118 HR 4353 IH: Civilian Conservation Center Enhancement Act of 2023 U.S. House of Representatives 2023-06-23 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
I118th CONGRESS1st SessionH. R. 4353IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESJune 23, 2023Ms. Salinas (for herself, Mr. Edwards, Mr. Guthrie, and Ms. Hoyle of Oregon) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Education and the Workforce, and Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concernedA BILLTo amend Public Law 91–378 to authorize activities relating to Civilian Conservation Centers, and for other purposes.
1.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the Civilian Conservation Center Enhancement Act of 2023.
2.
Civilian Conservation Centers
Public Law 91–378 (16 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: <enum>III</enum><header>Civilian Conservation Centers</header> <section section-type="subsequent-section" id="H5E1AA87022E344C39F4AB974D1F48286"><enum>301.</enum><header>Definitions</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">In this title:</text> <paragraph id="HB84E92BA51FF4704BF6E2E8D62215F5E"><enum>(1)</enum><header>Civilian Conservation Center</header><text>The term <term>Civilian Conservation Center</term> means any residential workforce development or training facility for underserved youth operated by the Department of the Interior or the Department of Agriculture.</text></paragraph> <paragraph commented="no" id="HEB4921BF75BB485BBBCF361545BB604B"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Covered graduate</header><text>The term <term>covered graduate</term> means an individual who successfully completed a training program at a Civilian Conservation Center.</text></paragraph> <paragraph commented="no" id="HABB7EC04B21F49F7BBC0B337B585668E"><enum>(3)</enum><header>Covered student</header><text>The term <term>covered student</term> means an individual who is enrolled in a training program at a Civilian Conservation Center.</text></paragraph> <paragraph commented="no" id="HC216B90AC3C949B99265922B78ACBF2E"><enum>(4)</enum><header>Secretaries</header><text>The term <term>Secretaries</term> means—</text> <subparagraph commented="no" id="HE71D8B5412AD4CC99F27889CF4BF30AD"><enum>(A)</enum><text>the Secretary of Agriculture; and</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph commented="no" id="H2D2594F2EDEA44FE8522E1824E9051CA"><enum>(B)</enum><text>the Secretary of the Interior.</text></subparagraph></paragraph></section> <section section-type="subsequent-section" id="H208F000CF5874399B1CC51A76552FADA"><enum>302.</enum><header>Civilian Conservation Centers Wildfire and Conservation Training Program</header> <subsection id="H744419ED301840AD93D043721721CA96"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Specialized training programs</header><text>The Secretaries, in coordination with the Secretary of Labor, shall offer at Civilian Conservation Centers specialized training programs focused on—</text> <paragraph id="H154FC70BDC9141C09C032B57B87EB1B8"><enum>(1)</enum><text>forestry and rangeland management;</text></paragraph> <paragraph id="H821143E80DD24972852AD50F80792817"><enum>(2)</enum><text>wildland firefighting; or </text></paragraph> <paragraph id="H1E66D71539FE49998056C8958F6A525F"><enum>(3)</enum><text>any other topic relating to the mission of the Forest Service or the Department of the Interior or the public interest.</text></paragraph></subsection> <subsection id="H366A3B73B17E49C0BEBCA5718429045A"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Prioritization</header><text>The Secretaries shall prioritize offering specialized training programs under subsection (a) at facilities described in section 147(d) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/29/3197">29 U.S.C. 3197(d)</external-xref>). </text></subsection></section> <section section-type="subsequent-section" id="HE5CAFB17AC5B4AADAFF89814D25C729E"><enum>303.</enum><header>Wildland Firefighting Workforce Development Pilot</header> <subsection id="H35DB1291C8BA49A0A5FF4072581C0E7D"><enum>(a)</enum><header>In general</header> <paragraph id="H420D6C23CE194BC888AA0DA889F5D35C"><enum>(1)</enum><header>Experiment, research, or demonstration pilots</header><text>The Secretary of Agriculture, in coordination with the Secretary of Labor, may carry out experimental, research, or demonstration pilots to provide career and technical education curricula and course offerings to advance the missions of the Department of Agriculture at Civilian Conservation Centers operated by the Department of Agriculture, including facilities described in section 147(d) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/29/3197">29 U.S.C. 3197(d)</external-xref>).</text></paragraph> <paragraph id="H9A70A02CDC054A75A34CBFC317BBF063"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Curricula and courses</header><text>Curricula and courses described in paragraph (1) include—</text> <subparagraph id="H9FF71972D3D7472592868B8A01BF82FB"><enum>(A)</enum><text>incident management and emergency response logistics;</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="H9BEE6D5B38C449329DA537189ABC01C7"><enum>(B)</enum><text>disaster response;</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="HD0A6DDBE96D64127AA82555346A47F0A"><enum>(C)</enum><text>forest products measurement;</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="H3A55654EBC57412390247819BBB69E0A"><enum>(D)</enum><text>timber sale administration and preparation;</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="H69AB67B8310B4F109B8037E7522B63C3"><enum>(E)</enum><text>heavy equipment operation;</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="HDD81721A48D545EEB917689EBB6A5849"><enum>(F)</enum><text>equipment and mechanical services;</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="H2D041894AAE44D2A9600F07D242EF226"><enum>(G)</enum><text>industrial electrical;</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="H46E9A14D2CC7449BA404DDE6679E3EAD"><enum>(H)</enum><text>machining;</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="HD31A3143460A46208E41AB6D49E8136E"><enum>(I)</enum><text>mill operations;</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="HB631A47FD65842D397946D3C68F13969"><enum>(J)</enum><text>forest restoration;</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="H745BBF82A90448AB8D83E42B38C61223"><enum>(K)</enum><text>habitat and water quality monitoring;</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="H3683E2399E574613AFA3052AF4B1D212"><enum>(L)</enum><text>watershed and habitat enhancement;</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="HFF37F7CAAB984B43B7D8E05B249CDC32"><enum>(M)</enum><text>range management;</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="H384A3264DC214311A8B5E4F3BB1F26B9"><enum>(N)</enum><text>recreation access improvement;</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="HCFA38F815ECF473B9C1CE704B3D337E2"><enum>(O)</enum><text>volunteers and visitors enhancement; and </text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="HE9A5F30E99CC4D4AB87933C81A2A200C"><enum>(P)</enum><text>historic preservation. </text></subparagraph></paragraph></subsection> <subsection id="H26D7844782B840E4B542292A14D55F5C"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Requirements</header><text>In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary of Agriculture shall—</text> <paragraph id="H1859E2DA29F546CCBD4C9DEDC2BF22DC"><enum>(1)</enum><text>identify workforce needs in public land agencies, forest, conservation, and recreation industries, and rural communities, after consulting with State governments and agencies, Federal emergency management and public land agencies, local communities, institutions of higher education, and Indian Tribes;</text></paragraph> <paragraph id="HD2AB6E24D4A0484A8288288BAA3D3022"><enum>(2)</enum><text>develop marketing, recruitment, and retention materials for the curricula and courses offerings provided under subsection (a);</text></paragraph> <paragraph id="H9B3DF162005A44C5BDBD8F5542D48E9C"><enum>(3)</enum><text>provide specialized staff necessary to teach curricula and courses offerings provided under subsection (a), to the extent practicable; and</text></paragraph> <paragraph id="H115D704977B646488ADCF3856693B10E"><enum>(4)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">improve Civilian Conservation Center facilities and modernize equipment used for the purposes of career and technical education.</text></paragraph></subsection></section> <section id="H5368CFAEE8AA4F4CAD081F455149A351"><enum>304.</enum><header>Wildland firefighting workforce enhancement</header> <subsection id="HC134EFBE3869485DAD48C724EEFDDA03"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Recruitment goals and investments</header> <paragraph id="H0A656E1109834AB7AE956DDAA3177EF7"><enum>(1)</enum><header>Recruitment goal</header><text>The Secretaries—</text> <subparagraph id="HA0AA1A1E18024BF2A34AB1D057ABD265"><enum>(A)</enum><text>shall each set goals of—</text> <clause id="H824FF4CB23644599915ADEC18E88A6A3"><enum>(i)</enum><text>hiring 300 covered graduates annually to contribute to wildland firefighting or other critical workforce needs within the respective Department of each of the Secretaries; </text></clause> <clause id="H5A06AE20F34D4063A7820CBF1B7585E2"><enum>(ii)</enum><text>a certain percentage of covered graduates annually attaining employment within the wildland firefighting, natural resources, forestry, or a related field; and</text></clause> <clause id="HEF0A243FC6FB4AFDB60F69FA0EE351DE"><enum>(iii)</enum><text>a certain percentage of covered graduates annually attaining employment; and</text></clause></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="H6DFF1004FEC1437090B989F523FA2F46"><enum>(B)</enum><text>may make investments to support the recruitment, training, hiring, and retention of covered graduates.</text></subparagraph></paragraph> <paragraph id="HE939C9342A5141739616E3D1EA0D1176"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Signing bonus</header><text>The Secretaries may provide for a signing bonus to enable the successful employment and transition of covered graduates, including for the purpose of securing housing in rural and remote communities.</text></paragraph></subsection> <subsection id="H13DEDC4122B04997AFCF5D2EFD2B7800"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Direct hire authority</header><text>For fiscal year 2023, and each fiscal year thereafter, the Secretaries may appoint, without regard to the provisions of subchapter I of <external-xref legal-doc="usc-chapter" parsable-cite="usc-chapter/5/33">chapter 33</external-xref> of title 5, United States Code, other than sections 3303 and 3328 of that title, a covered graduate directly to a position for which the covered graduate meets Office of Personnel Management qualification standards.</text></subsection> <subsection id="H28C3532E1E464A65BAC7755E00B65085"><enum>(c)</enum><header>Pathways to employment</header><text>The Secretaries shall ensure that appropriate career pathways are developed for covered graduates of relevant Civilian Conservation Center training programs.</text></subsection> <subsection id="HEE7057BC682A46288D09B127C1CCED2E"><enum>(d)</enum><header>Disadvantaged youth employment</header><text>Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretaries may employ covered students at regular rates of pay for necessary hours of work.</text></subsection> <subsection id="H98954D5316454415B1FECA71B29B9C04"><enum>(e)</enum><header>Use of covered students for contracts, agreements, and grants</header><text>To the maximum extent practicable, the Secretary of Agriculture shall encourage the use of covered students to fulfill obligations under contracts, agreements, and grants relevant to the training administered by the Forest Service at a unit of the National Forest System where a Civilian Conservation Center is located. </text></subsection></section> <section id="H2557E9863A584A3E991DD50149F60073"><enum>305.</enum><header>Wildland firefighting housing pilot program</header> <subsection id="H74326939D3BF46178CA24333026A73E2"><enum>(a)</enum><header>In general</header><text>The Secretaries shall establish a pilot program to employ covered students to improve and expand the housing stock owned by the Federal Government for the purpose of housing wildland firefighters, volunteers, partner crewmembers, interns, and other agency employees.</text></subsection> <subsection id="H52051AE3025F43A296FDB80D722767F9"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Requirements</header><text>In carrying out the pilot program under subsection (a), the Secretaries shall—</text> <paragraph id="HCFF56AB9C13744EAB46143186AD2C787"><enum>(1)</enum><text>identify properties currently owned by the Federal Government that would be appropriate housing for wildland firefighters, volunteers, partner crewmembers, interns, and other agency employees;</text></paragraph> <paragraph id="H38FED6E6489741BDB928B62E64722C4C"><enum>(2)</enum><text>identify areas where the construction of new housing described in paragraph (1) would be appropriate and sustainable; and</text></paragraph> <paragraph id="HB8BB7F6B00D743D8A9C9EA66F071EF1B"><enum>(3)</enum><text>submit to Congress a prioritized list of projects for renovation with a plan for how the Secretaries will employ covered students to repair, renovate, and remediate the properties identified under paragraph (1).</text></paragraph></subsection></section> <section id="H291DF34E795647B1BA9B3200E800F6CD"><enum>306.</enum><header>Report</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this title, the Secretaries shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate and the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives a report—</text> <paragraph id="HF3BD317CE4E343DD9F40219BFDC00766"><enum>(1)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">describing underutilized capacity at Civilian Conservation Centers, based on an assessment conducted by the Secretaries; and </text></paragraph> <paragraph id="H750CAF9E316245F7810E933DD706DB3C"><enum>(2)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">identifying the investments, improvements, and efficiencies necessary to utilize the full capacity of Civilian Conservation Centers.</text></paragraph></section>.