[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1298 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 1298
Supporting the designation of the second Friday of June as National
Service and Conservation Corps Day.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 13, 2024
Ms. Houlahan (for herself, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Ms. Matsui, and Mr. Graves
of Louisiana) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to
the Committee on Education and the Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Supporting the designation of the second Friday of June as National
Service and Conservation Corps Day.
Whereas there exists a network of National Service Programs (in this resolution
referred to as ``Service and Conservation Corps'') that receive funding
pursuant to subtitle C of the National and Community Service Act (42
U.S.C. 12571 et seq.);
Whereas such network includes more than 150 Service and Conservation Corps
across the county;
Whereas these Service and Conservation Corps annually provide education,
workforce development, and support services to approximately 22,000
young adults and post-9/11 veterans;
Whereas today's Service and Conservation Corps are locally based organizations
that engage young adults (generally ages 16 to 25) and veterans (up to
age 35) in service projects that address recreation, conservation,
disaster response, and community needs;
Whereas these Service and Conservation Corps are direct descendants of the
Civilian Conservation Corps, a Great Depression-era Federal work relief
program that mobilized 3,000,000 young men to dramatically improve the
Nation's public lands;
Whereas Civilian Conservation Corps participants received food, shelter,
education, and a $30-a-month stipend;
Whereas, from 1933 to 1942, the Civilian Conservation Corps 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;
Whereas, unlike the Civilian Conservation Corps, which was a large, Federal
program that was only open to young men and Black and Native American
participants faced discrimination, modern Service and Conservation Corps
are equitable, diverse, and inclusive;
Whereas, also, most modern Service and Conservation Corps are nonprofits 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 Corpsmembers in meaningful projects that address
local and national issues;
Whereas, through a term of service that could last from a few months to a year,
Corpsmembers experience the ``Corps Model'', where they gain work
experience and develop in-demand skills;
Whereas Corpsmembers are compensated with a stipend or living allowance and
often receive an education award or scholarship upon completing their
service;
Whereas, additionally, Corps provide participants with educational programming,
mentoring, and access to career and personal counseling, and some Corps
operate or partner with charter schools to help participants earn their
high school diploma or GED;
Whereas Corpsmembers complete thousands of community improvement, resilience,
and resource conservation projects every year;
Whereas Corpsmembers typically serve 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;
Whereas Service and Conservation Corps have longstanding partnerships with
Federal, State, and local community development and resource management
agencies to engage Corpsmembers in meaningful and necessary projects
across the country;
Whereas Service and Conservation Corps projects include--
(1) the enhancement of neighborhoods and community public spaces,
including urban gardens;
(2) the preservation and protection of public lands, shorelines,
waterways, habitat, and wildlife;
(3) the preservation of historic structures;
(4) providing access to and the enhancement of recreation on public
lands and waters;
(5) enhancing resilience to climate change and natural disasters;
(6) mitigation, response to, and recovery from natural disasters,
including hurricanes and wildfire;
(7) improving energy efficiency and resource conservation; and
(8) building and maintaining alternative transportation and sustainable
infrastructure;
Whereas, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the fact that Service and Conservation
Corps are part of their communities enabled them to quickly provide
needed support to their communities;
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 its communities
more resilient to climate change;
Whereas the United States also has millions of young people facing unemployment
and barriers to opportunity, and these challenges are disproportionately
affecting young people of color; and
Whereas the existing network of more than 150 Service and Conservation Corps are
ready to meet the needs of these young Americans: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) supports the designation of a National Service and
Conservation Day;
(2) congratulates the existing network of more than 150
Service and Conservation Corps on their contributions to the
United States;
(3) urges the citizens 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 under the National
and Community Service Act (42 U.S.C. 12501 et seq.).
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