[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 249 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 249

Recognizing the legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) on its 
                           80th anniversary.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 5, 2013

Mr. Grijalva (for himself, Ms. McCollum, Mr. Nolan, Ms. Kuster, and Mr. 
Ellison) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                Committee on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Recognizing the legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) on its 
                           80th anniversary.

Whereas 2013 is the 80th anniversary of the signing of the Emergency 
        Conservation Work Act, a precursor to the Civilian Conservation Corps 
        Act, that allowed for establishment of the Civilian Conservation Corps 
        (CCC);
Whereas the CCC deserves recognition for its lasting contribution to natural 
        resources conservation and infrastructure improvements throughout the 
        United States, and for its outstanding success in providing employment 
        and training to millions of people in the United States during the Great 
        Depression;
Whereas the CCC coordinated a mobilization of men, material, and transportation 
        on a scale never previously known in time of peace and managed more than 
        4,500 camps in every State and the then-territories of Hawaii, Alaska, 
        Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands;
Whereas between 1933 and 1942, the CCC provided employment and vocational 
        training for more than 3,000,000 men, including unemployed youths, more 
        than 250,000 veterans of the Spanish American War and World War I, and 
        more than 80,000 Native Americans in conservation and natural resources 
        development work, defense work on military reservations, and forest 
        protection;
Whereas the CCC left a legacy of natural resources and infrastructure 
        improvements that included planting more than 3,000,000,000 trees, 
        building 46,854 bridges, restoring 3,980 historical structures, 
        developing more than 800 State Parks, improving 3,462 beaches, creating 
        405,037 signs, markers, and monuments, and building 63,256 structures 
        and 8,045 wells and pump houses;
Whereas the benefits of many CCC projects are enjoyed today by thousands of 
        people in the United States each year in the National Parks, State 
        Parks, National Forests, National Monuments, and other lands and 
        infrastructure in all States and numerous territories;
Whereas CCC Legacy is a nonprofit organization that continues to cultivate and 
        refine endeavors begun by CCC alumni in 1977;
Whereas CCC Legacy's primary mission is to increase public awareness of the 
        heritage and contributions of the CCC through featuring CCC alumni, 
        their programs, and accomplishments;
Whereas the main organizational goal for 2013 is the promotion of events around 
        the country that celebrate the 80th anniversary of the CCC;
Whereas the legacy of the CCC is also carried on today by the Nation's Youth 
        Service and Conservation Corps located in every State that provide 
        service, education, and job training opportunities for thousands of 
        youth yearly while they perform important projects in their communities 
        and on public lands, such as disaster relief, rural development, 
        conservation, housing, transportation and trails, energy efficiency, 
        wildfire mitigation, and invasive species removal among others;
Whereas Youth Service and Conservation Corps carry on the CCC legacy by 
        enrolling thousands of youth while leveraging additional thousands of 
        community volunteer partners to generate millions of hours of service 
        each year and have educated and provided job skills to well over 
        1,000,000 young people;
Whereas the 21st Century Conservation Service Corps (21CSC) is another effort to 
        carry on the CCC legacy and grew out of a recommendation of the 
        America's Great Outdoors initiative in 2010 and will work through 
        public-private and nonprofit partnerships to put thousands of young 
        people and veterans in the United States to work protecting, restoring, 
        and enhancing the Nation's great outdoors;
Whereas in 2012, the 21CSC Advisory Committee, which was established by the 
        Departments of the Interior and Agriculture, the Environmental 
        Protection Agency, and the Council on Environmental Quality, delivered 
        recommendations on how to create a 21st Century Conservation Service 
        Corps to engage young United States citizens in hands-on service and job 
        training experiences on public lands and community green spaces;
Whereas in 2013, eight Federal agencies (Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, 
        the Interior, and Labor; Environmental Protection Agency; Council on 
        Environmental Quality; Corporation for National and Community Service; 
        Army Corps of Engineers) signed a memorandum of understanding 
        establishing a National Council for the 21CSC to provide leadership and 
        commitment to build the 21CSC;
Whereas the Public Lands Service Corps Act and the Youth Corps Act have been 
        previously introduced in the House of Representatives and Senate that 
        would carry on the legacy of the CCC by helping the Secretaries of 
        Agriculture, Commerce, and the Interior provide new service 
        opportunities to restore the Nation's natural and infrastructure 
        resources and train a new generation of conservation enthusiasts, and by 
        promoting the use of the Youth Corps model through the Workforce 
        Investment Act by providing assistance to organizations wishing to start 
        Youth Corps in order to provide service opportunities in local 
        communities along with education, job training, and support services;
Whereas the CCC demonstrated the commitment of the United States to the 
        conservation of land, water, and natural resources on a national level, 
        leadership in the world on public conservation efforts, and instilled an 
        appreciation for conservation and public service in millions of people 
        in the United States; and
Whereas the CCC provided a foundation of self-confidence, responsibility, 
        discipline, cooperation, communication, and leadership for its millions 
        of participants through education, training, and hard work, and its 
        legacy should be continued for future generations through modern day 
        Youth Service and Conservation Corps: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) congratulates the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and 
        its alumni on its 80th anniversary;
            (2) recognizes the important contributions to the United 
        States made by the CCC and its participants;
            (3) encourages people in the United States to recognize the 
        contributions and history of the CCC and its participants; and
            (4) supports continuation of the legacy of the CCC and the 
        ideals of national service and community improvement.
                                 <all>