Sec. 2. Findings and purposes

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Congress finds that— as a result of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID–19) pandemic, more than 40,000,000 people in the United States have filed claims for unemployment benefits since March 2020, which is a level of unemployment not seen since the Great Depression; investments in fish, wildlife, and habitat restoration and outdoor recreation infrastructure generate as many as 33 jobs per $1,000,000 invested, as demonstrated by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 ( Public Law 111–5 ; 123 Stat. 115); the outdoor recreation economy— generates $887,000,000,000 in economic activity each year, which is 2.2 percent of the gross domestic product of the United States, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis; and was 1 of the fastest growing sectors of the United States economy before the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID–19) pandemic; the demand for outdoor recreation has increased dramatically during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID–19) pandemic; the Federal Government and State and local governments and agencies have many shovel-ready projects and green infrastructure maintenance backlog projects that would— improve the quality of life and outdoor experiences of people of the United States; make communities, especially communities that are traditionally underserved, more resilient to climate change, natural disasters, and wildfires; and provide access to outdoor recreation opportunities to all people of the United States; many facilities and natural resources located on dedicated conservation land are in disrepair or degraded and in need of labor-intensive rehabilitation, restoration, and enhancement work that cannot be carried out at existing staffing levels; enhancing and maintaining environmentally and recreationally important land and waters through the participation of unemployed individuals in the United States in a conservation corps could— provide critical employment, education, and skill development opportunities to the individuals; prepare the individuals for permanent jobs in the conservation field; and benefit the economy and environment of the United States; and existing networks of conservation corps are in place but need additional resources in order to scale up the activities of the conservation corps to meet growing deferred maintenance needs on public land.

The purposes of this Act are— to employ, during the 5-year period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act, a total of 1,000,000 people in the United States in dedicated conservation land projects to support the growing backlog of deferred conservation land projects; to expose Participants to public service while furthering the understanding and appreciation of the Participants of the natural and cultural resources of the United States; to stimulate interest among Participants in conservation careers by exposing the Participants to conservation professionals in land management agencies; and to build on the existing network of conservation corps organizations working across the United States while providing for expanded participation in urban centers.

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Pub. L. 111-5
123 Stat. 115

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Sec. 2

Findings and purposes

Pub. L.Pub. L. 111-5

Stat.123 Stat. 115

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