To amend the National and Community Service Act of 1990 to establish a Civilian Climate Corps to help communities respond to climate change and transition to a clean economy, and for other purposes.
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Committee
Latest Action · September 19, 2023
Referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
# Summary of H.R. 5572: Civilian Climate Corps for Jobs and Justice Act
This bill establishes a new Civilian Climate Corps program under the Corporation for National and Community Service to address climate change while creating jobs and training opportunities. The program would operate two main components: a national climate service program where Corps members work directly on climate projects in teams, and a grant program that funds organizations to implement climate service projects in their communities.
The program would recruit and employ individuals ages 17 and older (regardless of immigration status) for service periods of nine months to one year, with at least 50 percent of participants coming from low-income communities and communities of color. Members would earn a living allowance of at least $17 per hour (adjusted annually), receive health care coverage, get up to $25,000 in educational benefits upon completing service, and access job training in clean energy fields. The bill emphasizes worker protections, including rights to organize, collectively bargain, and strike, as well as prevailing wage requirements for any contractors working on Corps projects.
Service projects would focus on climate resilience, clean energy installation, building retrofitting, renewable energy transition, environmental remediation, disaster recovery, and conservation work. The bill aims to scale the program to 400,000 positions in the national service component and 200,000 in the grant program by 2028.
The bill authorizes approximately $107.5 billion in total federal funding for fiscal years 2024 through 2028, broken down as $70 billion for direct Corps operations, $37.5 billion for educational benefits, and additional allocations for health care and other AmeriCorps programs. Educational benefits received through the program would be tax-free.
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