S. 1788: Civilian Conservation Center Enhancement Act of 2025

This bill, known as the Civilian Conservation Center Enhancement Act of 2025, aims to enhance the role of Civilian Conservation Centers (CCCs) in providing training and workforce development for underserved youth. Here are the main components of the bill:

Definitions

The bill defines important terms:

• Civilian Conservation Center: A residential facility operated by the Department of the Interior or the Department of Agriculture focused on workforce development and training for underserved youth.
• Covered Graduate: An individual who successfully completes a training program at a CCC.
• Covered Student: An individual enrolled in a training program at a CCC.

Training Programs

The bill mandates the Secretaries of Agriculture and Interior, in coordination with the Secretary of Labor, to offer specialized training programs at CCCs. These programs will focus on areas such as:

• Forestry and rangeland management
• Wildland firefighting
• Other topics related to the mission of the Forest Service or public interest

The bill emphasizes prioritizing these specialized training programs at certain facilities identified in other legislation.

Wildland Firefighting Workforce Development

The bill allows the Secretary of Agriculture, in coordination with the Secretary of Labor, to carry out pilot programs aimed at enhancing workforce training in the fields relevant to the missions of the respective departments. These pilot programs will involve:

• Developing curricula that cover areas such as incident management, disaster response, forest products measurement, and heavy equipment operation.
• Identifying workforce needs and creating marketing materials to attract students to the courses.
• Providing necessary staffing to teach these curricula.

Recruitment and Employment Initiatives

The bill establishes goals for hiring covered graduates into wildland firefighting and other critical roles. It includes provisions for:

• Setting annual hiring goals to recruit 300 covered graduates.
• Providing signing bonuses to graduates for successful employment, including assistance with housing in remote areas.
• Employing covered students at regular pay rates for work hours while providing them with opportunities to fulfill contracts and agreements relevant to their training.
• Direct hiring of graduates into positions, bypassing certain traditional hiring requirements.

Housing for Wildland Firefighters

The bill also proposes a pilot program focused on improving housing for wildland firefighters and associated personnel. This involves:

• Employing covered students to help in the renovation and expansion of government-owned housing intended for these personnel.
• Identifying existing federal properties suitable for this purpose and planning for new construction where necessary.

Reporting Requirements

Lastly, the Secretaries are required to submit a report within one year of the bill's enactment. This report will assess:

• The underutilized capacity of Civilian Conservation Centers.
• Investments and improvements needed to optimize the use of CCC resources.

Relevant Companies

None found.