Civilian Conservation Center Enhancement Act of 2025
The Civilian Conservation Center Enhancement Act of 2025 would add a new Title III to the Civilian Conservation Centers framework (Public Law 91-378) to expand residential workforce development and training for underserved youth through Civilian Conservation Centers (CCCs) operated by the Forest Service (Department of Agriculture) and the Department of the Interior. The bill aims to create specialized training programs, primarily in forestry, rangeland management, and wildland firefighting, with coordination from the Department of Labor. It also establishes pilots and nurse-into-employment provisions to boost the recruitment, hiring, and career progression of CCC graduates (referred to as “covered graduates”) into wildfire, natural resources, and related fields, along with a housing pilot to improve federal housing for wildland firefighting personnel. A congressionally mandated report is due within one year detailing CCC capacity and needed investments to maximize use of CCC facilities. The bill is sponsored in the Senate by Senator Merkley (with several co-sponsors) and would require interagency cooperation among Agriculture, Interior, and Labor, plus coordination with state governments, tribes, and higher education institutions to implement curricula, recruitment, and housing initiatives.
Key Points
- 1Create Title III for Civilian Conservation Centers, defining key terms (Civilian Conservation Center; covered student; covered graduate) and naming the involved Secretaries (Agriculture and Interior).
- 2Specialized training programs at CCCs focusing on forestry/rangeland management, wildland firefighting, and other mission-related topics; priority given to facilities described in section 147(d) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.
- 3Wildland Firefighting Workforce Development Pilot: allows experimental or demonstration curricula at CCCs, including incident management, disaster response, timber and forest operations, heavy equipment, habitat and water monitoring, recreation access, and related topics; requires coordination, workforce needs assessment, and marketing/recruitment efforts.
- 4Wildland Firefighting Workforce Enhancement: sets recruitment goals (e.g., 300 covered graduates hired annually in respective departments), potential signing bonuses, direct-hire authority for graduates (bypassing most competitive hiring rules), creation of career pathways, potential to employ covered students in contracts, and provisions for disadvantaged youth employment.
- 5Wildland Firefighting Housing Pilot Program: authorizes a pilot to use covered students to help renovate or construct housing owned by the federal government for firefighters and related personnel; requires identification of suitable properties and a Congress-submitted, prioritized project list with a plan for student involvement.
- 6Reporting Requirement: within one year of enactment, agencies must report on underutilized CCC capacity and the investments/efficiencies needed to utilize full CCC capacity.