No official summary available for this bill.
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1111 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1111
To establish a Department of Peacebuilding, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 7, 2025
Ms. Omar (for herself, Ms. Bonamici, Mr. Carson, Mr. Garcia of
Illinois, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Jackson of Illinois, Mr. Johnson of
Georgia, Ms. Kelly of Illinois, Mr. McGovern, Ms. Moore of Wisconsin,
Ms. Norton, Mrs. Ramirez, Ms. Schakowsky, Ms. Tlaib, Ms. Velazquez,
Mrs. McIver, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Mr. Swalwell, and Mr. Turner of
Texas) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish a Department of Peacebuilding, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Department of
Peacebuilding Act of 2025''.
(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as
follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Findings.
TITLE I--ESTABLISHMENT OF DEPARTMENT OF PEACEBUILDING
Sec. 101. Establishment of Department of Peacebuilding.
Sec. 102. Responsibilities and powers.
Sec. 103. Principal officers.
Sec. 104. Office of Peace Education and Training.
Sec. 105. Office of Domestic Peacebuilding Activities.
Sec. 106. Office of International Peacebuilding Activities.
Sec. 107. Office of Technology for Peace.
Sec. 108. Office of Arms Control and Disarmament.
Sec. 109. Office of Peacebuilding Information and Research.
Sec. 110. Office of Human Rights and Economic Rights.
Sec. 111. Intergovernmental Advisory Council on Peace.
Sec. 112. Federal Interagency Committee on Peace.
Sec. 113. Staff.
Sec. 114. Consultation required.
Sec. 115. Collaboration.
TITLE II--OTHER MATTERS
Sec. 201. Legislative recommendations of the Secretary.
Sec. 202. Peace Days.
Sec. 203. Definitions.
Sec. 204. Authorization of appropriations.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress
unanimously declared the independence of the 13 colonies, and
the achievement of peace was recognized as one of the highest
duties of the new organization of free and independent States.
(2) The Constitution of the United States, in its preamble,
further sets forth the insurance of the cause of peace in
stating, ``We the People of the United States, in Order to form
a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic
Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the
general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to
ourselves and our Posterity''.
(3) According to the Centre for Global Research, the United
States has been at war for more than 90 percent of its
existence. Many of our citizens today have never known a
peaceful year in their lifetimes.
(4) Throughout the globe, starvation, rape, denial of media
access to conflict zones, and dismantling of civic and societal
infrastructures, including housing and healthcare, are utilized
as weapons of war. In 2024, UNICEF warned that rape and gender-
based violence are often used as weapons of war and that 1 out
of every 8 girls alive today--some 370 million people--will
experience rape or sexual assault before they turn 18. More
than 120 million individuals have been forcibly displaced
worldwide as a result of persecution, conflict, violence, and
human rights violations.
(5) In the 21st century, the United States has spent almost
$8 trillion on foreign wars, with nearly 5 million lives lost.
(6) The physical, emotional, monetary, and other costs of
violence are enormous, cut across all sectors of society in the
United States, disproportionately impact people of color, and
are interrelated.
(7) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
and the National Institutes of Health report 1 in 7 children
experience some form of child abuse or neglect in their
lifetimes, nearly 1 in 4 women report having experienced severe
physical violence from an intimate partner, nearly 1 in 3 women
and 1 in 7 men experience some form of sexual violence during
their lifetimes, and Native American women are sexually
assaulted, murdered, and disappeared at higher rates than other
American women. Additionally, the lifetime economic cost
associated with medical services for Intimate Partner Violence-
related injuries, lost productivity from paid work, criminal
justice and other costs, is $3.6 trillion according to the CDC.
(8) There are 3.3 million reports of violence against
children that result in foster care placements every year; 25
percent of kids in foster care experience PTSD, fewer than 3
percent earn a college degree; 20 percent become homeless after
the age of 18; and only 50 percent will be employed by the age
of 24. One in five high school students reported being bullied
at school during 2017 and cyberbullying impacts many young
people. Criminalization disproportionately impacts African
Americans and other people of color, including high rates of
school suspensions and expulsions and incarceration. African
Americans are incarcerated at more than five times the rate of
Whites.
(9) In 2015, 17 percent of students considered attempting
suicide. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among
Native Americans aged 10 to 34. Approximately 17 veterans a day
commit suicide nationwide. About 12 young people in the United
States die from homicides each day.
(10) Restorative justice and practices have been proven to
significantly improve outcomes. In Sonoma County, California,
schools that introduced restorative practices saw their
suspension rates drop by nearly 30 percent.
(11) More Americans have died from gunshots in the last 50
years than in all of the wars in American history.
(12) Since 1968, more than 1.5 million Americans have died
in gun-related incidents, according to data from the CDC.
Firearms are the leading cause of death for American children
and teens, disproportionally affecting people of color, and
cause more deaths in young people than cancer and car crashes.
The Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Prevention reports
that in 2022, 48,204 people died due to gun violence in the
United States, the second highest total ever recorded. Each
day, an average of 132 people died from gun violence--one death
every 11 minutes. In 2024, there were more than 500 mass
shootings, defined as incidents in which 4 or more people are
injured or killed. From 2020-2023, the number exceeded 600
annually. Young people go to school wondering where to hide
when a shooter enters their classroom. Each gun injury and
fatality results in trauma to family members, loved ones, and
the community.
(13) According to reports by the Institute of Economics and
Peace, which measures the economic impact of violence and
conflict to the global economy, the economic impact of violence
to the global economy was $16.5 trillion in 2021. One IEP
report found that the regional impact of violence in North
America, 99 percent of which can be attributed to the United
States, amounted to $2.73 trillion in 2017.
(14) Violence prevention is cost effective. For every
dollar spent on violence prevention and peacebuilding,
thousands of lives and dollars are saved. The philosophy and
techniques of nonviolence and peacebuilding provide tools and
techniques that can be applied not only at the levels of
individual and community growth, but also within the Federal
Government and at national and international levels.
(15) Peacebuilding is defined by the United Nations as a
range of measures targeted to reduce the risk of lapsing or
relapsing into conflict by strengthening national capacities at
all levels for conflict management and to lay the foundations
for sustainable peace and development. Peacebuilding is
predicated on research into the root causes of violence in the
United States and the world, through promotion and promulgation
of effective policies and programs that ameliorate those root
causes of violence, and through providing all citizens,
organizations, and governmental bodies with opportunities to
learn about and practice the essential tools of nonviolent
conflict resolution and peacebuilding.
(16) Peace is a human right and a security issue. The
Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognizes that
``recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and
inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the
foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world'', and
General Assembly resolution 39/11 ``solemnly proclaims that the
peoples of our planet have a sacred right to peace'' and
``emphasizes that ensuring the exercise of the right of peoples
to peace demands that the policies of States be directed
towards the elimination of the threat of war, particularly
nuclear war, the renunciation of the use of force in
international relations and the settlement of international
disputes by peaceful means on the basis of the Charter of the
United Nations''.
(17) In 2000, the Earth Charter Commission released the
Earth Charter, an international declaration of fundamental
values and principles created to build a just, sustainable, and
peaceful global society. The preamble of the Earth Charter
provides, ``To move forward we must recognize that in the midst
of a magnificent diversity of cultures and life forms we are
one human family and one Earth community with a common destiny.
We must join together to bring forth a sustainable global
society founded on respect for nature, universal human rights,
economic justice, and a culture of peace.''.
(18) Climate change is becoming a critical multiplier of
global conflict. Without immediate action, water scarcity, food
insecurity, and other impacts of climate change threaten to
ignite new conflicts, particularly in already fragile regions.
A 2021 Lancet global health study of 10,000 youth found 59
percent are ``very'' or ``extremely concerned'' about climate
change and its impact on their mental health.
(19) Nuclear weapons expose the world to harm on a vast,
extinction-level scale. It has long been held that a nuclear
war cannot be won and must never be fought. Yet, the United
States continues expanding and modernizing its nuclear arsenal,
spending trillions of dollars that could instead be redirected
to the needs of American communities.
(20) Systemic racism is a significant driver of violence
and key obstacle to peace in the United States. Confronting and
uprooting systemic racism in America will require efforts by
the Federal Government both to properly acknowledge,
memorialize, and provide reparations for historical injustices,
including the institutions of slavery and Jim Crow.
(21) Economic insecurity and poverty are forms of violence.
Low wages and poverty contribute to homelessness, health
issues, lower life expectancy, worse school attendance and many
other outcomes. According to the Poor People's Campaign,
poverty is the fourth leading cause of death in the United
States, claiming 295,000 lives every year.
TITLE I--ESTABLISHMENT OF DEPARTMENT OF PEACEBUILDING
SEC. 101. ESTABLISHMENT OF DEPARTMENT OF PEACEBUILDING.
(a) Establishment.--There is hereby established a Department of
Peacebuilding, which shall--
(1) be within the executive branch of the Federal
Government; and
(2) be dedicated to peacebuilding, peacemaking, and the
study and promotion of conditions conducive to both domestic
and international peace and a culture of peace.
(b) Secretary of Peacebuilding.--There shall be at the head of the
Department a Secretary of Peacebuilding, who shall be appointed by the
President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.
(c) Mission.--The Department shall--
(1) cultivate peace and peacebuilding as a strategic
national policy objective;
(2) reduce and prevent violence in the United States and
internationally through peacebuilding and effective nonviolent
conflict resolution;
(3) strengthen nonmilitary means of peacemaking;
(4) take a proactive, strategic approach in the development
of field-tested best practices and policies that promote
national and international conflict prevention, nonviolent
intervention, mediation, peaceful resolution of conflict, and
structured mediation of conflict;
(5) address matters both domestic and international in
scope;
(6) address the interconnection of all life and the
intersectionality of peace and justice, equality, health,
healing, national security, education, the economy, rule of
law, democracy, planetary survival, and other aspects of civil
rights, civil liberties, and human rights;
(7) provide an institutional platform for the growing
wealth of expertise in peacebuilding to dramatically reduce the
national and global epidemic of violence;
(8) support local communities in finding, funding,
replicating, and expanding programs to reduce and prevent
violence;
(9) invest in nongovernmental organizations that have
implemented successful initiatives to reduce and prevent
violence, both internationally and domestically; and
(10) consult with other Federal agencies to apply and
practice the science of peacebuilding in their respective
fields of responsibility.
SEC. 102. RESPONSIBILITIES AND POWERS.
(a) In General.--The Secretary shall, on an ongoing basis--
(1) work proactively and interactively with each branch of
the Federal Government on all policy matters relating to
conditions of peace;
(2) call on the experience and expertise of individuals and
seek participation in the development of policy from private,
public, and nongovernmental organizations;
(3) monitor and analyze causative principles of conflict
and make policy recommendations for developing conditions of
peace and maintaining peaceful conduct;
(4) research effective violence reduction programs and
promote and promulgate such programs within the Federal
Government and society; and
(5) consult with private, public, and nongovernmental
organizations to develop a metric model that provides the means
to measure and report progress toward peace in the United
States to the President, Congress, and the public, and issue
reports on such progress annually with those reports to be
available to the public on the website of the Department.
(b) Domestic Responsibilities.--The Secretary shall collaborate
with governmental and nongovernmental organizations and individuals to
promote personal and community security and peace by--
(1) developing new policies and supporting existing
policies that effectively address personal and family violence,
including suicide, domestic violence, spousal abuse, child
abuse, and mistreatment of the elderly and others;
(2) creating new policies and programs and expanding
existing policies and programs that effectively reduce drug and
alcohol abuse;
(3) analyzing existing policies, employing successful,
field-tested programs, and developing new approaches for
dealing with the tools of violence, including handguns and
assault weapons, especially among youth;
(4) developing new and expanding effective programs that
address and ameliorate societal challenges such as school
violence, gangs, police violence, hate crimes, economic
injustice, human trafficking, racial or ethnic violence,
violence against LGBTQ+ individuals, and police-community
relations disputes;
(5) making policy recommendations to the Attorney General
of the United States regarding civil rights and labor law;
(6) assisting in the establishment and funding of
community-based violence prevention programs, including virtual
violence prevention programs for at-home participation,
violence prevention counseling and peer mediation in schools
and via video conferences, and unarmed civilian peacekeeping
and crisis mitigation at a local level;
(7) providing counseling and advocacy on behalf of
individuals victimized by violence, including those with mental
health challenges;
(8) providing for public education programs and counseling
strategies that promote acceptance and respect for the
diversity of all individuals in the United States without
regard to race, religion, creed, gender and gender
identification, sexual orientation, age, ethnicity, national
origin, class and economic status, and other perceived
differences; and
(9) supporting local community initiatives that draw on
neighborhood resources to create peace projects that facilitate
the development of conflict resolution and healing of societal
wounds such as patriarchy, racism, war, manifest destiny, and
economic injustice to thereby inform and inspire national
policy.
(c) International Responsibilities.--The Secretary shall--
(1) advise the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of
State on matters relating to national security, including the
protection of human rights and the prevention of, amelioration
of, and de-escalation of unarmed and armed international
conflict;
(2) contribute to and participate in the development of
training of all United States personnel who administer post-
conflict reconstruction and demobilization in war-torn
societies;
(3) sponsor national and regional conflict-prevention and
dispute-resolution initiatives, create special task forces, and
draw on local, regional, and national expertise to develop
plans and programs for addressing the root sources and issues
of conflict in troubled areas;
(4) develop violence prevention, amelioration and violence
de-escalation training for the general public to provide tools
and educate about peacebuilding skills and to promote
sustainable peace, peacebuilding buy-in and peacebuilding
awareness;
(5) counsel and advocate on behalf of women victimized by
violence, including rape, situations leading up to conflict,
conflicts, and post-conflict situations;
(6) counsel and advocate on behalf of victims of human
trafficking both domestically and internationally and work to
end the trafficking of human beings;
(7) provide for exchanges between the United States and
other nations that endeavor to develop domestic and
international peace-based initiatives;
(8) encourage the development of international sister city
programs, pairing United States cities with cities around the
world for artistic, cultural, economic, educational, and faith-
based exchanges;
(9) establish and administer a budget designated for the
training and deployment of unarmed civilian peacekeepers to
participate in multinational nonviolent peacekeeping forces
that may be conducted by civilian, governmental, or
multilateral organizations;
(10) jointly with the Secretary of the Treasury, strengthen
peace enforcement through hiring and training monitors and
investigators to help with the enforcement of international
arms embargoes;
(11) in consultation with the Secretary of State, bring
together all stakeholders who are impacted by a conflict by
facilitating peace summits where such stakeholders may gather
under carefully prepared conditions to promote nonviolent
communication and mutually beneficial solutions and to prevent
future violence;
(12) submit to the President recommendations for reductions
and elimination of weapons of mass destruction, and make annual
reports to the President on the sale of arms from the United
States to other nations, with an analysis of the impact of such
sales on the defense of the United States, how such sales
affect peace and security, and how reduction or cessation of
such sales affect peace and security;
(13) in consultation with the Secretary of State, develop
strategies for sustainability and management of the
distribution of international funds;
(14) advise the Permanent Representative of the United
States to the United Nations on matters pertaining to the
United Nations Security Council;
(15) support the implementation of international
peacebuilding strategies through a balanced use of
peacebuilding, reconciliation, diplomacy, development, and
defense with the goal of preventing and ending war and
violence; and
(16) encourage all nations to create infrastructures for
peace within their nations and among nations.
(d) Membership of the Secretary of Peacebuilding on the National
Security Council.--Section 101(c) of the National Security Act of 1947
(50 U.S.C. 3021(c)) is amended by inserting ``, the Secretary of
Peacebuilding'' after ``Treasury''.
(e) Human Security Responsibilities.--The Secretary shall address
and offer nonviolent conflict resolution strategies and suggest
resources for unarmed civilian peacekeepers to the appropriate relevant
parties on issues of human security if such security is threatened by
conflict or crisis, whether such conflict or crisis is geographic,
religious, ethnic, gender-based, racial, or class-based in its origin,
derives from economic concerns, health concerns or is initiated through
disputes concerning scarcity of natural resources (such as water and
energy resources), food, health resources (such as life saving
medicine, medical and protective equipment and supplies, including
viral and bacterial infection testing supplies and vaccines), trade, or
climate and environmental concerns.
(f) Media-Related Responsibilities.--Respecting the First Amendment
to the Constitution of the United States of America and the requirement
for free and independent media, the Secretary shall--
(1) seek assistance in the design and implementation of
nonviolent policies from media professionals;
(2) study the role of the media in the escalation and de-
escalation of conflict at domestic and international levels,
including the role of fear-inducing and hate-inducing speech
and actions, and making the findings of such study public; and
(3) make recommendations to professional media
organizations in order to provide opportunities to increase
media awareness of peacebuilding initiatives.
(g) Educational Responsibilities.--The Secretary shall--
(1) consult with the United States Institute of Peace, the
Department of Education, Indigenous communities, and other
concerned individuals and organizations and develop a peace
education curriculum that includes studies of--
(A) the civil rights movement in the United States
and throughout the world and human rights and liberties
movements, with special emphasis on the role of
nonviolence and how individual endeavor and involvement
have contributed to advancements in peace and justice;
(B) underlying causes of violence and conditions of
peace;
(C) practices that enhance peace and peacebuilding;
(D) the contributions to the United States of its
diverse ethnicities, races, and religious communities;
(E) peace agreements and circumstances in which
peaceful intervention has worked to stop conflict; and
(F) the patriarchal structure of society and the
inherent violence of such structure in the shaping of
relationships and institutions;
(2) in consultation with the Secretary of Education--
(A) commission and participate in the development
of such curriculum and make such curriculum available
to local school districts to enable the use of peace
education objectives at pre-kindergarten schools,
elementary schools, and secondary schools in the United
States;
(B) support in early childhood, pre-kindergarten
schools, elementary schools, secondary schools, and
institutions of higher education a well-resourced,
balanced education that includes math, environmental
stewardship, science, English, history, ethnic studies,
economics, justice, critical thinking, social studies,
health, physical education, foreign languages, the
arts, and music that will prepare students for success
in a globally interconnected world; and
(C) offer incentives in the form of grants and
training to encourage the development of State peace
curricula and assist schools in applying for such
grants and training;
(3) work with educators to equip students to become skilled
in achieving peace through reflection, and facilitate
instruction in the ways of peaceful conflict resolution;
(4) ensure that schools are nonviolence zones that provide
a peaceful educational environment;
(5) create school and community cultures where students and
staff do not feel threatened and are free from bullying and
harassment by developing and implementing curricula in
nonviolent conflict resolution education, mindfulness, and
restorative practices for teachers, students, parents, the
school community, and the community at large;
(6) maintain a public website to solicit and receive ideas
for the development of peace from the wealth of the
politically, socially, and culturally diverse public;
(7) proactively engage the critical thinking capabilities,
including civic education on citizen duties to foster
democratic principles, of students and teachers of pre-
kindergarten schools, elementary schools, secondary schools,
and institutions of higher education through the internet and
other media and issue periodic reports concerning any
submissions from such students and teachers;
(8) establish a Peace Academy that shall--
(A) be modeled after the military service
academies; and
(B) provide a 4-year course of instruction in peace
education, after which graduates will be required to
serve 5 years in public service in programs dedicated
to domestic or international nonviolent conflict
resolution; and
(9) provide grants for peace studies departments in
institutions of higher education throughout the United States.
SEC. 103. PRINCIPAL OFFICERS.
(a) Under Secretary of Peacebuilding.--The President shall appoint
an Under Secretary of Peacebuilding in the Department, by and with the
advice and consent of the Senate. During the absence or disability of
the Secretary, or in the event of a vacancy in the office of the
Secretary, the Under Secretary shall act as Secretary. The Secretary
shall designate the order in which other officials of the Department
shall act and perform the functions of the Secretary during the absence
or disability of both the Secretary and Under Secretary or in the event
of vacancies in both offices.
(b) Additional Positions.--
(1) In general.--The President shall appoint in the
Department, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate--
(A) an Assistant Secretary for Peace Education and
Training;
(B) an Assistant Secretary for Domestic
Peacebuilding Activities;
(C) an Assistant Secretary for International
Peacebuilding Activities;
(D) an Assistant Secretary for Technology for
Peace;
(E) an Assistant Secretary for Arms Control and
Disarmament;
(F) an Assistant Secretary for Peacebuilding
Information and Research;
(G) an Assistant Secretary for Human and Economic
Rights; and
(H) a General Counsel.
(2) Establishment of inspector general of the department of
peacebuilding.--Section 401 of title 5, United States Code
(commonly referred to as the Inspector General Act of 1978) is
amended--
(A) in paragraph (1), by inserting
``Peacebuilding,'' after ``Homeland Security,''; and
(B) in paragraph (3), by inserting
``Peacebuilding,'' after ``Homeland Security,''.
(3) Additional officers.--The President shall appoint 4
additional officers in the Department, by and with the advice
and consent of the Senate. The officers appointed under this
paragraph shall perform such functions as the Secretary shall
prescribe, including--
(A) congressional relations functions;
(B) public information functions, including
providing, through the use of the latest technologies,
useful information about peace and the work of the
Department;
(C) management and budget functions; and
(D) planning, evaluation, and policy development
functions, including development of policies to promote
the efficient and coordinated administration of the
Department and its programs and encourage improvements
in conflict resolution and violence prevention.
(4) Description of functions.--In any case in which the
President submits the name of an individual to the Senate for
confirmation as an officer of the Department under this
subsection, the President shall state the particular functions
such individual will exercise upon taking office.
(c) Authority of Secretary.--Each officer described in this section
shall report directly to the Secretary and shall, in addition to any
functions vested in or required to be delegated to such officer,
perform such additional functions as the Secretary may prescribe.
SEC. 104. OFFICE OF PEACE EDUCATION AND TRAINING.
(a) In General.--There shall be in the Department an Office of
Peace Education and Training, the head of which shall be the Assistant
Secretary for Peace Education and Training. The Assistant Secretary for
Peace Education and Training shall carry out those functions of the
Department relating to the creation, encouragement, and impact of peace
education and training at the pre-kindergarten, elementary, secondary,
university, and postgraduate levels, and disseminate applicable
policies and research in consultation with entities of the Department
of Health and Human Services, including--
(1) the Administration for Children and Families;
(2) the Administration on Aging;
(3) the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and
(4) the National Institutes of Health.
(b) Peace Curriculum.--The Assistant Secretary of Peace Education
and Training, in consultation with the Secretary of Education,
Indigenous communities, the United States Institute of Peace,
nongovernmental organizations, public institutions, peace and conflict
studies programs of institutions of higher education, and Federal
agencies that provide effective peace training materials and curricula,
shall create and support the development and dissemination of effective
peace curricula and supporting materials for distribution to the State
educational agency in each State and territory of the United States and
any other interested institutions. Each peace curriculum shall
include--
(1) building communicative peace skills and nonviolent
conflict resolution skills;
(2) teaching and fostering compassion, empathy,
mindfulness, kindness, acceptance, understanding, respect,
inclusion, and forgiveness;
(3) teaching about historical and contemporary events
utilizing nonviolent and peacebuilding principles to promote a
culture of peace and about individuals and organizations
employing nonviolent and peacebuilding principles to improve
society;
(4) teaching about the benefits of a peaceful society,
including economic, health, social, and scientific implications
of peace; and
(5) promoting other objectives to increase the knowledge of
peace processes.
(c) Grants.--The Assistant Secretary of Peace Education and
Training shall--
(1) provide peace education grants to pre-kindergarten
schools, elementary schools, secondary schools, and
institutions of higher education for the creation and expansion
of peace studies departments and the education and training of
teachers in peace studies, violence prevention, peacebuilding,
community building, and nonviolent conflict resolution skills;
and
(2) establish a grant program to be known as the Community
Peace Block Grant program under which the Secretary shall make
grants to nonprofit organizations and nongovernmental
organizations for the purposes of developing innovative school
and neighborhood programs for nonviolent conflict resolution
and creating local peacebuilding initiatives.
SEC. 105. OFFICE OF DOMESTIC PEACEBUILDING ACTIVITIES.
(a) In General.--There shall be in the Department an Office of
Domestic Peacebuilding Activities, the head of which shall be the
Assistant Secretary for Domestic Peacebuilding Activities. The
Assistant Secretary for Domestic Peacebuilding Activities shall carry
out those functions in the Department affecting domestic peace
activities, including the development of policies that prevent domestic
violence and that increase awareness about intervention and counseling
on domestic violence and conflict.
(b) Responsibilities.--The Assistant Secretary for Domestic
Peacebuilding Activities shall--
(1) develop policy and disseminate best practices from the
field for the treatment of drug and alcohol abuse;
(2) develop community-based strategies for celebrating
diversity and promoting acceptance;
(3) develop new policies and build upon existing proven
programs to prevent the school-to-prison pipeline by promoting
restorative and conflict resolution practices at pre-
kindergarten, elementary, secondary, university, and post
graduate levels and in police academies, with funding for
teacher, staff, student, and community training in nonviolence,
restorative practices, conflict resolution, and diversity
understanding and appreciation;
(4) develop new policies and build on existing proven
programs--
(A) to assist in the prevention of hate, a culture
of violence and domination, violence and crime,
including the development of non-threatening, non-
harassing community policing strategies, mindfulness,
and conflict de-escalation training, and other peaceful
settlement skills among police and other public safety
officers;
(B) to assist in the re-entry into the community by
individuals who have been incarcerated by providing
trauma healing, including training in anger management,
conflict resolution, peacebuilding skills, life skills,
and educational and job skills;
(C) to assist in creating strong, happy, and
healthy families, including supporting mental health
services, domestic violence prevention, gang
prevention, anti-bullying programs, animal cruelty
prevention, substance abuse prevention, and the
development of peaceful parenting skills;
(D) to promote peacebuilding and community-building
and to provide restorative justice and restorative
practice programs at all levels of the criminal justice
system that bring together offenders, victims, and
community members in an effort to repair the damage
caused by criminal activity through accountability and
rehabilitation;
(E) to develop violence prevention and violence de-
escalation training for the general public to provide
peacebuilding tools for all and to promote sustainable
peace, peacebuilding buy-in, and peacebuilding
awareness;
(F) to provide for training and deployment into
neighborhoods of nonmilitary domestic conflict
prevention and peacemaking personnel, including
violence interrupters, community safety task force, and
civilian community peacekeepers;
(G) to implement respectful, non-targeting, and
non-harassing community-based policing to break down
barriers between law enforcement officers and the
people such officers serve; and
(H) to encourage and facilitate formation of
locally and State-run and administered citizen's boards
to recommend any appropriate training as needed for
working compassionately and effectively with local,
regional, and State populations and to review and hold
accountable actions of all local, regional, and State
police and law enforcement departments in the United
States;
(5) promote informal and cultural exchanges between
individuals and groups of proximate neighborhoods and regions
to encourage understanding and acceptance; and
(6) disseminate applicable policies and research in
consultation with--
(A) the Department of Justice;
(B) the Department of Health and Human Services;
(C) the Department of State; and
(D) the Department of Education.
(c) Grants.--The Assistant Secretary for Domestic Peacebuilding
Activities shall establish a grant program to be known as the Cultural
Diplomacy for Peace grant program under which the Secretary shall make
grants to pre-kindergarten schools, elementary schools, secondary
schools, institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, and
nongovernmental organizations for the purpose of developing domestic
cultural exchanges, including exchanges relating to the arts, sports,
science, and other academic disciplines, that promote diplomacy and
cultural understanding between neighborhoods and members of such
neighborhoods.
SEC. 106. OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL PEACEBUILDING ACTIVITIES.
(a) In General.--There shall be in the Department an Office of
International Peacebuilding Activities, the head of which shall be the
Assistant Secretary for International Peacebuilding Activities. The
Assistant Secretary for International Peacebuilding Activities shall
carry out those functions in the Department affecting international
peace activities.
(b) Responsibilities.--The Assistant Secretary for International
Peacebuilding Activities shall--
(1) develop new programs and promote existing proven
programs to--
(A) provide for the training and deployment of
graduates of the Peace Academy established under
section 102(g) and other nonmilitary conflict
prevention and peacemaking personnel;
(B) support national and regional conflict-
prevention, de-escalation, and peaceful dispute-
resolution initiatives in nations experiencing social,
political, environmental, medical, or economic strife
and among all nations;
(C) develop community building, violence
prevention, amelioration and de-escalation training for
the general public to educate about peacebuilding
skills and to promote sustainable peace, peacebuilding
buy-in and peacebuilding awareness;
(D) provide training for the administration of
post-conflict reconstruction and demobilization in war-
torn societies;
(E) address root causes of violence;
(F) eradicate extreme hunger, infectious and other
diseases, and poverty;
(G) eradicate genocide;
(H) achieve universal primary education;
(I) empower women and girls;
(J) eradicate human trafficking; and
(K) eradicate dehumanization and mistreatment of
individuals;
(2) support the creation of a multinational nonviolent
peace force;
(3) provide for exchanges between individuals of the United
States and other nations that are endeavoring to develop
domestic and international peace-based initiatives; and
(4) disseminate applicable policies and research in
consultation with--
(A) the Department of State;
(B) the Department of Labor;
(C) the Peace Corps;
(D) the United States Institute of Peace; and
(E) any other applicable entities.
(c) Grants.--The Assistant Secretary for International
Peacebuilding Activities shall establish a grant program to be known as
the International Cultural Diplomacy for Peace grant program under
which the Secretary shall make grants to pre-kindergarten schools,
elementary schools, secondary schools, institutions of higher
education, nonprofit organizations, and nongovernmental organizations
for the purpose of developing international cultural exchanges,
including exchanges related to the arts, sports, science, and other
academic disciplines, that promote diplomacy and cultural understanding
between the United States and other nations.
SEC. 107. OFFICE OF TECHNOLOGY FOR PEACE.
(a) In General.--There shall be in the Department an Office of
Technology for Peace, the head of which shall be the Assistant
Secretary for Technology for Peace. The Assistant Secretary for
Technology for Peace shall carry out those functions in the Department
affecting the awareness, study, ethical implications and impact of
evolving existing technologies and developing new technologies,
including artificial intelligence, mobile technologies, social media,
drones, and data science and information, on the creation and
maintenance of domestic and international peace, and disseminate
applicable policies and research in consultation with appropriate
entities of the Department of State.
(b) Grants.--The Assistant Secretary for Technology for Peace shall
make grants for the research and development of technologies in
transportation, communications, agriculture, medicine, and energy
that--
(1) are nonviolent in application;
(2) encourage the conservation and sustainability of
natural resources, including air, water, land, in order to
prevent future conflicts regarding scarce resources due to
overuse or natural or human-caused disasters, including climate
change and pandemics; and
(3) promote a green, peaceful economy.
SEC. 108. OFFICE OF ARMS CONTROL AND DISARMAMENT.
(a) In General.--There shall be in the Department an Office of Arms
Control and Disarmament, the head of which shall be the Assistant
Secretary for Arms Control and Disarmament. The Assistant Secretary for
Arms Control and Disarmament shall carry out those functions in the
Department affecting arms control programs and arms limitation
agreements.
(b) Responsibilities.--The Assistant Secretary for Arms Control and
Disarmament shall--
(1) advise the Secretary on interagency discussions and
international negotiations, including discussions involving the
United Nations, the Secretary of State, the Atomic Energy
Commission, and the Secretary of Defense, regarding the
increase or reduction and elimination of weapons of mass
destruction throughout the world, including the dismantling of
such weapons and the safe and secure storage of materials
related thereto and efforts to limit or cease development,
testing, manufacture or possession of nuclear weapons or
threats to use them or to allow any nuclear arms to be
stationed in the territory of any nation;
(2) assist nations, international agencies, and
nongovernmental organizations in assessing the locations of the
buildup of nuclear arms and other weapons of mass destruction;
(3) develop nonviolent strategies to prevent and deter
testing or use of offensive or defensive nuclear weapons,
weaponized drones, assault weapons, and other weapons of mass
destruction, whether based on land, underground, air, sea, or
in space;
(4) serve as a depository for copies of all contracts,
agreements, and treaties that address the reduction and
elimination of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass
destruction, and the protection of space from militarization;
(5) provide technical support and legal assistance for the
implementation of such contracts, agreements, and treaties;
(6) disseminate applicable policies and research in
consultation with the Department of State and the Department of
Commerce; and
(7) address and support nuclear waste cleanup at nuclear
test sites, nuclear research facilities and laboratories,
Superfund Sites of former and present military bases in the
United States and abroad and at lands, in waters, and in the
air adjacent to old and new nuclear reactors and nuclear-
contaminated sites.
SEC. 109. OFFICE OF PEACEBUILDING INFORMATION AND RESEARCH.
(a) In General.--There shall be in the Department an Office of
Peacebuilding Information and Research, the head of which shall be the
Assistant Secretary for Peacebuilding Information and Research. The
Assistant Secretary for Peacebuilding Information and Research shall
carry out those functions in the Department affecting research and
analysis relating to creating, initiating, and modeling approaches to
peaceful coexistence and nonviolent conflict resolution and shall make
this information available to Congress, the public, and other
interested entities on an ongoing basis.
(b) Responsibilities.--The Assistant Secretary for Peacebuilding
Information and Research shall--
(1) commission or compile studies on the impact of war,
mass shootings, police violence and other types of violence,
especially on the physical and mental condition of children
(using the 10-point anti-war agenda in the United Nations
Children's Fund report, State of the World's Children 1996, as
a guide) that shall include the study of the effect of war on
the environment and public health;
(2) commission or compile studies on the impact of war and
other types of violence on soldiers, veterans and civilians;
(3) commission or compile studies on the effect of war and
other types of violence on the environment, public health, the
economy, and national security;
(4) commission or compile studies on the impact of
violence, racism and inequality on such conditions of peace as
health care, employment, education, economic equity, food
security, voting rights, housing, justice, and rule of law;
(5) compile information on effective community
peacebuilding activities and disseminate such information to
local governments and nongovernmental organizations in the
United States and abroad;
(6) commission or compile research on the effect of
violence in the media, including the use of untruths,
misinformation and false information and make such reports
available to Congress and the public annually;
(7) commission or compile research on the number and
circumstances of deaths caused by law enforcement using guns or
other weapons, devices or methods, the number and circumstances
of deaths to law enforcement officials caused by guns or other
weapons, devices or methods, the effects of gun violence in the
United States, and make such reports available to Congress and
the public annually;
(8) commission or compile research on the effect of
teaching nonviolent conflict resolution skills and practices
and social emotional education in schools and disseminate such
information to educational institutions, Congress and the
public annually;
(9) commission or compile any other such research that will
foster understanding of the root causes of violence, the root
conditions of peace, and policies and practices to promote a
culture of peace;
(10) publish a monthly journal of the activities of the
Department and encourage scholarly participation;
(11) sponsor conferences throughout the United States to
create awareness of the work of the Department;
(12) make available to the public reports, studies, and
compiled research described in this Act; and
(13) where applicable, work to carry out the
responsibilities under this subsection in consultation with the
United States Institute of Peace and other governmental and
nongovernmental organizations, including--
(A) the Department of Health and Human Services;
(B) the Department of Justice; and
(C) the Department of State.
SEC. 110. OFFICE OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND ECONOMIC RIGHTS.
(a) In General.--There shall be in the Department an Office of
Human Rights and Economic Rights, the head of which shall be the
Assistant Secretary for Human Rights and Economic Rights. The Assistant
Secretary for Human Rights and Economic Rights shall carry out those
functions in the Department that support the principles of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the General Assembly
of the United Nations on December 10, 1948.
(b) Responsibilities.--The Assistant Secretary for Human Rights and
Economic Rights shall--
(1) assist the Secretary, in consultation with the
Secretary of State, in furthering the incorporation of the
principles of human rights, as enunciated in the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, into all agreements between the
United States and other nations to help prevent and reduce the
causes of violence;
(2) consult with the Secretary of State, the United
Nations, the Atrocities Prevention Board of the White House,
the Department of Justice, and other similarly concerned
governmental and nongovernmental organizations to gather
information on and document domestic and international human
rights abuses, including genocide, torture, State executions,
police brutality, detention for profit, caging of children and
other individuals, murder of unarmed civilians, solitary
confinement (especially among children), human trafficking,
child soldiers, child labor, and slave labor and recommend to
the Secretary nonviolent responses to promote awareness,
understanding, and correction of abuses;
(3) make such information available to other governmental
and nongovernmental organizations in order to facilitate
nonviolent conflict resolution;
(4) provide trained observers to work with nongovernmental
organizations for purposes of creating a climate conducive to
the respect for human rights;
(5) conduct economic analyses of the scarcity of human and
natural resources as a source of conflict and make
recommendations to the Secretary for nonviolent prevention of
such scarcity, nonviolent intervention in case of such
scarcity, and the development of programs to assist people
facing such scarcity, whether due to armed conflict, greed,
misdistribution of resources, overuse or other human causes,
including climate disruption, or natural causes;
(6) conduct economic analyses of the impact of violence
within and among nations as a source of human displacement and
criminalization, vilification, victimization and mistreatment
of those fleeing their homes to seek better and safer lives and
make recommendations to the Secretary for nonviolent solutions
and development of programs to assist people facing such
conditions;
(7) assist the Secretary, in consultation with the
Secretary of State and the Secretary of the Treasury, in
developing strategies regarding the sustainability and the
management of the distribution of funds from international
agencies, the conditions regarding the receipt of such funds,
and the impact of those conditions on the peace and stability
of the recipient nations;
(8) assist the Secretary, in consultation with the
Secretary of State and the Secretary of Labor, in developing
strategies to promote full compliance with domestic and
international labor rights law;
(9) conduct policy analysis to ensure that the
international development investments of the United States
positively impact the peace and stability of the recipient
country; and
(10) disseminate policies and research in consultation with
appropriate entities of the Department of State.
SEC. 111. INTERGOVERNMENTAL ADVISORY COUNCIL ON PEACE.
(a) In General.--There shall be in the Department an advisory
committee known as the Intergovernmental Advisory Council on Peace (in
this section referred to as the ``Council''). The Council shall provide
assistance and make recommendations to the President and the Secretary
concerning intergovernmental policies relating to peace and nonviolent
conflict resolution.
(b) Responsibilities.--The Council shall--
(1) provide a forum for representatives of international
bodies, the Federal Government, Tribal governments, and State
and local governments to discuss peace issues, including
practices, traditions and policies that promote peacebuilding
and crises and wellness issues;
(2) promote better intergovernmental relations and offer
professional mediation services to ameliorate and resolve
intergovernmental and intragovernmental conflict as needed,
including elimination of inflammatory rhetoric; and
(3) submit biennially, or more frequently if determined
necessary by the Council, a report to the President, the
Secretary, and Congress reviewing the impact of Federal peace
activities on the Federal Government and on State and local
governments.
(c) Membership.--The Secretary shall appoint the members of the
Council.
SEC. 112. FEDERAL INTERAGENCY COMMITTEE ON PEACE.
(a) Establishment.--There is established a Federal Interagency
Committee on Peace (in this section referred to as the ``Committee'').
The Committee shall--
(1) assist the Secretary in providing a mechanism to assure
that the procedures and actions of the Department and other
Federal agencies are fully coordinated; and
(2) study and make recommendations for assuring effective
coordination of Federal programs, policies, and administrative
practices affecting peace, peacebuilding and violence
prevention, and wellness.
(b) Membership.--The Secretary shall appoint the members of the
Committee.
SEC. 113. STAFF.
The Secretary may appoint and fix the compensation of such
employees as may be necessary to carry out the functions of the
Secretary and the Department. Except as otherwise provided by law, such
employees shall be appointed in accordance with applicable laws and the
compensation of such employees fixed in accordance with title 5, United
States Code.
SEC. 114. CONSULTATION REQUIRED.
(a) Consultation in Cases of Conflict and Violence Prevention.--
(1) In general.--In any case in which a conflict between
the United States and any other government or entity is
foreseeable, imminent, or occurring, the Secretary of Defense
and the Secretary of State shall consult with the Secretary of
Peacebuilding concerning violence prevention, nonviolent means
of conflict resolution, and peacebuilding.
(2) Diplomatic initiatives.--In any case in which a
conflict described in paragraph (1) is ongoing or recently
concluded, the Secretary shall conduct an independent study of
diplomatic initiatives undertaken by the United States and
other parties to such conflict.
(3) Initiative assessment.--In any case in which a conflict
described in paragraph (1) has recently concluded, the
Secretary shall assess the effectiveness of any initiatives in
ending such conflict.
(4) Consultation process.--The Secretary shall establish a
formal process of consultation in a timely manner with the
Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, and the National
Security Council--
(A) prior to the initiation of policies or
withdrawal of resources that may lead to violence and
of any armed conflict between the United States and any
other country; and
(B) for any matter involving--
(i) the use of Department of Defense
personnel within the United States; or
(ii) the proposed or actual distribution of
equipment of the Department of Defense to local
or State law enforcement entities or to other
individuals or entities.
(b) Consultation in Drafting Treaties and Agreements.--The head of
each appropriate Federal agency shall consult with the Secretary in
drafting treaties and peace agreements.
SEC. 115. COLLABORATION.
The Secretary shall, for the greatest effectiveness in promoting
peace and peacebuilding, collaborate with other Federal agencies,
applicable experts, nongovernmental organization stakeholders,
appropriate non-profit organization stakeholders and State, Tribal, and
local leaders and stakeholders regarding all related programs in all
Federal agencies. The collaboration shall include and prioritize those
who are most impacted by the programs for the purpose implementing or
updating such programs and for the purpose of evaluating the
effectiveness and impacts of such programs.
TITLE II--OTHER MATTERS
SEC. 201. LEGISLATIVE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE SECRETARY.
Not later than 1 year after the date of the appointment of the
first Secretary, the Secretary shall prepare and submit to Congress
proposed legislation containing any necessary and appropriate
amendments to the laws of the United States to carry out the purposes
of this Act.
SEC. 202. PEACE DAYS.
The Secretary shall encourage citizens to observe and celebrate the
blessings of peace and endeavor to create peace on Peace Days. Such
days shall include discussions of the professional activities and the
achievements in the lives of peacemakers.
SEC. 203. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Department.--The term ``Department'' means the
Department of Peacebuilding established under section 101(a).
(2) ESEA terms.--The terms ``elementary school'',
``secondary school'', and ``State educational agency'' have the
meaning given those terms in section 8101 of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
(3) Federal agency.--The term ``Federal agency'' has the
meaning given the term ``agency'' in section 551(1) of title 5,
United States Code.
(4) Institution of higher education.--The term
``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given that
term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 1001).
(5) Nonprofit organization.--The term ``nonprofit
organization'' means an entity that--
(A) is described in section 501(c)(3) of the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3));
and
(B) is exempt from tax under section 501(a) of such
Code.
(6) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Peacebuilding appointed under section 101(b).
SEC. 204. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) In General.--There is authorized to be appropriated to carry
out this Act such sums as may be necessary.
(b) Limitation on Use of Funds.--Of the amounts appropriated
pursuant to subsection (a), at least 85 percent shall be used for
domestic peace programs, including administrative costs associated with
such programs.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
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