H.R. 584: Department of the Interior Volunteer Recruitment Act of 2005

109th Congress · introduced 2005-02-02 · Public Lands and Natural Resources · Latest: Became Public Law No: 109-125.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2005-02-02 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Pombo, Richard W. [R-CA-11] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Became Public Law No: 109-125. (final step reached)
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Department of the Interior Volunteer Recruitment Act of 2005

Plain summary

(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The expanded summary of the House passed version is repeated here.) Department of the Interior Volunteer Recruitment Act of 2005 - Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to recruit, train, and accept, without regard to the civil service classification laws, rules, or regulations, the services of individuals, contributed without compensation as volunteers, for aiding in or facilitating the activities administered by the Secretary through the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the Office of the Secretary. Prohibits: (1) the Secretary, in accepting such services of individuals as volunteers, from permitting the use of such volunteers in law enforcement work, in regulatory and enforcement work, in policy-making processes, or to displace any employee; and (2) volunteer services authorized by this Act from being conducted on private property unless the officer or employee charged with supervising the volunteer obtains appropriate consent to enter the property from the property owner. Authorizes the Secretary to accept the services of individuals in hazardous duty only upon a determination by the Secretary that such individuals are skilled in performing hazardous activities. Directs the Secretary to ensure that an appropriate US officer or employee provides adequate and appropriate supervision of each volunteer whose services the Secretary accepts. Authorizes the Secretary to provide for services and costs incidental to the utilization of volunteers. Provides that a volunteer shall neither be deemed a federal employee nor subject to federal employment law, including those provisions relating to hours of work, rates of compensation, leave, unemployment compensation, and federal employee benefits. Subjects volunteers to criminal law provisions concerning bribery, graft, and conflicts of interest, except under certain conditions.

Congressional Research Service summary (Public Law), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Department of the Interior Volunteer Recruitment Act of 2005

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Public Law)

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Pombo, Richard W. [R-CA-11] · 0 cosponsors

Cost estimate: CBO cost estimate: H.R. 584, Department of the Interior Volunteer Recruitment Act of 2005 (2005-10-07); CBO cost estimate: H.R. 584, Department of the Interior Volunteer Recruitment Act of 2005 (2005-10-07)

Agencies named in this bill

Department of the Interior: its federal spending and other bills that name it

Found automatically: the agency's full official name appears in the bill title. A bill can affect agencies it does not name, so this list may be incomplete.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (3)

Appropriation: Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Authorization: A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
Rulemaking: The process agencies use to write regulations that carry out laws passed by Congress or a legislature. Usually an agency publishes a proposed rule, takes public comments, then publishes a final rule.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Public Law)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-109hr584.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/109/hr>

Record fed-us-cong109-hr584 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong109 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong109