Building Civic Bridges Act
Bill: H.R.6843 | Sponsor: Rep. Kilmer, Derek (D-WA)
Policy area: Labor and Employment

Summary:
Building Civic Bridges Act  This bill establishes an office and pilot grant program within the Corporation for National and Community Service to support civic bridge building, which aims to address local issues and polarization within communities.


To amend the National and Community Service Act of 1990 to establish an 
Office of Civic Bridgebuilding within the Corporation for National and 
               Community Service, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Building Civic Bridges Act''.

SEC. 2. CIVIC BRIDGEBUILDING.

    Subtitle H of title I of the National and Community Service Act of 
1990 (42 U.S.C. 12653 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the 
following:

                    ``PART VI--CIVIC BRIDGEBUILDING

``SEC. 198T. OFFICE OF CIVIC BRIDGEBUILDING.

    ``(a) Establishment and Duties.--Subject to the requirements of 
section 195(b), the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation may 
designate an Officer of Civic Bridgebuilding within the Corporation to 
administer an Office of Civic Bridgebuilding (in this section referred 
to as the `Office') to carry out the following:
            ``(1) Administer the grant program described in subsection 
        (c) to support civic bridgebuilding across the Nation, 
        including establishing standardized criteria to track the 
        effectiveness of projects and activities funded under such 
        program, which shall be based on principles of scientific 
        research.
            ``(2) Support the Corporation in providing training in 
        civic bridgebuilding skills and techniques (with the 
        consideration and input of best practices collected by the 
        Office)--
                    ``(A) for participants (including individuals who 
                have been selected to be participants) of a program 
                receiving assistance under a national service law; and
                    ``(B) upon request, for an organization that 
                receives assistance under a national service law or 
                that is carrying out a program in which participants 
                described in subparagraph (A) are participating.
            ``(3) Select the members of the Advisory Committee under 
        subsection (b).
            ``(4) Support research and evaluations on civic 
        bridgebuilding and the dissemination of that information, 
        including through--
                    ``(A) evaluation and oversight of the grant program 
                described in subsection (c);
                    ``(B) collaboration (including through the 
                evaluation of the activities of the Corporation 
                relating to civic bridgebuilding and civic engagement) 
                between the Office and other offices (such as the 
                Office of Research and Evaluation), teams, or 
                individuals within the Corporation as the Corporation 
                determines necessary; and
                    ``(C) the creation of a public research base that 
                monitors national metrics for civic bridgebuilding and 
                convenes research focused on evaluating the extent to 
                which civic bridgebuilding and civic engagement 
                activities strengthen or weaken such bridgebuilding and 
                engagement in the United States.
            ``(5) Activate a public conversation about the importance 
        of civic bridgebuilding by convening and coordinating civic 
        bridgebuilding programs, providing resources, networking, and 
        collaboration opportunities to the field, which may include--
                    ``(A) network cultivation to strengthen the 
                community of those involved, interested, or engaged in 
                the civic bridgebuilding field, including through 
                activities such as--
                            ``(i) in-person and virtual events for the 
                        public to showcase impactful practices, bring 
                        civic bridgebuilding leaders together, present 
                        relevant research, and explore emerging civic 
                        bridgebuilding needs;
                            ``(ii) organizing peer-learning 
                        opportunities to facilitate conversations 
                        within the field of civic bridgebuilding;
                            ``(iii) organizing and distributing lists 
                        of civic bridgebuilding leaders, organizations, 
                        and groups in the civic bridgebuilding field; 
                        and
                            ``(iv) coordinating national communications 
                        among civic bridgebuilding leaders, including 
                        through the promotion of civic bridgebuilding 
                        programs and sharing stories of local impact; 
                        and
                    ``(B) developing or distributing resources to 
                expand best practices in the civic bridgebuilding 
                field, including through--
                            ``(i) the curation of a digital resource 
                        hub focused on sharing resources from entities 
                        that receive grants under subsection (c), other 
                        civic bridgebuilding leaders and programs, or 
                        the research base; and
                            ``(ii) the production of new resources, 
                        trainings, or best practices based on learnings 
                        from the civic bridgebuilding field.
    ``(b) Advisory Committee.--
            ``(1) Establishment.--There is established within the 
        Office of Civic Bridgebuilding an Advisory Committee (in this 
        subsection referred to as the `Committee').
            ``(2) Members.--
                    ``(A) Selection.--The Officer of Civic 
                Bridgebuilding shall select 9 members of an Advisory 
                Committee, including a Chairperson of the Committee, 
                and ensure that such Committee is comprised of civic 
                bridgebuilding leaders who represent diverse 
                ideological, religious, racial, regional, or ethnic 
                communities, and with relevant experience and expertise 
                from the civic bridgebuilding field.
                    ``(B) Terms of service.--A member of the Committee 
                shall serve for a term of 3 years.
            ``(3) Duties.--The Advisory Committee shall carry out the 
        following:
                    ``(A) Provide advice and consultation to the 
                Officer of Civic Bridgebuilding on the priorities and 
                administration of such Office.
                    ``(B) Conduct an annual review of grants awarded 
                under subsection (c), with a focus to diversity, 
                equity, and inclusion, and identifying any gaps or 
                needs that emerged from previous application cycles.
                    ``(C) Conduct an annual review of the process of 
                awarding grants under subsection (c), including rubrics 
                or metrics for grant selection used by the Officer of 
                Civic Bridgebuilding.
                    ``(D) Review the analysis provided under the peer 
                review process under subsection (c)(5).
    ``(c) Civic Bridgebuilding Pilot Grant Program.--
            ``(1) In general.--From the amounts appropriated to carry 
        out this subsection, the Corporation (acting through the 
        Officer of Civic Bridgebuilding and in consultation with the 
        Advisory Committee established under subsection (b)) shall 
        carry out a pilot program for a 3-year period (with the 
        possibility of renewal for additional 3-year periods) to award 
        grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible entities to support 
        civic bridgebuilding programs across the Nation.
            ``(2) Grant period.--A grant awarded under this subsection 
        shall be for a 1-year period. There shall be 3 grant cycles 
        under the 3-year pilot program.
            ``(3) Application.--To be eligible to receive a grant under 
        this subsection, an eligible entity shall submit an application 
        to the Corporation at such time, in such manner, and containing 
        such information as the Corporation may require, including--
                    ``(A) a description of the project that will be 
                funded with the grant;
                    ``(B) an assurance that such project will--
                            ``(i) provide evidence of engaging diverse 
                        communities;
                            ``(ii) facilitate the creation or endurance 
                        of civic bridgebuilding or address the root 
                        causes of polarization as articulated in the 
                        research base;
                            ``(iii) cite research supporting the 
                        efficacy and impact of the proposed approach 
                        for the project; and
                            ``(iv) ensure physical, social, and 
                        psychological safety for all participants 
                        involved in the project and provide a 
                        description of evidence-based best practices 
                        for how this goal will be achieved; and
                    ``(C) an assurance that the eligible entity will 
                report outcomes of such project to track effectiveness 
                based on standardized criteria established by the 
                Office of Civic Bridgebuilding under subsection (a)(1) 
                or will evaluate the impact of such project based on 
                principles of scientific research.
            ``(4) Uses of funds.--An eligible entity receiving a grant 
        under this subsection shall use such grant to carry out a 
        project to advance civic bridgebuilding in communities across 
        the Nation or address the root causes of polarization as 
        articulated in the research base.
            ``(5) Peer review process.--The Corporation shall establish 
        a peer review process which shall include consultation with 
        research communities in the civic bridgebuilding field to 
        analyze the process of awarding grants (and the grants that are 
        awarded) under this subsection.
    ``(d) Comptroller General.--The Comptroller General of the United 
States shall, on an annual basis, submit to Congress a report, which 
summarizes and assesses the effectiveness and impact of the activities 
carried out under grants awarded under subsection (c).
    ``(e) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Civic bridgebuilding.--The term `civic 
        bridgebuilding'--
                    ``(A) means activities that foster respect between 
                diverse communities, strengthen relationships across 
                lines of difference, and forge a sense of common civic 
                purpose, and which seeks to solve community problems 
                and diminish polarization; and
                    ``(B) includes--
                            ``(i) activities that take place in local 
                        communities, where individuals and institutions 
                        come together to build empathy, strengthen 
                        belonging, and address local issues; and
                            ``(ii) activities at the field level, where 
                        civic bridgebuilding leaders work together to 
                        share research and best practices, learn from 
                        one another, and grow civic bridgebuilding 
                        efforts.
            ``(2) Civic bridgebuilding leader.--The term `civic 
        bridgebuilding leader' means an individual who leads civic 
        bridgebuilding programs or efforts.
            ``(3) Civic bridgebuilding program.--The term `civic 
        bridgebuilding program' means a program, project, or activity 
        which embodies or works to achieves the goals of civic 
        bridgebuilding.
            ``(4) Civic engagement.--The term `civic engagement' means 
        an individual or collective action designed to address a public 
        concern or an unmet human, educational, health care, 
        environmental, or public safety need.
            ``(5) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity' means a 
        nonprofit entity, public institution, elementary school, 
        secondary school, institution of higher education, religious 
        group, or consortium of any such entities.
            ``(6) Public institution.--The term `public institution' 
        means a library, unit of local government, or other entity 
        expending public funds or performing public functions.
            ``(7) Research.--The term `research' means research which 
        embodies principles of scientific research.
            ``(8) Research base.--The term `research base' means any 
        publications that contain observations, analysis, and 
        conclusions based on principles of scientific research with 
        respect to the challenges of political and social polarization 
        in the United States, and practical approaches to strengthen 
        social cohesion, foster a sense of national connection, or 
        improve intergroup relations in divided communities.
    ``(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $25,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2023 through 2025.''.

SEC. 3. TABLE OF CONTENTS.

    The table of contents in section 1(b) of the National and Community 
Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12501 note) is amended by inserting at 
the end of the item relating to subtitle H of title I, the following:

                    ``Part VI--Civic Bridgebuilding

``Sec. 198T. Office of Civic Bridgebuilding.''.
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