Public Lands Service Bill to Promote Culture of Public Service

In order to help repair and restore our nation’s public lands while employing and training thousands of young Americans and promoting a culture of public service, U.S. Reps. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) and Nick J. Rahall (D-WV) introduced the Public Lands Service Corps Act of 2009 (H.R. 1612). This legislation would expand and reinvigorate an existing program, the Public Lands Corps, by modernizing the scope of corps projects to reflect new challenges, such as climate change, adding incentives to attract new participants, especially from underrepresented populations, and paving the way for increased funding. “Even in times of crisis, there are opportunities. The legislation Chairman Grijalva and I are introducing today takes advantage of an opportunity to provide meaningful employment and training to young people who need it, while also improving the condition of our priceless natural and cultural resources,” said Rahall, Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee. The Public Lands Service Corps Act of 2009 would amend the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 to expand the authority of the Interior and Agriculture Departments (including such agencies as the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Forest Service). The bill also adds authority for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to participate in the program; with this new authority, NOAA will be able to offer Corps members a chance to work on restoring coastal and marine ecosystems along our oceans and the Great Lakes. The bill will ensure that, during their service term, participants receive adequate training for the work they have been assigned, including agency-specific standards, principles and practices. Language to ensure adequate housing, authorize participants in existing volunteer programs to contribute both as mentors and on Corps projects, expand the program for college and graduate students, and broaden preferential hire provisions is also included. The bill would rename the corps as the “Public Lands Service Corps” and remove the $12 million authorization ceiling, which would lead to increased funding for this excellent program...Imperial Valley News

Crisis = more spending.