Jeff Merkley (D-OR)
Civilian Conservation Center Enhancement Act of 2025
A Democratic bill with 1 Republican cosponsor · See all 5 cosponsors
Last activity — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill, known as the ``Civilian Conservation Center Enhancement Act of 2025'', seeks to amend Public Law 91-378. It aims to authorize various activities related to Civilian Conservation Centers, which are residential training facilities for underserved youth. The legislation directs the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior to offer specialized training in areas like forestry, rangeland management, and wildland firefighting. It also allows for experimental pilots to provide technical education and curricula in various fields. Furthermore, the bill establishes recruitment goals for hiring graduates and provides mechanisms like direct hire authority and signing bonuses. Finally, it includes a pilot program to use students to improve federal housing for wildland firefighters and other agency employees.
Yes· 3 of 12
- Scored +7
Would people in their twenties and thirties be better off under this?
The bill targets underserved youth with specialized vocational training and job opportunities.
- Scored +7
Would students be better off under this?
The bill provides students with specialized training, employment opportunities, and potential signing bonuses.
- Scored +6
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?
The bill provides vocational training and career pathways for underserved youth.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Training Opportunities for Underserved Youth: The bill defines Civilian Conservation Centers as residential workforce development or training facilities specifically for underserved youth (Section 301).
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Specialized Skill Development: The Secretaries will offer training programs focused on forestry, rangeland management, and wildland firefighting (Section 302).
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Diverse Technical Education: The Secretary of Agriculture may carry out pilots providing curricula in various fields such as heavy equipment operation, disaster response, and forest restoration (Section 303).
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Job Creation and Career Pathways: The bill sets recruitment goals for hiring 300 covered graduates annually and requires the development of appropriate career pathways (Section 304).
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Financial Incentives for Employment: The Secretaries may provide signing bonuses to assist covered graduates with employment transitions, including securing housing in rural or remote areas (Section s304).
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Employment for Students: The Secretaries may employ covered students at regular rates of pay for necessary hours of work (Section 304).
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Housing Improvement: A pilot program will use covered students to improve, repair, and renovate Federal government housing intended for wildland firefighters, volunteers, interns, and other agency employees (Section 305).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- No specific negative impacts or burdens are explicitly mentioned in the provided text.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would students be better off under this? — The bill provides students with specialized training, employment opportunities, and potential signing bonuses. Would people in their twenties and thirties be better off under this? — The bill targets underserved youth with specialized vocational training and job opportunities. Would households on low incomes be better off under this? — The bill provides vocational training and career pathways for underserved youth. Would people in rural areas be better off under this? — The bill emphasizes workforce development and housing improvements in rural areas.
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Does this better protect public land such as parks and forests? — The bill provides training and workforce development specifically for forestry and natural resource management on public lands. Does this better protect air, water and wildlife? — The bill focuses on training in forestry, rangeland management, and forest restoration. Does this invest in rural communities? — The bill encourages workforce training and housing improvements in rural and remote communities. Does this improve help for people hit by a disaster? — Training includes curricula for disaster response and incident management.
- Social Issues And Justice
- Does this make housing cost less? — The bill includes a pilot program to improve federal housing for wildland firefighters and agency employees. Is this likely to lift people out of poverty? — By providing training and jobs to underserved youth, the bill aims to improve their economic status.
- Economy And Finance
- Is this likely to create jobs? — The bill establishes recruitment goals for hiring 300 graduates annually and develops career pathways.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this give the federal government more power? — The bill expands the role of the USDA and DOI in workforce development and housing management.
- 5/15/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
- 5 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Tammy BaldwinDemocrat · Wisconsin
Steve DainesRepublican · Montana
John HickenlooperDemocrat · Colorado
Angus KingIndependent · Maine
Ron WydenDemocrat · Oregon