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image Syria: the threats, costs, claims and lives
image Pentagon Said to Seek $80 Billion for War Amid Withdrawal
image Jerry Brown: California’s Mystery Man
image No Koch News: A Movement to Unsubscribe
image Video: Pentagon Accused of 'Rewriting Constitution' to Wage Endless War in Senate Hearing
image An urgent message to 200 members of Congress
image When the IRS targeted liberals
image Logo Lowdown from the 2012 elections. Part 1--donors on the record
image Logo Lowdown from the 2012 elections. Part 2--donors OFF the record, or off the radar
image H.R. 1000, the “Humphrey-Hawkins Full Employment and Training Act”
image Former Attorney General Ramsey Clark Decries Government's "Big Brother" Seizure of AP Phone Records
image MAJOR PUSH AT CONGRESS: PROSPERITY, NOT AUSTERITY
Friday, 15 February 2013 19:39

Congresswoman Barbara Lee Introduces Bill to Create Department of Peacebuilding

Written by  Congresswoman Barbara Lee | Press Release
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Introduces Bill to Create Department of Peacebuilding

Washington, D.C.—Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee introduced H.R. 808, the “Department of Peacebuilding Act of 2013” to create a cabinet-level Secretary and Department of Peacebuilding. The term “peacebuilding” refers both to activities that target the root causes of violence as well as the broad measures used to prevent violent conflict and create sustainable peace.

“This culture of violence that we live in is unacceptable. On our streets and across the globe, the pervasive presence of violence has infected the lives of millions, and it is far past time we address it as a nation. We invest hundreds of billions each year in the Pentagon, in war colleges, military academies, and our national defense universities all to develop war tactics and strategies.  Now we need that kind of investment in peace and nonviolence here at home,” said Congresswoman Barbara Lee.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each life cut short by a homicide costs the U.S. economy $1.65 million.  Worldwide, the Institute for Economics and Peace estimates that violence and conflict cost the global economy $9 trillion in 2011.

Congresswoman Lee continued, “The Department of Peacebuilding advances the good work of my friend and former colleague Congressman Kucinich and has the potential to reduce suffering on a national and global scale while saving billions of dollars through violence reduction and increased economic productivity.” 

This proposed department would be charged with developing national strategies and programs for violence reduction both domestically and internationally.  Working across agencies, the Secretary of Peacebuilding would sponsor conflict prevention and dispute resolution initiatives, facilitate peace summits between conflicting parties, encourage community policing, and support efforts by local community and religious groups to reduce gun violence, racial and ethnic violence, and prevent violence against women and LGBT Americans.

Original cosponsors include Representatives Robert Andrews, Yvette Clarke, John Conyers, Jr., Janice Hahn, James McGovern, Chellie Pingree, and Jared Polis.

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Follow Barbara Lee on Facebook and Twitter @RepBarbaraLee. To learn more, visit lee.house.gov.

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