I
107TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 2459
To establish a Department of Peace.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JULY 11, 2001
Mr. KUCINICH (for himself, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. HIN-
CHEY, Mr. RAHALL, Ms. LEE, Mr. CLAY, Ms. WOOLSEY, Mrs. MALONEY
of New York, Mr. UDALL of Colorado, Mr. BROWN of Ohio, Ms. SOLIS,
Mr. FARR of California, Mrs. JONES of Ohio, Mr. STARK, Ms. MCKIN-
NEY, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. SANDERS, Ms. JACKSON-
LEE of Texas, Ms. WATSON, Mr. FILNER, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Ms.
VELA´ZQUEZ, Mr. DEFAZIO, Mr. GUTIERREZ, Mr. HONDA, Mr. OWENS,
Mr. EVANS, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. TOWNS, Ms. CARSON of Indiana, Mr.
SERRANO, Mr. BAIRD, Mr. HOLT, Mr. MCGOVERN, Ms. WATERS, and
Mr. SCOTT) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Government Reform, and in addition to the Committees on
International Relations, the Judiciary, and Education and the Workforce,
for a period to be subsequently 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:
(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.
(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
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
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;
(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;
(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-
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 and ethnic tolerance;
(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.
(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;
(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.
(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.
(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
Education—
(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,
and facilitate instruction in the ways of peaceful
conflict resolution;
(4) maintain a site on the Internet for the pur-
poses of soliciting and receiving ideas for the devel-
opment of peace from the wealth of political, social
and cultural diversity;
(5) proactively engage the critical thinking ca-
pabilities of grade school, high school, and college
students and teachers through the Internet and
other media and issue periodic reports concerning
submissions;
(6) create and establish a Peace Academy,
which shall—
(A) be modeled after the military service
academies;
(B) provide a 4-year course of instruction
in peace education, after which graduates will
be required to serve 5 years in public service in
programs dedicated to domestic or international
nonviolent conflict resolution; and
(7) provide grants for peace studies depart-
ments in colleges and universities throughout the
United States.
SEC. 103. PRINCIPAL OFFICERS.
(a) UNDER SECRETARY OF PEACE.—There shall be
in the Department an Under Secretary of Peace, who shall
be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and
consent of the Senate. During the absence or disability
of the Secretary, or in the event of a vacancy in the office
of the Secretary, the Under Secretary shall act as Sec-
retary. The Secretary shall designate the order in which
other officials of the Department shall act for and perform
the functions of the Secretary during the absence or dis-
ability of both the Secretary and Under Secretary or in
the event of vacancies in both of those offices.
(b) ADDITIONAL POSITIONS.—(1) There shall be in
the Department—
(A) an Assistant Secretary for Peace Education
and Training;
(B) an Assistant Secretary for Domestic Peace
Activities;
(C) an Assistant Secretary for International
Peace Activities;
(D) an Assistant Secretary for Technology for
Peace;
(E) an Assistant Secretary for Arms Control
and Disarmament;
(F) an Assistant Secretary for Peaceful Coex-
istence and Nonviolent Conflict Resolution;
(G) an Assistant Secretary for Human and
Economic Rights; and
(H) a General Counsel.
(2) Each of the Assistant Secretaries and the General
Counsel shall be appointed by the President, by and with
the advice and consent of the Senate.
(3) There shall be in the Department an Inspector
General, who shall be appointed in accordance with the
provisions in the Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C.
App.).
(4) There shall be in the Department four additional
officers who shall be appointed by the President, by and
with the advice and consent of the Senate. The officers
appointed under this paragraph shall perform such func-
tions as the Secretary shall prescribe, including—
(A) congressional relations functions;
(B) public information functions, including pro-
viding, through the use of the latest technologies,
useful information about peace and the work of the
Department;
(C) management and budget functions; and
(D) planning, evaluation, and policy develop-
ment functions, including development of policies to
promote the efficient and coordinated administration
of the Department and its programs and encourage
improvements in conflict resolution and violence pre-
vention.
(5) In any case in which the President submits the
name of an individual to the Senate for confirmation as
an officer of the Department under this subsection, the
President shall state the particular functions of the De-
partment such individual will exercise upon taking office.
(c) AUTHORITY OF SECRETARY.—Each officer de-
scribed in this section shall report directly to the Secretary
and shall, in addition to any functions vested in or re-
quired to be delegated to such officer, perform such addi-
tional functions as the Secretary may prescribe.
SEC. 104. OFFICE OF PEACE EDUCATION AND TRAINING.
(a) IN GENERAL.—There shall be in the Department
an Office of Peace Education and Training, the head of
which shall be the Assistant Secretary for Peace Edu-
cation and Training. The Assistant Secretary for Peace
Education and Training shall carry out those functions
of the Department relating to the creation, encourage-
ment, and impact of peace education and training at the
elementary, secondary, university, and postgraduate levels,
including the development of a Peace Academy.
(b) PEACE CURRICULUM.—The Assistant Secretary
of Peace Education and Training, in cooperation with the
Secretary of Education, shall develop a peace curriculum
and supporting materials for distribution to departments
of education in each State and territory of the United
States. The peace curriculum shall include the building of
communicative peace skills, nonviolent conflict resolution
skills, and other objectives to increase the knowledge of
peace processes.
(c) GRANTS.—The Assistant Secretary of Peace Edu-
cation and Training shall—
(1) provide peace education grants to colleges
and universities for the creation and expansion of
peace studies departments; and
(2) create a Community Peace Block Grant
program under which grants shall be provided to
not-for-profit community and nongovernmental orga-
nizations for the purposes of developing creative, in-
novative neighborhood programs for nonviolent con-
flict resolution and local peacebuilding initiatives.
SEC. 105. OFFICE OF DOMESTIC PEACE ACTIVITIES.
(a) IN GENERAL.—There shall be in the Department
an Office of Domestic Peace Activities, the head of which
shall be the Assistant Secretary for Domestic Peace Ac-
tivities. The Assistant Secretary for Domestic Peace Ac-
tivities shall carry out those functions in the Department
affecting domestic peace activities, including the develop-
ment of policies that increase awareness about interven-
tion and counseling on domestic violence and conflict.
(b) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Assistant Secretary for
Domestic Peace Activities shall—
(1) develop policy alternatives for the treatment
of drug and alcohol abuse;
(2) develop new policies and build on existing
programs responsive to the prevention of crime, in-
cluding the development of community policing
strategies and peaceful settlement skills among po-
lice and other public safety officers; and
(3) develop community-based strategies for cele-
brating diversity and promoting tolerance.
SEC. 106. OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL PEACE ACTIVITIES.
(a) IN GENERAL.—There shall be in the Department
an Office of International Peace Activities, the head of
which shall be the Assistant Secretary for International
Peace Activities. The Assistant Secretary for International
Peace Activities shall carry out those functions in the De-
partment affecting international peace activities and shall
be a member of the National Security Council.
(b) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Assistant Secretary for
International Peace Activities shall—
(1) provide for the training and deployment of
all Peace Academy graduates and other nonmilitary
conflict prevention and peacemaking personnel;
(2) sponsor country and regional conflict pre-
vention and dispute resolution initiatives in countries
experiencing social, political, or economic strife;
(3) advocate the creation of a multinational
nonviolent peace force;
(4) provide training for the administration of
postconflict reconstruction and demobilization in
war-torn societies; and
(5) provide for the exchanges between individ-
uals of the United States and other nations who are
endeavoring to develop domestic and international
peace-based initiatives.
SEC. 107. OFFICE OF TECHNOLOGY FOR PEACE.
(a) IN GENERAL.—There shall be in the Department
an Office of Technology for Peace, the head of which shall
be the Assistant Secretary of Technology for Peace. The
Assistant Secretary of Technology for Peace shall carry
out those functions in the Department affecting the
awareness, study, and impact of developing new tech-
nologies on the creation and maintenance of domestic and
international peace.
shall consult with the Secretary concerning nonviolent
means of conflict resolution.
(2) In any case in which such a conflict is ongoing
or recently concluded, the Secretary shall conduct inde-
pendent studies of diplomatic initiatives undertaken by the
United States and other parties to the conflict.
(3) In any case in which such a conflict has recently
concluded, the Secretary shall assess the effectiveness of
those initiatives in ending the conflict.
(4) The Secretary shall establish a formal process of
consultation in a timely manner with the Secretary of the
Department of State and the Secretary of the Department
of Defense—
(A) prior to the initiation of any armed conflict
between the United States and any other nation;
and
(B) for any matter involving the use of Depart-
ment of Defense personnel within the United States.
(b) CONSULTATION
IN DRAFTING TREATIES
AND
AGREEMENTS.—The executive branch shall consult with
the Secretary in drafting treaties and peace agreements.
SEC. 113. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out
this Act at least 1 percent of the total amounts appro-
priated annually for the Department of Defense.