[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4979 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4979

   To amend the Peace Corps Act to promote global acceptance of the 
  principles of international peace and nonviolent coexistence among 
 peoples of diverse cultures and systems of government, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 20, 2002

Mr. Farr of California (for himself, Mr. Udall of Colorado, Mr. Honda, 
 Mr. Hall of Ohio, and Mr. Petri) introduced the following bill; which 
        was referred to the Committee on International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend the Peace Corps Act to promote global acceptance of the 
  principles of international peace and nonviolent coexistence among 
 peoples of diverse cultures and systems of government, 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 ``Peace Corps Charter for the 21st 
Century Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The Peace Corps was established in 1961 to promote 
        world peace and friendship through the service of American 
        volunteers abroad.
            (2) The three goals codified in the Peace Corps Act which 
        have guided the Peace Corps and its volunteers over the years, 
        can work in concert to promote global acceptance of the 
        principles of international peace and nonviolent coexistence 
        among peoples of diverse cultures and systems of government.
            (3) The Peace Corps has operated in 135 countries with 
        165,000 Peace Corps volunteers since its establishment.
            (4) The Peace Corps has sought to fulfill three goals, as 
        follows: to help people in developing nations meet basic needs, 
        to promote understanding of America's values and ideals abroad, 
        and to promote an understanding of other peoples by Americans.
            (5) After more than 40 years of operation, the Peace Corps 
        remains the world's premier international service organization 
        dedicated to promoting grassroots development.
            (6) The Peace Corps remains committed to sending well 
        trained and well supported Peace Corps volunteers overseas to 
        promote world peace, friendship, and grassroots development.
            (7) The Peace Corps is an independent agency, and therefore 
        no Peace Corps personnel or volunteers should have any 
        relationship with any United States intelligence agency or be 
        used to accomplish any other goal than the goals established by 
        the Peace Corps Act.
            (8) The Crisis Corps has been an effective tool in 
        harnessing the skills and talents for returned Peace Corps 
        volunteers and should be expanded to utilize to the maximum 
        extent the pool of talent from the returned Peace Corps 
        volunteer community.
            (9) The Peace Corps is currently operating with an annual 
        budget of $275,000,000 in 70 countries with 7,000 Peace Corps 
        volunteers.
            (10) There is deep misunderstanding and misinformation 
        about American values and ideals in many parts of the world, 
        particularly those with substantial Muslim populations, and a 
        greater Peace Corps presence in such places could foster 
        greater understanding and tolerance of those countries.
            (11) Congress has declared that the Peace Corps should be 
        expanded to sponsor a minimum of 10,000 Peace Corps volunteers.
            (12) President George W. Bush has called for the doubling 
        of the number of Peace Corps volunteers in service in a fiscal 
        year to 15,000 volunteers in service by the end of fiscal year 
        2007.
            (13) Any expansion of the Peace Corps shall not jeopardize 
        the quality of the Peace Corps volunteer experience, and 
        therefore can only be accomplished by an appropriate increase 
        in field and headquarters support staff.
            (14) It would be extremely useful for the Peace Corps to 
        establish an office of strategic planning to evaluate existing 
        programs and undertake long-term planning in order to 
        facilitate the orderly expansion of the Peace Corps from its 
        current size to the stated objective of 15,000 volunteers in 
        the field by the end of fiscal year 2007.
            (15) The Peace Corps would benefit from the advice and 
        council of a streamlined bipartisan National Peace Corps 
        Advisory Council composed of distinguished returned Peace Corps 
        volunteers.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
        ``appropriate congressional committees'' means the Committee on 
        Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on 
        International Relations of the House of Representatives.
            (2) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of 
        the Peace Corps.
            (3) Peace corps volunteer.--The term ``Peace Corps 
        volunteer'' means a volunteer or a volunteer leader under the 
        Peace Corps Act.
            (4) Returned peace corps volunteer.--The term ``returned 
        Peace Corps volunteer'' means a person who has been certified 
        by the Director as having served satisfactorily as a Peace 
        Corps volunteer.

SEC. 4. RESTATEMENT OF INDEPENDENCE OF THE PEACE CORPS.

    (a) In General.--Section 2A of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2501-
1) is amended by adding at the end the following new sentence: ``As an 
independent agency, all recruiting of volunteers shall be undertaken 
solely by the Peace Corps.''.
    (b) Details and Assignments.--Section 5(g) of the Peace Corps Act 
(22 U.S.C. 2504(g)) is amended by inserting after ``Provided, That'' 
the following: ``such detail or assignment does not contradict the 
standing of Peace Corps volunteers as being independent from foreign 
policy-making and intelligence collection: Provided further, That''.

SEC. 5. REPORTS TO CONGRESS.

    (a) Consultations and Reports Concerning New Initiatives.--Section 
11 of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2510) is amended--
            (1) by inserting ``(a) Annual Reports.--'' immediately 
        before ``The President shall transmit''; and
            (2) by adding at the end thereof the following:
    ``(b) Consultations and Reports on New Initiatives.--Thirty days 
prior to implementing any new initiative, the Director shall consult 
with the Peace Corps National Advisory Council established in section 
12 and shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate 
and the Committee on International Relations of the House of 
Representatives a report describing the objectives that such initiative 
is intended to fulfill, an estimate of any costs that may be incurred 
as a result of the initiative, and an estimate of any impact on 
existing programs, including the impact on the safety of volunteers 
under this Act.''.
    (b) Country Security Reports.--Section 11 of the Peace Corps Act 
(22 U.S.C. 2510), as amended by subsection (a), is further amended by 
adding at the end the following:
    ``(c) Country Security Reports.--The Director of the Peace Corps 
shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and 
the Committee on International Relations of the House of 
Representatives a report annually on the status of security procedures 
in any country in which the Peace Corps operates programs or is 
considering doing so. Each report shall include recommendations when 
appropriate as to whether security conditions would be enhanced by 
colocating volunteers with international or local nongovernmental 
organizations, or with the placement of multiple volunteers in one 
location.''.
    (c) Report on Student Loan Forgiveness Programs.--Not later than 30 
days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director of the Peace 
Corps shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate 
and the Committee on International Relations of the House of 
Representatives a report--
            (1) describing the student loan forgiveness programs 
        currently available to Peace Corps volunteers upon completion 
        of their service; and
            (2) comparing such programs with other Government-sponsored 
        student loan forgiveness programs.

SEC. 6. SPECIAL VOLUNTEER RECRUITMENT AND PLACEMENT FOR COUNTRIES WHOSE 
              GOVERNMENTS ARE SEEKING TO FOSTER GREATER UNDERSTANDING 
              BY AND ABOUT THEIR CITIZENS.

    (a) Report.--Not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Director shall submit a report to the appropriate 
congressional committees describing the initiatives that the Peace 
Corps intends to pursue in order to solicit requests from eligible 
countries where the presence of Peace Corps volunteers would facilitate 
a greater understanding that there exists a universe of commonly shared 
human values and aspirations and would dispel unfounded fears and 
suspicion among peoples of diverse cultures and systems of government, 
including peoples from countries with substantial Muslim populations. 
Such report shall include--
            (1) a description of the recruitment strategies to be 
        employed by the Peace Corps to recruit and train volunteers 
        with the appropriate language skills and interest in serving in 
        such countries; and
            (2) a list of the countries that the Director has 
        determined should be priorities for special recruitment and 
        placement of Peace Corps volunteers.
    (b) Use of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers.--Notwithstanding any 
other provision of law, the Director is authorized and strongly urged 
to utilize the services of returned Peace Corps volunteers having 
language and cultural expertise, including those returned Peace Corps 
volunteers who may have served previously in countries with substantial 
Muslim populations, in order to open or reopen Peace Corps programs in 
such countries.
    (c) Allocation of Funds.--In addition to amounts authorized to be 
appropriated to the Peace Corps by section 11 for the fiscal years 
2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006, there is authorized to be appropriated for 
the Peace Corps $5,000,000 each such fiscal year solely for the 
recruitment, training, and placement of Peace Corps volunteers in 
countries whose governments are seeking to foster greater understanding 
by and about their citizens.

SEC. 7. GLOBAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES INITIATIVE.

    (a) In General.--The Director, in cooperation with the Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, the 
World Health Organization and the Pan American Health Organization, 
local public health officials, shall develop a program of training for 
all Peace Corps volunteers in the areas of education, prevention, and 
treatment of infectious diseases in order to ensure that all Peace 
Corps volunteers make a contribution to the global campaign against 
such diseases.
    (b) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) AIDS.--The term ``AIDS'' means the acquired immune 
        deficiency syndrome.
            (2) HIV.--The term ``HIV'' means the human immunodeficiency 
        virus, the pathogen that causes AIDS.
            (3) HIV/AIDS.--The term ``HIV/AIDS'' means, with respect to 
        an individual, an individual who is infected with HIV or living 
        with AIDS.
            (4) Infectious diseases.--The term ``infectious diseases'' 
        means HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria.

SEC. 8. PEACE CORPS ADVISORY COUNCIL.

    Section 12 of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2511; relating to the 
Peace Corps National Advisory Council) is amended--
            (1) by amending subsection (b)(2)(D) to read as follows:
                    ``(D) make recommendations for utilizing the 
                expertise of returned Peace Corps volunteers in 
                fulfilling the goals of the Peace Corps.'';
            (2) in subsection (c)--
                    (A) by striking paragraph (1);
                    (B) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and (3) as 
                paragraphs (1) and (2), respectively; and
                    (C) in paragraph (1), as so redesignated--
                            (i) in subparagraph (A)--
                                    (I) by striking ``fifteen'' and 
                                inserting ``seven''; and
                                    (II) by striking the second 
                                sentence and inserting the following: 
                                ``All of the members shall be former 
                                Peace Corps volunteers, and not more 
                                than four shall be members of the same 
                                political party.'';
                            (ii) by striking subparagraphs (B), (E), 
                        and (H);
                            (iii) by redesignating subparagraphs (C), 
                        (D), (F), (G), and (I) as subparagraphs (B), 
                        (C), (D), (E), and (F), respectively; and
                            (iv) by amending subparagraph (C), as so 
                        redesignated, to read as follows:
    ``(C) The members of the Council shall be appointed to 2-year 
terms.'';
            (3) by amending subsection (g) to read as follows:
    ``(g) Chair.--The President shall designate one of the voting 
members of the Council as Chair, who shall serve in that capacity for a 
period not to exceed two years.'';
            (4) by amending subsection (h) to read as follows:
    ``(h) Meetings.--The Council shall hold a regular meeting during 
each calendar quarter at a date and time to be determined by the Chair 
of the Council.''; and
            (5) by amending subsection (i) to read as follows:
    ``(i) Report.--Not later than July 30, 2003, and annually 
thereafter, the Council shall submit a report to the President and the 
Director of the Peace Corps describing how the Council has carried out 
its functions under subsection (b)(2).''.

SEC. 9. READJUSTMENT ALLOWANCES.

    The Peace Corps Act is amended--
            (1) in section 5(c) (22 U.S.C. 2504(c)), by striking 
        ``$125'' and inserting ``$200''; and
            (2) in section 6(1) (22 U.S.C. 2505(1)), by striking 
        ``$125'' and inserting ``$200''.

SEC. 10. PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS OF RETURNED PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEERS TO 
              PROMOTE THE GOALS OF THE PEACE CORPS.

    (a) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to provide support for 
returned Peace Corps volunteers to develop programs and projects to 
promote the objectives of the Peace Corps, as set forth in section 2 of 
the Peace Corps Act.
    (b) Grants to Certain Nonprofit Corporations.--
            (1) Grant authority.--To carry out the purpose of this 
        section, and subject to the availability of appropriations, the 
        Director of the Corporation for National and Community Service 
        shall award grants on a competitive basis to private nonprofit 
        corporations that are established in the District of Columbia 
        for the purpose of serving as incubators for returned Peace 
        Corps volunteers seeking to use their knowledge and expertise 
        to undertake community-based projects to carry out the goals of 
        the Peace Corps Act.
            (2) Eligibility for grants.--To be eligible to compete for 
        grants under this section, a nonprofit corporation must have a 
        board of directors composed of returned Peace Corps volunteers 
        with a background in community service, education, or health. 
        The director of the corporation (who may also be a board member 
        of the nonprofit corporation) shall also be a returned Peace 
        Corps volunteer with demonstrated management expertise in 
        operating a nonprofit corporation. The stated purpose of the 
        nonprofit corporation shall be to act solely as an intermediary 
        between the Corporation for National and Community Service and 
        individual returned Peace Corps volunteers seeking funding for 
        projects consistent with the goals of the Peace Corps. The 
        nonprofit corporation may act as the accountant for individual 
        volunteers for purposes of tax filing and audit 
        responsibilities.
    (c) Grant Requirements.--Such grants shall be made pursuant to a 
grant agreement between the Director and the nonprofit corporation that 
requires that--
            (1) grant funds will only be used to support programs and 
        projects described in subsection (a) pursuant to proposals 
        submitted by returned Peace Corps volunteers (either 
        individually or cooperatively with other returned volunteers);
            (2) the nonprofit corporation give consideration to funding 
        individual projects or programs by returned Peace Corps 
        volunteers up to $100,000;
            (3) not more than 20 percent of funds made available to the 
        nonprofit corporation will be used for the salaries, overhead, 
        or other administrative expenses of the nonprofit corporation; 
        and
            (4) the nonprofit corporation will not receive grant funds 
        under this section for more than two years unless the 
        corporation has raised private funds, either in cash or in 
        kind, for up to 40 percent of its annual budget.
    (d) Funding.--Of the funds available to the Corporation for 
National and Community Service for fiscal year 2003 or any fiscal year 
thereafter, not to exceed $10,000,000 shall be available for each such 
fiscal year to carry out the grant program established under this 
section.
    (e) Status of the Fund.--Nothing in this section shall be construed 
to make any nonprofit corporation supported under this section an 
agency or establishment of the United States Government or to make the 
members of the board of directors or any officer or employee of such 
corporation an officer or employee of the United States.
    (f) Factors in Awarding Grants.--In determining the number of 
private nonprofit corporations to award grants to in any fiscal years, 
the Director should balance the number of organizations against the 
overhead costs that divert resources from project funding.
    (g) Congressional Oversight.--Grant recipients under this section 
shall be subject to the appropriate oversight procedures of Congress.

SEC. 11. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--Section 3(b)(1) of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 
2502(b)(1)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``2002, and'' and inserting ``2002,''; and
            (2) by inserting before the period the following: ``, 
        $465,000,000 for fiscal year 2004, $500,000,000 for fiscal year 
        2005, $560,000,000 for fiscal year 2006, and $560,000,000 for 
        fiscal year 2007''.
    (b) Increase in Peace Corps Volunteer Strength.--Section 3(c) of 
the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2502(c)) is amended by adding the 
following new subsection at the end thereof:
    ``(d) In addition to the amounts authorized to be appropriated in 
this section, there are authorized to be appropriated such additional 
sums as may be necessary to achieve a volunteer corps of 15,000 as soon 
as practicable, taking into account the security of volunteers and the 
effectiveness of country programs.''.
                                 <all>