Department of Peacebuilding Act of 2021
This bill establishes a Department of Peacebuilding in the executive branch, dedicated to peacebuilding, peacemaking, and the study and promotion of conditions conducive to both domestic and international peace and a culture of peace.
The mission of the department includes the cultivation of peace and peacebuilding as a strategic national policy objective and development of policies that promote national and international conflict prevention, nonviolent intervention, mediation, peaceful conflict resolution, and structured conflict mediation.
The department shall collaborate with others to promote personal and community security and peace by supporting policies to
A Federal Interagency Committee on Peace is established to coordinate the actions of the department with other federal agencies.
The Department of Defense and the Department of State must consult with the department concerning nonviolent means of conflict resolution when a conflict between the United States and any other government or entity is foreseeable, imminent, or occurring.
The department shall encourage citizens to observe and celebrate the blessings of peace and endeavor to create peace on Peace Days.
To establish a Department of Peacebuilding, 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; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Department of 
Peacebuilding Act of 2021''.
    (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as 
follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Findings.
         TITLE I--ESTABLISHMENT OF DEPARTMENT OF PEACEBUILDING

Sec. 101. Establishment of Department of Peacebuilding.
Sec. 102. Responsibilities and powers.
Sec. 103. Principal officers.
Sec. 104. Office of Peace Education and Training.
Sec. 105. Office of Domestic Peacebuilding Activities.
Sec. 106. Office of International Peacebuilding Activities.
Sec. 107. Office of Technology for Peace.
Sec. 108. Office of Arms Control and Disarmament.
Sec. 109. Office of Peacebuilding Information and Research.
Sec. 110. Office of Human Rights and Economic Rights.
Sec. 111. Intergovernmental Advisory Council on Peace.
Sec. 112. Federal Interagency Committee on Peace.
Sec. 113. Staff.
Sec. 114. Consultation required.
Sec. 115. Collaboration.
                        TITLE II--OTHER MATTERS

Sec. 201. Legislative recommendations of the Secretary.
Sec. 202. Peace Days.
Sec. 203. Definitions.
Sec. 204. Authorization of appropriations.

SEC. 2. 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 
        by 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, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.''.
            (2) The Constitution of the United States, in its preamble, 
        further sets forth the insurance 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 domestic 
        Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the 
        general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to 
        ourselves and our Posterity''.
            (3) The United States has been at peace for only 21 entire 
        years since its birth during the Revolutionary War. During the 
        course of the 20th century, more than 100,000,000 people 
        perished in wars. Many of our citizens today have never known a 
        peaceful year in their lifetimes.
            (4) Thus far in the 21st century, nearly 1,000,000 people 
        have died in conflict and war. The United Nations reports that 
        as of 2019 over 79.6 million people have fled their homes due 
        to war, persecution and conflict. Since late 2001, the United 
        States appropriated and was obligated to spend an estimated 
        $6.4 trillion through Fiscal Year 2020 in budgetary costs 
        related to and caused by post 9/11 wars and an additional 
        minimum of $1 trillion to care for veterans of these wars for 
        several decades.
            (5) The physical, emotional, monetary, and other costs of 
        violence are enormous, cut across all sectors of society in the 
        United States, disproportionately impact people of color, and 
        are interrelated. A World Health Organization report estimates 
        that interpersonal violence within the United States costs 
        approximately $300 billion annually, not including war-related 
        costs. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports 
        one in four children experience some form of child abuse or 
        neglect in their lifetimes; nearly one in four women report 
        having experienced severe physical violence from an intimate 
        partner; Native American women are sexually assaulted, murdered 
        and disappeared at higher rates than other American women. 
        There are 3.3 million reports of violence against children that 
        result in foster care placements every year; 25 percent of kids 
        in foster care experience PTSD, fewer than 3 percent earn a 
        college degree; 20 percent become homeless after the age of 18; 
        and only 50 percent will be employed by the age of 24. One in 
        five high school students reported being bullied at school 
        during 2017 and cyberbullying impacts many young people. 
        Criminalization disproportionately impacts African Americans 
        and other people of color, including high rates of school 
        suspensions and expulsions and incarceration. African Americans 
        are incarcerated at more than five times the rate of Whites. 
        Suicide impacts young people in both affluent and non-affluent 
        communities. In 2015, 17 percent of students considered 
        attempting suicide. Suicide is the second leading cause of 
        death among American Indian and Alaska Natives aged 10 to 34. 
        Approximately 20 veterans a day commit suicide nationwide. 
        About 14 young people die from homicides each day. Research 
        shows victims of one form of violence are more likely to 
        experience other forms of violence. A past history of violence, 
        including domestic violence; use of alcohol or illegal drugs; 
        being young and male; or a personal history of physical or 
        sexual abuse or trauma, increases the risk of more violence, 
        obesity, high-risk sexual behavior, depression, academic 
        difficulties, school dropout and suicide.
            (6) More people have died from guns in the United States 
        since 1968 than on battlefields of all the wars in United 
        States history. Every year 250,000 people are killed by gun 
        violence around the world, a third of those in Brazil and the 
        United States. Firearms are the second leading cause of death 
        for American children and teens and the first leading cause of 
        death for Black children and teens. Every day 47 children and 
        teens in the United States are shot and 96 Americans are killed 
        by gun violence. During 2017 and 2018, there was one mass 
        shooting almost every day in the United States. Young people go 
        to school wondering where to hide when a shooter enters their 
        classroom. Each gun injury and fatality results in trauma to 
        family members and loved ones.
            (7) According to a report by the Institute of Economics and 
        Peace, which measures the economic impact of violence and 
        conflict to the global economy, the economic impact of violence 
        to the global economy was $14.76 trillion in 2017. The report 
        also found that the regional impact of violence in North 
        America, 99 percent of which can be attributed to the United 
        States, amounted to $2.73 trillion in 2017. If violence 
        containment spending was reduced by 15 percent, the world would 
        save $1.4 trillion, which would be the funding required to 
        achieve the United Nations Millennium Development Goals of 
        halving extreme poverty rates, ensuring healthy lives for all, 
        halting the spread of HIV and AIDS, providing universal primary 
        education, decent jobs, gender equality, promoting peaceful, 
        inclusive and just societies, and more. Three percent of United 
        States military spending could end starvation on earth.
            (8) Peace is the essential prerequisite for the survival of 
        humanity as we know it in the 21st century. Preventing violence 
        and redirecting funds spent on the costs of violence free 
        monies and resources to create conditions that are conducive to 
        a culture of peace.
            (9) Violence prevention is cost effective. For every dollar 
        spent on violence prevention and peacebuilding, thousands of 
        lives and dollars are saved. Research indicates that investing 
        early to prevent conflicts from escalating into violent crises 
        is, on average, 60 times more cost effective than intervening 
        after violence erupts. The philosophy and techniques of 
        nonviolence and the science of peacebuilding provide tools and 
        techniques that can be applied not only at the levels of 
        individual and community growth, but also within the Federal 
        Government and at national and international levels.
            (10) The United Nations recognizes that promotion of peace 
        is vital for the full enjoyment of all human rights and the 
        United Nations Declaration on the Right of Peoples to Peace 
        mandates that preservation of the right to peace is a 
        fundamental obligation of each country. In 1999, the United 
        Nations adopted a Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace, 
        stating that a culture of peace is an integral approach to 
        preventing violence and violent conflicts, an alternative to 
        the culture of war and violence, and is based on education for 
        peace, the promotion of sustainable economic and social 
        development, respect for human rights, equality between women 
        and men, democratic participation, tolerance, the free flow of 
        information, and disarmament. The United Nations declared the 
        years 2001 through 2010 an International Decade for a Culture 
        of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World, and 
        the United Nations supports a culture of peace. In 2015, the 
        United Nations adopted 17 sustainable development goals, 
        including promotion of peaceful and inclusive societies which 
        recognize the link between justice, human rights, and 
        government based on the rule of law and peace.
            (11) Peacebuilding is defined by the United Nations as a 
        range of measures targeted to reduce the risk of lapsing or 
        relapsing into conflict by strengthening national capacities at 
        all levels for conflict management and to lay the foundations 
        for sustainable peace and development. Peacebuilding is built 
        upon research into the root causes of violence in the United 
        States and the world, through promotion and promulgation of 
        effective policies and programs that ameliorate those root 
        causes of violence, and through providing all citizens, 
        organizations, and governmental bodies with opportunities to 
        learn about and practice the essential tools of nonviolent 
        conflict resolution and peacebuilding.
            (12) In 2000, the Earth Charter Commission released the 
        Earth Charter, an international declaration of fundamental 
        values and principles created to build a just, sustainable, and 
        peaceful global society. The preamble of the Earth Charter 
        provides, ``To move forward we must recognize that in the midst 
        of a magnificent diversity of cultures and life forms we are 
        one human family and one Earth community with a common destiny. 
        We must join together to bring forth a sustainable global 
        society founded on respect for nature, universal human rights, 
        economic justice, and a culture of peace.''. Peacebuilding is 
        working together with all countries to protect both life and 
        land and hold the Earth in balance.
            (13) Systemic racism is a significant driver of violence 
        and key obstacle to peace in the United States. Confronting and 
        uprooting systemic racism in America will require efforts by 
        the Federal Government both to properly acknowledge, 
        memorialize, and be a catalyst for progress toward permanently 
        eliminating persistent racial inequities, including through a 
        United States Commission on Truth, Racial Healing, and 
        Transformation, and to develop material remedies for the 
        institution of slavery, including through a United States 
        Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for 
        African-Americans.

         TITLE I--ESTABLISHMENT OF DEPARTMENT OF PEACEBUILDING

SEC. 101. ESTABLISHMENT OF DEPARTMENT OF PEACEBUILDING.

    (a) Establishment.--There is hereby established a Department of 
Peacebuilding, which shall--
            (1) be within the executive branch of the Federal 
        Government; and
            (2) be dedicated to peacebuilding, peacemaking, and the 
        study and promotion of conditions conducive to both domestic 
        and international peace and a culture of peace.
    (b) Secretary of Peacebuilding.--There shall be at the head of the 
Department a Secretary of Peacebuilding, who shall be appointed by the 
President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.
    (c) Mission.--The Department shall--
            (1) cultivate peace and peacebuilding as a strategic 
        national policy objective;
            (2) reduce and prevent violence in the United States and 
        internationally through peacebuilding and effective nonviolent 
        conflict resolution;
            (3) strengthen nonmilitary means of peacemaking;
            (4) take a proactive, strategic approach in the development 
        of field-tested best practices and policies that promote 
        national and international conflict prevention, nonviolent 
        intervention, mediation, peaceful resolution of conflict, and 
        structured mediation of conflict;
            (5) address matters both domestic and international in 
        scope;
            (6) address the interconnection of all life and the 
        intersectionality of peace and justice, equality, health, 
        healing, national security, education, the economy, rule of 
        law, democracy, planetary survival, and other aspects of civil 
        rights, civil liberties, and human rights;
            (7) provide an institutional platform for the growing 
        wealth of expertise in peacebuilding to dramatically reduce the 
        national and global epidemic of violence;
            (8) support local communities in finding, funding, 
        replicating, and expanding programs to reduce and prevent 
        violence;
            (9) invest in nongovernmental organizations that have 
        implemented successful initiatives to reduce and prevent 
        violence, both internationally and domestically; and
            (10) consult with other Federal agencies to apply and 
        practice the science of peacebuilding in their respective 
        fields of responsibility.

SEC. 102. RESPONSIBILITIES AND POWERS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary shall, on an ongoing basis--
            (1) work proactively and interactively with each branch of 
        the Federal Government on all policy matters relating to 
        conditions of peace;
            (2) call on the experience and expertise of individuals and 
        seek participation in the development of policy from private, 
        public, and nongovernmental organizations;
            (3) monitor and analyze causative principles of conflict 
        and make policy recommendations for developing conditions of 
        peace and maintaining peaceful conduct;
            (4) research effective violence reduction programs and 
        promote and promulgate such programs within the Federal 
        Government and society; and
            (5) consult with private, public, and nongovernmental 
        organizations to develop a metric model that provides the means 
        to measure and report progress toward peace in the United 
        States to the President, Congress, and the public, and issue 
        reports on such progress annually with those reports to be 
        available to the public on the website of the Department.
    (b) Domestic Responsibilities.--The Secretary shall collaborate 
with governmental and nongovernmental organizations and individuals to 
promote personal and community security and peace by--
            (1) developing new policies and supporting existing 
        policies that effectively address personal and family violence, 
        including suicide, domestic violence, spousal abuse, child 
        abuse, and mistreatment of the elderly and others;
            (2) creating new policies and programs and expanding 
        existing policies and programs that effectively reduce drug and 
        alcohol abuse;
            (3) analyzing existing policies, employing successful, 
        field-tested programs, and developing new approaches for 
        dealing with the tools of violence, including handguns and 
        assault weapons, especially among youth;
            (4) developing new and expanding effective programs that 
        address and ameliorate societal challenges such as school 
        violence, gangs, police violence, hate crimes, economic 
        injustice, human trafficking, racial or ethnic violence, 
        violence against LGBTQ+ individuals, and police-community 
        relations disputes;
            (5) making policy recommendations to the Attorney General 
        of the United States regarding civil rights and labor law;
            (6) assisting in the establishment and funding of 
        community-based violence prevention programs, including virtual 
        violence prevention programs for at-home participation, 
        violence prevention counseling and peer mediation in schools 
        and via video conferences, and unarmed civilian peacekeeping 
        and crisis mitigation at a local level;
            (7) providing counseling and advocacy on behalf of 
        individuals victimized by violence, including those with mental 
        health;
            (8) providing for public education programs and counseling 
        strategies that promote acceptance and respect for the 
        diversity of all individuals in the United States without 
        regard to race, religion, creed, gender and gender 
        identification, sexual orientation, age, ethnicity, national 
        origin, class and economic status, and other perceived 
        differences; and
            (9) supporting local community initiatives that draw on 
        neighborhood resources to create peace projects that facilitate 
        the development of conflict resolution and healing of societal 
        wounds such as patriarchy, racism, war, manifest destiny, and 
        economic injustice to thereby inform and inspire national 
        policy.
    (c) International Responsibilities.--The Secretary shall--
            (1) advise the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of 
        State on matters relating to national security, including the 
        protection of human rights and the prevention of, amelioration 
        of, and de-escalation of unarmed and armed international 
        conflict;
            (2) contribute to and participate in the development of 
        training of all United States personnel who administer post-
        conflict reconstruction and demobilization in war-torn 
        societies;
            (3) sponsor national and regional conflict-prevention and 
        dispute-resolution initiatives, create special task forces, and 
        draw on local, regional, and national expertise to develop 
        plans and programs for addressing the root sources and issues 
        of conflict in troubled areas;
            (4) develop violence prevention, amelioration and violence 
        de-escalation training for the general public to provide tools 
        and educate about peacebuilding skills and to promote 
        sustainable peace, peacebuilding buy-in and peacebuilding 
        awareness;
            (5) counsel and advocate on behalf of women victimized by 
        violence, including rape, situations leading up to conflict, 
        conflicts, and post-conflict situations;
            (6) counsel and advocate on behalf of victims of human 
        trafficking both domestically and internationally and work to 
        end the trafficking of human beings;
            (7) provide for exchanges between the United States and 
        other countries that endeavor to develop domestic and 
        international peace-based initiatives;
            (8) encourage the development of international sister city 
        programs, pairing United States cities with cities around the 
        world for artistic, cultural, economic, educational, and faith-
        based exchanges;
            (9) establish and administer a budget designated for the 
        training and deployment of unarmed civilian peacekeepers to 
        participate in multinational nonviolent peacekeeping forces 
        that may be conducted by civilian, governmental, or 
        multilateral organizations;
            (10) 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;
            (11) in consultation with the Secretary of State, bring 
        together all stakeholders who are impacted by a conflict by 
        facilitating peace summits where such stakeholders may gather 
        under carefully prepared conditions to promote nonviolent 
        communication and mutually beneficial solutions and to prevent 
        future;
            (12) submit to the President recommendations for reductions 
        and elimination of weapons of mass destruction, and make annual 
        reports to the President on the sale of arms from the United 
        States to other countries, with an analysis of the impact of 
        such sales on the defense of the United States, how such sales 
        affect peace and security, and how reduction or cessation of 
        such sales affect peace and security;
            (13) in consultation with the Secretary of State, develop 
        strategies for sustainability and management of the 
        distribution of international funds;
            (14) advise the Permanent Representative of the United 
        States to the United Nations on matters pertaining to the 
        United Nations Security Council;
            (15) support the implementation of international 
        peacebuilding strategies through a balanced use of 
        peacebuilding, reconciliation, diplomacy, development, and 
        defense with the goal of preventing and ending war and 
        violence; and
            (16) encourage all nations to create infrastructures for 
        peace within their nations and among nations.
    (d) Membership of the Secretary of Peacebuilding on the National 
Security Council.--Section 101(c) of the National Security Act of 1947 
(50 U.S.C. 3021(c)) is amended by inserting ``the Secretary of 
Peacebuilding'' after ``Treasury''.
    (e) Human Security Responsibilities.--The Secretary shall address 
and offer nonviolent conflict resolution strategies and suggest 
resources for unarmed civilian peacekeepers to the appropriate relevant 
parties on issues of human security if such security is threatened by 
conflict or crisis, whether such conflict or crisis is geographic, 
religious, ethnic, gender-based, racial, or class-based in its origin, 
derives from economic concerns, health concerns or is initiated through 
disputes concerning scarcity of natural resources (such as water and 
energy resources), food, health resources (such as life-saving 
medicine, medical and protective equipment and supplies, including 
viral and bacterial infection testing supplies and vaccines), trade, or 
climate and environmental concerns.
    (f) Media-Related Responsibilities.--Respecting the First Amendment 
to the Constitution of the United States of America and the requirement 
for free and independent media, the Secretary shall--
            (1) seek assistance in the design and implementation of 
        nonviolent policies from media professionals;
            (2) study the role of the media in the escalation and de-
        escalation of conflict at domestic and international levels, 
        including the role of fear-inducing and hate-inducing speech 
        and actions, and making the findings of such study public; and
            (3) make recommendations to professional media 
        organizations in order to provide opportunities to increase 
        media awareness of peacebuilding initiatives.
    (g) Educational Responsibilities.--The Secretary shall--
            (1) consult with the United States Institute of Peace, the 
        Department of Education and other concerned individuals and 
        organizations and develop a peace education curriculum that 
        includes studies of--
                    (A) the civil rights movement in the United States 
                and throughout the world and human rights and liberties 
                movements, with special emphasis on the role of 
                nonviolence and how individual endeavor and involvement 
                have contributed to advancements in peace and justice;
                    (B) underlying causes of violence and conditions of 
                peace;
                    (C) practices that enhance peace and peacebuilding;
                    (D) the contributions to the United States of its 
                diverse ethnicities, races, and religious communities;
                    (E) peace agreements and circumstances in which 
                peaceful intervention has worked to stop conflict; and
                    (F) the patriarchal structure of society and the 
                inherent violence of such structure in the shaping of 
                relationships and institutions;
            (2) in consultation with the Secretary of Education--
                    (A) commission and participate in the development 
                of such curriculum and make such curriculum available 
                to local school districts to enable the use of peace 
                education objectives at pre-kindergarten schools, 
                elementary schools, and secondary schools in the United 
                States;
                    (B) support in early childhood, pre-kindergarten 
                schools, elementary schools, secondary schools, and 
                institutions of higher education a well-resourced, 
                balanced education that includes math, environmental 
                stewardship, science, English, history, ethnic studies, 
                economics, justice, critical thinking, social studies, 
                health, physical education, foreign languages, the 
                arts, and music that will prepare students for success 
                in a globally interconnected world; and
                    (C) offer incentives in the form of grants and 
                training to encourage the development of State peace 
                curricula and assist schools in applying for such 
                grants and training;
            (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) ensure that schools are nonviolence zones that provide 
        a peaceful educational environment;
            (5) create school and community cultures where students and 
        staff do not feel threatened and are free from bullying and 
        harassment by developing and implementing curricula in 
        nonviolent conflict resolution education, mindfulness, and 
        restorative practices for teachers, students, parents, the 
        school community, and the community at large;
            (6) maintain a public website to solicit and receive ideas 
        for the development of peace from the wealth of the 
        politically, socially, and culturally diverse public;
            (7) proactively engage the critical thinking capabilities, 
        including civic education on citizen duties to foster 
        democratic principles, of students and teachers of pre-
        kindergarten schools, elementary schools, secondary schools, 
        and institutions of higher education through the internet and 
        other media and issue periodic reports concerning any 
        submissions from such students and teachers;
            (8) establish a Peace Academy that shall--
                    (A) be modeled after the military service 
                academies; and
                    (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
            (9) provide grants for peace studies departments in 
        institutions of higher education throughout the United States.

SEC. 103. PRINCIPAL OFFICERS.

    (a) Under Secretary of Peacebuilding.--The President shall appoint 
an Under Secretary of Peacebuilding in the Department, 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 Secretary. The Secretary 
shall designate the order in which other officials of the Department 
shall act and perform the functions of the Secretary during the absence 
or disability of both the Secretary and Under Secretary or in the event 
of vacancies in both offices.
    (b) Additional Positions.--
            (1) In general.--The President shall appoint in the 
        Department, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate--
                    (A) an Assistant Secretary for Peace Education and 
                Training;
                    (B) an Assistant Secretary for Domestic 
                Peacebuilding Activities;
                    (C) an Assistant Secretary for International 
                Peacebuilding Activities;
                    (D) an Assistant Secretary for Technology for 
                Peace;
                    (E) an Assistant Secretary for Arms Control and 
                Disarmament;
                    (F) an Assistant Secretary for Peacebuilding 
                Information and Research;
                    (G) an Assistant Secretary for Human and Economic 
                Rights; and
                    (H) a General Counsel.
            (2) Establishment of inspector general of the department of 
        peacebuilding.--Section 12 of the Inspector General Act of 1978 
        (5 U.S.C. App.) is amended--
                    (A) in paragraph (1), by inserting 
                ``Peacebuilding,'' after ``Homeland Security,''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (2), by inserting 
                ``Peacebuilding,'' after ``Homeland Security,''.
            (3) Additional officers.--The President shall appoint 4 
        additional officers in the Department, by and with the advice 
        and consent of the Senate. The officers appointed under this 
        paragraph shall perform such functions as the Secretary shall 
        prescribe, including--
                    (A) congressional relations functions;
                    (B) public information functions, including 
                providing, 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 development 
                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 prevention.
            (4) Description of functions.--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 
        such individual will exercise upon taking office.
    (c) Authority of Secretary.--Each officer described in this section 
shall report directly to the Secretary and shall, in addition to any 
functions vested in or required to be delegated to such officer, 
perform such additional 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 Education and Training. The Assistant Secretary for 
Peace Education and Training shall carry out those functions of the 
Department relating to the creation, encouragement, and impact of peace 
education and training at the pre-kindergarten, elementary, secondary, 
university, and postgraduate levels, and disseminate applicable 
policies and research in consultation with entities of the Department 
of Health and Human Services, including--
            (1) the Administration for Children and Families;
            (2) the Administration on Aging;
            (3) the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and
            (4) the National Institutes of Health.
    (b) Peace Curriculum.--The Assistant Secretary of Peace Education 
and Training, in consultation with the Secretary of Education, the 
United States Institute of Peace, nongovernmental organizations, public 
institutions, peace and conflict studies programs of institutions of 
higher education, and Federal agencies that provide effective peace 
training materials and curricula, shall create and support the 
development and dissemination of effective peace curricula and 
supporting materials for distribution to the State educational agency 
in each State and territory of the United States and any other 
interested institutions. Each peace curriculum shall include--
            (1) building communicative peace skills and nonviolent 
        conflict resolution skills;
            (2) teaching and fostering compassion, empathy, 
        mindfulness, kindness, acceptance, understanding, respect, 
        inclusion, and forgiveness;
            (3) teaching about historical and contemporary events 
        utilizing nonviolent and peacebuilding principles to promote a 
        culture of peace and about individuals and organizations 
        employing nonviolent and peacebuilding principles to improve 
        society;
            (4) teaching about the benefits of a peaceful society, 
        including economic, health, social, and scientific implications 
        of peace; and
            (5) promoting other objectives to increase the knowledge of 
        peace processes.
    (c) Grants.--The Assistant Secretary of Peace Education and 
Training shall--
            (1) provide peace education grants to institutions of 
        higher education for the creation and expansion of peace 
        studies departments and the education and training of teachers 
        in peace studies, violence prevention, peacebuilding, community 
        building, and nonviolent conflict resolution skills; and
            (2) establish a grant program to be known as the Community 
        Peace Block Grant program under which the Secretary shall make 
        grants to nonprofit organizations and nongovernmental 
        organizations for the purposes of developing innovative school 
        and neighborhood programs for nonviolent conflict resolution 
        and creating local peacebuilding initiatives.

SEC. 105. OFFICE OF DOMESTIC PEACEBUILDING ACTIVITIES.

    (a) In General.--There shall be in the Department an Office of 
Domestic Peacebuilding Activities, the head of which shall be the 
Assistant Secretary for Domestic Peacebuilding Activities. The 
Assistant Secretary for Domestic Peacebuilding Activities shall carry 
out those functions in the Department affecting domestic peace 
activities, including the development of policies that prevent domestic 
violence and that increase awareness about intervention and counseling 
on domestic violence and conflict.
    (b) Responsibilities.--The Assistant Secretary for Domestic 
Peacebuilding Activities shall--
            (1) develop policy and disseminate best practices from the 
        field for the treatment of drug and alcohol abuse;
            (2) develop community-based strategies for celebrating 
        diversity and promoting acceptance;
            (3) develop new policies and build upon existing proven 
        programs to prevent the school-to-prison pipeline by promoting 
        restorative and conflict resolution practices at pre-
        kindergarten, elementary, secondary, university, and post 
        graduate levels and in police academies, with funding for 
        teacher, staff, student, and community training in nonviolence, 
        restorative practices, conflict resolution, and diversity 
        understanding and appreciation;
            (4) develop new policies and build on existing proven 
        programs--
                    (A) to assist in the prevention of hate, a culture 
                of violence and domination, violence and crime, 
                including the development of non-threatening, non-
                harassing community policing strategies, mindfulness, 
                and conflict de-escalation training, and other peaceful 
                settlement skills among police and other public safety 
                officers;
                    (B) to assist in the re-entry into the community by 
                individuals who have been incarcerated by providing 
                trauma healing, including training in anger management, 
                conflict resolution, peacebuilding skills, life skills, 
                and educational and job skills;
                    (C) to assist in creating strong, happy, and 
                healthy families, including supporting mental health 
                services, domestic violence prevention, gang 
                prevention, anti-bullying programs, animal cruelty 
                prevention, substance abuse prevention, and the 
                development of peaceful parenting skills;
                    (D) to promote peacebuilding and community-building 
                and to provide restorative justice and restorative 
                practice programs at all levels of the criminal justice 
                system that bring together offenders, victims, and 
                community members in an effort to repair the damage 
                caused by criminal activity through accountability and 
                rehabilitation;
                    (E) to develop violence prevention and violence de-
                escalation training for the general public to provide 
                peacebuilding tools for all and to promote sustainable 
                peace, peacebuilding buy-in, and peacebuilding 
                awareness;
                    (F) to provide for training and deployment into 
                neighborhoods of nonmilitary domestic conflict 
                prevention and peacemaking personnel, including 
                violence interrupters, community safety task force, and 
                civilian community peacekeepers;
                    (G) to implement respectful, non-targeting, and 
                non-harassing community-based policing to break down 
                barriers between law enforcement officers and the 
                people such officers serve; and
                    (H) to encourage and facilitate formation of 
                locally and State-run and administered citizen's boards 
                to recommend any appropriate training as needed for 
                working compassionately and effectively with local, 
                regional, and State populations and to review and hold 
                accountable actions of all local, regional, and State 
                police and law enforcement departments in the United 
                States;
            (5) promote informal and cultural exchanges between 
        individuals and groups of proximate neighborhoods and regions 
        to encourage understanding and acceptance; and
            (6) disseminate applicable policies and research in 
        consultation with--
                    (A) the Department of Justice;
                    (B) the Department of Health and Human Services;
                    (C) the Department of State; and
                    (D) the Department of Education.
    (c) Grants.--The Assistant Secretary for Domestic Peacebuilding 
Activities shall establish a grant program to be known as the Cultural 
Diplomacy for Peace grant program under which the Secretary shall make 
grants to pre-kindergarten schools, elementary schools, secondary 
schools, institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, and 
nongovernmental organizations for the purpose of developing domestic 
cultural exchanges, including exchanges relating to the arts, sports, 
science, and other academic disciplines, that promote diplomacy and 
cultural understanding between neighborhoods and members of such 
neighborhoods.

SEC. 106. OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL PEACEBUILDING ACTIVITIES.

    (a) In General.--There shall be in the Department an Office of 
International Peacebuilding Activities, the head of which shall be the 
Assistant Secretary for International Peacebuilding Activities. The 
Assistant Secretary for International Peacebuilding Activities shall 
carry out those functions in the Department affecting international 
peace activities.
    (b) Responsibilities.--The Assistant Secretary for International 
Peacebuilding Activities shall--
            (1) develop new programs and promote existing proven 
        programs to--
                    (A) provide for the training and deployment of 
                graduates of the Peace Academy established under 
                section 102(g) and other nonmilitary conflict 
                prevention and peacemaking personnel;
                    (B) support national and regional conflict-
                prevention, de-escalation, and peaceful dispute-
                resolution initiatives in countries experiencing 
                social, political, medical, or economic strife and 
                among all nations;
                    (C) develop violence prevention, amelioration and 
                de-escalation training for the general public to 
                educate about peacebuilding skills and to promote 
                sustainable peace, peacebuilding buy-in and 
                peacebuilding awareness;
                    (D) provide training for the administration of 
                post-conflict reconstruction and demobilization in war-
                torn societies;
                    (E) address root causes of violence;
                    (F) eradicate extreme hunger, infectious and other 
                diseases, and poverty;
                    (G) eradicate genocide;
                    (H) achieve universal primary education;
                    (I) empower women and girls;
                    (J) eradicate human trafficking; and
                    (K) eradicate dehumanization and mistreatment of 
                individuals;
            (2) support the creation of a multinational nonviolent 
        peace force;
            (3) provide for exchanges between individuals of the United 
        States and other countries that are endeavoring to develop 
        domestic and international peace-based initiatives; and
            (4) disseminate applicable policies and research in 
        consultation with--
                    (A) the Department of State;
                    (B) the Department of Labor;
                    (C) the Peace Corps; and
                    (D) the United States Institute of Peace.
    (c) Grants.--The Assistant Secretary for International 
Peacebuilding Activities shall establish a grant program to be known as 
the International Cultural Diplomacy for Peace grant program under 
which the Secretary shall make grants to pre-kindergarten schools, 
elementary schools, secondary schools, institutions of higher 
education, nonprofit organizations, and nongovernmental organizations 
for the purpose of developing international cultural exchanges, 
including exchanges related to the arts, sports, science, and other 
academic disciplines, that promote diplomacy and cultural understanding 
between the United States and other countries.

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 for Technology for Peace. The Assistant Secretary for 
Technology for Peace shall carry out those functions in the Department 
affecting the awareness, study, ethical implications and impact of 
evolving existing technologies and developing new technologies, 
including artificial intelligence and data science and information, on 
the creation and maintenance of domestic and international peace, and 
disseminate applicable policies and research in consultation with 
appropriate entities of the Department of State.
    (b) Grants.--The Assistant Secretary for Technology for Peace shall 
make grants for the research and development of technologies in 
transportation, communications, agriculture, medicine, and energy 
that--
            (1) are nonviolent in application;
            (2) encourage the conservation and sustainability of 
        natural resources, including air, water, land, in order to 
        prevent future conflicts regarding scarce resources due to 
        overuse or natural or human-caused disasters, including climate 
        change and pandemics; and
            (3) promote a green, peaceful economy.

SEC. 108. OFFICE OF ARMS CONTROL AND DISARMAMENT.

    (a) In General.--There shall be in the Department an Office of Arms 
Control and Disarmament, the head of which shall be the Assistant 
Secretary for Arms Control and Disarmament. The Assistant Secretary for 
Arms Control and Disarmament shall carry out those functions in the 
Department affecting arms control programs and arms limitation 
agreements.
    (b) Responsibilities.--The Assistant Secretary for Arms Control and 
Disarmament shall--
            (1) advise the Secretary on interagency discussions and 
        international negotiations, including discussions involving the 
        United Nations, the Secretary of State, the Atomic Energy 
        Commission, and the Secretary of Defense, regarding the 
        increase or reduction and elimination of weapons of mass 
        destruction throughout the world, including the dismantling of 
        such weapons and the safe and secure storage of materials 
        related thereto and efforts to limit or cease development, 
        testing, manufacture or possession of nuclear weapons or 
        threats to use them or to allow any nuclear arms to be 
        stationed in the territory of any nation;
            (2) assist countries, international agencies, and 
        nongovernmental organizations in assessing the locations of the 
        buildup of nuclear arms and other weapons of mass destruction;
            (3) develop nonviolent strategies to prevent and deter 
        testing or use of offensive or defensive nuclear weapons, 
        weaponized drones, assault weapons, and other weapons of mass 
        destruction, whether based on land, underground, air, sea, or 
        in space;
            (4) serve as a depository for copies of all contracts, 
        agreements, and treaties that address the reduction and 
        elimination of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass 
        destruction, and the protection of space from militarization;
            (5) provide technical support and legal assistance for the 
        implementation of such contracts, agreements, and treaties;
            (6) disseminate applicable policies and research in 
        consultation with the Department of State and the Department of 
        Commerce; and
            (7) address and support nuclear waste cleanup at nuclear 
        test sites, nuclear research facilities and laboratories, 
        Superfund Sites of former and present military bases in the 
        United States and abroad and at lands, in waters, and in the 
        air adjacent to old and new nuclear reactors and nuclear-
        contaminated sites.

SEC. 109. OFFICE OF PEACEBUILDING INFORMATION AND RESEARCH.

    (a) In General.--There shall be in the Department an Office of 
Peacebuilding Information and Research, the head of which shall be the 
Assistant Secretary for Peacebuilding Information and Research. The 
Assistant Secretary for Peacebuilding Information and Research shall 
carry out those functions in the Department affecting research and 
analysis relating to creating, initiating, and modeling approaches to 
peaceful coexistence and nonviolent conflict resolution.
    (b) Responsibilities.--The Assistant Secretary for Peacebuilding 
Information and Research shall--
            (1) commission or compile studies on the impact of war, 
        mass shootings, police violence and other types of violence, 
        especially on the physical and mental condition of children 
        (using the 10-point anti-war agenda in the United Nations 
        Children's Fund report, State of the World's Children 1996, as 
        a guide) that shall include the study of the effect of war on 
        the environment and public health;
            (2) commission or compile studies on the impact of war and 
        other types of violence on soldiers, veterans and civilians;
            (3) commission or compile studies on the effect of war and 
        other types of violence on the environment, public health, the 
        economy, and national security;
            (4) commission or compile studies on the impact of 
        violence, racism and inequality on such conditions of peace as 
        health care, employment, education, economic equity, food 
        security, voting rights, housing, justice, and rule of law;
            (5) compile information on effective community 
        peacebuilding activities and disseminate such information to 
        local governments and nongovernmental organizations in the 
        United States and abroad;
            (6) commission or compile research on the effect of 
        violence in the media, including the use of untruths, 
        misinformation and false information and make such reports 
        available to Congress annually;
            (7) commission or compile research on the number and 
        circumstances of deaths caused by law enforcement using guns or 
        other weapons, devices or methods, the number and circumstances 
        of deaths to law enforcement officials caused by guns or other 
        weapons, devices or methods, the effects of gun violence in the 
        United States, and make such reports available to Congress 
        annually;
            (8) commission or compile research on the effect of 
        teaching nonviolent conflict resolution skills and practices 
        and social emotional education in schools and disseminate such 
        information to educational institutions, Congress and the 
        public annually;
            (9) commission or compile any other such research that will 
        foster understanding of the root causes of violence, the root 
        conditions of peace, and policies and practices to promote a 
        culture of peace;
            (10) publish a monthly journal of the activities of the 
        Department and encourage scholarly participation;
            (11) sponsor conferences throughout the United States to 
        create awareness of the work of the Department;
            (12) make available to the public reports, studies, and 
        compiled research described in this Act; and
            (13) where applicable, work to carry out the 
        responsibilities under this subsection in consultation with the 
        United States Institute of Peace and other governmental and 
        nongovernmental organizations, including--
                    (A) the Department of Health and Human Services;
                    (B) the Department of Justice; and
                    (C) the Department of State.

SEC. 110. OFFICE OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND ECONOMIC RIGHTS.

    (a) In General.--There shall be in the Department an Office of 
Human Rights and Economic Rights, the head of which shall be the 
Assistant Secretary for Human Rights and Economic Rights. The Assistant 
Secretary for Human Rights and Economic Rights shall carry out those 
functions in the Department that support the principles of the 
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the General Assembly 
of the United Nations on December 10, 1948.
    (b) Responsibilities.--The Assistant Secretary for Human Rights and 
Economic Rights shall--
            (1) assist the Secretary, in consultation with the 
        Secretary of State, in furthering the incorporation of the 
        principles of human rights, as enunciated in the Universal 
        Declaration of Human Rights, into all agreements between the 
        United States and other countries to help prevent and reduce 
        the causes of violence;
            (2) consult with the Secretary of State, the United 
        Nations, the Atrocities Prevention Board of the White House, 
        the Department of Justice, and other similarly concerned 
        governmental and nongovernmental organizations to gather 
        information on and document domestic and international human 
        rights abuses, including genocide, torture, State executions, 
        police brutality, detention for profit, caging of children and 
        other individuals, murder of unarmed civilians, solitary 
        confinement (especially among children), human trafficking, 
        child soldiers, child labor, and slave labor and recommend to 
        the Secretary nonviolent responses to promote awareness, 
        understanding, and correction of abuses;
            (3) make such information available to other governmental 
        and nongovernmental organizations in order to facilitate 
        nonviolent conflict resolution;
            (4) provide trained observers to work with nongovernmental 
        organizations for purposes of creating a climate conducive to 
        the respect for human rights;
            (5) conduct economic analyses of the scarcity of human and 
        natural resources as a source of conflict and make 
        recommendations to the Secretary for nonviolent prevention of 
        such scarcity, nonviolent intervention in case of such 
        scarcity, and the development of programs to assist people 
        facing such scarcity, whether due to armed conflict, greed, 
        misdistribution of resources, overuse or other human causes, 
        including climate disruption, or natural causes;
            (6) conduct economic analyses of the impact of violence 
        within and among nations as a source of human displacement and 
        criminalization, vilification, victimization and mistreatment 
        of those fleeing their homes to seek better and safer lives and 
        make recommendations to the Secretary for nonviolent solutions 
        and development of programs to assist people facing such 
        conditions;
            (7) assist the Secretary, in consultation with the 
        Secretary of State and the Secretary of the Treasury, in 
        developing strategies regarding the sustainability and the 
        management of the distribution of funds from international 
        agencies, the conditions regarding the receipt of such funds, 
        and the impact of those conditions on the peace and stability 
        of the recipient countries;
            (8) assist the Secretary, in consultation with the 
        Secretary of State and the Secretary of Labor, in developing 
        strategies to promote full compliance with domestic and 
        international labor rights law;
            (9) conduct policy analysis to ensure that the 
        international development investments of the United States 
        positively impact the peace and stability of the recipient 
        country; and
            (10) disseminate policies and research in consultation with 
        appropriate entities of the Department of State.

SEC. 111. INTERGOVERNMENTAL ADVISORY COUNCIL ON PEACE.

    (a) In General.--There shall be in the Department an advisory 
committee known as the Intergovernmental Advisory Council on Peace (in 
this section referred to as the ``Council''). The Council shall provide 
assistance and make recommendations to the President and the Secretary 
concerning intergovernmental policies relating to peace and nonviolent 
conflict resolution.
    (b) Responsibilities.--The Council shall--
            (1) provide a forum for representatives of international 
        bodies, the Federal Government, Tribal governments, and State 
        and local governments to discuss peace issues, including 
        practices, traditions and policies that promote peacebuilding 
        and crises and wellness issues;
            (2) promote better intergovernmental relations and offer 
        professional mediation services to ameliorate and resolve 
        intergovernmental and intragovernmental conflict as needed, 
        including elimination of inflammatory rhetoric; and
            (3) submit biennially, or more frequently if determined 
        necessary by the Council, a report to the President, the 
        Secretary, and Congress reviewing the impact of Federal peace 
        activities on the Federal Government and on State and local 
        governments.
    (c) Membership.--The Secretary shall appoint the members of the 
Council.

SEC. 112. FEDERAL INTERAGENCY COMMITTEE ON PEACE.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established a Federal Interagency 
Committee on Peace (in this section referred to as the ``Committee''). 
The Committee shall--
            (1) assist the Secretary in providing a mechanism to assure 
        that the procedures and actions of the Department and other 
        Federal agencies are fully coordinated; and
            (2) study and make recommendations for assuring effective 
        coordination of Federal programs, policies, and administrative 
        practices affecting peace, peacebuilding and violence 
        prevention, and wellness.
    (b) Membership.--The Secretary shall appoint the members of the 
Committee.

SEC. 113. STAFF.

    The Secretary may appoint and fix the compensation of such 
employees as may be necessary to carry out the functions of the 
Secretary and the Department. Except as otherwise provided by law, such 
employees shall be appointed in accordance with applicable laws and the 
compensation of such employees fixed in accordance with title 5, United 
States Code.

SEC. 114. CONSULTATION REQUIRED.

    (a) Consultation in Cases of Conflict and Violence Prevention.--
            (1) In general.--In any case in which a conflict between 
        the United States and any other government or entity is 
        foreseeable, imminent, or occurring, the Secretary of Defense 
        and the Secretary of State shall consult with the Secretary of 
        Peacebuilding concerning violence prevention, nonviolent means 
        of conflict resolution, and peacebuilding.
            (2) Diplomatic initiatives.--In any case in which a 
        conflict described in paragraph (1) is ongoing or recently 
        concluded, the Secretary shall conduct an independent study of 
        diplomatic initiatives undertaken by the United States and 
        other parties to such conflict.
            (3) Initiative assessment.--In any case in which a conflict 
        described in paragraph (1) has recently concluded, the 
        Secretary shall assess the effectiveness of any initiatives in 
        ending such conflict.
            (4) Consultation process.--The Secretary shall establish a 
        formal process of consultation in a timely manner with the 
        Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, and the National 
        Security Council--
                    (A) prior to the initiation of policies or 
                withdrawal of resources that may lead to violence and 
                of any armed conflict between the United States and any 
                other country; and
                    (B) for any matter involving--
                            (i) the use of Department of Defense 
                        personnel within the United States; or
                            (ii) the proposed or actual distribution of 
                        equipment of the Department of Defense to local 
                        or State law enforcement entities or to other 
                        individuals or entities.
    (b) Consultation in Drafting Treaties and Agreements.--The head of 
each appropriate Federal agency shall consult with the Secretary in 
drafting treaties and peace agreements.

SEC. 115. COLLABORATION.

    The Secretary shall, for the greatest effectiveness in promoting 
peace and peacebuilding, collaborate with other Federal agencies, 
applicable experts, nongovernmental organization stakeholders, 
appropriate non-profit organization stakeholders and State, Tribal, and 
local leaders and stakeholders regarding all related programs in all 
Federal agencies. The collaboration shall include and prioritize those 
who are most impacted by the programs for the purpose implementing or 
updating such programs and for the purpose of evaluating the 
effectiveness and impacts of such programs.

                        TITLE II--OTHER MATTERS

SEC. 201. LEGISLATIVE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE SECRETARY.

    Not later than 1 year after the date of the appointment of the 
first Secretary, the Secretary shall prepare and submit to Congress 
proposed legislation containing any necessary and appropriate 
amendments to the laws of the United States to carry out the purposes 
of this Act.

SEC. 202. PEACE DAYS.

    The Secretary shall encourage citizens to observe and celebrate the 
blessings of peace and endeavor to create peace on Peace Days. Such 
days shall include discussions of the professional activities and the 
achievements in the lives of peacemakers.

SEC. 203. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Department.--The term ``Department'' means the 
        Department of Peacebuilding established under section 101(a).
            (2) ESEA terms.--The terms ``elementary school'', 
        ``secondary school'', and ``State educational agency'' have the 
        meaning given those terms in section 8101 of the Elementary and 
        Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
            (3) Federal agency.--The term ``Federal agency'' has the 
        meaning given the term ``agency'' in section 551(1) of title 5, 
        United States Code.
            (4) Institution of higher education.--The term 
        ``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given that 
        term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
        U.S.C. 1001).
            (5) Nonprofit organization.--The term ``nonprofit 
        organization'' means an entity that--
                    (A) is described in section 501(c)(3) of the 
                Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3)); 
                and
                    (B) is exempt from tax under section 501(a) of such 
                Code.
            (6) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Peacebuilding appointed under section 101(b).

SEC. 204. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--There is authorized to be appropriated to carry 
out this Act such sums as may be necessary.
    (b) Limitation on Use of Funds.--Of the amounts appropriated 
pursuant to subsection (a), at least 85 percent shall be used for 
domestic peace programs, including administrative costs associated with 
such programs.
                                 <all>
Department of Peacebuilding Act of 2021
To establish a Department of Peacebuilding, and for other purposes.
Department of Peacebuilding Act of 2021
Rep. Lee, Barbara