[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 11 (Monday, February 7, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S1056]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. CRAIG:
  S. 305. A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to recruit 
volunteers to assist with or facilitate the activities of various 
agencies and offices of the Department of the Interior; to the 
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
  Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Department of 
Interior Volunteer Recruitment Act of 2005. This bill would allow the 
Department of the Interior to recruit and use volunteers in the Bureau 
of Indian Affairs and the Offices of the Secretary. It also addresses 
some problems with existing volunteer authorities at the Bureau of 
Reclamation and the U.S. Geological Survey.
  The Department of the Interior is a leader in the Federal Government 
in providing opportunities for volunteer service, and this bill 
significantly enhances our ability to provide volunteer opportunities 
to interested Americans. The bill provides for appropriate ethics and 
tort claims coverage for DOI volunteers and ensures against the 
displacement of employees by volunteers. Last, the bill contains 
provisions which explicitly protect private property rights.
  By making it easier for people to volunteer in more Department of the 
Interior bureaus, this legislation contributes a crucial piece to the 
President's call to all Americans to volunteer in their communities and 
to the Secretary's Take Pride in America program, which is working in 
concert with that call. There is wide support for the bill and there is 
no known opposition.
  I look forward to working with my colleagues to move this excellent 
bill through the legislative process quickly.
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