[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 313 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







 108th CONGRESS
   2d Session
 S. RES. 313

Expressing the sense of the Senate encouraging the active engagement of 
    Americans in world affairs and urging the Secretary of State to 
coordinate with implementing partners in creating an online database of 
       international exchange programs and related opportunities.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              March 9, 2004

   Mr. Feingold (for himself and Mr. Hagel) submitted the following 
  resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Expressing the sense of the Senate encouraging the active engagement of 
    Americans in world affairs and urging the Secretary of State to 
coordinate with implementing partners in creating 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 Americans' lack of knowledge of the world represents a national 
        liability in the fight against terrorism;
Whereas international exchange programs, which have assisted in extending 
        American influence in the world by educating the world's leaders, are 
        suffering from a decline in funding and policy priority;
Whereas the number of United States university-level students studying abroad in 
        2001-2002 was 160,920, representing just over 1 percent of United States 
        students;
Whereas \2/3\ 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 900 
        in 2003;
Whereas there are 29,400,000 retired workers in the United States as of June 
        2003, meaning that there are many older Americans who have the talent, 
        maturity, and time to volunteer their services abroad;
Whereas the average American college graduate who has studied 1 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 
        Americans: 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 SENATE.

    It is the sense of the Senate--
            (1) to urge the Secretary of State to coordinate with 
        implementing partners in creating an online database that 
        provides information on how Americans 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) to challenge Americans to become more engaged in 
        international affairs and more aware of peoples and 
        developments outside the United States; and
            (3) to encourage Americans to seize 1 or more opportunities 
        toward this end, 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.
                                 <all>