(a) “Community Conservation Corps” means a nonprofit public benefit corporation formed or operating pursuant to Part 2 (commencing with Section 5110) of Division 2 of Title 1 of the Corporations Code, or an agency operated by a city, county, or city and county, that is certified by the California Conservation Corps as meeting all of the following criteria:

(1) The corps is organized in the form of supervised work crews and selects young men and women for participation on the basis of motivation for hard work, personal development, and public service, without regard to their prior employment or educational background, and consistent with Section 14402. Participation shall be for a period of one year, and may be extended.

(2) The corps’ program is based upon a highly disciplined work experience, includes an educational component, and is designed to develop corpsmembers’ character and civic consciousness through rigorous work on public projects. The educational component of the corps’ program includes enrollment in a vocational education program, public or charter high school, or postsecondary community college.

(3) The corps compensates corpsmembers at not less than the federal minimum wage, and provides corpsmembers assistance in obtaining permanent employment following their participation in the corps program.

(4) The corps engages in recycling and litter abatement projects as well as projects that accomplish the conservationist and other purposes described in subdivisions (a) to (h), inclusive, of Section 14300, and that assist agencies of local government and other nonprofit community organizations in developing, rehabilitating, and restoring parklands, recreational facilities, and other community resources.

(5) The corps consists of an average annual enrollment of not less than 50 corpsmembers between 18 and 25 years of age. In determining the average annual enrollment of a community conservation corps for the purposes of Section 14581.1, the California Conservation Corps shall not include special corpsmembers, as described in Section 14303, who are employed by a community conservation corps.

(b) The California Conservation Corps shall evaluate a community conservation corps for the purpose of determining its eligibility for certification, pursuant to this section, after it has completed 12 months of continuous operation, and annually thereafter.

(Amended by Stats. 2014, Ch. 35, Sec. 141. (SB 861) Effective June 20, 2014.)