[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 104 (Wednesday, June 14, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S2102]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 253--DESIGNATING JUNE 16, 2023, AS NATIONAL SERVICE 
                       AND CONSERVATION CORPS DAY

  Mr. HEINRICH (for himself and Mr. Cassidy) submitted the following 
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 253

       Whereas there exists a network of more than 150 Service and 
     Conservation Corps across the United States that provides 
     education, workforce development, and support services to 
     approximately 22,000 young adults and post-9/11 veterans 
     annually;
       Whereas the Service and Conservation Corps are locally-
     based organizations that engage young adults between 18 and 
     30 years of age and veterans younger than 35 years of age in 
     service projects that address recreation, conservation, 
     disaster response, and community needs;
       Whereas the Service and Conservation Corps are direct 
     descendants of the Civilian Conservation Corps, a Great 
     Depression-era Federal work relief program in existence from 
     1933 to 1942 that--
       (1) mobilized 3,000,000 young men to dramatically improve 
     the public lands of the United States;
       (2) provided participants with food, shelter, education, 
     and a $30 per month stipend; and
       (3) planted 3,000,000,000 trees and helped build trails, 
     roads, campgrounds, and other park infrastructure still in 
     use today;
       Whereas April 5, 2023, was the 90th anniversary of 
     President Franklin D. Roosevelt establishing the Civilian 
     Conservation Corps with a presidential Executive order 
     (Executive Order 6101 (relating to relief of unemployment 
     through the performance of useful public work));
       Whereas, unlike the Civilian Conservation Corps, which was 
     a large, Federal program that was only open to young men, 
     while Black and Native American participants faced 
     discrimination, modern Service and Conservation Corps are 
     equitable, diverse, and inclusive;
       Whereas most modern Service and Conservation Corps are 
     nonprofit organizations or are operated by units of State or 
     local government;
       Whereas, through public-private partnerships, Service and 
     Conservation Corps work with a range of organizations, 
     government agencies, and institutions to engage Corps 
     participants in meaningful projects that address local and 
     national issues;
       Whereas, throughout a term of service that could last from 
     a few months to a year, Corps participants experience the 
     ``Corps Model'' by--
       (1) gaining work experience and developing in-demand 
     skills;
       (2) serving on crews alongside other young adults, or in 
     ``individual placement'' or internship positions, that 
     provide additional capacity to Federal, State, and local 
     resource management agencies;
       (3) receiving a stipend or living allowance and often an 
     education award or scholarship upon completion of service; 
     and
       (4) receiving educational programming, mentoring, and 
     access to career and personal counseling;
       Whereas some Service and Conservation Corps operate or 
     partner with charter schools to help Corps participants earn 
     their high school diploma or GED certificate;
       Whereas Corps participants complete thousands of community 
     improvement, resilience, and resource conservation projects 
     every year;
       Whereas Service and Conservation Corps have longstanding 
     partnerships with Federal, State, and local community 
     development and resource management agencies to engage Corps 
     participants in meaningful and necessary projects across the 
     United States;
       Whereas Corps projects include--
       (1) enhancing neighborhoods and community public spaces, 
     including urban gardens;
       (2) preserving and protecting public lands, shorelines, 
     waterways, habitats, and wildlife;
       (3) preserving historic structures;
       (4) providing access to and enhancing recreation on public 
     lands and waters;
       (5) enhancing resilience to climate change and natural 
     disasters;
       (6) mitigating, responding to, and recovering from natural 
     disasters, including hurricanes and wildfires;
       (7) improving energy efficiency and resource conservation; 
     and
       (8) building and maintaining alternative transportation and 
     sustainable infrastructure;
       Whereas the United States urgently needs to transition to 
     more sustainable infrastructure, respond to decades of 
     deferred maintenance on public lands and waters, restore 
     critical ecosystems, and make communities more resilient to 
     climate change;
       Whereas unemployment and barriers to opportunity affect 
     millions of young people in the United States and 
     disproportionately affect young people of color; and
       Whereas the existing network of more than 150 Service and 
     Conservation Corps is ready to meet the needs of young people 
     in the United States: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates June 16, 2023, as National Service and 
     Conservation Corps Day;
       (2) congratulates the existing network of more than 150 
     Service and Conservation Corps on their contributions to the 
     United States;
       (3) urges the people of the United States to recognize the 
     importance of national service; and
       (4) supports the continuation and expansion of the national 
     network of Service and Conservation Corps.

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