Title 16 — ConservationRelease 119-73not60

§8505 Career and Volunteer Opportunities for Veterans

Title 16 › Chapter 103— EXPANDING PUBLIC LANDS OUTDOOR RECREATION EXPERIENCES › Subchapter II— ACCESS AMERICA › Part B— Military and Veterans in Parks › § 8505

Last updated Apr 5, 2026|Official source

Summary

Federal department leaders are urged to hire veterans for jobs that manage public recreational lands and waters. The Secretary of the Interior, working with the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans’ Employment and Training and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, must start a pilot program to hire veterans for conservation and resource management jobs at the Department of the Interior. The Secretary must find vacant Interior jobs that fit the pilot and try to fill them that way. Veterans in the pilot count as federal employees under law. The pilot stops two years after it starts. Within 60 days after January 4, 2025, the Secretary and the Assistant Secretary of Labor must brief the named congressional committees about how the pilot will help lower veteran unemployment and any law changes they suggest. They must brief those committees again within one year after the pilot starts. Within 30 days after the pilot ends they must send a report with how many veterans applied, how many were hired, how many moved into full-time federal jobs afterward, and other measures of success. The named committees are the House Veterans’ Affairs and Natural Resources Committees, and the Senate Veterans’ Affairs and Energy and Natural Resources Committees. Each military department head is also encouraged to let active-duty members join environmental stewardship or guided outdoor recreation programs.

Full Legal Text

Title 16, §8505

Conservation — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Secretaries are strongly encouraged to hire veterans in all positions related to the management of Federal recreational lands and waters.

(b)(1)The Secretary, in consultation with the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans’ Employment and Training and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, shall establish a pilot program under which veterans are employed by the Federal Government in positions that relate to the conservation and resource management activities of the Department of the Interior.

(2)The Secretary shall—

(A)identify vacant positions in the Department of the Interior that are appropriate to fill using the pilot program; and

(B)to the extent practicable, fill such positions using the pilot program.

(3)A veteran employed under the pilot program shall be treated as an employee as defined by section 2105 of title 5.

(4)(A)Not later than 60 days after January 4, 2025, the Secretary and the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans’ Employment and Training shall jointly provide to the appropriate congressional committees a briefing on the pilot program under this subsection, which shall include—

(i)a description of how the pilot program will be carried out in a manner to reduce the unemployment of veterans; and

(ii)any recommendations for legislative actions to improve the pilot program.

(B)Not later than 1 year after the date on which the pilot program under subsection (a) 11 So in original. Probably should refer to “this subsection”. commences, the Secretary and the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans’ Employment and Training shall jointly provide to the appropriate congressional committees a briefing on the implementation of the pilot program.

(C)Not later than 30 days after the date on which the pilot program under subsection (a) 1 terminates under paragraph (5), the Secretary and the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans’ Employment and Training shall jointly submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the pilot program that includes the following:

(i)The number of veterans who applied to participate in the pilot program.

(ii)The number of such veterans employed under the pilot program.

(iii)The number of veterans identified in clause (ii) who transitioned to full-time positions with the Federal Government after participating in the pilot program.

(iv)Any other information the Secretary and the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans’ Employment and Training determine appropriate with respect to measuring the effectiveness of the pilot program.

(5)The authority to carry out the pilot program under this subsection shall terminate on the date that is 2 years after the date on which the pilot program commences.

(c)In this section, the term “appropriate congressional committees” means—

(1)the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives; and

(2)the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate.

(d)Each Secretary of a military department is encouraged to allow members of the Armed Forces on active duty status to participate in programs related to environmental stewardship or guided outdoor recreation.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

16 U.S.C. § 8505

Title 16 — Conservation

Last Updated

Apr 5, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60