Department of Peacebuilding Act of 2019

I 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 1111 To establish a Department of Peacebuilding, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FEBRUARY 8, 2019 Ms. LEE of California introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Reform A BILL To establish a Department of Peacebuilding, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 3 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 4 ‘‘Department of Peacebuilding Act of 2019’’. 5 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 6 this Act is as follows: 7 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. VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:40 Feb 26, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6211 E:\BILLS\H1111.IH H1111 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 1111 IH 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. 1 Congress finds the following: 2 (1) On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental 3 Congress unanimously declared the independence of 4 the 13 colonies, and the achievement of peace was 5 recognized as one of the highest duties of the new 6 organization of free and independent States by de- 7 claring, ‘‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, 8 that all men are created equal, that they are en- 9 dowed by their Creator with certain unalienable 10 Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the 11 pursuit of Happiness.’’. 12 (2) The Constitution of the United States, in 13 its preamble, further sets forth the insurance of the 14 cause of peace in stating, ‘‘We the People of the 15 United States, in Order to form a more perfect 16 Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tran- 17 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:40 Feb 26, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1111.IH H1111 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 1111 IH quility, provide for the common defence, promote the 1 general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty 2 to ourselves and our Posterity’’. 3 (3) The United States has been at peace for 4 only 21 entire years since its birth during the Revo- 5 lutionary War. During the course of the 20th cen- 6 tury, more than 100,000,000 people perished in 7 wars. Many of our citizens today have never known 8 a peaceful year in their lifetimes. 9 (4) Thus far in the 21st century, nearly 10 1,000,000 people have died in conflict and war. In 11 2017 alone, 68.5 million people, or one person in 12 110, were displaced from their homes by conflict and 13 persecution. The United States has been at war over 14 15 years, with more than 6,800 members of the 15 Armed Forces and hundreds of thousands of civil- 16 ians estimated to have been killed in the conflicts in 17 Iraq, Afghanistan, and territories occupied by ISIL. 18 (5) Every year more than 300,000 people are 19 killed by gun violence around the world. In 2017, 20 nearly 40,000 people died in the United States as a 21 result of gun violence; the highest number of gun 22 deaths in nearly 50 years. The rate of deaths—12 23 fatal shootings per 100,000 residents—is also at the 24 highest point since the mid-1990s. Approximately 20 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:40 Feb 26, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1111.IH H1111 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 1111 IH veterans a day commit suicide nationwide. Every 1 day, 47 children and teens are shot, and each gun 2 injury and fatality results in trauma to family mem- 3 bers and loved ones. More people have died from 4 guns in the United States since 1968 than on battle- 5 fields of all the wars in United States history. 6 (6) A World Health Organization report esti- 7 mates that interpersonal violence within the United 8 States costs approximately $300 billion annually, not 9 including war-related costs. The Centers for Disease 10 Control and Prevention found that the total eco- 11 nomic cost of child abuse and neglect is estimated 12 at $124 billion each year. 13 (7) According to a report by the Institute of 14 Economics and Peace, which measures the economic 15 impact of violence and conflict to the global econ- 16 omy, the economic impact of violence to the global 17 economy was $14.76 trillion in 2017. The report 18 also found that the regional impact of violence in 19 North America, 99 percent of which can be attrib- 20 uted to the United States, amounted to $2.73 tril- 21 lion in 2017. 22 (8) A 2015 study by the Institute for Econom- 23 ics and Peace reports conservative estimates that 12 24 percent of the gross domestic product of the United 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:40 Feb 26, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1111.IH H1111 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 1111 IH States was spent on containing violence. The study 1 included government, corporate, and individual ex- 2 penditures, regardless of whether the expenditure 3 was related to international affairs such as offshore 4 military activities, or domestic spending such as 5 dealing with crime and the consequences of crime. 6 (9) Violence prevention is cost effective. For 7 every dollar spent on violence prevention and 8 peacebuilding, thousands of lives and dollars are 9 saved. Research indicates that investing early to pre- 10 vent conflicts from escalating into violent crises is, 11 on average, 60 times more cost effective than inter- 12 vening after violence erupts. The philosophy and 13 techniques of nonviolence and the science of 14 peacebuilding provide tools and techniques that can 15 be applied not only at the levels of individual and 16 community growth, but also within the Federal Gov- 17 ernment and at national and international levels. 18 (10) The United Nations recognizes that pro- 19 motion of peace is vital for the full enjoyment of all 20 human rights and the United Nations Declaration 21 on the Right of Peoples to Peace mandates that 22 preservation of the right to peace is a fundamental 23 obligation of each country. In 1999, the United Na- 24 tions adopted a Programme of Action on a Culture 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:40 Feb 26, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1111.IH H1111 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 1111 IH of Peace, stating that a culture of peace is an inte- 1 gral approach to preventing violence and violent con- 2 flicts, an alternative to the culture of war and vio- 3 lence, and is based on education for peace, the pro- 4 motion of sustainable economic and social develop- 5 ment, respect for human rights, equality between 6 women and men, democratic participation, tolerance, 7 and the free flow of information and disarmament. 8 The United Nations declared the years 2001 9 through 2010 an International Decade for a Culture 10 of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the 11 World, and the United Nations supports a culture of 12 peace. In 2015, the UN adopted 17 sustainable de- 13 velopment goals, including promotion of peaceful and 14 inclusive societies. 15 (11) Peacebuilding is defined by the United Na- 16 tions as a range of measures targeted to reduce the 17 risk of lapsing or relapsing into conflict by strength- 18 ening national capacities at all levels for conflict 19 management and to lay the foundations for sustain- 20 able peace and development. Peacebuilding is built 21 upon research into the root causes of violence in the 22 United States and the world, through promotion and 23 promulgation of effective policies and programs that 24 ameliorate those root causes of violence, and through 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:40 Feb 26, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1111.IH H1111 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 1111 IH providing all citizens, organizations, and govern- 1 mental bodies with opportunities to learn about and 2 practice the essential tools of nonviolent conflict res- 3 olution and peacebuilding. 4 (12) In 2000, the Earth Charter Commission 5 released the Earth Charter, an international declara- 6 tion of fundamental values and principles created to 7 build a just, sustainable, and peaceful global society. 8 The preamble of the Earth Charter provides, ‘‘To 9 move forward we must recognize that in the midst 10 of a magnificent diversity of cultures and life forms 11 we are one human family and one Earth community 12 with a common destiny. We must join together to 13 bring forth a sustainable global society founded on 14 respect for nature, universal human rights, economic 15 justice, and a culture of peace.’’. Peacebuilding is 16 working together with all countries to protect both 17 life and land and hold the Earth in balance. 18 TITLE I—ESTABLISHMENT OF 19 DEPARTMENT OF PEACE- 20 BUILDING 21 SEC. 101. ESTABLISHMENT OF DEPARTMENT OF PEACE- 22 BUILDING. 23 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is hereby established a 24 Department of Peacebuilding, which shall— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:40 Feb 26, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1111.IH H1111 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 1111 IH (1) be within the executive branch of the Fed- 1 eral Government; and 2 (2) be dedicated to peacebuilding, peacemaking, 3 and the study and promotion of conditions conducive 4 to both domestic and international peace and a cul- 5 ture of peace. 6 (b) SECRETARY OF PEACEBUILDING.—There shall be 7 at the head of the Department a Secretary of 8 Peacebuilding, who shall be appointed by the President, 9 by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. 10 (c) MISSION.—The Department shall— 11 (1) cultivate peace and peacebuilding as a stra- 12 tegic national policy objective; 13 (2) reduce and prevent violence in the United 14 States and internationally through peacebuilding and 15 effective nonviolent conflict resolution; 16 (3) strengthen nonmilitary means of peace- 17 making; 18 (4) take a proactive, strategic approach in the 19 development of field-tested, best practices and poli- 20 cies that promote national and international conflict 21 prevention, nonviolent intervention, mediation, 22 peaceful resolution of conflict, and structured medi- 23 ation of conflict; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:40 Feb 26, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1111.IH H1111 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 1111 IH (5) address matters both domestic and inter- 1 national in scope; 2 (6) provide an institutional platform for the 3 growing wealth of expertise in peacebuilding to dra- 4 matically reduce the national and global epidemic of 5 violence; 6 (7) support local communities in finding, fund- 7 ing, replicating, and expanding programs to reduce 8 and prevent violence; 9 (8) invest in nongovernmental organizations 10 that have implemented successful initiatives to re- 11 duce and prevent violence, both internationally and 12 domestically; and 13 (9) consult with other Federal agencies to apply 14 and practice the science of peacebuilding in their re- 15 spective fields of responsibility. 16 SEC. 102. RESPONSIBILITIES AND POWERS. 17 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall— 18 (1) work proactively and interactively with each 19 branch of the Federal Government on all policy mat- 20 ters relating to conditions of peace; 21 (2) call on the experience and expertise of indi- 22 viduals and seek participation in the development of 23 policy from private, public, and nongovernmental or- 24 ganizations; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:40 Feb 26, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1111.IH H1111 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 1111 IH (3) monitor and analyze causative principles of 1 conflict and make policy recommendations for devel- 2 oping and maintaining peaceful conduct; 3 (4) research effective violence reduction pro- 4 grams and promote and promulgate such programs 5 within Government and society; and 6 (5) consult with private, public, and nongovern- 7 mental organizations to develop a metric model that 8 provides the means to measure and report progress 9 toward peace in the United States to the President, 10 Congress, and the public, and issue reports on such 11 progress annually. 12 (b) DOMESTIC RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Secretary 13 shall collaborate with governmental and nongovernmental 14 organizations and individuals to promote personal and 15 community security and peace by— 16 (1) developing new policies and supporting ex- 17 isting policies that effectively address personal and 18 family violence, including suicide, domestic violence, 19 spousal abuse, child abuse, and mistreatment of the 20 elderly; 21 (2) creating new policies and programs and ex- 22 panding existing policies and programs that effec- 23 tively reduce drug and alcohol abuse; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:40 Feb 26, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1111.IH H1111 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 1111 IH (3) developing new policies and programs and 1 expanding existing policies and programs that effec- 2 tively address crime, punishment, and rehabilitation, 3 including— 4 (A) working to reduce prison recidivism 5 rates; 6 (B) supporting the implementation of non- 7 violent conflict resolution education and train- 8 ing for victims, perpetrators, and those who 9 work with them; and 10 (C) supporting effective police and commu- 11 nity relations; 12 (4) analyzing existing policies, employing suc- 13 cessful, field-tested programs, and developing new 14 approaches for dealing with the tools of violence, in- 15 cluding handguns and assault weapons, especially 16 among youth; 17 (5) developing new and expanding effective pro- 18 grams that address and ameliorate societal chal- 19 lenges such as school violence, gangs, hate crimes, 20 economic injustice, human trafficking, racial or eth- 21 nic violence, violence against LGBTQ+ individuals, 22 and police-community relations disputes; 23 (6) [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]