Public Lands Corps Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2005

        [Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2875 Reported in House (RH)]

Union Calendar No. 149
109th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2875

[Report No. 109-273, Part I]

To amend the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 to provide for the conduct
of projects that protect forests, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

June 14, 2005

Mr. Walden of Oregon (for himself and Mr. Udall of New Mexico)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture and
Education and the Workforce, 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 concerned

November 7, 2005

Reported from the Committee on Resources with an amendment
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed
in italic]

November 7, 2005

Committees on Agriculture and Education and the Workforce discharged;
committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on June
14, 2005]

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To amend the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 to provide for the conduct
of projects that protect forests, and for other purposes.

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 ``Public Lands Corps Healthy Forests
Restoration Act of 2005''.

SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO THE PUBLIC LANDS CORPS ACT OF 1993.

(a) Definitions.--Section 203 of the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993
(16 U.S.C. 1722) is amended--
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (8), (9), (10), and (11) as
paragraphs (9), (10), (11), and (13), respectively;
(2) by inserting after paragraph (7) the following:
``(8) Priority project.--The term `priority project' means
an appropriate conservation project conducted on eligible
service lands to further 1 or more of the purposes of the
Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6501 et
seq.), as follows:
``(A) To reduce wildfire risk to a community,
municipal water supply, or other at-risk Federal land.
``(B) To protect a watershed or address a threat to
forest and rangeland health, including catastrophic
wildfire.
``(C) To address the impact of insect or disease
infestations or other damaging agents on forest and
rangeland health.
``(D) To protect, restore, or enhance forest
ecosystem components to--
``(i) promote the recovery of threatened or
endangered species;
``(ii) improve biological diversity; or
``(iii) enhance productivity and carbon
sequestration.''; and
(3) by inserting after paragraph (11) (as redesignated by
paragraph (1)) the following:
``(12) Secretary.--The term `Secretary' means--
``(A) with respect to National Forest System land,
the Secretary of Agriculture; and
``(B) with respect to Indian lands, Hawaiian home
lands, or land administered by the Department of the
Interior, the Secretary of the Interior.''.
(b) Qualified Youth or Conservation Corps.--Section 204(c) of the
Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 (16 U.S.C. 1723(c)) is amended--
(1) by striking ``The Secretary of the Interior and the
Secretary of Agriculture are'' and inserting the following:
``(1) In general.--The Secretary is''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(2) Preference.--
``(A) In general.--For purposes of entering into
contracts and cooperative agreements under paragraph
(1), the Secretary may give preference to qualified
youth or conservation corps located in a specific area
that have a substantial portion of members who are
economically, physically, or educationally
disadvantaged to carry out projects within the area.
``(B) Priority projects.--In carrying out priority
projects in a specific area, the Secretary shall, to
the maximum extent practicable, give preference to
qualified youth or conservation corps located in that
specific area that have a substantial portion of
members who are economically, physically, or
educationally disadvantaged.''.
(c) Conservation Projects.--Section 204(d) of the Public Lands
Corps Act of 1993 (16 U.S.C. 1723(d)) is amended--
(1) in the first sentence--
(A) by striking ``The Secretary of the Interior and
the Secretary of Agriculture may each'' and inserting
the following:
``(1) In general.--The Secretary may''; and
(B) by striking ``such Secretary'' and inserting
``the Secretary'';
(2) in the second sentence, by striking ``Appropriate
conservation'' and inserting the following:
``(2) Projects on indian lands.--Appropriate
conservation''; and
(3) by striking the third sentence and inserting the
following:
``(3) Disaster prevention or relief projects.--The
Secretary may authorize appropriate conservation projects and
other appropriate projects to be carried out on Federal, State,
local, or private land as part of a Federal disaster prevention
or relief effort.''.
(d) Conservation Centers and Program Support.--Section 205 of the
Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 (16 U.S.C. 1724) is amended--
(1) by striking the heading and inserting the following:

``SEC. 205. CONSERVATION CENTERS AND PROGRAM SUPPORT.'';

(2) by striking subsection (a) and inserting the following:
``(a) Establishment and Use.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary may establish and use
conservation centers owned and operated by the Secretary for--
``(A) use by the Public Lands Corps; and
``(B) the conduct of appropriate conservation
projects under this title.
``(2) Assistance for conservation centers.--The Secretary
may provide to a conservation center established under
paragraph (1) any services, facilities, equipment, and supplies
that the Secretary determines to be necessary for the
conservation center.
``(3) Standards for conservation centers.--The Secretary
shall--
``(A) establish basic standards of health,
nutrition, sanitation, and safety for all conservation
centers established under paragraph (1); and
``(B) ensure that the standards established under
subparagraph (A) are enforced.
``(4) Management.--As the Secretary determines to be
appropriate, the Secretary may enter into a contract or other
appropriate arrangement with a State or local government agency
or private organization to provide for the management of a
conservation center.''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(d) Assistance.--The Secretary may provide any services,
facilities, equipment, supplies, technical assistance, oversight,
monitoring, or evaluations that are appropriate to carry out this
title.''.
(e) Living Allowances and Terms of Service.--Section 207 of the
Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 (16 U.S.C. 1726) is amended--
(1) by striking subsection (a) and inserting the following:
``(a) Living Allowances.--The Secretary shall provide each
participant in the Public Lands Corps and each resource assistant with
a living allowance in an amount established by the Secretary.''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(c) Hiring.--The Secretary may--
``(1) grant to a member of the Public Lands Corps credit
for time served with the Public Lands Corps, which may be used
toward future Federal hiring; and
``(2) provide to a former member of the Public Lands Corps
noncompetitive hiring status for a period of not more than 120
days after the date on which the member's service with the
Public Lands Corps is complete.''.
(f) Funding.--The Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 is amended--
(1) in section 210 (16 U.S.C. 1729), by adding at the end
the following:
``(c) Other Funds.--Amounts appropriated pursuant to the
authorization of appropriations under section 211 are in addition to
amounts allocated to the Public Lands Corps through other Federal
programs or projects.''; and
(2) by inserting after section 210 the following:

``SEC. 211. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

``(a) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this title $15,000,000 for each of the fiscal
years 2007 through 2011. Of the amounts appropriated for any fiscal
year to carry out this title, not less than two-thirds shall be used to
conduct priority projects.
``(b) Availability of Funds.--Notwithstanding any other provision
of law, amounts appropriated for any fiscal year to carry out this
title shall remain available for obligation and expenditure until the
end of the fiscal year following the fiscal year for which the amounts
are appropriated.''.
(g) Conforming Amendments.--The Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 is
amended--
(1) in section 204 (16 U.S.C. 1723)--
(A) in subsection (b)--
(i) in the first sentence, by striking
``Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of
Agriculture'' and inserting ``Secretary'';
(ii) in the third sentence, by striking
``Secretaries'' and inserting ``Secretary'';
and
(iii) in the fourth sentence, by striking
``Secretaries'' and inserting ``Secretary'';
and
(B) in subsection (e), by striking ``Secretary of
the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture'' and
inserting ``Secretary'';
(2) in section 205 (16 U.S.C. 1724)--
(A) in subsection (b), by striking ``Secretary of
the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture'' and
inserting ``Secretary''; and
(B) in subsection (c), by striking ``Secretary of
the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture'' and
inserting ``Secretary'';
(3) in section 206 (16 U.S.C. 1725)--
(A) in subsection (a)--
(i) in the first sentence--
(I) by striking ``Secretary of the
Interior and the Secretary of
Agriculture are each'' and inserting
``Secretary is''; and
(II) by striking ``such Secretary''
and inserting ``the Secretary'';
(ii) in the third sentence, by striking
``Secretaries'' and inserting ``Secretary'';
and
(iii) in the fourth sentence, by striking
``Secretaries'' and inserting ``Secretary'';
and
(B) in the first sentence of subsection (b), by
striking ``Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary
of Agriculture'' and inserting ``the Secretary''; and
(4) in section 210 (16 U.S.C. 1729)--
(A) in subsection (a)--
(i) in paragraph (1), by striking
``Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary
of Agriculture are each'' and inserting
``Secretary is''; and
(ii) in paragraph (2), by striking
``Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary
of Agriculture are each'' and inserting
``Secretary is''; and
(B) in subsection (b), by striking ``Secretary of
the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture'' and
inserting ``Secretary''.
Union Calendar No. 149

109th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 2875

[Report No. 109-273, Part I]

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To amend the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 to provide for the conduct
of projects that protect forests, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

November 7, 2005

Reported from the Committee on Resources with an amendment

November 7, 2005

Committees on Agriculture and Education and the Workforce discharged;
committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union