Jeff Bingaman United States Senator from New Mexico

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman today reported that the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee has approved legislation he wrote to provide young people with job opportunities, while helping to repair and restore the country's public lands.  The legislation also includes a provision authored by U.S. Senator Tom Udall to establish the Indian Youth Service Corps.

The measure can now be considered by the full Senate.

Bingaman's Public Lands Service Corps Act of 2011 expands opportunities for young people to gain employment and job training through partnerships with public land managers.   The bill makes the existing Public Land Corps legislation more effective, efficient, and accessible for corps members and Federal land managers.  Additionally, the bill would add incentives to attract new participants, especially from underrepresented populations.

"Our nation's unemployment rate is high, but this recession has particularly taken a toll on young Americans," said Bingaman, who chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.  "This bill would put young people to work on our nation's public lands, helping them gain valuable experience while developing critical job skills and an interest in our environment."

"This bill's impact on New Mexico is two-fold.  The bill will not only allow more of our young people to learn valuable work skills, but it will help instill in them a love of the natural environment that makes New Mexico such a special place," Udall said.  "I am pleased this bill has passed this important hurdle."

Among other things, the bill 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) to work with youth in projects designed benefit public lands.
• Establish an Indian Youth Service Corps so that Indian Tribes can start corps programs on Tribal lands to carry out priority projects determined by their communities. Authorize the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to participate in the program, which would allow Corps members to work on restoring coastal and marine ecosystems.
• Expand the scope of eligible projects to include activities such as assisting with historical and cultural research, working with scientists in field research, and providing visitor services and interpretation.
• Authorize the Secretaries to provide transportation to and from project sites in project areas where Corps members can reasonably be expected to live at home.
• Allow agencies to provide noncompetitive hiring status for Corps participants for two years after completing service.  Current law allows such status for only 120 days.
• Expand the age range for the program to youth 15-25 years old, who could serve either in crews or as individuals.