I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1710 

To authorize the Gandhi-King Scholarly Exchange Initiative focusing on peace 

and nonviolence in global conflict resolution, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 24, 2013 

Mr. LEWIS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Foreign Affairs 

A BILL 

To authorize the Gandhi-King Scholarly Exchange Initiative 

focusing on peace and nonviolence in global conflict resolution, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Gandhi-King Scholarly 

5 Exchange Initiative Act of 2013’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) Mohandas (Mahatma) Karamchand Gandhi 

9 and Martin Luther King, Jr., were dedicated leaders 

10 of peace, civil rights, social justice, and social change 


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1 in their respective communities and countries and in 

2 the world. 

3 (2) Mahatma Gandhi, who was born on October 

4 2, 1869, was murdered on January 30, 1948, after 

5 dedicating his life to the peaceful empowerment of 

6 the people of India and to their liberation from Brit7 ish occupation. 

8 (3) Martin Luther King, Jr., who was born on 

9 January 15, 1929, was murdered on April 4, 1968, 

10 after a life dedicated to peaceful movements against 

11 segregation, discrimination, racial injustice, and pov12 erty. 

13 (4) On August 22, 2011, the Dr. Martin Lu14 ther King, Jr. National Memorial opened to the pub15 lic in Washington, DC. This newest memorial on the 

16 National Mall pays tribute to Dr. King’s national 

17 and international contributions to world peace 

18 through non-violent social change. 

19 (5) Mahatma Gandhi, who employed the prin20 ciple of satyagraha, or non-violent resistance, has 

21 come to represent the moral force inspiring many 

22 civil and social rights movements around the world. 

23 (6) King’s effective use of Gandhian principles 

24 was instrumental to the American civil rights move25 ment. 


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1 (7) In February 2009, a congressional delega2 tion traveled to India to commemorate the 50th an3 niversary of the pilgrimage of Martin Luther King, 

4 Jr., and his wife, Coretta Scott King, to that coun5 try in 1959, and to study Gandhi’s life and work, 

6 highlighting the need for further progress in peace7 ful conflict resolution and combating poverty. 

8 (8) In February 2009, United States Special 

9 Envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard 

10 Holbrooke visited India to determine how the inter11 national community can better contribute to peace 

12 and stability in Afghanistan and South Asia. 

13 (9) According to the 2011 Global Peace Index 

14 prepared by the Institute for Economics and Peace, 

15 a 25 percent reduction in violence would result in a 

16 $2 trillion economic benefit, enough to offset the re17 construction costs of the 2011 Japanese earthquake 

18 and tsunami and eliminate the public debt of Greece, 

19 Portugal, and Ireland. 

20 SEC. 3. GANDHI-KING SCHOLARLY EXCHANGE INITIATIVE. 

21 (a) INITIATIVE ESTABLISHED.—The Secretary of 

22 State is authorized to carry out, in cooperation with the 

23 appropriate representatives of the Government of India, 

24 an initiative to be known as the ‘‘Gandhi-King Scholarly 

25 Exchange Initiative’’. The initiative shall be comprised of 


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1 educational, scholarly, and professional exchange pro2 grams, including the following: 

3 (1) An annual public diplomacy forum for 

4 scholars from the United States and India that fo5 cuses on the legacies of Mahatma Gandhi and Mar6 tin Luther King, Jr., which shall— 

7 (A) be held alternately in the United 

8 States and in India; 

9 (B) include representatives from govern10 ments, non-governmental organizations, edu11 cational institutions, cultural organizations, and 

12 civic organizations; and 

13 (C) focus on studying the work of Gandhi 

14 and King, and applying their philosophies to 

15 current issues, including the status of poverty, 

16 conflict, human rights, civil rights, peace, non17 violence, and democracy in the United States 

18 and India. 

19 (2) A professional development training initia20 tive for government employees to develop inter21 national conflict solutions based on the principles of 

22 nonviolence developed in consultation with the presi23 dent and chief executive officer of the United States 

24 Institute of Peace, the Under Secretary for Public 

25 Diplomacy and Public Affairs of the Department of 


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1 State, and United States cooperating partners, 

2 which shall— 

3 (A) target Federal, State, and local gov4 ernment employees in countries with ongoing 

5 political, social, ethnic, or violent conflict; 

6 (B) include a specific focus on the success 

7 of nonviolent movements in conflict resolution; 

8 (C) develop a curriculum for teaching con9 flict resolution and make such curriculum avail10 able to participating government employees; and 

11 (D) be made publically available through a 

12 variety of media. 

13 (3) An undergraduate, graduate, and post-grad14 uate student exchange for students to— 

15 (A) study the history and legacies of Mar16 tin Luther King, Jr., and Mahatma Gandhi; 

17 (B) visit historic sites in India and the 

18 United States that were integral to the Amer19 ican civil rights movement and the Indian inde20 pendence movement; and 

21 (C) research and develop papers on the im22 portance of peace, nonviolence, and reconcili23 ation in current conflict regions. 


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1 (b) UNITED STATES COOPERATING PARTNERS DE2 FINED.—The term ‘‘United States cooperating partners’’ 

3 means— 

4 (1) an institution of higher education (as such 

5 term is defined in section 101(a) of the Higher Edu6 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a))), including, 

7 to the maximum extent practicable, an historically 

8 Black college or university that is a part B institu9 tion (as such term is defined in section 322(2) of 

10 such Act (20 U.S.C. 1061(2))) or an Hispanic-serv11 ing institution (as such term is defined in section 

12 502(a)(5) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1101a(a)(5))); 

13 (2) a combination of institutions of higher edu14 cation (as such term is defined in section 103(2) of 

15 the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

16 1003(2))); 

17 (3) a nongovernmental organization incor18 porated in the United States; or 

19 (4) a consortium consisting of two or more such 

20 institutions of higher education, higher education as21 sociations, or nongovernmental organizations. 

22 SEC. 4. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS. 

23 (a) INITIAL REPORT.—Not later than 120 days after 

24 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 

25 State shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 


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1 and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of 

2 Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations 

3 and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate a re4 port on the Secretary’s plan to carry out the initiative au5 thorized under section 3. 

6 (b) PERIODIC UPDATES.—Upon the request of the 

7 committees referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary 

8 shall submit to such committees an update on the Sec9 retary’s progress in implementing the plan referred to in 

10 subsection (a). 

11 SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

12 To carry out this Act, there are authorized to be ap13 propriated to the Secretary of State such sums as may 

14 be necessary for each of fiscal years 2014 through 2019. 

15 Amounts appropriated pursuant to the authorization of 

16 appropriations under this section are in addition to 

17 amounts otherwise available for such purpose. 

Æ 


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