovation, or rehabilitation of 
                an existing infrastructure facility including, but not 
                limited to, rail, mass transportation, ports, inland 
                navigation, schools and hospitals;
                    ``(F) transportation enhancements;
                    ``(G) recreational trails improvements, including 
                those that enable alternative means of transportation 
                and ensure safe use;
                    ``(H) transformation of military bases affected by 
                the Base Realignment and Closing process (BRAC) to 
                green the space;
                    ``(I) tree planting and reforestation;
                    ``(J) renewable resource enhancement; and
                    ``(K) assisting in emergency operations, such as 
                disaster prevention and relief; and
            ``(2) provide opportunities for youth and young adults, 
        especially disadvantaged youth, to be trained for careers 
        related to the activities listed in paragraph (1), including 
        those that will be part of the emerging field of ``green 
        collar'' jobs.
    ``(b) Goals of the Clean Energy Corps.--The goals of the Clean 
Energy Corps are to--
            ``(1) promote clean energy use and preserve, protect, and 
        sustain the environment;
            ``(2) provide young adults with opportunities to become 
        better citizens, students and workers through meaningful 
        service to their communities and the Nation;
            ``(3) mobilize youth and young adults, especially 
        disadvantaged youth, to promote energy conservation and 
        mitigate threats to the environment; and
            ``(4) provide a pathway to responsible adulthood and 
        productive, unsubsidized employment in the private sector.

``SEC. 199S. TRAINING AND EDUCATION SERVICES.

    ``All applicants must describe how they intend to--
            ``(1) assess the skills of Corpsmembers;
            ``(2) provide life skills and work skills training;
            ``(3) provide training and education;
            ``(4) develop agreements for academic study with--
                    ``(A) local education agencies;
                    ``(B) community colleges;
                    ``(C) 4-year colleges;
                    ``(D) area charter high schools and vocational-
                technical schools; and
                    ``(E) community-based organizations;
            ``(5) provide career and educational guidance; and
            ``(6) Recruit participants without high school diplomas.

``SEC. 199T. PREFERENCE FOR CERTAIN PROJECTS.

    ``In the consideration of applications the Corporation shall give 
preference to programs that are discrete and--
            ``(1) meet an identifiable public need;
            ``(2) instill a work ethic and a sense of public service in 
        the participants;
            ``(3) involve youth operating in crews or a team-based 
        structure; and
            ``(4) enhance skills development and educational level and 
        opportunities for the participants.

``SEC. 199U. PARTICIPANTS.

    ``(a) In General.--Age enrollment in programs that receive 
assistance under this subtitle shall be limited to individuals who, at 
the time of enrollment, are not less than 18 years nor more than 25 
years of age, except that summer programs may include individuals not 
less than 14 years or more than 21 years of age at the time of the 
enrollment of such individuals.
    ``(b) Participation of Disadvantaged Youth.--Programs that receive 
assistance under this subtitle shall ensure that at least 50 percent of 
the participants are economically disadvantaged youth.
    ``(c) Special Corpsmembers.--Notwithstanding subsection (a) of this 
section, program agencies may enroll a limited number of special 
Corpsmembers over age 25 so that the Clean Energy Corps may draw on 
their special skills to fulfill the purposes of this subtitle.

``SEC. 199V. USE OF VOLUNTEERS.

    ``The use of volunteer services under this section shall be subject 
to the condition that such use does not result in the displacement of 
any participant.

``SEC. 199W. COOPERATION AMONG STATES FOR EMERGENCY RESPONSE.

    ``(a) Agreements Between States.--States operating a Clean Energy 
Corps may enter into a compact with participating States to provide for 
mutual cooperation to manage any emergency or disaster that is duly 
declared by the affected State.
    ``(b) Participating State Responsibilities.--
            ``(1) The authorized representative of a participating 
        State may request assistance of another party by contracting 
        the authorized representative of that State. The provisions of 
        this agreement shall only apply to requests for assistance made 
        by and to authorized representatives.
            ``(2) There shall be frequent consultation between State 
        officials who have assigned emergency management 
        responsibilities and other appropriate representatives of the 
        party States with affected jurisdictions and the United States 
        Government, with free exchange of information, plans, and 
        resource records relating to emergency capabilities.

``SEC. 199X. FEDERAL SHARE.

    ``The Federal share of the cost of carrying out an Clean Energy 
Corps program for which a grant is made under this subtitle is 76 
percent of the total cost of the program.

``SEC. 199Y. BEST PRACTICES.

    ``(a) Training and Technical Assistance.--The Corporation shall 
provide technical assistance to grantees that request assistance and 
shall disseminate best practices that emerge from the Clean Energy 
Corps.
    ``(b) Contract.--In providing training and technical assistance, 
the Corporation shall contract with a national organization with a 
proven track record of developing and sustaining Corps, working with 
the Conservation Corps model, and engaging young people from 
disadvantaged backgrounds.

``SEC. 199Z. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    ``(a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated such 
sums as may be necessary for fiscal years 2010 through 2014 to achieve 
the purposes of this subtitle.
    ``(b) Allocation.--Of the amounts appropriated to carry out this 
subtitle for each fiscal year--
            ``(1) 90 percent shall be for grants to eligible entities;
            ``(2) 5 percent shall be technical assistance, and 
        dissemination of best practices; and
            ``(3) 5 percent shall be for evaluation.''.
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