Sponsor
Joseph Neguse
Representative · D-CO
The bill can preserve federal support and tribal exemptions for youth and conservation corps projects, but ambiguous or reduced cost-sharing language risks shifting costs to local partners and creating delays that could shrink or halt projects.
Qualified youth and conservation corps (students and rural communities) would continue to receive federal support for conservation projects on public lands if the amendment preserves existing funding rules, maintaining jobs, training, and projects.
Indigenous and tribal communities (projects on Indian and Hawaiian home lands) would remain eligible for projects with no nonfederal cost-share if the replacement text preserves that exemption, protecting tribal access to federally funded conservation work.
Youth and conservation corps, and the nonprofits that support them, could face reduced federal cost-share, forcing them to raise more nonfederal funds or shrink/stop projects, increasing financial strain and reducing project scope.
Applicants and program administrators (students and rural communities) could face legal uncertainty and delays if replacement language is unclear or missing, disrupting funding timelines and project implementation.
Based on analysis of 1 section of legislative text.
Deletes and intends to replace two sentences in the Public Lands Corps cost‑sharing rule; replacement text is not provided in the excerpt, so effects are indeterminate.
Representative · D-CO
Official title: To amend the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 to modify the cost-sharing requirement for conservation projects carried out by a qualified youth or conservation corps, and for other purposes.
Introduced September 1, 2026 by Joseph Neguse · Last progress September 1, 2026
Replaces two sentences in the Public Lands Corps Act cost‑sharing rule that govern federal payments for conservation projects carried out by qualified youth and conservation corps. The amendment shown removes and intends to insert new text for the first and second sentences of 16 U.S.C. §1729(a)(1), but the provided excerpt does not include the replacement language, making the practical change indeterminate from this text alone. Because the bill as supplied deletes and purports to insert new sentences without showing the inserted language, it is unclear whether the amendment would raise, lower, or otherwise change federal cost‑share limits or eligibility; current law authorizes the Secretary to pay up to 75% of project costs with the remaining 25% from nonfederal sources (and no cost sharing for projects on Indian or Hawaiian home lands).