JOHN S. MCCAIN III 21ST CENTURY CONSERVATION SERVICE CORPS ACT.

SEC. 9003. JOHN S. MCCAIN III 21ST CENTURY CONSERVATION SERVICE CORPS ACT. (a) Definitions.—Section 203 of the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 (16 U.S.C. 1722) is amended— (1) in paragraph (2), by striking “under section 204” and inserting “by section 204(a)(1)”; (2) by redesignating paragraphs (8) through (13) as paragraphs (9) through (14), respectively; (3) by inserting after paragraph (7) the following: “(8) Institution of higher education.— “(A) In general.—The term ‘institution of higher education’ has the meaning given the term in section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002). “(B) Exclusion.—The term ‘institution of higher education’ does not include— “(i) an institution described in section 101(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(b)); or “(ii) an institution outside the United States, as described in section 102(a)(1)(C) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002(a)(1)(C)).” ; (4) in paragraph (9) (as so redesignated)— (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking “, as follows” and inserting “and other conservation and restoration initiatives, as follows”; and (B) by adding at the end the following: “(E) To protect, restore, or enhance marine, estuarine, riverine, and coastal habitat ecosystem components— “(i) to promote the recovery of threatened species, endangered species, and managed fisheries; “(ii) to restore fisheries, protected resources, and habitats impacted by oil and chemical spills and natural disasters; or “(iii) to enhance the resilience of coastal ecosystems, communities, and economies through habitat conservation.” ; (5) in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (11) (as so redesignated), by striking “individuals between the ages of 16 and 133 STAT. 833 30, inclusive,” and inserting “individuals between the ages of 16 and 30, inclusive, or veterans age 35 or younger”; (6) in paragraph (13) (as so redesignated)— (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking “and” at the end; (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking the period at the end and inserting “; and”; and (C) by adding at the end the following: “(C) with respect to the National Marine Sanctuary System, coral reefs, and other coastal, estuarine, and marine habitats, and other land and facilities administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Secretary of Commerce.” ; and (7) by adding at the end the following: “(15) Veteran.—The term ‘veteran’ has the meaning given the term in section 101 of title 38, United States Code.” . (b) Public Lands Corps Program.—Section 204 of the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 (16 U.S.C. 1723) is amended— (1) by striking subsection (a) and inserting the following: “(a) Establishment of Public Lands Corps.— “(1) In general.—There is established in the Department of the Interior, the Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Commerce a corps, to be known as the ‘Public Lands Corps’. “(2) No effect on other agencies.—Nothing in this subsection precludes the establishment of a public lands corps by the head of a Federal department or agency other than a department described in paragraph (1), in accordance with this Act.” ; (2) in subsection (b)— (A) in the first sentence, by striking “individuals between the ages of 16 and 30, inclusive,” and inserting “individuals between the ages of 16 and 30, inclusive, and veterans age 35 or younger”; and (B) in the second sentence, by striking “section 137(b) of the National and Community Service Act of 1990” and inserting “paragraphs (1), (2), (4), and (5) of section 137(a) of the National and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12591(a))”; and (3) by adding at the end the following: “(g) Effect.—Nothing in this section authorizes the use of the Public Lands Corps for projects on or impacting real property owned by, operated by, or within the custody, control, or administrative jurisdiction of the Administrator of General Services without the express permission of the Administrator of General Services.” . (c) Transportation.—Section 205 of the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 (16 U.S.C. 1724) is amended by adding at the end the following: “(e) Transportation.—The Secretary may provide to Corps participants who reside in their own homes transportation to and from appropriate conservation project sites.” . (d) Resource Assistants.— (1) In general.—Section 206(a) of the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 (16 U.S.C. 1725(a)) is amended by striking the first sentence and inserting the following: “The Secretary may provide individual placements of resource assistants to carry out research or resource protection activities on behalf of the Secretary.”. (2) Direct hire authority.—Section 121(a) of the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012 (16 U.S.C. 1725a), is amended— (A) in paragraph (1)— (i) by striking “Secretary of the Interior” and inserting “Secretary (as defined in section 203 of the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 (16 U.S.C. 1722))”; (ii) by striking “paragraph (1)” and inserting “paragraph (2)”; and (iii) by striking “with a land managing agency of the Department of the Interior”; and (B) in paragraph (2)(A), by striking “with a land managing agency” and inserting “with the Secretary (as so defined)”. (e) Compensation and Employment Standards.—Section 207 of the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 (16 U.S.C. 1726) is amended— (1) by striking the section heading and inserting “compensation and terms of service”; (2) by redesignating subsections (b) and (c) as subsections (c) and (d), respectively; (3) by inserting after subsection (a) the following: “(b) Educational Credit.—The Secretary may provide a Corps participant with an educational credit that may be applied toward a program of postsecondary education at an institution of higher education that agrees to award the credit for participation in the Corps.” ; (4) in subsection (c) (as so redesignated)— (A) by striking “Each participant” and inserting the following: “(1) In general.—Each participant” ; and (B) by adding at the end the following: “(2) Indian youth service corps.—With respect to the Indian Youth Service Corps established under section 210, the Secretary shall establish the term of service of participants in consultation with the affected Indian tribe.” ; (5) in subsection (d) (as so redesignated)— (A) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and (2) as subparagraphs (A) and (B), respectively, and indenting the subparagraphs appropriately; (B) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A) (as so redesignated), by striking “The Secretary” and inserting the following: “(1) In general.—The Secretary” ; and (C) by adding at the end the following: “(2) Time-limited appointment.—For purposes of section 9602 of title 5, United States Code, a former member of the Corps hired by the Secretary under paragraph (1)(B) for a time-limited appointment shall be considered to be appointed initially under open, competitive examination.” ; and (6) by adding at the end the following: “(e) Applicability to Qualified Youth or Conservation Corps.—The hiring and compensation standards described in this section shall apply to any individual participating in an appropriate conservation project through a qualified youth or conservation corps, including an individual placed through a contract or cooperative agreement, as approved by the Secretary.” . (f) Reporting and Data Collection.—Title II of the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 (16 U.S.C. 1721 et seq.) is amended— (1) by redesignating sections 209 through 211 as sections 211 through 213, respectively; (2) by inserting after section 208 the following: “SEC. 209. [16 U.S.C. 1727a] REPORTING AND DATA COLLECTION “(a) Report.—Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act, and annually thereafter, the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service, in coordination with the Secretaries, shall submit to Congress a report that includes data on the Corps, including— “(1) the number of participants enrolled in the Corps and the length of the term of service for each participant; “(2) the projects carried out by Corps participants, categorized by type of project and Federal agency; “(3) the total amount and sources of funding provided for the service of participants; “(4) the type of service performed by participants and the impact and accomplishments of the service; and “(5) any other similar data determined to be appropriate by the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service or the Secretaries. “(b) Data.—Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretaries shall submit to the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service the data described in subsection (a). “(c) Data Collection.—The Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service may coordinate with qualified youth or conservation corps to improve the collection of the required data described in subsection (a). “(d) Coordination.— “(1) In general.—The Secretaries shall, to the maximum extent practicable, coordinate with each other to carry out activities authorized under this Act, including— “(A) the data collection and reporting requirements of this section; and “(B) implementing and issuing guidance on eligibility for noncompetitive hiring status under section 207(d). “(2) Designation of coordinators.—The Secretary shall designate a coordinator to coordinate and serve as the primary point of contact for any activity of the Corps carried out by the Secretary.” ; and (3) [16 U.S.C. 1729] in subsection (c) of section 212 (as so redesignated), by striking “211” and inserting “213”. (g) Indian Youth Service Corps.—Title II of the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 (16 U.S.C. 1721 et seq.) (as amended by subsection (f)) is amended by inserting after section 209 the following: “SEC. 210. [16 U.S.C. 1727b] INDIAN YOUTH SERVICE CORPS “(a) In General.—There is established within the Public Lands Corps a program to be known as the ‘Indian Youth Service Corps’ that— “(1) enrolls participants between the ages of 16 and 30, inclusive, and veterans age 35 or younger, a majority of whom are Indians; “(2) is established pursuant to an agreement between an Indian tribe and a qualified youth or conservation corps for the benefit of the members of the Indian tribe; and “(3) carries out appropriate conservation projects on eligible service land. “(b) Authorization of Cooperative Agreements.—The Secretary may enter into cooperative agreements with Indian tribes and qualified youth or conservation corps for the establishment and administration of the Indian Youth Service Corps. “(c) Guidelines.—Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act, the Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with Indian tribes, shall issue guidelines for the management of the Indian Youth Service Corps, in accordance with this Act and any other applicable Federal laws.” .