I
107TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 4979
To amend the Peace Corps Act to promote global acceptance of the principles
of international peace and nonviolent coexistence among peoples of di-
verse cultures and systems of government, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JUNE 20, 2002
Mr. FARR of California (for himself, Mr. UDALL of Colorado, Mr. HONDA, Mr.
HALL of Ohio, and Mr. PETRI) introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on International Relations
A BILL
To amend the Peace Corps Act to promote global acceptance
of the principles of international peace and nonviolent
coexistence among peoples of diverse cultures and sys-
tems of government, 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 ‘‘Peace Corps Charter
for the 21st Century Act’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) The Peace Corps was established in 1961 to
promote world peace and friendship through the
service of American volunteers abroad.
(2) The three goals codified in the Peace Corps
Act which have guided the Peace Corps and its vol-
unteers over the years, can work in concert to pro-
mote global acceptance of the principles of inter-
national peace and nonviolent coexistence among
peoples of diverse cultures and systems of govern-
ment.
(3) The Peace Corps has operated in 135 coun-
tries with 165,000 Peace Corps volunteers since its
establishment.
(4) The Peace Corps has sought to fulfill three
goals, as follows: to help people in developing nations
meet basic needs, to promote understanding of
America’s values and ideals abroad, and to promote
an understanding of other peoples by Americans.
(5) After more than 40 years of operation, the
Peace Corps remains the world’s premier inter-
national service organization dedicated to promoting
grassroots development.
(6) The Peace Corps remains committed to
sending well trained and well supported Peace Corps
volunteers overseas to promote world peace, friend-
ship, and grassroots development.
(7) The Peace Corps is an independent agency,
and therefore no Peace Corps personnel or volun-
teers should have any relationship with any United
States intelligence agency or be used to accomplish
any other goal than the goals established by the
Peace Corps Act.
(8) The Crisis Corps has been an effective tool
in harnessing the skills and talents for returned
Peace Corps volunteers and should be expanded to
utilize to the maximum extent the pool of talent
from the returned Peace Corps volunteer commu-
nity.
(9) The Peace Corps is currently operating with
an annual budget of $275,000,000 in 70 countries
with 7,000 Peace Corps volunteers.
(10) There is deep misunderstanding and mis-
information about American values and ideals in
many parts of the world, particularly those with sub-
stantial Muslim populations, and a greater Peace
Corps presence in such places could foster greater
understanding and tolerance of those countries.
(11) Congress has declared that the Peace
Corps should be expanded to sponsor a minimum of
10,000 Peace Corps volunteers.
(12) President George W. Bush has called for
the doubling of the number of Peace Corps volun-
teers in service in a fiscal year to 15,000 volunteers
in service by the end of fiscal year 2007.
(13) Any expansion of the Peace Corps shall
not jeopardize the quality of the Peace Corps volun-
teer experience, and therefore can only be accom-
plished by an appropriate increase in field and head-
quarters support staff.
(14) It would be extremely useful for the Peace
Corps to establish an office of strategic planning to
evaluate existing programs and undertake long-term
planning in order to facilitate the orderly expansion
of the Peace Corps from its current size to the stat-
ed objective of 15,000 volunteers in the field by the
end of fiscal year 2007.
(15) The Peace Corps would benefit from the
advice and council of a streamlined bipartisan Na-
tional Peace Corps Advisory Council composed of
distinguished returned Peace Corps volunteers.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMIT-
TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com-
mittees’’ means the Committee on Foreign Relations
of the Senate and the Committee on International
Relations of the House of Representatives.
(2) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means
the Director of the Peace Corps.
(3) PEACE
CORPS
VOLUNTEER.—The term
‘‘Peace Corps volunteer’’ means a volunteer or a vol-
unteer leader under the Peace Corps Act.
(4) RETURNED
PEACE
CORPS
VOLUNTEER.—
The term ‘‘returned Peace Corps volunteer’’ means
a person who has been certified by the Director as
having served satisfactorily as a Peace Corps volun-
teer.
SEC. 4. RESTATEMENT OF INDEPENDENCE OF THE PEACE
CORPS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 2A of the Peace Corps
Act (22 U.S.C. 2501–1) is amended by adding at the end
the following new sentence: ‘‘As an independent agency,
all recruiting of volunteers shall be undertaken solely by
the Peace Corps.’’.
(b) DETAILS AND ASSIGNMENTS.—Section 5(g) of
the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2504(g)) is amended by
inserting after ‘‘Provided, That’’ the following: ‘‘such de-
tail or assignment does not contradict the standing of
Peace Corps volunteers as being independent from foreign
policy-making and intelligence collection: Provided further,
That’’.
SEC. 5. REPORTS TO CONGRESS.
(a) CONSULTATIONS
AND REPORTS CONCERNING
NEW INITIATIVES.—Section 11 of the Peace Corps Act
(22 U.S.C. 2510) is amended—
(1) by inserting ‘‘(a) ANNUAL REPORTS.—’’ im-
mediately before ‘‘The President shall transmit’’;
and
(2) by adding at the end thereof the following:
‘‘(b) CONSULTATIONS AND REPORTS ON NEW INITIA-
TIVES.—Thirty days prior to implementing any new initia-
tive, the Director shall consult with the Peace Corps Na-
tional Advisory Council established in section 12 and shall
submit to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Sen-
ate and the Committee on International Relations of the
House of Representatives a report describing the objec-
tives that such initiative is intended to fulfill, an estimate
of any costs that may be incurred as a result of the initia-
tive, and an estimate of any impact on existing programs,
including the impact on the safety of volunteers under this
Act.’’.
(b) COUNTRY SECURITY REPORTS.—Section 11 of
the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2510), as amended by
subsection (a), is further amended by adding at the end
the following:
‘‘(c) COUNTRY SECURITY REPORTS.—The Director
of the Peace Corps shall submit to the Committee on For-
eign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Inter-
national Relations of the House of Representatives a re-
port annually on the status of security procedures in any
country in which the Peace Corps operates programs or
is considering doing so. Each report shall include rec-
ommendations when appropriate as to whether security
conditions would be enhanced by colocating volunteers
with international or local nongovernmental organizations,
or with the placement of multiple volunteers in one loca-
tion.’’.
(c) REPORT ON STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS PRO-
GRAMS.—Not later than 30 days after the date of enact-
ment of this Act, the Director of the Peace Corps shall
submit to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Sen-
ate and the Committee on International Relations of the
House of Representatives a report—
(1) describing the student loan forgiveness pro-
grams currently available to Peace Corps volunteers
upon completion of their service; and
(2) comparing such programs with other Gov-
ernment-sponsored student loan forgiveness pro-
grams.
SEC. 6. SPECIAL VOLUNTEER RECRUITMENT AND PLACE-
MENT 
FOR 
COUNTRIES 
WHOSE 
GOVERN-
MENTS ARE SEEKING TO FOSTER GREATER
UNDERSTANDING BY AND ABOUT THEIR CITI-
ZENS.
(a) REPORT.—Not later than 60 days after the date
of enactment of this Act, the Director shall submit a re-
port to the appropriate congressional committees describ-
ing the initiatives that the Peace Corps intends to pursue
in order to solicit requests from eligible countries where
the presence of Peace Corps volunteers would facilitate a
greater understanding that there exists a universe of com-
monly shared human values and aspirations and would
dispel unfounded fears and suspicion among peoples of di-
verse cultures and systems of government, including peo-
ples from countries with substantial Muslim populations.
Such report shall include—
(1) a description of the recruitment strategies
to be employed by the Peace Corps to recruit and
train volunteers with the appropriate language skills
and interest in serving in such countries; and
(2) a list of the countries that the Director has
determined should be priorities for special recruit-
ment and placement of Peace Corps volunteers.
(b) USE
OF RETURNED PEACE CORPS VOLUN-
TEERS.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the
Director is authorized and strongly urged to utilize the
services of returned Peace Corps volunteers having lan-
guage and cultural expertise, including those returned
Peace Corps volunteers who may have served previously
in countries with substantial Muslim populations, in order
to open or reopen Peace Corps programs in such coun-
tries.
(c) ALLOCATION OF FUNDS.—In addition to amounts
authorized to be appropriated to the Peace Corps by sec-
tion 11 for the fiscal years 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006,
there is authorized to be appropriated for the Peace Corps
$5,000,000 each such fiscal year solely for the recruit-
ment, training, and placement of Peace Corps volunteers
in countries whose governments are seeking to foster
greater understanding by and about their citizens.
SEC. 7. GLOBAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES INITIATIVE.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director, in cooperation with
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Na-
tional Institutes of Health, the World Health Organization
and the Pan American Health Organization, local public
health officials, shall develop a program of training for all
Peace Corps volunteers in the areas of education, preven-
tion, and treatment of infectious diseases in order to en-
sure that all Peace Corps volunteers make a contribution
to the global campaign against such diseases.
(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section:
(1) AIDS.—The term ‘‘AIDS’’ means the ac-
quired immune deficiency syndrome.
(2) HIV.—The term ‘‘HIV’’ means the human
immunodeficiency virus, the pathogen that causes
AIDS.
(3) 
HIV/AIDS.—The 
term 
‘‘HIV/AIDS’’
means, with respect to an individual, an individual
who is infected with HIV or living with AIDS.
(4) INFECTIOUS DISEASES.—The term ‘‘infec-
tious diseases’’ means HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and
malaria.
SEC. 8. PEACE CORPS ADVISORY COUNCIL.
Section 12 of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2511;
relating to the Peace Corps National Advisory Council)
is amended—
(1) by amending subsection (b)(2)(D) to read
as follows:
‘‘(D) make recommendations for utilizing
the expertise of returned Peace Corps volun-
teers in fulfilling the goals of the Peace
Corps.’’;
(2) in subsection (c)—
(A) by striking paragraph (1);
(B) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and
(3) as paragraphs (1) and (2), respectively; and
(C) in paragraph (1), as so redesignated—
(i) in subparagraph (A)—
(I) by striking ‘‘fifteen’’ and in-
serting ‘‘seven’’; and
(II) by striking the second sen-
tence and inserting the following: ‘‘All
of the members shall be former Peace
Corps volunteers, and not more than
four shall be members of the same po-
litical party.’’;
(ii) by striking subparagraphs (B),
(E), and (H);
(iii) by redesignating subparagraphs
(C), (D), (F), (G), and (I) as subpara-
graphs (B), (C), (D), (E), and (F), respec-
tively; and
(iv) by amending subparagraph (C),
as so redesignated, to read as follows:
‘‘(C) The members of the Council shall be appointed
to 2-year terms.’’;
(3) by amending subsection (g) to read as fol-
lows:
‘‘(g) CHAIR.—The President shall designate one of
the voting members of the Council as Chair, who shall
serve in that capacity for a period not to exceed two
years.’’;
(4) by amending subsection (h) to read as fol-
lows:
‘‘(h) MEETINGS.—The Council shall hold a regular
meeting during each calendar quarter at a date and time
to be determined by the Chair of the Council.’’; and
(5) by amending subsection (i) to read as fol-
lows:
‘‘(i) REPORT.—Not later than July 30, 2003, and an-
nually thereafter, the Council shall submit a report to the
President and the Director of the Peace Corps describing
how the Council has carried out its functions under sub-
section (b)(2).’’.
SEC. 9. READJUSTMENT ALLOWANCES.
The Peace Corps Act is amended—
(1) in section 5(c) (22 U.S.C. 2504(c)), by
striking ‘‘$125’’ and inserting ‘‘$200’’; and
(2) in section 6(1) (22 U.S.C. 2505(1)), by
striking ‘‘$125’’ and inserting ‘‘$200’’.
SEC. 10. PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS OF RETURNED PEACE
CORPS 
VOLUNTEERS 
TO 
PROMOTE 
THE
GOALS OF THE PEACE CORPS.
(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to pro-
vide support for returned Peace Corps volunteers to de-
velop programs and projects to promote the objectives of
the Peace Corps, as set forth in section 2 of the Peace
Corps Act.
(b) GRANTS
TO CERTAIN NONPROFIT CORPORA-
TIONS.—
(1) GRANT AUTHORITY.—To carry out the pur-
pose of this section, and subject to the availability
of appropriations, the Director of the Corporation
for National and Community Service shall award
grants on a competitive basis to private nonprofit
corporations that are established in the District of
Columbia for the purpose of serving as incubators
for returned Peace Corps volunteers seeking to use
their knowledge and expertise to undertake commu-
nity-based projects to carry out the goals of the
Peace Corps Act.
(2) ELIGIBILITY FOR GRANTS.—To be eligible
to compete for grants under this section, a nonprofit
(2) the nonprofit corporation give consideration
to funding individual projects or programs by re-
turned Peace Corps volunteers up to $100,000;
(3) not more than 20 percent of funds made
available to the nonprofit corporation will be used
for the salaries, overhead, or other administrative
expenses of the nonprofit corporation; and
(4) the nonprofit corporation will not receive
grant funds under this section for more than two
years unless the corporation has raised private
funds, either in cash or in kind, for up to 40 percent
of its annual budget.
(d) FUNDING.—Of the funds available to the Cor-
poration for National and Community Service for fiscal
year 2003 or any fiscal year thereafter, not to exceed
$10,000,000 shall be available for each such fiscal year
to carry out the grant program established under this sec-
tion.
(e) STATUS OF THE FUND.—Nothing in this section
shall be construed to make any nonprofit corporation sup-
ported under this section an agency or establishment of
the United States Government or to make the members
of the board of directors or any officer or employee of such
corporation an officer or employee of the United States.
(f) FACTORS
IN AWARDING GRANTS.—In deter-
mining the number of private nonprofit corporations to
award grants to in any fiscal years, the Director should
balance the number of organizations against the overhead
costs that divert resources from project funding.
(g) CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT.—Grant recipients
under this section shall be subject to the appropriate over-
sight procedures of Congress.
SEC. 11. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 3(b)(1) of the Peace
Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2502(b)(1)) is amended—
(1) by striking ‘‘2002, and’’ and inserting
‘‘2002,’’; and
(2) by inserting before the period the following:
‘‘, $465,000,000 for fiscal year 2004, $500,000,000
for fiscal year 2005, $560,000,000 for fiscal year
2006, and $560,000,000 for fiscal year 2007’’.
(b) INCREASE
IN
PEACE
CORPS
VOLUNTEER
STRENGTH.—Section 3(c) of the Peace Corps Act (22
U.S.C. 2502(c)) is amended by adding the following new
subsection at the end thereof:
‘‘(d) In addition to the amounts authorized to be ap-
propriated in this section, there are authorized to be ap-
propriated such additional sums as may be necessary to
achieve a volunteer corps of 15,000 as soon as practicable,
taking into account the security of volunteers and the ef-
fectiveness of country programs.’’.
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