,,ii  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #abfb  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,june #bg1     
#bjac ,mr4 ,nelson introduced the       
following bill2 which was read twice and
 referred to the ,committee on          
,veterans' ,affairs  ,a ,,bill  ,to     
require the ,secretary of ,veterans     
,affairs to establish a veterans        
conservation corps1 and for other       
purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act  
may be cited as the ,veterans           
,conservation ,corps ,act of #bjac4  #b4
 ,veterans ,conservation ,corps  7a7    
,establishment ,the ,secretary of       
,veterans ,affairs shall1 in cooperation
 with the ,attorney ,general1 the       
,secretary of ,agriculture1 the         
,secretary of ,commerce1 the ,secretary 
of ,homeland ,security1 the ,secretary  
of the ,interior1 and the ,chief of     
,engineers1 establish a veterans        
conservation corps to assist veterans in
 the transition from service in the     
,armed ,forces to civilian life and to  

employ veterans--  7#a7 in conservation1
 resource management1 and historic      
preservation projects on public lands   
and maintenance and improvement projects
 for cemeteries under the jurisdiction  
of the ,national ,cemetery              
,administration2 and  7#b7 as           
firefighters1 law enforcement officers1 
and disaster relief personnel4  7b7     
,conservation1 resource management1     
historic preservation1 and cemetery     
maintenance and improvement projects    
7#a7 ,in general ,as part of the        
veterans conservation corps1 the        
,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs1 the   
,secretary of ,agriculture1 the         
,secretary of ,commerce1 the ,secretary 
of the ,interior1 and the ,chief of     
,engineers shall--  7,a7 employ veterans
 to carry out projects described in     
subsection 7a77#a72 or  7,b7 award      
grants to1 or enter into contracts with1
 ,state governments1 local governments1 
or nongovernmental entities to employ   
veterans to carry out projects described

 in subsection 7a77#a74  7#b7 ,priority 
,in employing or awarding grants or     
contracts to employ veterans under this 
subsection1 the ,secretaries referred to
 in paragraph 7#a7 and the ,chief of    
,engineers shall give priority towards  
the employment of veterans who served on
 active duty in the ,armed ,forces on or
 after ,september #aa1 #bjja4  7#c7     
,coordination ,the ,secretary of        
,veterans ,affairs shall coordinate the 
activities of the ,secretary of         
,agriculture1 the ,secretary of         
,commerce1 the ,secretary of the        
,interior1 and the ,chief of ,engineers 
to employ veterans as part of the       
veterans conservation corps4  7#d7      
,oversight of projects ,the ,secretaries
 referred to in paragraph 7#a7 and the  
,chief of ,engineers shall each provide 
oversight of the projects for which they
 employ veterans under subparagraph 7,a7
 of such paragraph or award grants or   
enter into contracts under subparagraph 
7,b7 of such paragraph4  7c7 ,first     

responders  7#a7 ,firefighters ,as part 
of the veterans conservation corps1 the 
,secretary of ,homeland ,security shall 
award grants under section #cd of the   
,federal ,fire ,prevention and ,control 
,act of #aigd 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4 #bbbi;a7 to
 hire veterans as firefighters4  7#b7   
,law enforcement officers ,as part of   
the veterans conservation corps1 the    
,attorney ,general shall award grants   
under part ,q of title ,i of the        
,omnibus ,crime ,control and ,safe      
,streets ,act of #aifh 7#db ,u4,s4,c4   
#cgif;dd et seq47 to hire veterans as   
law enforcement officers4  7#c7         
,disaster relief personnel ,as part of  
the veterans conservation corps1 the    
,secretary of ,homeland ,security shall 
provide funds to increase participation 
by veterans in the ,,fema ,corps        
program1 which is a partnership between 
the ,corporation for ,national and      
,community ,service and the ,federal    
,emergency ,management ,agency4  7#d7   
,priority ,in awarding grants or        

providing funds under this subsection to
 hire veterans1 the ,secretary of       
,homeland ,security and the ,attorney   
,general shall give priority to the     
hiring of veterans who served on active 
duty in the ,armed ,forces on or after  
,september #aa1 #bjja4  7d7 ,assistance 
7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of     
,veterans ,affairs may provide          
assistance to the ,secretaries referred 
to in subsection 7a71 the ,attorney     
,general1 and the ,chief of ,engineers  
to carry out the veterans conservation  
corps4 ,such assistance may take the    
form of a transfer under paragraph 7#b74
  7#b7 ,transfers ,except as otherwise  
provided in this subsection1 of amounts 
appropriated or otherwise made available
 to the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs
 to carry out this section1 the         
,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs may    
transfer such amounts as the ,secretary 
considers appropriate to carry out the  
veterans conservation corps to the      
following3  7,a7 ,the ,attorney         

,general4  7,b7 ,the ,secretary of      
,agriculture4  7,c7 ,the ,secretary of  
,commerce4  7,d7 ,the ,secretary of     
,homeland ,security4  7,e7 ,the         
,secretary of the ,interior4  7,f7 ,the 
,chief of ,engineers4  7#c7 ,assistance 
for conservation1 resource management1  
historic preservation1 and cemetery     
maintenance and improvement projects    
7,a7 ,application ,if a ,secretary      
referred to in subsection 7b77#a7 or the
 ,chief of ,engineers seeks assistance  
under paragraph 7#a7 to employ a veteran
 to carry out a project under           
subparagraph 7,a7 of subsection 7b77#a7 
or to award a grant or contract to carry
 out a project under subparagraph 7,b7  
of such subsection1 such ,secretary or  
the ,chief of ,engineers shall submit to
 the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs an
 application therefor at such time1 in  
such manner1 and containing such        
information as the ,secretary of        
,veterans ,affairs may require4  7,b7   
,selection ,the ,secretary of ,veterans 

,affairs shall1 in consultation with the
 steering committee established under   
subparagraph 7,c71 award assistance     
under this paragraph in accordance with 
such criteria as the steering committee 
establishes4  7,c7 ,steering committee  
7i7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of      
,veterans ,affairs shall establish a    
steering committee--  7,i7 to establish 
selection criteria for the awarding of  
assistance under paragraph 7#a7 to      
employ a veteran to carry out a project 
under subparagraph 7,a7 of subsection   
7b77#a7 or to award a grant or contract 
to carry out a project under            
subparagraph 7,b7 of such subsection2   
and  7,,ii7 to provide the ,secretary of
 ,veterans ,affairs with advice on      
awarding assistance under this          
subsection with respect to projects     
described in subsection 7a77#a7 and     
carrying out the requirements of the    
veterans conservation corps under       
subsection 7b74  7ii7 ,composition ,the 
steering committee shall be composed of 

the following3  7,i7 ,the ,secretary of 
,veterans ,affairs4  7,,ii7 ,the        
,secretary of ,agriculture4  7,,iii7    
,the ,secretary of ,commerce4  7,,iv7   
,the ,secretary of the ,interior4  7,v7 
,the ,chief of ,engineers4  7iii7       
,chairperson ,the chairperson of the    
steering committee shall be the         
,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs4  7iv7 
,advisory input ,the ,secretary of      
,defense1 the ,secretary of ,labor1 and 
the ,chief ,executive ,officer of the   
,corporation for ,national and          
,community ,service may provide advice  
to the steering committee4  7#d7        
,assistance for first responders ,not   
more than #aj percent of amounts        
appropriated or otherwise made available
 to the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs
 to carry out this section may be       
transferred to the ,attorney ,general   
and the ,secretary of ,homeland         
,security to employ veterans under      
subsection 7c74  7e7 ,reporting         
framework ,the ,secretary of ,veterans  

,affairs shall establish a reporting    
framework to regularly monitor and      
evaluate the veterans conservation corps
 to ensure proper oversight and         
accountability of the veterans          
conservation corps4  7f7 ,outreach ,the 
,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs shall  
ensure that veterans employed under the 
veterans conservation corps are aware of
 benefits and assistance available to   
them under laws administered by the     
,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs4  7g7  
,authorization of appropriations  7#a7  
,in general ,there is available without 
further appropriation to the ,secretary 
of ,veterans ,affairs to carry out this 
section1 #fjj1jjj1jjj for the period of 
fiscal years #bjad through #bjah4  7#b7 
,limitation ,of amounts appropriated or 
otherwise made available to carry out   
this section1 not more than five percent
 may be spent to administer the veterans
 conservation corps4  7h7 ,veteran      
defined ,in this section1 the term      
veteran has the meaning given the term  

in section #aja of title #ch1 ,united   
,states ,code4