Rep. Kucinich Introduces Bill to Create
Department of Peace
Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) is joined by Congresswoman
Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Congressman John Conyers Jr (D-MI) at a Washington, DC news
conference to unveil legislation establishing a cabinet level Department of Peace.
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On July 11, Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich (D-Ohio) introduced legislation in the U.S.
House of Representatives to create a Department of Peace,
a cabinet-level agency dedicated to peacemaking and the study of conditions conducive
to both domestic and international peace. The Department of Peace would focus on
nonmilitary peaceful conflict resolutions, prevent violence, and promote justice
and democratic principles to expand human rights. A Peace Academy, similar to the
five military service academies, would be created, its graduates > dispatched
to troubled areas around the globe to promote nonviolent dispute resolutions.
Rep. Kucinich's bill (H.R. 2459), which already has 38 congressional cosponsors,
opens the door for the realization of these long-standing goals. Rep. Kucinich has
also sponsored two bills on genetically engineered foods, one for labeling and one
for testing. As he introduced H.R. 2459, Rep. Kucinich commented, "The time
for peace is now.
Peace is not only the absence of violence, but the presence of a higher evolution
of human awareness with respect, trust and integrity toward humankind."
PLEASE HELP ENSURE PASSAGE OF H.R. 2459 SO THAT PEACE CAN BECOME A REALITY IN OUR
TIME. PLEASE ACT TODAY! ACTION STEPS:
Please contact your Representative immediately and strongly encourage him or her
to support H.R. 2459. Just call the national Capitol switchboard at 1-202-225-3121
and ask to speak to your Representative.
You can also email your Representative directly from http://www.house.gov/writerep.
If your Representative is a cosponsor of H.R. 2459 (see list below), please contact
him or her to offer your thanks and support for this decision. We also urge you to
send your congratulations and support to Rep. Kucinich at
http://www.house.gov/kucinich/action/peace.htm
(just scroll to the bottom of the page). You can also find out more about the Department
of Peace at this site. Although the Senate version of H.R. 2459 has not yet been
introduced, you may also contact your Senators and urge them to become familiar with
and support this legislation. To obtain email addresses, mailing addresses, and
phone numbers for your Senators, just go to
http://www.senate.gov/senators/senator_by_state.cfm
to link to your Senators' websites.
A summary of H.R. 2459 is given below. For the full text of the bill, please visit
http://thomas.loc.gov/home/c107query.html#billno and type in H.R. 2459 under Search
Bill Text #2, Bill Number.
SUMMARY of H.R. 2459
Establishes a Department of Peace, which shall be headed by a Secretary of Peace
appointed by the President, with the advice and consent of the Senate.
Sets forth the mission of the Department, including to: (1) hold peace as an organizing
principle; (2) endeavor to promote justice and democratic principles to expand human
rights; and (3) develop policies that promote national and international conflict
prevention, nonviolent intervention, mediation, peaceful resolution of conflict,
and structured mediation of conflict.
Establishes in the Department the Intergovernmental Advisory Council on Peace, which
shall provide assistance and make recommendations to the Secretary and the President
concerning intergovernmental policies relating to peace and nonviolent conflict resolution.
Transfers to the Department the functions, assets, and personnel of various Federal
agencies.
Establishes a Federal Interagency Committee on Peace. Establishes Peace Day. Urges
all citizens to observe and celebrate the blessings of peace and endeavor to create
peace on such day.
COSPONSORS OF H.R. 2459 (ALPHABETICALLY BY STATE) Rep. Farr, Sam (D-CA)
Rep. Filner, Bob (D-CA)
Rep. Honda, Michael M. (D-CA) Rep. Lee, Barbara (D-CA)
Rep. Solis, Hilda L. (D-CA)
Rep. Stark, Fortney Pete (D-CA) Rep. Waters, Maxine (D-CA)
Rep. Watson, Diane E. (D-CA)
Rep. Woolsey, Lynn C. (D-CA)
Rep. Udall, Mark (D-CO)
Rep. Lewis, John (D-GA)
Rep. McKinney, Cynthia A. (D-GA) Rep. Davis, Danny K. (D-IL)
Rep. Evans, Lane (D-IL)
Rep. Gutierrez, Luis V. (D-IL)
Rep. Jackson, Jesse L., Jr. (D-IL) Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. (D-IL) Rep. Carson,
Julia (D-IN)
Rep. McGovern, James P. (D-MA) Rep. Conyers, John, Jr. (D-MI) Rep. Clay, Wm. Lacy
(D-MO)
Rep. Holt, Rush D. (D-NJ)
Rep. Payne, Donald M. (D-NJ)
Rep. Hinchey, Maurice D. (D-NY) Rep. Maloney, Carolyn B. (D-NY) Rep. Nadler, Jerrold
(D-NY)
Rep. Owens, Major R. (D-NY)
Rep. Serrano, Jose E. (D-NY)
Rep. Towns, Edolphus (D-NY)
Rep. Velazquez, Nydia M. (D-NY) Rep. Brown, Sherrod (D-OH)
Rep. Jones, Stephanie Tubbs (D-OH) Rep. DeFazio, Peter . (D-OR)
Rep. Jackson-Lee, Sheila (D-TX) Rep. Scott, Robert C. (D-VA)
Rep. Sanders, Bernard (I-VT)
Rep. Baird, Brian (D-WA)
Rep. Rahall, Nick J., II (D-WV)
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