,,ii #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #aghh ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,may #ae1 #bjbe ,mr4 ,merkley 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,daines1 ,mr4 ,hickenlooper1 ,mr4 ,king1 ,ms4 ,baldwin1 and ,mr4 ,wyden7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,agriculture1 ,nutrition1 and ,forestry ,a ,,bill ,to amend ,public ,law #ia-cgh to authorize activities relating to ,civilian ,conservation ,centers1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,civilian ,conservation ,center ,enhancement ,act of #bjbe4 #b4 ,civilian ,conservation ,centers ,public ,law #ia-cgh 7#af ,u4,s4,c4 #agja et seq47 is amended by adding at the end the following3 ,,iii ,civilian ,conservation ,centers #cja4 ,definitions ,in this title3 7#a7 ,civilian ,conservation ,center ,the term ,civilian ,conservation ,center means any residential workforce development or training facility for underserved youth operated by the ,department of the ,interior or the ,department of ,agriculture4 7#b7 ,covered graduate ,the term covered graduate means an individual who successfully completed a training program at a ,civilian ,conservation ,center4 7#c7 ,covered student ,the term covered student means an individual who is enrolled in a training program at a ,civilian ,conservation ,center4 7#d7 ,secretaries ,the term ,secretaries means-- 7,a7 the ,secretary of ,agriculture2 and 7,b7 the ,secretary of the ,interior4 #cjb4 ,civilian ,conservation ,centers ,wildfire and ,conservation ,training ,program 7a7 ,specialized training programs ,the ,secretaries1 in coordination with the ,secretary of ,labor1 shall offer at ,civilian ,conservation ,centers specialized training programs focused on-- 7#a7 forestry and rangeland management2 7#b7 wildland firefighting2 or 7#c7 any other topic relating to the mission of the ,forest ,service or the ,department of the ,interior or the public interest4 7b7 ,prioritization ,the ,secretaries shall prioritize offering specialized training programs under subsection 7a7 at facilities described in section #adg7;d7 of the ,workforce ,innovation and ,opportunity ,act 7#bi ,u4,s4,c4 #caig7;d774 #cjc4 ,wildland ,firefighting ,workforce ,development ,pilot 7a7 ,in general 7#a7 ,experiment1 research1 or demonstration pilots ,the ,secretary of ,agriculture1 in coordination with the ,secretary of ,labor1 may carry out experimental1 research1 or demonstration pilots to provide career and technical education curricula and course offerings to advance the missions of the ,department of ,agriculture at ,civilian ,conservation ,centers operated by the ,department of ,agriculture1 including facilities described in section #adg7;d7 of the ,workforce ,innovation and ,opportunity ,act 7#bi ,u4,s4,c4 #caig7;d774 7#b7 ,curricula and courses ,curricula and courses described in paragraph 7#a7 include-- 7,a7 incident management and emergency response logistics2 7,b7 disaster response2 7,c7 forest products measurement2 7,d7 timber sale administration and preparation2 7,e7 heavy equipment operation2 7,f7 equipment and mechanical services2 7,g7 industrial electrical2 7,h7 machining2 7,i7 mill operations2 7,j7 forest restoration2 7,k7 habitat and water quality monitoring2 7,l7 watershed and habitat enhancement2 7,m7 range management2 7,n7 recreation access improvement2 7,o7 volunteers and visitors enhancement2 and 7,p7 historic preservation4 7b7 ,requirements ,in carrying out subsection 7a71 the ,secretary of ,agriculture shall-- 7#a7 identify workforce needs in public land agencies1 forest1 conservation1 and recreation industries1 and rural communities1 after consulting with ,state governments and agencies1 ,federal emergency management and public land agencies1 local communities1 institutions of higher education1 and ,indian ,tribes2 7#b7 develop marketing1 recruitment1 and retention materials for the curricula and courses offerings provided under subsection 7a72 and 7#c7 provide specialized staff necessary to teach curricula and courses offerings provided under subsection 7a71 to the extent practicable4 #cjd4 ,wildland firefighting workforce enhancement 7a7 ,recruitment goals and investments 7#a7 ,recruitment goal ,the ,secretaries-- 7,a7 shall each set goals of-- 7i7 hiring #cjj covered graduates annually to contribute to wildland firefighting or other critical workforce needs within the respective ,department of each of the ,secretaries2 7ii7 a certain percentage of covered graduates annually attaining employment within the wildland firefighting1 natural resources1 forestry1 or a related field2 and 7iii7 a certain percentage of covered graduates annually attaining employment2 and 7,b7 may make investments to support the recruitment1 training1 hiring1 and retention of covered graduates4 7#b7 ,signing bonus ,the ,secretaries may provide for a signing bonus to enable the successful employment and transition of covered graduates1 including for the purpose of securing housing in rural and remote communities4 7b7 ,direct hire authority ,for fiscal year #bjbe and each fiscal year thereafter1 the ,secretaries may appoint1 without regard to the provisions of subchapter ,i of chapter #cc of title #e1 ,united ,states ,code1 other than sections #ccjc and #ccbh of that title1 a covered graduate directly to a position for which the covered graduate meets ,office of ,personnel ,management qualification standards4 7c7 ,pathways to employment ,the ,secretaries shall ensure that appropriate career pathways are developed for covered graduates of relevant ,civilian ,conservation ,center training programs4 7d7 ,disadvantaged youth employment ,notwithstanding any other provision of law1 the ,secretaries may employ covered students at regular rates of pay for necessary hours of work4 7e7 ,use of covered students for contracts1 agreements1 and grants ,to the maximum extent practicable1 the ,secretary of ,agriculture shall encourage the use of covered students to fulfill obligations under contracts1 agreements1 and grants relevant to the training administered by the ,forest ,service at a unit of the ,national ,forest ,system where a ,civilian ,conservation ,center is located4 #cje4 ,wildland firefighting housing pilot program 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretaries shall establish a pilot program to employ covered students to improve and expand the housing stock owned by the ,federal ,government for the purpose of housing wildland firefighters1 volunteers1 partner crewmembers1 interns1 and other agency employees4 7b7 ,requirements ,in carrying out the pilot program under subsection 7a71 the ,secretaries shall-- 7#a7 identify properties currently owned by the ,federal ,government that would be appropriate housing for wildland firefighters1 volunteers1 partner crewmembers1 interns1 and other agency employees2 7#b7 identify areas where the construction of new housing described in paragraph 7#a7 would be appropriate and sustainable2 and 7#c7 submit to ,congress a prioritized list of projects for renovation with a plan for how the ,secretaries will employ covered students to repair1 renovate1 and remediate the properties identified under paragraph 7#a74 #cjf4 ,report ,not later than #a year after the date of enactment of this title1 the ,secretaries shall submit to the ,committee on ,agriculture1 ,nutrition1 and ,forestry of the ,senate and the ,committee on ,agriculture of the ,house of ,representatives a report-- 7#a7 describing underutilized capacity at ,civilian ,conservation ,centers1 based on an assessment conducted by the ,secretaries2 and 7#b7 identifying the investments1 improvements1 and efficiencies necessary to utilize the full capacity of ,civilian ,conservation ,centers4 4