Interior agencies win backing from House panel to recruit volunteers
The Interior Department may recruit and train volunteers to help with activities of more of its agencies under legislation approved Wednesday by the House Resources Committee.
The legislation opens up the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Bureau of Reclamation and the Office of the Secretary to volunteer assistance. Volunteer programs already exist in some other Interior agencies, including the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Land Management.
The committee approved a substitute amendment for H.R. 4170 by unanimous consent. The substitute, offered by Chairman Richard Pombo, R-Calif., reduced the number of agencies that would be permitted to recruit volunteers from the original legislation.
Ranking member Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., had expressed concern about the use of volunteers in regulatory and legal matters. The agencies dropped from the legislation are the Office of Surface Mining, the Minerals Management Service and the Office of the Solicitor.
The amended bill was passed by unanimous consent. The committee also approved 28 other bills by unanimous consent and two by voice vote.
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