I 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1673 
To establish a Department of Peace. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 8, 2003 
Mr. KUCINICH (for himself, Ms. WOOLSEY, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. OBERSTAR, 
Mr. ABERCROMBIE, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. BROWN of Ohio, Ms. CARSON of 
Indiana, Mr. CLAY, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. DEFAZIO, 
Mr. EVANS, Mr. FARR, Mr. FILNER, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. GUTIERREZ, Mr. 
HINCHEY, Mr. HONDA, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of 
Texas, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, Mrs. JONES of Ohio, 
Ms. LEE, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mrs. MALONEY, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. 
MCGOVERN, Mr. MEEKS of New York, Mr. GEORGE MILLER of Cali-
fornia, Mr. NADLER, Mr. OLVER, Mr. OWENS, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. RAHALL, 
Mr. RANGEL, Mr. RYAN of Ohio, Mr. SANDERS, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. 
SCOTT of Virginia, Mr. SERRANO, Ms. SOLIS, Mr. STARK, Mr. TOWNS, 
Mr. UDALL of Colorado, Ms. WATERS, and Ms. WATSON) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Government Re-
form, and in addition to the Committees on International Relations, the 
Judiciary, and Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subse-
quently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To establish a Department of Peace. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
00:58 Jul 13, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
D:\BILLS\OLDBILLS\H1673.IH
H1673
mmaher on MIKETEMP with BILLS
(1) On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental 
Congress unanimously declared the independence of 
the 13 colonies, and the achievement of peace was 
recognized as one of the highest duties of the new 
organization of free and independent States. 
(2) In declaring, ‘‘We hold these truths to be 
self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that 
they are endowed by their Creator with certain 
unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Lib-
erty and the Pursuit of Happiness’’, the drafters of 
the Declaration of Independence, appealing to the 
Supreme Judge of the World, derived the creative 
cause of nationhood from ‘‘the Laws of Nature’’ and 
the entitlements of ‘‘Nature’s God’’, such literal re-
ferrals in the Declaration of Independence thereby 
serving to celebrate the unity of human thought, 
natural law, and spiritual causation. 
(3) The architects of the Declaration of Inde-
pendence ‘‘with a firm reliance on the protection of 
divine providence’’ spoke to the connection between 
the original work infusing principle into the struc-
ture of a democratic government seeking to elevate 
the condition of humanity, and the activity of a 
higher power which moves to guide the Nation’s for-
tune. 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
00:58 Jul 13, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
D:\BILLS\OLDBILLS\H1673.IH
H1673
mmaher on MIKETEMP with BILLS
(4) The Constitution of the United States of 
America, in its Preamble, further sets forth the in-
surance of the cause of peace in stating: ‘‘We the 
People of the United States, in Order to Form a 
more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domes-
tic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, pro-
mote the general welfare, and secure the Blessings 
of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.’’ 
(5) The Founders of this country gave America 
a vision of freedom for the ages and provided people 
with a document which gave this Nation the ability 
to adapt to an undreamed of future. 
(6) It is the sacred duty of the people of the 
United States to receive the living truths of our 
founding documents and to think anew to develop 
institutions that permit the unfolding of the highest 
moral principles in this Nation and around the 
world. 
(7) During the course of the 20th century, 
more than 100,000,000 people perished in wars, and 
now, at the dawn of the 21st century, violence seems 
to be an overarching theme in the world, encom-
passing personal, group, national, and international 
conflict, extending to the production of nuclear, bio-
logical, and chemical weapons of mass destruction 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
00:58 Jul 13, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
D:\BILLS\OLDBILLS\H1673.IH
H1673
mmaher on MIKETEMP with BILLS
which have been developed for use on land, air, sea, 
and in space. 
(8) Such conflict is often taken as a reflection 
of the human condition without questioning whether 
the structures of thought, word, and deed which the 
people of the United States have inherited are any 
longer sufficient for the maintenance, growth, and 
survival of the United States and the world. 
(9) Promoting a culture of peace has been rec-
ognized by the United Nations Educational, Sci-
entific 
and 
Cultural 
Organization 
(UNESCO) 
through passage of a resolution declaring an Inter-
national Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Vi-
olence for the Children 2001–2010. The objective is 
to further strengthen the global movement for a cul-
ture of peace following the observance of the Inter-
national Year for the Culture of Peace in 2000. 
(10) We are in a new millennium, and the time 
has come to review age-old challenges with new 
thinking wherein we can conceive of peace as not 
simply being the absence of violence, but the active 
presence of the capacity for a higher evolution of the 
human awareness, of respect, trust, and integrity; 
wherein we all may tap the infinite capabilities of 
humanity to transform consciousness and conditions 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
00:58 Jul 13, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
D:\BILLS\OLDBILLS\H1673.IH
H1673
mmaher on MIKETEMP with BILLS
which impel or compel violence at a personal, group, 
or national level toward developing a new under-
standing of, and a commitment to, compassion and 
love, in order to create a ‘‘shining city on a hill’’, the 
light of which is the light of nations. 
TITLE I—ESTABLISHMENT OF 
DEPARTMENT OF PEACE 
SEC. 101. ESTABLISHMENT OF DEPARTMENT OF PEACE. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is hereby established a 
Department of Peace (hereinafter in this Act referred to 
as the ‘‘Department’’), which shall— 
(1) be a cabinet-level department in the execu-
tive branch of the Federal Government; and 
(2) be dedicated to peacemaking and the study 
of conditions that are conducive to both domestic 
and international peace. 
(b) SECRETARY OF PEACE.—There shall be at the 
head of the Department a Secretary of Peace (hereinafter 
in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’), who shall be 
appointed by the President, with the advice and consent 
of the Senate. 
(c) MISSION.—The Department shall— 
(1) hold peace as an organizing principle, co-
ordinating service to every level of American society; 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
00:58 Jul 13, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
D:\BILLS\OLDBILLS\H1673.IH
H1673
mmaher on MIKETEMP with BILLS
(2) endeavor to promote justice and democratic 
principles to expand human rights; 
(3) strengthen nonmilitary means of peace-
making; 
(4) promote the development of human poten-
tial; 
(5) work to create peace, prevent violence, di-
vert from armed conflict, use field-tested programs, 
and develop new structures in nonviolent dispute 
resolution; 
(6) take a proactive, strategic approach in the 
development of policies that promote national and 
international conflict prevention, nonviolent interven-
tion, mediation, peaceful resolution of conflict, and 
structured mediation of conflict; 
(7) address matters both domestic and inter-
national in scope; and 
(8) encourage the development of initiatives 
from local communities, religious groups, and non-
governmental organizations. 
SEC. 102. RESPONSIBILITIES AND POWERS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall— 
(1) work proactively and interactively with each 
branch of the Federal Government on all policy mat-
ters relating to conditions of peace; 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
00:58 Jul 13, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
D:\BILLS\OLDBILLS\H1673.IH
H1673
mmaher on MIKETEMP with BILLS
(2) serve as a delegate to the National Security 
Council; 
(3) call on the intellectual and spiritual wealth 
of the people of the United States and seek partici-
pation in its administration and in its development 
of policy from private, public, and nongovernmental 
organizations; and 
(4) monitor and analyze causative principles of 
conflict and make policy recommendations for devel-
oping and maintaining peaceful conduct. 
(b) DOMESTIC RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Secretary 
shall— 
(1) develop policies that address domestic vio-
lence, including spousal abuse, child abuse, and mis-
treatment of the elderly; 
(2) create new policies and incorporate existing 
programs that reduce drug and alcohol abuse; 
(3) develop new policies and incorporate exist-
ing policies regarding crime, punishment, and reha-
bilitation; 
(4) develop policies to address violence against 
animals; 
(5) analyze existing policies, employ successful, 
field-tested programs, and develop new approaches 
for dealing with the implements of violence, includ-
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
00:58 Jul 13, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
D:\BILLS\OLDBILLS\H1673.IH
H1673
mmaher on MIKETEMP with BILLS
ing gun-related violence and the overwhelming pres-
ence of handguns; 
(6) develop new programs that relate to the so-
cietal challenges of school violence, gangs, racial or 
ethnic violence, violence against gays and lesbians, 
and police-community relations disputes; 
(7) make policy recommendations to the Attor-
ney General regarding civil rights and labor law; 
(8) assist in the establishment and funding of 
community-based violence prevention programs, in-
cluding violence prevention counseling and peer me-
diation in schools; 
(9) counsel and advocate on behalf of women 
victimized by violence; 
(10) provide for public education programs and 
counseling strategies concerning hate crimes; 
(11) promote racial, religious, and ethnic toler-
ance; 
(12) finance local community initiatives that 
can draw on neighborhood resources to create peace 
projects that facilitate the development of conflict 
resolution at a national level and thereby inform and 
inspire national policy; and 
(13) provide ethical-based and value-based anal-
yses to the Department of Defense. 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
00:58 Jul 13, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00008
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
D:\BILLS\OLDBILLS\H1673.IH
H1673
mmaher on MIKETEMP with BILLS
(c) INTERNATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Sec-
retary shall— 
(1) advise the Secretary of Defense and the 
Secretary of State on all matters relating to national 
security, including the protection of human rights 
and the prevention of, amelioration of, and de-esca-
lation of unarmed and armed international conflict; 
(2) provide for the training of all United States 
personnel who administer postconflict reconstruction 
and demobilization in war-torn societies; 
(3) sponsor country and regional conflict pre-
vention and dispute resolution initiatives, create spe-
cial task forces, and draw on local, regional, and na-
tional expertise to develop plans and programs for 
addressing the root sources of conflict in troubled 
areas; 
(4) provide for exchanges between the United 
States and other nations of individuals who endeavor 
to develop domestic and international peace-based 
initiatives; 
(5) encourage the development of international 
sister city programs, pairing United States cities 
with cities around the globe for artistic, cultural, 
economic, educational, and faith-based exchanges; 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
00:58 Jul 13, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00009
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
D:\BILLS\OLDBILLS\H1673.IH
H1673
mmaher on MIKETEMP with BILLS
(6) administer the training of civilian peace-
keepers who participate in multinational nonviolent 
police forces and support civilian police who partici-
pate in peacekeeping; 
(7) jointly with the Secretary of the Treasury, 
strengthen peace enforcement through hiring and 
training monitors and investigators to help with the 
enforcement of international arms embargoes; 
(8) facilitate the development of peace summits 
at which parties to a conflict may gather under care-
fully prepared conditions to promote nonviolent com-
munication and mutually beneficial solutions; 
(9) submit to the President recommendations 
for reductions in weapons of mass destruction, and 
make annual reports to the President on the sale of 
arms from the United States to other nations, with 
analysis of the impact of such sales on the defense 
of the United States and how such sales affect 
peace; 
(10) in consultation with the Secretary of State, 
develop strategies for sustainability and management 
of the distribution of international funds; and 
(11) advise the United States Ambassador to 
the United Nations on matters pertaining to the 
United Nations Security Council. 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
00:58 Jul 13, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00010
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
D:\BILLS\OLDBILLS\H1673.IH
H1673
mmaher on MIKETEMP with BILLS
(d) HUMAN SECURITY RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Sec-
retary shall address and offer nonviolent conflict resolu-
tion strategies to all relevant parties on issues of human 
security if such security is threatened by conflict, whether 
such conflict is geographic, religious, ethnic, racial, or 
class-based in its origin, derives from economic concerns 
(including trade or maldistribution of wealth), or is initi-
ated through disputes concerning scarcity of natural re-
sources (such as water and energy resources), food, trade, 
or environmental concerns. 
(e) MEDIA-RELATED RESPONSIBILITIES.—Respect-
ing the first amendment of the Constitution of the United 
States and the requirement for free and independent 
media, the Secretary shall— 
(1) seek assistance in the design and implemen-
tation of nonviolent policies from media profes-
sionals; 
(2) study the role of the media in the escalation 
and de-escalation of conflict at domestic and inter-
national levels and make findings public; and 
(3) make recommendations to professional 
media organizations in order to provide opportuni-
ties to increase media awareness of peace-building 
initiatives. 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
00:58 Jul 13, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00011
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
D:\BILLS\OLDBILLS\H1673.IH
H1673
mmaher on MIKETEMP with BILLS
(f) EDUCATIONAL
RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Sec-
retary shall— 
(1) develop a peace education curriculum, which 
shall include studies of— 
(A) the civil rights movement in the United 
States and throughout the world, with special 
emphasis on how individual endeavor and in-
volvement have contributed to advancements in 
peace and justice; and 
(B) peace agreements and circumstances 
in which peaceful intervention has worked to 
stop conflict; 
(2) in cooperation with the Secretary of Edu-
cation— 
(A) commission the development of such 
curricula and make such curricula available to 
local school districts to enable the utilization of 
peace education objectives at all elementary and 
secondary schools in the United States; and 
(B) offer incentives in the form of grants 
and training to encourage the development of 
State peace curricula and assist schools in ap-
plying for such curricula; 
(3) work with educators to equip students to 
become skilled in achieving peace through reflection, 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
00:58 Jul 13, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00012
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
D:\BILLS\OLDBILLS\H1673.IH
H1673
mmaher on MIKETEMP with BILLS