A bill to establish a Department of Peace and Nonviolence.

Summary: Department of Peace and Nonviolence Act - Establishes a Department of Peace and Nonviolence, which shall be headed by a Secretary of Peace and Nonviolence appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. Sets forth the mission of the Department, including to: (1) hold peace as an organizing principle; (2) endeavor to promote justice and democratic principles to expand human rights; and (3) develop policies that promote national and international conflict prevention, nonviolent intervention, mediation, peaceful resolution of conflict, and structured mediation of conflict.

Establishes in the Department the Intergovernmental Advisory Council on Peace and Nonviolence, which shall provide assistance and make recommendations to the Secretary and the President concerning intergovernmental policies relating to peace and nonviolent conflict resolution. Transfers to the Department the functions, assets, and personnel of various federal agencies. Establishes a Federal Interagency Committee on Peace and Nonviolence. Establishes Peace Day. Urges all citizens to observe and celebrate the blessings of peace and endeavor to create peace on such day.

.

    (a) In General.--There shall be in the Department an Office of 
Peaceful Coexistence and Nonviolent Conflict Resolution, the head of 
which shall be the Assistant Secretary for Peaceful Coexistence and 
Nonviolent Conflict Resolution. The Assistant Secretary for Peaceful 
Coexistence and Nonviolent Conflict Resolution 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.
    (b) Responsibilities.--The Assistant Secretary for Peaceful 
Coexistence and Nonviolent Conflict Resolution shall--
            (1) study the impact of war, especially on the physical and 
        mental condition of children (using the ten-point agenda in the 
        United Nations Childrens Fund report, State of the World's 
        Children 1996, as a guide), which shall include the study of 
        the effect of war on the environment and public health;
            (2) publish a monthly journal of the activities of the 
        Department and encourage scholarly participation;
            (3) gather information on effective community peacebuilding 
        activities and disseminate such information to local 
        governments and nongovernmental organizations in the United 
        States and abroad;
            (4) research the effect of violence in the media and make 
        such reports available to the Congress annually; and
            (5) sponsor conferences throughout the United States to 
        create awareness of the work of the Department.

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 supporting the principles of the Universal 
Declaration of Human Rights passed 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 cooperation with the Secretary 
        of State, in furthering the incorporation of principles of 
        human rights, as enunciated in the United Nations General 
        Assembly Resolution 217A (III) of December 10, 1948, into all 
        agreements between the United States and other nations to help 
        reduce the causes of violence;
            (2) gather information on and document human rights abuses, 
        both domestically and internationally, and recommend to the 
        Secretary nonviolent responses to correct abuses;
            (3) make such findings available to other agencies in order 
        to facilitate nonviolent conflict resolution;
            (4) provide trained observers to work with nongovernmental 
        organizations for purposes of creating a climate that is 
        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 of assistance for 
        people experiencing such scarcity, whether due to armed 
        conflict, maldistribution of resources, or natural causes;
            (6) assist the Secretary, in cooperation 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; and
            (7) assist the Secretary, in cooperation with the Secretary 
        of State and the Secretary of Labor, in developing strategies 
        to promote full compliance with domestic and international 
        labor rights law.

SEC. 111. INTERGOVERNMENTAL ADVISORY COUNCIL ON PEACE AND NONVIOLENCE.

    (a) In General.--There shall be in the Department an advisory 
committee to be known as the Intergovernmental Advisory Council on 
Peace and Nonviolence (hereinafter in this Act referred to as the 
``Council''). The Council shall provide assistance and make 
recommendations to the Secretary and the President concerning 
intergovernmental policies relating to peace and nonviolent conflict 
resolution.
    (b) Responsibilities.--The Council shall--
            (1) provide a forum for representatives of Federal, State, 
        and local governments to discuss peace issues;
            (2) promote better intergovernmental relations; and
            (3) submit, biennially or more frequently if determined 
        necessary by the Council, a report to the Secretary, the 
        President, and the Congress reviewing the impact of Federal 
        peace activities on State and local governments.

SEC. 112. CONSULTATION REQUIRED.

    (a) Consultation in Cases of Conflict.--(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 concerning nonviolent means of 
conflict resolution.
    (2) In any case in which such a conflict 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 any case in which such a conflict has recently concluded, 
the Secretary shall assess the effectiveness of those initiatives in 
ending the conflict.
    (4) The Secretary shall establish a formal process of consultation 
in a timely manner with the Secretary of the Department of State and 
the Secretary of the Department of Defense--
            (A) prior to the initiation of any armed conflict between 
        the United States and any other nation; and
            (B) for any matter involving the use of Department of 
        Defense personnel within the United States.
    (b) Consultation in Drafting Treaties and Agreements.--The 
executive branch shall consult with the Secretary in drafting treaties 
and peace agreements.

SEC. 113. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--There is authorized to be appropriated to carry 
out this Act for a fiscal year beginning after the date of the 
enactment of this Act an amount equal to at least 2 percent of the 
total amount appropriated for that fiscal year for the Department of 
Defense.
    (b) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be 
construed to require a reduction in appropriations for the Department 
of Defense.

 TITLE II--ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS AND TRANSFERS OF AGENCY FUNCTIONS

SEC. 201. 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 the civil service laws 
and their compensation fixed in accordance with title 5 of the United 
States Code.

SEC. 202. TRANSFERS.

    There are hereby transferred to the Department the functions, 
assets, and personnel of--
            (1) the Peace Corps;
            (2) the United States Institute of Peace;
            (3) the Office of the Under Secretary for Arms Control and 
        International Security Affairs of the Department of State;
            (4) the Gang Resistance Education and Training Program of 
        the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; and
            (5) the SafeFutures program of the Office of Juvenile 
        Justice and Delinquency Prevention of the Department of 
        Justice.

SEC. 203. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.

    Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
the Secretary shall prepare and submit to Congress proposed legislation 
containing any necessary and appropriate technical and conforming 
amendments to the laws of the United States to reflect and carry out 
the provisions of this Act.

   TITLE III--FEDERAL INTERAGENCY COMMITTEE ON PEACE AND NONVIOLENCE

SEC. 301. FEDERAL INTERAGENCY COMMITTEE ON PEACE AND NONVIOLENCE.

    There is established a Federal Interagency Committee on Peace and 
Nonviolence (hereinafter in this Act 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.

                  TITLE IV--ESTABLISHMENT OF PEACE DAY

SEC. 401. PEACE DAY.

    All citizens should be encouraged to observe and celebrate the 
blessings of peace and endeavor to create peace on a Peace Day. Such 
day shall include discussions of the professional activities and the 
achievements in the lives of peacemakers.