A Modern Public Service Initiative for Washington State
A Legacy Worth Building Upon
Throughout American history, some of our greatest achievements have come when we chose to invest in both our people and our shared future.
In 1933, during the height of the Great Depression, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) as part of the New Deal. Millions of Americans faced unemployment while the nation grappled with environmental degradation, failing infrastructure, and economic uncertainty.
The CCC offered something more than temporary employment.
It offered purpose.
Over the course of nine years, more than three million Americans restored forests, planted billions of trees, built roads and bridges, constructed trails, developed state and national parks, reduced soil erosion, fought wildfires, and improved public lands across the country. Many of these projects continue to serve communities nearly a century later.
The Civilian Conservation Corps proved a timeless principle:
When government creates opportunities for people to serve their communities, everyone benefits.
Washington now faces a different set of challenges.
- Housing affordability
- Climate change
- Wildfire risk
- Flooding
- Declining salmon habitat
- A growing need for skilled trades
- An aging infrastructure
- Food insecurity
- A workforce searching for meaningful career pathways
These challenges cannot be solved independently because they are connected.
The Service and Conservation Corps (SCC) builds upon the proven legacy of the CCC while modernizing it for the needs of the twenty-first century.
Rather than focusing solely on conservation, the SCC integrates environmental stewardship, workforce development, community service, housing partnerships, agriculture, disaster resilience, infrastructure improvement, and career advancement into one coordinated statewide initiative.
This is not a recreation of the Civilian Conservation Corps.
It is its evolution.
Legislative Findings
The Washington State Legislature finds that:
- Strong communities depend upon meaningful opportunities for service, employment, education, and civic engagement.
- Washington faces increasing risks from flooding, wildfire, drought, landslides, sea level rise, and other climate-related hazards that require long-term investments in resilience.
- The State faces workforce shortages across agriculture, construction, conservation, emergency management, public works, forestry, and skilled trades.
- Many Washington residents, including young adults, veterans, displaced workers, formerly incarcerated individuals, unhoused individuals seeking stability, retirees wishing to continue serving, and migrant agricultural workers, possess valuable skills that remain underutilized.
- Public service should create pathways toward economic independence, not dependency.
- Every person has something valuable to contribute to the wellbeing of their community.
Purpose
The Service and Conservation Corps is established to:
- Restore Washington's natural environment
- Strengthen community resilience
- Create paid public service opportunities
- Expand workforce development
- Build partnerships with nonprofit organizations, tribal governments, local governments, labor unions, educational institutions, and private industry
- Improve disaster preparedness and recovery
- Support affordable housing initiatives
- Reduce food waste while improving food security
- Create career pathways into permanent employment
Guiding Principles
The SCC shall operate under the following principles:
- Service before politics
- Stewardship for future generations
- Every individual has value
- Communities grow stronger through shared responsibility
- Public investment should create lasting public assets
- Work should build dignity, purpose, and opportunity
Program Divisions
Community Renewal Corps
- Neighborhood revitalization
- Illegal dumping removal
- Community beautification
- Graffiti removal
- Public sanitation initiatives
- Neighborhood improvement projects
Conservation Corps
- Forest restoration
- Eelgrass restoration
- Salmon habitat recovery
- Wetland restoration
- Native species planting
- Invasive species removal
- Watershed protection
- Public lands stewardship
Agricultural Stewardship Corps
- Partnerships with Washington farmers
- Seasonal agricultural assistance
- Farmworker leadership opportunities
- Gleaning programs recovering food for local food banks
- Soil conservation
- Irrigation improvements
- Agricultural disaster response
- Support for regenerative agricultural practices
The Legislature recognizes migrant agricultural workers as essential contributors to Washington's economy and food security. The SCC shall prioritize recognition of existing agricultural expertise while providing opportunities for professional certifications, leadership development, language education when requested, apprenticeship pathways, and expanded career opportunities.
Housing & Community Construction Corps
- Habitat for Humanity partnerships
- Accessibility improvements for seniors and persons with disabilities
- Weatherization
- Community construction projects
- Affordable housing support
- Neighborhood revitalization
Climate Resilience Corps
- Flood mitigation
- Wildfire mitigation
- Fuel reduction projects
- Riparian restoration
- Stormwater infrastructure
- Emergency preparedness
- Disaster resilience planning
- Community resilience education
Infrastructure Corps
- Trail construction
- Park improvements
- Public facility maintenance
- Green infrastructure
- Transportation enhancement projects
- Public access improvements
Career Advancement Corps
- Trade exploration
- Union apprenticeship preparation
- Professional certifications
- Leadership development
- Career counseling
- College partnerships
- Paid internships
Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Recovery
The SCC shall support Washington's emergency management strategy through work in four phases:
Mitigation
Reducing future disaster risks through restoration and infrastructure improvements.
Preparedness
Training personnel, supporting community education, and assisting local preparedness efforts.
Response
Providing logistical support, cleanup assistance, supply distribution, and other authorized services under emergency management agencies.
Recovery
Debris removal, environmental restoration, rebuilding assistance, and long-term community recovery.
The SCC shall supplement, not replace, the work of professional firefighters, emergency responders, law enforcement, public works employees, and emergency management personnel.
Youth Service Pathway
The Legislature recognizes that success after high school is not defined by a single educational pathway.
Higher education, apprenticeships, military service, entrepreneurship, public service, and direct entry into the workforce each represent valuable contributions to society.
The SCC shall serve as a recognized post-graduation pathway for Washington students by providing:
- Paid employment
- Career exploration
- Industry certifications
- College credit opportunities where available
- Union apprenticeship preparation
- Leadership training
- Community service experience
Participation in the SCC may satisfy any future state-approved post-graduation readiness pathway established by the Legislature, alongside options such as higher education enrollment, apprenticeship programs, military service, entrepreneurship, or direct workforce participation.
Workforce Development
Participants shall have opportunities to earn certifications including:
- OSHA Safety
- Wildland Fire certifications
- Heavy equipment operation
- Habitat restoration
- Construction safety
- Agricultural technologies
- Environmental monitoring
- Emergency preparedness
- Additional certifications identified through industry partnerships
Partnerships
The SCC shall actively collaborate with:
- Washington Tribes
- Labor unions
- Community colleges
- Universities
- Habitat for Humanity
- Food banks
- Conservation districts
- Local governments
- State agencies
- Nonprofit organizations
- Private employers participating in apprenticeship and workforce development
Immigration and Agricultural Workforce
Washington's agricultural economy depends upon a highly skilled workforce whose experience has sustained farms and food production for generations.
The SCC shall recognize the expertise of migrant and seasonal agricultural workers by expanding access to training, leadership opportunities, and career advancement.
Where permitted under federal law, the State shall advocate for recognition of public service through the SCC as evidence of civic contribution in any future federally authorized immigration or naturalization pathways. Nothing in this Act shall be construed as creating or altering eligibility for United States citizenship, which remains governed by federal law.
Funding
Funding may be provided through:
- State appropriations
- Federal grants
- Climate resilience funding
- Public-private partnerships
- Foundation grants
- Disaster recovery funds
- Carbon reduction initiatives
- Workforce development grants
- Participating agency reimbursements
Expected Outcomes
The Service and Conservation Corps seeks to:
- Increase employment
- Expand skilled trades
- Improve environmental health
- Strengthen food security
- Support affordable housing
- Reduce disaster recovery costs
- Restore public lands
- Improve community resilience
- Increase civic engagement
- Create pathways toward lifelong careers
- Leave Washington stronger for the next generation
Closing Statement
The Service and Conservation Corps is founded on a simple belief:
Every person possesses talents capable of improving their community.
Government should not merely provide assistance; it should create opportunities for people to build, restore, protect, and serve.
The greatest legacy we can leave is not measured by the programs we create, but by the communities we strengthen and the opportunities we pass on.
Like the Civilian Conservation Corps nearly a century ago, the Service and Conservation Corps is an investment in people, place, and purpose.
Together, we can build a Washington that is more resilient, more prosperous, and better prepared for the generations that follow.