Legislation to Re-introduce a Department of Peace in the U.S. House of Representatives
Posted in International Relationships, 2008 Presidential Election on February 6th, 2007 No Comments »
On February 5th, 2007, legislation to establish a U. S. Department of Peace was re-introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives. The new bill number is HR 808. The following is an outline of the bill’s proposal:
ESTABLISHMENT OF A US DEPARTMENT OF PEACE AND NONVIOLENCE(1) A cabinet-level department in the executive branch of the Federal Government.(2) A Secretary of Peace and Nonviolence shall be appointed by the President, with the advice and consent of the Senate.
OFFICE OF PEACE EDUCATION AND TRAINING
(1) create, encourage, and research peace education and training at the elementary, secondary, university, and postgraduate levels, including the development of a Peace Academy; (2) develop a peace curriculum; (3) provide peace education grants.
OFFICE OF DOMESTIC PEACE ACTIVITIES
(1) develop policies that increase awareness of domestic violence and conflict;(2) develop policy alternatives for the treatment of drug and alcohol abuse;
(3) develop new policies and build on existing programs responsive to the prevention of crime.
OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL PEACE ACTIVITIES
(1) sponsor conflict prevention and dispute resolution initiatives;
(2) provide training for the administration of post conflict reconstruction and demobilization in war-torn societies;
(3) provide for the exchanges between individuals of the United States and other nations who are endeavoring to develop domestic and international peace-based initiatives.
OFFICE OF TECHNOLOGY FOR PEACE
(1) study the impact of developing new technologies on the creation and maintenance of domestic and international peace;
(2) provide grants for the research and development of technologies in transportation, communications, and energy that:
(a) are nonviolent in their application;
(b) encourage the conservation and sustainability of natural resources in order to prevent future conflicts regarding scarce resources.
OFFICE OF ARMS CONTROL AND DISARMAMENT
(1) advise the Secretary on the reduction and elimination of weapons of mass destruction throughout the world;
(2) assist nations, international agencies and nongovernmental organizations in assessing the locations of the buildup of nuclear arms;
(3) develop nonviolent strategies to deter the testing or use of nuclear weapons.
OFFICE OF PEACEFUL COEXISTENCE AND NONVIOLENT CONFLICT RESOLUTION
(1) study the impact of war;
(2) gather information on effective community peace-building activities and disseminate such information;
(3) research the effect of violence in the media and make such reports available to the Congress annually.
OFFICE OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND ECONOMIC RIGHTS
(1) assist in furthering the incorporation of principles of human rights, as enunciated in the United Nations General Assembly Resolution of December 10, 1948;
(2) gather information on and document human rights abuses, both domestically and internationally;
(3) conduct economic analyses of the scarcity of human and natural resources as a source of conflict.
INTERGOVERNMENTAL ADVISORY COUNCIL ON PEACE AND NONVIOLENCE
(1) provide a forum for representatives of federal, state, and local governments to discuss peace issues;
(2) promote better intergovernmental relations.
CONSULTATION REQUIRED
(1) In any case in which a conflict between the United States and any other government or entity is imminent or occurring, the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of State shall consult with the Secretary of Peace concerning nonviolent means of conflict resolution.
(2) In a conflict which is ongoing or recently concluded, the Secretary shall conduct independent studies of diplomatic initiatives undertaken by the United States and other parties to the conflict.
(3) In a conflict which has recently concluded, the Secretary shall assess the effectiveness of those initiatives in ending the conflict.
AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS
An amount equal to at least 2 percent of the total amount appropriated for a fiscal year for the Department of Defense. The present Department of Defense budget is $400 billion. The proposed Department of Peace budget is $8. billion.
What can we do to support this? Contact our Representative now!
Contact your Representative at the U.S. Capitol switchboard: (202) 224-3121. To find your Representative, visit http://www.congress.org. Tell the staffer who answers your call that you want your Representative to sign on as a co-sponsor of the Department of Peace legislation. Request a written response explaining your member’s position and the reasoning behind it. (You can call your local office as well.) It is most effective if you call the D.C. office first, then follow-up with a fax or email. Inform them a bill number is HR 808 (reference bill number HR3760 from the last, 109th, Congress).
To write your Representative, click below to get started. This will allow you to send a fax and email to your congressperson.
http://www.thepeacealliance.org/action
Critical votes regarding the Iraqi War are now being taken in the Senate. Backing this bill can be the start of finding and supporting the best Presidential Candidate for 2008. Let’s see who truly gets behind it.