Healthy Forest Youth Conservation Corps Act of 2004

HEALTHY FOREST YOUTH CONSERVATION CORPS ACT OF 2004 -- (House of Representatives - September 28, 2004)

Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4838) to establish a Healthy Forest Youth Conservation Corps to provide a means by which young adults can carry out rehabilitation and enhancement projects to prevent fires and suppress fires, rehabilitate public land affected or altered by fires, and provide disaster relief, and for other purposes, as amended.

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Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Arizona for yielding me this time and for his leadership on the Committee on Resources and on this bill. I also want to thank the chairman for his leadership and also the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Walden), who I have worked very closely with on this bill, the Healthy Forest Youth Conservation Corps.

This legislation will allow the Secretaries of Agriculture and Interior to contract directly with the youth service and conservation corps to carry out rehabilitation and enhancement projects in our parks and forests, placing a priority on those projects that prevent and suppress forest fires. This partnership between the Federal Government and the Nation's service and conservation corps will provide cost-effective assistance in preventing forest fires and restoring damaged forests lands.

In addition to providing additional resources to control forest fires, the program will offer important work experience to low-income, disadvantaged, and often minority youth between the ages of 16 and 24 who, through the corps, will develop the skills and habits they need to become productive citizens. Research has shown that youth who complete corps programs have higher rates of employment and earn more than their counterparts. Corps members also score higher on measures of personal and social responsibility and are more likely to earn a college degree.

Finally, not even taking into account the obvious financial benefits to society from protecting at-risk youth, corps generates $1.60 in immediate benefits for every $1 in cost. I encourage my colleagues to vote for passage of the Healthy Forest Youth Conservation Corps Act to enable local youth corps to work with the Federal Government to protect their communities. This is an opportunity to utilize cost-saving human resources to conserve, maintain, and protect Federal land. It is an investment in our environment and our country's youth.

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