II 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 2320 

To make improvements to the conduct of United States foreign policy through 

a change in the supervision of the Peace Corps and transferring it 

from the status of ‘‘independent agency’’ to a subordinate agency within 

the Department of State, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 30, 2019 

Mr. SCOTT of Florida introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 

referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

A BILL 

To make improvements to the conduct of United States 

foreign policy through a change in the supervision of 

the Peace Corps and transferring it from the status 

of ‘‘independent agency’’ to a subordinate agency within 

the Department of State, 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 ‘‘Peace Corps Mission 

5 Accountability Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

7 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) According to section 2 of the Peace Corps 

2 Act (22 U.S.C. 2501), the Peace Corps, which was 

3 established by Congress in 1961, was intended ‘‘to 

4 promote world peace and friendship through a Peace 

5 Corps, which shall make available to interested coun6 tries and areas men and women of the United States 

7 qualified for service abroad and willing to serve, 

8 under conditions of hardship if necessary, to help 

9 the peoples of such countries and areas in meeting 

10 their needs for trained manpower, particularly in 

11 meeting the basic needs of those living in the poorest 

12 areas of such countries, and to help promote a better 

13 understanding of the American people on the part of 

14 the peoples served and a better understanding of 

15 other peoples on the part of the American people.’’. 

16 (2) The Peace Corps plays a role in imple17 menting aspects of United States foreign policy like 

18 any taxpayer funded agency of the executive branch 

19 involved in foreign policy. 

20 (3) The Peace Corps is not an advisory agency, 

21 but implements aspects of United States foreign pol22 icy through its personnel, particularly volunteers 

23 who serve in foreign countries representing the 

24 United States Government’s mission ‘‘to promote 

25 world peace and friendship.’’. 


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1 (4) Section 2A of the Peace Corps Act (22 

2 U.S.C. 2501–1) transferred the Peace Corps from 

3 the ACTION Agency and established it as an inde4 pendent agency within the executive branch, begin5 ning on December 29, 1981. Since that date, execu6 tive orders have required the Director of the Peace 

7 Corps to report to the President and have given the 

8 Secretary of State authority over and responsibility 

9 for Peace Corps activities. 

10 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con11 gress that— 

12 (1) the current position of the Peace Corps as 

13 an independent agency in the executive branch 

14 charged with implementing aspects of United States 

15 foreign policy, while being subject to the Secretary 

16 of State’s ‘‘continuous supervision and general direc17 tion of the programs . . . to the end that such pro18 grams are effectively integrated both at home and 

19 abroad and the foreign policy of the United States 

20 is best served’’, creates a problem of management 

21 detrimental to the foreign policy goals of the United 

22 States Government; and 

23 (2) since determining in which countries the 

24 Peace Corps should work and the volunteers’ activi25 ties in those countries are components of United 


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1 States foreign policy, the Secretary of State, who is 

2 responsible for implementing United States foreign 

3 policy, should have direct and clear control over the 

4 Peace Corps, including the Director of the Peace 

5 Corps, in order to coordinate the Peace Corps’ work 

6 with the overall foreign policy goals of the United 

7 States Government. 

8 SEC. 3. TRANSFER OF PEACE CORPS TO DEPARTMENT OF 

9 STATE. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 2A of the Peace Corps 

11 Act (22 U.S.C. 2501–1) is amended to read as follows: 

12 ‘‘SEC. 2A. PEACE CORPS AS SUBORDINATE AGENCY WITHIN 

13 THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE. 

14 ‘‘The Peace Corps shall be a subordinate agency 

15 within the Department of State.’’. 

16 (b) DIRECTOR.—Section 4 of the Peace Corps Act 

17 (22 U.S.C. 2503) is amended— 

18 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘President’’ 

19 and inserting ‘‘Secretary of State’’; 

20 (2) in subsection (b)— 

21 (A) by striking ‘‘The President may exer22 cise any functions vested in him by this Act’’ 

23 and inserting ‘‘The Secretary of State may 

24 carry out the duties under this Act’’; 


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1 (B) by striking ‘‘he’’ and inserting ‘‘the 

2 Director’’; 

3 (C) by striking ‘‘his’’ and inserting ‘‘the 

4 Director’s’’; and 

5 (D) by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘The Director of the Peace Corps shall report 

7 directly to the Secretary of State.’’; 

8 (3) in subsection (c)— 

9 (A) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘The 

10 President’’ and inserting ‘‘The Secretary of 

11 State’’; and 

12 (B) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘Under 

13 the direction of the President the Secretary’’ 

14 and inserting ‘‘The Secretary’’. 

15 (c) BUDGET.—The budget of the Peace Corps shall 

16 be incorporated into the overall budget of the Department 

17 of State, with the Secretary of State authorized to expend 

18 amounts appropriated to the Peace Corps. 

19 (d) PEACE CORPS PROGRAMS IN CHINA.—Not later 

20 than September 30, 2020, the Peace Corps shall terminate 

21 any Peace Corps programs operating in China. 

22 (e) PROHIBITION ON PEACE CORPS OPERATIONS IN

23 CERTAIN COUNTRIES.—The Peace Corps may not operate 

24 in any country that is hostile to the national security interVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:29 Aug 03, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2320.IS S2320

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1 ests of the United States, as determined by the Secretary 

2 of State. 

3 (f) ANNUAL REPORTS.—The Secretary of State shall 

4 submit an annual report to Congress that— 

5 (1) describes the programs and placement of 

6 Peace Corps volunteers around the world; 

7 (2) includes a justification of the placement and 

8 presence of Peace Corps volunteers in each country; 

9 and 

10 (3) describes how such placements and presence 

11 furthers the interests of the United States and is not 

12 contrary to the national security interests of the 

13 United States. 

Æ 


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