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<dc:title>119 S4278 IS: Prohibiting Expenditures for an Accountability-Circumventing Entity Act</dc:title>
<dc:publisher>U.S. Senate</dc:publisher>
<dc:date>2026-04-13</dc:date>
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<dc:language>EN</dc:language>
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<distribution-code display="yes">II</distribution-code><congress>119th CONGRESS</congress><session>2d Session</session><legis-num>S. 4278</legis-num><current-chamber>IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES</current-chamber><action><action-date date="20260413">April 13, 2026</action-date><action-desc><sponsor name-id="S406">Mr. Kelly</sponsor> introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the <committee-name committee-id="SSFR00">Committee on Foreign Relations</committee-name></action-desc></action><legis-type>A BILL</legis-type><official-title>To prohibit funding for the Board of Peace that is not authorized by Congress, and for other purposes.</official-title></form><legis-body><section id="S1" section-type="section-one"><enum>1.</enum><header>Short title</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">This Act may be cited as the <quote><short-title>Prohibiting Expenditures for an Accountability-Circumventing Entity Act</short-title></quote> or the <quote><short-title>PEACE Act</short-title></quote>.</text></section><section id="id20509c0a5fe945f585da2fdee767d632"><enum>2.</enum><header>Findings</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">Congress finds the following:</text><paragraph id="id02ad66a7a2e04b53b3e7518b42febf49"><enum>(1)</enum><text>On January 16, 2026, the President issued Executive Order 14375 designating an entity titled the <quote>Board of Peace</quote> as a public international organization entitled to the privileges, exemptions, and immunities provided by the International Organizations Immunities Act (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/22/288">22 U.S.C. 288 et seq.</external-xref>).</text></paragraph><paragraph id="idc811fde13e434b9f981b383c302500c5"><enum>(2)</enum><text>Section 1 of the International Organizations Immunities Act (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/22/288">22 U.S.C. 288</external-xref>) defines an international organization as <quote>a public international organization in which the United States participates pursuant to any treaty or under the authority of any Act of Congress authorizing such participation or making an appropriation for such participation, and which shall have been designated by the President through appropriate Executive order</quote>.</text></paragraph><paragraph id="id520bd9773dd54af79295c2b059acfbd6"><enum>(3)</enum><text>The designation of an entity as a public international organization by the executive branch does not confer authority to obligate or expend Federal funds absent congressional authorization or appropriation.</text></paragraph><paragraph id="id0d91c72a382649c5b52f4ab0a19eb391"><enum>(4)</enum><text>Likewise, the executive branch’s designation of an entity as a public international organization is legally effective only if it meets the statutory requirements that the United States be a participant pursuant to a treaty or pursuant to congressional authority.</text></paragraph><paragraph id="idcfd2ed3a6dce4633a9a03357c37fce13"><enum>(5)</enum><text>Unlike all other international organizations to which the United States provides funding or support, the United States does not participate in the Board of Peace pursuant to a ratified treaty to which the United States is a party.</text></paragraph><paragraph id="id223cb0426af24f518aa50d4d8a27447c"><enum>(6)</enum><text>Congress has not appropriated funds for the Board of Peace or authorized the expenditure of Federal funds for its operations.</text></paragraph><paragraph id="id214735b2aec14f9291c1c85376dd0aa8"><enum>(7)</enum><text>Congress has not enacted specific authorization for the United States to participate in or provide financial support to the Board of Peace.</text></paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idc00c260c9f86485d91bf4c040fb36b0b"><enum>(8)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Pursuant to current statute, after the enactment of any law appropriating funds to carry out the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/22/2151">22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.</external-xref>) or the Arms Export Control Act (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/22/2751">22 U.S.C. 2751 et seq.</external-xref>), the President must notify Congress of each foreign country and international organization to which the United States Government intends to provide any portion of the funds under such law and of the amount of funds under that law, by category of assistance, that the United States Government intends to provide to each.</text></paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id8151766f1dd64d90b032c13cdbdb6a9e"><enum>(9)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Any obligation or expenditure of Federal funds related to international organizations is subject to statutory oversight requirements established by Congress.</text></paragraph></section><section id="id88c8b348ec3a484ebba8cb2edfb33cce"><enum>3.</enum><header>Sense of Congress on United States participation in international organizations</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">It is the sense of Congress that—</text><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="ida7ebc2e0b0ff4ac0a484b930bd27dd75"><enum>(1)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Congress retains ultimate authority over the obligation and expenditure of Federal funds for participation in international organizations;</text></paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id083a5baf755c441fbff843a61ea8e9d0"><enum>(2)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">such participation should occur only pursuant to explicit statutory authorization;</text></paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="ide61debd3c31b4f94a15e90d56a1b17ba"><enum>(3)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Congress should not authorize, appropriate, or otherwise make available Federal funds for any international organization whose charter—</text><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idb0d19202c7044557a2c0457e6b5b3ede"><enum>(A)</enum><text>grants the Chairman unilateral authority to determine membership in the organization;</text></subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id15a4c80dbfda4cefb846d64755ba7e41"><enum>(B)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">grants the Chairman exclusive authority to create, modify, or dissolve subsidiary entities of the organization;</text></subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id112fde6be60241b9ad1edbadd071c7ff"><enum>(C)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">grants the Chairman unilateral authority to dissolve the organization; or</text></subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id863a24042b4243a6ab2b7fcc80cfecd5"><enum>(D)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">provides for an indefinite or self-perpetuating chairmanship, including a provision that the Chairman shall designate a successor and may be removed only upon voluntary resignation or incapacity, as determined by a unanimous vote of the Executive Board; and</text></subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph id="idc662a3abd4ce44d0ac980026a0c9e4be" commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline"><enum>(4)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Congress should require that any such charter provisions be revised or removed before the United States participates in the organization or provides financial support.</text></paragraph></section><section commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id828ff374653e40c78a18509055f598a9"><enum>4.</enum><header>Definitions</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">In this Act:</text><paragraph id="id4b2335cc067e4aa29522f6759f31a089"><enum>(1)</enum><header>Appropriate congressional committees</header><text>The term <term>appropriate congressional committees</term> means—</text><subparagraph id="id062b61f94154434dad5ee2743dc1dded"><enum>(A)</enum><text>the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; and</text></subparagraph><subparagraph id="id1b165056cda843dab45437cc56096b68" commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline"><enum>(B)</enum><text>the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives.</text></subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph id="id3b557b8f9f1a400687d1f2b1cd9e0bc6" commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Sustainable peace</header><text>The term <term>sustainable peace</term> means a condition in which violent conflict is durably reduced or prevented through locally supported political, economic, and security arrangements, including effective governance and rule of law, such that the risk of relapse into conflict is minimized without reliance on indefinite external assistance.</text></paragraph></section><section id="id53db4476a5744eb298177fdfa093ea05"><enum>5.</enum><header>Report on the use of funds previously obligated to the Board of Peace</header><subsection id="idd4cc1f4165cf4fb28c49316e41923220"><enum>(a)</enum><header>In general</header><text>Not later than 15 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the head of each Federal department or agency that has obligated funds for the Board of Peace shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on such obligations.</text></subsection><subsection id="idb9933eaa42a94a4581aa53727cb28a76"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Spend strategy required</header><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idbf2bd9e7f30b4d4582bfaecfe94f88cf"><enum>(1)</enum><header>In general</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a strategy describing how funds obligated for the Board of Peace will be used to advance sustainable peace in areas affected by conflict.</text></paragraph><paragraph id="idc85ce8897135408a903dc7a20beb00fe"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Elements</header><text>The strategy required by paragraph (1) shall include the following:</text><subparagraph id="idd9e912838744428ab99655c4d541e46e"><enum>(A)</enum><text>A statement of United States policy objectives for advancing sustainable peace.</text></subparagraph><subparagraph id="id311a1deb5a3541b48f3681e88d6d2aa0"><enum>(B)</enum><text>A description of the purposes, programs, and authorities through which the funds described in such paragraph will be used.</text></subparagraph><subparagraph id="id2ff8da27b043443a90b22949a3214f72"><enum>(C)</enum><text>An identification of priority countries or regions and a justification for such prioritization.</text></subparagraph><subparagraph id="idaa8d762f432b425eb2a583234462d4ac"><enum>(D)</enum><text>A description of coordination with relevant Federal departments and agencies, allies, partners, and multilateral institutions.</text></subparagraph><subparagraph id="iddb5f90cd02da4ef583ecce591ca136c4"><enum>(E)</enum><text>A description of how activities supported by such funds will encourage and empower local and national actors to address the concerns of their populations and strengthen resilience against violence.</text></subparagraph><subparagraph id="idd067aa3e9c794c099de4914de85be0d1"><enum>(F)</enum><text>A description of how activities supported by such funds will address the long-term underlying causes of fragility and violence.</text></subparagraph><subparagraph id="id84b98ddefd9a410cb1b8137a5a4c1cc1"><enum>(G)</enum><text>A description of measurable benchmarks to assess progress toward sustainable peace.</text></subparagraph><subparagraph id="ida61ea067fc9c400d97380ce10d69bcaf"><enum>(H)</enum><text>A description of mechanisms to ensure accountability, transparency, and legal compliance in the use of funds.</text></subparagraph></paragraph></subsection><subsection id="idd95e3462107f4443a51ac01ba30bd347"><enum>(c)</enum><header>Rule of construction</header><text>Nothing in this section may be construed as authorizing the appropriation, obligation, expenditure, or other availability of funds for the Board of Peace.</text></subsection></section><section id="id6c892b42226a478bb20f93cf5ceb095a"><enum>6.</enum><header>Report on progress of the Board of Peace in advancing sustainable peace in Gaza</header><subsection id="idcb2b79d4d3604b98a1b860188f398d14"><enum>(a)</enum><header>In general</header><text>Not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the extent to which the Board of Peace has contributed to advancing sustainable peace in Gaza.</text></subsection><subsection id="id4f7c4a1a75b84cceb90cd61c0c8c8a3a"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Elements</header><text>The report required by subsection (a) shall include the following:</text><paragraph id="id9417a7a59c6047cf9e0af943839be60c"><enum>(1)</enum><text>A description of the stated goals and activities of the Board of Peace related to advancing sustainable peace in Gaza.</text></paragraph><paragraph id="idf5fbc7e31f1143bc8bb77297d7fbb929"><enum>(2)</enum><text>An assessment of any measurable progress toward achieving sustainable peace in Gaza, including diplomatic, security, and humanitarian outcomes.</text></paragraph><paragraph id="id39b671f3beb24a3381818aaa32daf18b"><enum>(3)</enum><text>A description of any coordination between the Board of Peace and the Department of State or other United States Government entities.</text></paragraph><paragraph id="idc64ffb39a9304711a899bda392508d4c"><enum>(4)</enum><text>An evaluation of the effectiveness of the Board of Peace in advancing United States national security and foreign policy interests.</text></paragraph></subsection></section><section id="id21ef6657e4db42169f4ea4370c24cc09"><enum>7.</enum><header>Prohibition on funding for Board of Peace without congressional authorization</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">No Federal funds may be appropriated for or otherwise made available to the Board of Peace on or after the date of the enactment of this Act, unless there is enacted an Act of Congress specifically authorizing such transfer.</text></section><section id="id78fe9f826cad49c78a017ac0ea2c3dd5" commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" section-type="subsequent-section"><enum>8.</enum><header>Prohibition on extension of privileges, exemptions, and immunities to Board of Peace</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">Notwithstanding any provision of the International Organizations Immunities Act (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/22/288">22 U.S.C. 288 et seq.</external-xref>) or any other provision of law, no privileges, exemptions, or immunities may be granted, recognized, or extended to the Board of Peace, or to any officer, employee, or representative of the Board of Peace, by the United States.</text></section></legis-body></bill>

