[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 636 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 636

 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives encouraging the 
active engagement of the United States in world affairs and urging the 
 Secretary of State to coordinate with implementing partners to create 
   an online database of international exchange programs and related 
                             opportunities.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 11, 2004

   Mr. McGovern (for himself and Mr. Leach) submitted the following 
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International 
                               Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives encouraging the 
active engagement of the United States in world affairs and urging the 
 Secretary of State to coordinate with implementing partners to create 
   an online database of international exchange programs and related 
                             opportunities.

Whereas many polls and studies have indicated that the United States needs to do 
        a better job of building personal and institutional relationships with 
        peoples and nations around the world in order to combat anti-American 
        sentiment;
Whereas broad bipartisan consensus in favor of strengthening United States 
        public diplomacy emerged during 2003 in both Houses of Congress and in 
        various reports, including reports of the Council on Foreign Relations, 
        the General Accounting Office, the Advisory Commission on Public 
        Diplomacy, the Heritage Foundation, and the Advisory Group on Public 
        Diplomacy for the Arab and Muslim World;
Whereas in November 2003, NAFSA: Association of International Educators warned 
        that the lack of knowledge of the world by people in the United States 
        represents a serious liability in the fight against terrorism;
Whereas international exchange programs, which have assisted in extending the 
        global influence of the United States by educating many of the leaders 
        of other countries, are suffering from a decline in funding and policy 
        priority;
Whereas only 160,920 United States university-level students studied abroad in 
        2001-2002, representing just over one percent of all United States 
        students;
Whereas two-thirds of United States students studying abroad study in Western 
        Europe (18.7 percent in the United Kingdom alone), although 95 percent 
        of the world population growth in the next 50 years is expected to occur 
        outside Western Europe;
Whereas the number of scholarships for foreign students studying at United 
        States institutions has dropped from 20,000 a year in the 1980s to just 
        900 in 2003;
Whereas there are 29,400,000 retired workers in the United States as of June 
        2003, representing a vast pool of older Americans who have the talent, 
        maturity, and time to volunteer their services abroad;
Whereas the average United States college graduate who has studied one of the 
        less commonly taught languages reaches no more than an intermediate 
        level of proficiency in the language, which is insufficient to meet 
        national security requirements; and
Whereas there are hundreds of well-established organizations in the United 
        States that implement educational and professional exchanges, 
        international volunteering, and related programs, and the efforts of 
        those organizations could readily be expanded to reach out to more 
        United States citizens: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This resolution may be cited as the ``People-to-People Engagement 
in World Affairs Resolution''.

SEC. 2. SENSE OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

    It is the sense of the House of Representatives that--
            (1) the Secretary of State should coordinate with 
        implementing partners to create an online database to provide 
        information on how United States citizens can take advantage 
        of--
                    (A) international exchange programs of the 
                Department of State, the Department of Education, and 
                other Federal Government and non-government entities;
                    (B) volunteer opportunities with organizations that 
                assist refugees and immigrants in the United States;
                    (C) opportunities to host international students 
                and professionals in the United States;
                    (D) sister-city organizations in the United States;
                    (E) international fairs and cultural events in the 
                United States; and
                    (F) foreign language learning opportunities;
            (2) United States citizens should become more engaged in 
        international affairs and more aware of peoples and 
        developments outside the United States; and
            (3) United States citizens should take advantage of one or 
        more opportunities to become more engaged and more aware, by 
        such means as--
                    (A) participating in a professional or cultural 
                exchange;
                    (B) studying abroad;
                    (C) volunteering abroad;
                    (D) working with an immigrant or refugee group;
                    (E) hosting a foreign student or professional;
                    (F) participating in a sister-city program; and
                    (G) learning a foreign language.
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