16 U.S.C. § 1703 — Duties and functions of Secretary of the Interior and Secretary of Agriculture

(a) Programs, projects, employment, regulations, and facilities. The Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture must: (1) identify suitable areas under their control for Corps programs; (2) work with other federal agencies to identify suitable areas under those agencies’ control and choose work and education projects for Corps members; (3) set Corps pay, hours, and other employment terms, but Corps members are not federal employees except for chapter 171 of title 28 and chapter 81 of title 5; (4) provide needed transportation, lodging, food, services, and equipment; (5) issue safety, health, and welfare regulations; and (6) when possible, make permanent or semipermanent Corps camps available during Corps downtime to local schools, school districts, state junior colleges and universities, and other educational institutions for environmental or ecological education camps. The user of a camp must pay operating, maintenance, and staffing costs during that use and is responsible for injury or property damage; those costs and liability are not the Secretaries’ or Corps’ responsibility. (b) Unoccupied facilities and equipment. Existing unoccupied federal facilities and surplus or unused equipment, including military facilities and equipment, must be used for Corps purposes when appropriate and approved by the responsible agency. Corps members must be assigned to conservation projects as near their homes as feasible to reduce transportation costs. (c) Contracts. The Secretaries may contract with a public agency or organization, or a private nonprofit agency or organization that has existed at least five years, to operate a Youth Conservation Corps project.