1.This Act may be cited as the
Peace Corps Improvement and Expansion
Act of 2009
.
2.Congress makes the following
findings:
(1)Firmly established
beliefs of the Peace Corps include the following:
(A)The act of
volunteering has inherent value.
(B)The foreign policy
goals of the United States are advanced by—
(i)contributing to
the reduction of poverty; and
(ii)fostering
international understanding.
(2)More than 195,000
volunteers have ably served in the Peace Corps in 139 countries by—
(A)working towards
economic and social development; and
(B)promoting a better
understanding of—
(i)the people of the
United States on the part of the peoples served; and
(ii)other peoples on
the part of the people of the United States.
(3)Today, the
importance and necessity is greater than ever for the Peace Corps—
(A)to promote global
economic and social development;
(B)to promote
understanding and friendship; and
(C)to foster
collaboration with international nongovernmental organizations.
(4)Since 1961, a
bi-partisan succession of Presidents and Congresses have endorsed the expansion
of the Peace Corps in order—
(A)to meet requests
from countries to increase the size of the Peace Corps programs in their
countries;
(B)to initiate Peace
Corps programs in countries where the Peace Corps does not currently
operate;
(C)to provide more
opportunities for the people of the United States to engage in volunteer
service abroad; and
(D)to renew dormant
Peace Corps programs.
(5)The purpose of the
Peace Corps, as declared by section 2(a) of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C.
2501), is to promote world peace and friendship by helping—
(A)the people of
interested countries in meeting their needs for trained men and women,
particularly in meeting the basic needs of those living in the poorest areas of
such countries;
(B)to promote a
better understanding of people of the United States on the part of the peoples
served; and
(C)to promote a
better understanding of other peoples on the part of the people of the United
States.
(6)As the Peace Corps
reaches its 50th anniversary in 2010, a new forward-looking strategy should be
developed to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the Peace Corps in
pursuing the goals described in subparagraphs (A) through (C) of paragraph (5)
by analyzing and accounting for the strengths and weaknesses of the
following:
(A)The program model
of the Peace Corps.
(B)The current and
planned distribution of Peace Corps volunteers throughout the world.
(C)Partnership
opportunities and operations of the Peace Corps.
(D)Recruitment and
management practices of the Peace Corps with respect to the diversity of Peace
Corps volunteers and staff.
3.Assessment and
strategic plan for improving and expanding Peace Corps
(a)
(1)Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of
this Act, the Director of the Peace Corps shall complete the assessment
described in paragraph (2) to determine how best—
(A)to strengthen the
management capabilities and program effectiveness of the Peace Corps;
(B)to expand
opportunities for Peace Corps volunteers; and
(C)to increase the
size of the Peace Corps.
(2)The assessment described in this paragraph means an
assessment of—
(A)how the purpose of
the Peace Corps declared under section 2(a) of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C.
2501(a)) translates into tangible strategic plans for the Peace Corps;
(B)the distribution
of Peace Corps volunteers in country programs, including how and why volunteers
are assigned to various countries and jurisdictions of within countries;
(C)the most effective
and efficient methods of improving support for the Peace Corps' goal of
promoting a better understanding of other peoples on the part of the people of
the United States;
(D)the prospects for
partnerships with international and host country nongovernmental organizations
and other entities to achieve the goals of the Peace Corps through development
projects;
(E)the adequacy of
the current program model of the Peace Corps and the feasibility of program
models such as the Peace Corps Response Program;
(F)the effectiveness
and efficiency of volunteer recruitment strategies, methods, and resource
allocations used by the Peace Corps;
(G)the effectiveness
of the Peace Corps in recruiting ethnically, socio-economically, and
geographically diverse volunteers with wide-ranging skills and
interests;
(H)the skills and
interests of current Peace Corps volunteers;
(I)options for
diversification of the skills and interests of Peace Corps volunteers,
including volunteers with skills and interests that relate to public health,
information technology, urban planning, social services, communications, and
community organizing;
(J)the Peace Corps
volunteer training programs;
(K)the options
available to volunteers to suspend payment of student loans while serving in
the Peace Corps;
(L)the medical care
received by volunteers while serving in the Peace Corps;
(M)the procedures of
the Peace Corps for mandatory medical separation of volunteers serving in the
Peace Corps;
(N)the medical
screening process for volunteers entering service in the Peace Corps,
including—
(i)the cost to the
Peace Corps of providing full reimbursement for medical tests under taken by
volunteers applying for or entering service in the Peace Corps;
(ii)expanded
information for applicants including potentially disqualifying medical
conditions; and
(iii)the cost of
extending the medical care provided by the Peace Corps to volunteers serving in
the Peace Corps to include the 5-month period beginning on the date on which a
volunteer completes service in the Peace Corps;
(O)the causes of the
early termination of service in the Peace Corps, using the cohort and other
statistically appropriate methods and the reasons cited by volunteers
terminating their service in the Peace Corps early;
(P)how the Peace
Corps can utilize information technology to improve—
(i)program
efficiency, effectiveness, and coordination; and
(ii)communication
among volunteers;
(Q)mechanisms for
soliciting the views of volunteers serving in the Peace Corps, on a
confidential basis, regarding—
(i)the support
provided to such volunteers by senior staff of the Peace Corps; and
(ii)the operations of
the Peace Corps, including—
(I)staffing
decisions;
(II)site
selection;
(III)language
training;
(IV)country programs;
and
(V)dialogue with host
country partners and ministries; and
(R)mechanisms for
incorporating the views solicited in subparagraph (Q) into programming and
management decisions of the Peace Corps.
(3)The
assessment shall—
(A)be built on a
review of past experiences and studies; and
(B)draw on the
knowledge of—
(i)current Peace
Corps volunteers and staff, at all levels of seniority;
(ii)returned Peace
Corps volunteers and staff; and
(iii)host country
nationals and officials who have worked closely with Peace Corps
volunteers.
(b)
(1)Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment
of this Act, the Director of the Peace Corps shall develop, based on the
assessment required under subsection (a), a strategic plan for the Peace Corps
that—
(A)encompasses the
findings of the Director with respect to the assessment required under
subsection (a); and
(B)includes the
matters described in paragraph (2).
(2)The matters described in this paragraph include the
following:
(A)1-year and 5-year
goals and benchmarks for the Peace Corps that address—
(i)each matter
included in the assessment required under subsection (a); and
(ii)such other
matters as the Director considers appropriate.
(B)Strategies
for—
(i)distributing
volunteers to countries in which they have maximum value-added for the host
country, for the United States, and for the volunteers themselves;
(ii)identifying
countries with strategic value to Peace Corps goals, currently not served or
dormant, and proposals for starting new country programs or re-activating
dormant programs, as well as countries with less strategic relevance to Peace
Corps goals, including proposals for reducing or closing such country
programs;
(iii)balancing the
Peace Corps’ independence with its need to remain relevant to broader United
States foreign goals; and
(iv)ensuring that
Peace Corps operations and goals are not adversely affected in situations where
the bi-lateral relationship between the host country and the United States is
problematic.
(c)
(1)Not later than 180
days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of the Peace
Corps shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report that
includes—
(A)the findings of the Director with respect
to the assessment required under subsection (a); and
(B)the strategic plan
developed under subsection (b).
(2)Appropriate
congressional committees definedIn this subsection, the term
appropriate congressional committees means—
(A)the Committee on Foreign Relations and the
Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; and
(B)the Committee on
Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives.
4.Limitation on
number of Presidential appointments under Peace Corps ActThe Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2501 et seq.)
is amended by inserting after section 19 the following:
20.Limitation on
number of political appointmentsExcept for appointments made under section
12, the President may not make more than 15 concurrent appointments under this
Act.
.
5.Authorization of
appropriationsSection 3(b) of
the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2502(b)) is amended to read as follows:
(b)Authorization of
appropriations
(1)There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out the
purposes of this Act—
(A)$450,000,000 for
fiscal year 2010;
(B)$575,000,000 for
fiscal year 2011; and
(C)$700,000,000 for
fiscal year 2012.
(2)Amounts authorized to be appropriated under paragraph (1)
for a fiscal year are authorized to remain available for that fiscal year and
the subsequent fiscal
year.
.
1.This Act may be cited as the
Peace Corps Improvement and Expansion
Act of 2010
.
2.Congress makes the following
findings:
(1)Firmly established
beliefs of the Peace Corps include the following:
(A)The act of volunteering
has inherent value.
(B)The foreign policy goals
of the United States are advanced by—
(i)contributing to the
reduction of poverty; and
(ii)fostering international
understanding.
(2)More than 195,000
volunteers have ably served in the Peace Corps in 139 countries by—
(A)working towards economic
and social development; and
(B)promoting a better
understanding of—
(i)the people of the United
States on the part of the peoples served; and
(ii)other peoples on the
part of the people of the United States.
(3)Today, the importance and
necessity is greater than ever for the Peace Corps—
(A)to promote global
economic and social development;
(B)to promote understanding
and friendship; and
(C)to foster collaboration
with international nongovernmental organizations.
(4)Since 1961, a bi-partisan
succession of Presidents and Congresses have endorsed the expansion of the
Peace Corps in order—
(A)to meet requests from
countries to increase the size of the Peace Corps programs in their
countries;
(B)to initiate Peace Corps
programs in countries where the Peace Corps does not currently operate;
(C)to provide more
opportunities for the people of the United States to engage in volunteer
service abroad; and
(D)to renew dormant Peace
Corps programs.
(5)The purpose of the Peace
Corps, as declared by section 2(a) of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2501), is
to promote world peace and friendship by helping—
(A)the people of interested
countries in meeting their needs for trained men and women, particularly in
meeting the basic needs of those living in the poorest areas of such
countries;
(B)to promote a better
understanding of people of the United States on the part of the peoples served;
and
(C)to promote a better
understanding of other peoples on the part of the people of the United
States.
(6)As the Peace Corps
reaches its 50th anniversary in 2011, a new forward-looking strategy should be
developed to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the Peace Corps in
pursuing the goals described in subparagraphs (A) through (C) of paragraph (5)
by analyzing and accounting for the strengths and weaknesses of the
following:
(A)The program model of the
Peace Corps.
(B)The current and planned
distribution of Peace Corps volunteers throughout the world.
(C)Partnership opportunities
and operations of the Peace Corps.
(D)Recruitment and
management practices of the Peace Corps with respect to the diversity of Peace
Corps volunteers and staff.
3.Assessment and strategic
plan for improving and expanding Peace Corps
(a)
(1)Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment
of this Act, the Director of the Peace Corps shall complete the assessment
described in paragraph (2) to determine how best—
(A)to strengthen the
management capabilities and program effectiveness of the Peace Corps;
(B)to expand opportunities
for Peace Corps volunteers; and
(C)to increase the size of
the Peace Corps.
(2)The assessment described in this paragraph means an
assessment of—
(A)how the purpose of the
Peace Corps declared under section 2(a) of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C.
2501(a)) translates into tangible strategic plans for the Peace Corps;
(B)the distribution of Peace
Corps volunteers in country programs, including how and why volunteers are
assigned to various countries and jurisdictions of within countries;
(C)the most effective and
efficient methods of improving and strengthening activities relating to the
Peace Corps' goal of promoting a better understanding of other peoples on the
part of the people of the United States, including enhanced funding to
implement, scale, and replicate such activities;
(D)the prospects for
partnerships with international and host country nongovernmental organizations
and other entities to achieve the goals of the Peace Corps through development
projects;
(E)the adequacy of the
current program model of the Peace Corps and the feasibility of program models
such as the Peace Corps Response Program;
(F)the effectiveness and
efficiency of volunteer recruitment strategies, including strategies for
recruitment at graduate schools, methods, and resource allocations used by the
Peace Corps;
(G)the effectiveness of the
Peace Corps in recruiting ethnically, socio-economically, and geographically
diverse volunteers with wide-ranging skills and interests;
(H)the skills and interests
of current Peace Corps volunteers;
(I)options for
diversification of the skills and interests of Peace Corps volunteers,
including volunteers with skills and interests that relate to public health,
information technology, urban planning, social services, communications, and
community organizing;
(J)the Peace Corps volunteer
training programs;
(K)the options available to
volunteers to suspend payment of student loans while serving in the Peace
Corps;
(L)the medical care received
by volunteers while serving in the Peace Corps;
(M)the procedures of the
Peace Corps for mandatory medical separation of volunteers serving in the Peace
Corps;
(N)the medical screening
process for volunteers entering service in the Peace Corps, including—
(i)the cost to the Peace
Corps of providing full reimbursement for medical tests under taken by
volunteers applying for or entering service in the Peace Corps;
(ii)expanded information for
applicants including potentially disqualifying medical conditions; and
(iii)the cost of extending
the medical care provided by the Peace Corps to volunteers serving in the Peace
Corps to include the 5-month period beginning on the date on which a volunteer
completes service in the Peace Corps;
(O)the causes of the early
termination of service in the Peace Corps, using the cohort and other
statistically appropriate methods and the reasons cited by volunteers
terminating their service in the Peace Corps early;
(P)how the Peace Corps can
utilize information technology to improve—
(i)program efficiency,
effectiveness, and coordination; and
(ii)communication among
volunteers;
(Q)mechanisms for soliciting
the views of volunteers serving in the Peace Corps, on a confidential basis,
regarding—
(i)the support provided to
such volunteers by senior staff of the Peace Corps; and
(ii)the operations of the
Peace Corps, including—
(I)staffing
decisions;
(II)site selection;
(III)language
training;
(IV)country programs;
and
(V)dialogue with host
country partners and ministries;
(R)mechanisms for
incorporating the views solicited in subparagraph (Q) into programming and
management decisions of the Peace Corps; and
(S)the adequacy of various
post-service benefits for volunteers and the potential impact of such benefits
on increasing, diversifying, and improving the pool of Peace Corps
applicants.
(3)The
assessment shall—
(A)be built on a review of
past experiences and studies; and
(B)draw on the knowledge
of—
(i)current Peace Corps
volunteers and staff, at all levels of seniority;
(ii)returned Peace Corps
volunteers and staff; and
(iii)host country nationals
and officials who have worked closely with Peace Corps volunteers.
(b)
(1)Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment
of this Act, the Director of the Peace Corps shall develop, based on the
assessment required under subsection (a), a strategic plan for the Peace Corps
that—
(A)encompasses the findings
of the Director with respect to the assessment required under subsection (a);
and
(B)includes the matters
described in paragraph (2).
(2)The matters described in this paragraph include the
following:
(A)1-year and 5-year goals
and benchmarks for the Peace Corps that address—
(i)each matter included in
the assessment required under subsection (a); and
(ii)such other matters as
the Director considers appropriate.
(B)Strategies for—
(i)distributing volunteers
to countries in which they have maximum value-added for the host country, for
the United States, and for the volunteers themselves;
(ii)identifying countries
with strategic value to Peace Corps goals, currently not served or dormant, and
proposals for starting new country programs or re-activating dormant programs,
as well as countries with less strategic relevance to Peace Corps goals,
including proposals for reducing or closing such country programs;
(iii)balancing the Peace
Corps’ independence with its need to remain relevant to broader United States
foreign goals; and
(iv)ensuring that Peace
Corps operations and goals are not adversely affected in situations where the
bi-lateral relationship between the host country and the United States is
problematic.
(c)
(1)Not later than 180
days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of the Peace
Corps shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report that
includes—
(A)the findings of the Director with respect
to the assessment required under subsection (a); and
(B)the strategic plan
developed under subsection (b).
(2)Appropriate
congressional committees definedIn this subsection, the term
appropriate congressional committees means—
(A)the Committee on Foreign Relations and the
Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; and
(B)the Committee on Foreign
Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives.
4.Sense of Congress on
number of Presidential appointments under Peace Corps ActIt is the sense of Congress that, except for
appointments made under section 12 of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2511), the
President should not make more than 15 concurrent appointments under such Act
(22 U.S.C. 2501 et seq.).
5.Authorization of
appropriationsSection 3(b)(1)
of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2502(b)(1)) is amended by striking are
authorized
and all that follows through the period at the end and
inserting the following: is authorized to be appropriated to carry out
the purposes of this chapter such sums as may be necessary for such
purposes.
.
June 29, 2010
Reported with an amendment