I 
108TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4060 
To amend the Peace Corps Act to establish an Ombudsman and an Office 
of Safety and Security of the Peace Corps, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 30, 2004 
Mr. HYDE (for himself, Mr. LANTOS, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, and Mr. 
SMITH of Michigan) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on International Relations, and in addition to the Com-
mittee on Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently deter-
mined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To amend the Peace Corps Act to establish an Ombudsman 
and an Office of Safety and Security of the Peace Corps, 
and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Health, Safety, and 
Security of Peace Corps Volunteers Act of 2004’’.
SEC. 2. OMBUDSMAN OF THE PEACE CORPS. 
The Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2501 et seq.) is 
amended by inserting after section 4 the following new 
section: 
‘‘SEC. 4A. OMBUDSMAN OF THE PEACE CORPS. 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the 
Peace Corps the Office of the Ombudsman of the Peace 
Corps (hereinafter in this section referred to as the ‘Of-
fice’). The Office shall be headed by the Ombudsman of 
the Peace Corps (hereinafter in this section referred to 
as the ‘Ombudsman’), who shall be appointed by and re-
port directly to the Director of the Peace Corps. 
‘‘(b) VOLUNTEER COMPLAINTS AND OTHER MAT-
TERS.—The Ombudsman shall receive and, as appro-
priate, inquire into complaints, questions, or concerns sub-
mitted by current or former volunteers regarding services 
or support provided by the Peace Corps to its volunteers, 
including matters pertaining to— 
‘‘(1) the safety and security of volunteers; 
‘‘(2) due process, including processes relating to 
separation from the Peace Corps; 
‘‘(3) benefits and assistance that may be due to 
current or former volunteers; 
‘‘(4) medical or other health-related assistance; 
and
‘‘(5) access to files and records of current or 
former volunteers. 
‘‘(c) EMPLOYEE COMPLAINTS
AND OTHER MAT-
TERS.—The Ombudsman shall receive and, as appro-
priate, inquire into complaints, questions, or concerns sub-
mitted by current or former employees of the Peace Corps 
on any matters of grievance. 
‘‘(d) 
ADDITIONAL
DUTIES.—The 
Ombudsman 
shall— 
‘‘(1) recommend responses to individual matters 
received under subsections (b) and (c); 
‘‘(2) make recommendations for administrative 
or regulatory adjustments to address recurring prob-
lems or other difficulties of the Peace Corps; 
‘‘(3) identify systemic issues that relate to the 
practices, policies, and administrative procedures of 
the Peace Corps affecting volunteers and employees; 
and 
‘‘(4) call attention to problems not yet ade-
quately considered by the Peace Corps. 
‘‘(e) STANDARDS OF OPERATION.—The Ombudsman 
shall carry out the duties under this section in a manner 
that is— 
‘‘(1) independent, impartial in the conduct of 
inquiries, and confidential; and
‘‘(2) consistent with the revised Standards for 
the Establishment and Operation of Ombudsman 
Offices (August 2003) as endorsed by the American 
Bar Association. 
‘‘(f) INVOLVEMENT IN MATTERS SUBJECT TO ONGO-
ING ADJUDICATION, LITIGATION, OR INVESTIGATION.— 
The Ombudsman shall refrain from any involvement in the 
merits of individual matters that are the subject of ongo-
ing adjudication or litigation, or investigations related to 
such adjudication or litigation. 
‘‘(g) REPORTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of the enactment of this section, and 
semiannually thereafter, the Ombudsman shall sub-
mit to the Director of the Peace Corps, the Chair of 
the Peace Corps National Advisory Council, and 
Congress a report containing a summary of— 
‘‘(A) the complaints, questions, and con-
cerns considered by the Ombudsman; 
‘‘(B) the inquiries completed by the Om-
budsman; 
‘‘(C) recommendations for action with re-
spect to such complaints, questions, concerns, 
or inquiries; and
‘‘(D) any other matters that the Ombuds-
man considers relevant. 
‘‘(2) CONFIDENTIALITY.—Each report sub-
mitted under paragraph (1) shall maintain confiden-
tiality on any matter that the Ombudsman considers 
appropriate in accordance with subsection (e). 
‘‘(h) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘em-
ployee’ means an employee of the Peace Corps, an em-
ployee of the Office of Inspector General of the Peace 
Corps, an individual appointed or assigned under the For-
eign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 3901 et seq.) to carry 
out functions under this Act, or an individual subject to 
a personal services contract with the Peace Corps.’’. 
SEC. 3. OFFICE OF SAFETY AND SECURITY OF THE PEACE 
CORPS. 
The Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2501 et seq.), as 
amended by section 2 of this Act, is further amended by 
inserting after section 4A the following new section: 
‘‘SEC. 4B. OFFICE OF SAFETY AND SECURITY OF THE 
PEACE CORPS. 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the 
Peace Corps the Office of Safety and Security of the Peace 
Corps (hereinafter in this section referred to as the ‘Of-
fice’). The Office shall be headed by the Associate Director 
of Safety and Security of the Peace Corps, who shall be
appointed by and report directly to the Director of the 
Peace Corps. 
‘‘(b) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Office established 
under subsection (a) shall be responsible for all safety and 
security activities of the Peace Corps, including back-
ground checks of volunteers and staff, safety and security 
of volunteers and staff (including training), safety and se-
curity of facilities, security of information technology, and 
other responsibilities as required by the Director. 
‘‘(c) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that— 
‘‘(1) the Associate Director of Safety and Secu-
rity of the Peace Corps, as appointed pursuant to 
subsection (a) of this section, should assign a Peace 
Corps country security coordinator for each country 
where the Peace Corps has a program of volunteer 
service for the purposes of carrying out the field re-
sponsibilities of the Office established under sub-
section (a); and 
‘‘(2) each country security coordinator— 
‘‘(A) should be under the supervision of 
the Peace Corps country director in each such 
country; 
‘‘(B) should report directly to the Asso-
ciate Director of Safety and Security of the
Peace Corps, as appointed pursuant to sub-
section (a) of this section, on all matters of im-
portance as the country security coordinator 
considers necessary; 
‘‘(C) should be responsible for coordinating 
with the regional security officer of the Peace 
Corps responsible for the country to which such 
country security officer is assigned; and 
‘‘(D) should be a United States citizen who 
has access to information, including classified 
information, relating to the possible threats 
against Peace Corps volunteers.’’. 
SEC. 4. OFFICE OF MEDICAL SERVICES OF THE PEACE 
CORPS. 
(a) REPORT ON MEDICAL SCREENING AND PLACE-
MENT COORDINATION.—Not later than 120 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of the 
Peace Corps shall submit to the appropriate congressional 
committees a report that— 
(1) describes the medical screening procedures 
and guidelines used by the office responsible for 
medical services of the Peace Corps to determine 
whether an applicant for Peace Corps service has 
worldwide clearance, limited clearance, a deferral pe-
riod, or is not medically, including psychologically, 
qualified to serve in the Peace Corps as a volunteer; 
(2) describes the procedures and guidelines 
used by the Peace Corps to ensure that applicants 
for Peace Corps service are matched with a host 
country where the applicant, reasonable accommoda-
tions notwithstanding, can complete at least two 
years of volunteer service without interruption due 
to foreseeable medical conditions; and 
(3) with respect to each of the fiscal years 2000 
through 2003 and the first six months of fiscal year 
2004, states the number of— 
(A) medical screenings of applicants con-
ducted; 
(B) applicants who have received world-
wide clearance, limited clearance, deferral peri-
ods, and medical disqualifications to serve; 
(C) appeals to the Medical Screening Re-
view Board of the Peace Corps and the number 
of times that an initial screening decision was 
upheld; 
(D) requests to the head of the office re-
sponsible for medical services of the Peace 
Corps for reconsideration of a decision of the 
Medical Screening Review Board and the num-
ber of times that the decision of the Medical 
Screening Review Board was upheld by the 
head of such office; 
(E) Peace Corps volunteers who became 
medically qualified to serve because of a deci-
sion of the Medical Screening Review Board 
and who were later evacuated or terminated 
their service early due to medical reasons; 
(F) Peace Corps volunteers who became 
medically qualified to serve because of a deci-
sion of the head of the office responsible for 
medical services of the Peace Corps and who 
were later evacuated or terminated their service 
early due to medical reasons; 
(G) Peace Corps volunteers who the agency 
has had to separate from service due to the dis-
covery of undisclosed medical information; and 
(H) Peace Corps volunteers who have ter-
minated their service early due to medical, in-
cluding psychological, reasons. 
(b) DEFINITION.—In subsection (a), the term ‘‘ap-
propriate congressional committees’’ means the Com-
mittee on International Relations of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of 
the Senate.
(c) FULL TIME DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL SERVICES.— 
Section 4(c) of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2503(c)) 
is amended by adding at the end the following new para-
graph: 
‘‘(5) The Director of the Peace Corps shall en-
sure that the head of the office responsible for med-
ical services of the Peace Corps does not occupy any 
other position in the Peace Corps.’’. 
SEC. 5. REPORTS ON THE ‘‘FIVE YEAR RULE’’ AND ON WORK 
ASSIGNMENTS 
OF 
VOLUNTEERS 
OF 
THE 
PEACE CORPS. 
(a) REPORT BY THE COMPTROLLER GENERAL.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than one year 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comp-
troller General shall submit to the appropriate con-
gressional committees a report on the effects of the 
limitation on the duration of employment, appoint-
ment, or assignment of officers and employees of the 
Peace Corps under section 7 of the Peace Corps Act 
(22 U.S.C. 2506) on the ability of the Peace Corps 
to effectively manage Peace Corps operations. 
(2) CONTENTS.—The report described in para-
graph (1) shall include— 
(A) a description of such limitation;
(B) a description of the history of such 
limitation and the purposes for which it was en-
acted and amended; 
(C) an analysis of the impact of such limi-
tation on the ability of the Peace Corps to re-
cruit capable volunteers, establish productive 
and worthwhile assignments for volunteers, pro-
vide for the health, safety, and security of vol-
unteers, and, as declared in section 2(a) of the 
Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2501(a)), ‘‘pro-
mote a better understanding of the American 
people on the part of the peoples served and a 
better understanding of other peoples on the 
part of the American people’’; 
(D) an assessment of whether the applica-
tion of such limitation has accomplished the ob-
jectives for which it was intended; and 
(E) recommendations, if any, for legisla-
tion to amend provisions of the Peace Corps 
Act relating to such limitation. 
(b) REPORT ON WORK ASSIGNMENTS OF VOLUN-
TEERS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Di-
rector of the Peace Corps shall submit to the appro-
priate congressional committees a report on the ex-
tent to which the work assignments of Peace Corps 
volunteers fulfill the commitment of the Peace Corps 
to ensuring that such assignments are well devel-
oped, with clear roles and expectations, and that vol-
unteers are well-suited for their assignments. 
(2) CONTENTS.—The report described in para-
graph (1) shall include— 
(A) an assessment of the extent to which 
agreements between the Peace Corps and host 
countries delineate clear roles for volunteers in 
assisting host governments to advance their na-
tional development strategies; 
(B) an assessment of the extent to which 
the Peace Corps recruits volunteers who have 
skills that correlate with the expectations cited 
in the country agreements and assigns such vol-
unteers to such posts; 
(C) a description of procedures for deter-
mining volunteer work assignments and min-
imum standards for such assignments; 
(D) a volunteer survey on health, safety, 
and security issues as well as satisfaction sur-
veys which will have been conducted after the 
date of the enactment of this Act; and
(E) an assessment of the plan of the Peace 
Corps to increase the number of volunteers who 
are assigned to projects in sub-Saharan Africa, 
Asia, and the Western Hemisphere, particularly 
among communities of African descent within 
countries in the Western Hemisphere, which 
help combat HIV/AIDS and other global infec-
tious diseases. 
(c) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘appro-
priate congressional committees’’ means the Committee on 
International Relations of the House of Representatives 
and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate. 
SEC. 6. INSPECTOR GENERAL OF THE PEACE CORPS. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF INDEPENDENT INSPECTOR 
GENERAL.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Inspector General Act 
of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.) is amended— 
(A) in section 8G(a)(2), by striking ‘‘, the 
Peace Corps’’; 
(B) in section 9(a)(1), by adding at the 
end the following new subparagraph: 
‘‘(X) of the Peace Corps, the office of that 
agency referred to as the ‘Office of Inspector 
General’; and’’; and 
(C) in section 11—
(i) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘or 
the Office of Personnel Management’’ and 
inserting ‘‘the Office of Personnel Manage-
ment, or the Peace Corps’’; and 
(ii) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘, 
the Peace Corps’’ after ‘‘the Office of Per-
sonnel Management’’. 
(2) 
TECHNICAL
AMENDMENT.—Section 
9(a)(1)(U) of the Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 
U.S.C. App.) is amended by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 
end. 
(b) TEMPORARY APPOINTMENT.—The Director of 
the Peace Corps may appoint an individual to assume the 
powers and duties of the Inspector General of the Peace 
Corps under the Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. 
App.) on an interim basis until such time as a person is 
appointed by the President, by and with the advice and 
consent of the Senate, pursuant to the amendments made 
in this section. 
(c) EXEMPTION FROM EMPLOYMENT TERM LIMITS 
UNDER THE PEACE CORPS ACT.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Section 7 of the Peace 
Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2506) is amended— 
(A) by redesignating subsection (c) as sub-
section (b); and
(B) by adding at the end the following new 
subsection: 
‘‘(c) The provisions of this section that limit the dura-
tion of service, appointment, or assignment of individuals 
shall not apply to— 
‘‘(1) the Inspector General of the Peace Corps; 
‘‘(2) officers of the Office of the Inspector Gen-
eral of the Peace Corps; 
‘‘(3) any individual whose official duties pri-
marily include the safety and security of Peace 
Corps volunteers or employees; 
‘‘(4) the head of the office responsible for med-
ical services of the Peace Corps; or 
‘‘(5) any health care professional within the of-
fice responsible for medical services of the Peace 
Corps.’’. 
(2) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The first pro-
viso of section 15(d)(4) of the Peace Corps Act (22 
U.S.C. 2514(d)(4)) is amended by striking ‘‘7(c)’’ 
and inserting ‘‘7(b)’’. 
(d) COMPENSATION.—Section 7 of the Peace Corps 
Act (22 U.S.C. 2506), as amended by subsection (c) of 
this section, is further amended by adding at the end the 
following new subsection:
‘‘(d) The Inspector General of the Peace Corps shall 
be compensated at the rate provided for level IV of the 
Executive Schedule under section 5315 of title 5, United 
States Code.’’. 
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