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PRESS RELEASE:
New Bill for 111st Congress
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Wendy Greene, Managing Director
The Peace Alliance
410-997-1731
<mailto:pr...@thepeacealliance.org>pr...@thepeacealliance.org
New Federal Legislation Calls for $8.5 Billion to Stop the Spread of
Violence
65 Representatives, thousands of citizens support call for
institutional heft to dramatically reduce violence in America
February 10, 2009-Washington, DC - A ground-breaking piece of
legislation introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives calls for
the United States to make reducing and preventing violence a strategic
policy objective, and provides an estimated $8.5 billion to address the
pandemic just in the United States, with additional $1.5 Billion for
funding to address violence internationally.
"We have the ability to create jobs, save lives and save billions of
dollars by addressing the spread of a dangerous disease in this
country-the pandemic of violence," said Lynn McMullen, executive
director of The Peace Alliance, the national nonpartisan nonprofit
organization supporting the growing grassroots movement in all 50
states to establish a U.S. Department of Peace.
"It's easy in these challenging times to imagine that the economic and
environmental challenges we face are somehow independent of the cause
of peace," McMullen added. "The truth is, when we reduce and prevent
violence we simultaneously help our economy and our environment."
The bill, HR 808, seeks to create a U.S. Department of Peace that would
provide a platform from which to launch a strategic, scientifically
based approach to reducing and preventing violence in the U.S. and
internationally.
"The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that
violence can be prevented through a thoughtful, systematic approach,"
added Wendy Greene, Peace Alliance managing director. "We have the
know-how; what we lack is the political will and visionary leadership
to put peacebuilding at its rightful place: central to our policy
making and national investment."
HR 808 was introduced by Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) with 62
cosponsors already on board. Two more members of Congress signed on
almost immediately after introduction. "Violence is not free. It is
costing us about $300 billion per year according to a World Health
Organization report," McMullen added." We cannot afford to let violence
at its current levels continue. Now is the time for every American
citizen to come together and tell Congress to support a Department of
Peace so we can dramatically reduce the spread of violence in this
country, save billions of dollars and thousands of lives every year,"
she said.
When created, the Department will be headed by a Cabinet-level
Secretary of Peace appointed by the President (with the advice and
consent of the Senate), and will work to expand the nation's capacity
to strategically develop and apply practical, cost-effective and proven
means of resolving conflict before it erupts into violence, both
domestically and internationally. It will provide unprecedented
financial and institutional heft to strengthen and complement our
current approaches to violence, focusing on prevention through
multi-layered nonviolent strategies.
Domestically, the Department will develop policies and allocate
resources to support local communities in finding, funding and
replicating effective violence-reduction and prevention programs.
Internationally, the Department will focus on understanding and
addressing the root causes of violence, providing the President and
Congress with expert resources for nonviolently defusing international
crises and conflicts. A Peace Academy, on par with the military service
academies, will provide a four-year course of instruction after which
graduates will serve five years in public service programs dedicated to
domestic or international nonviolent conflict resolution.
McMullen encouraged the public to join the organization's upcoming
National Conference, March 20-23, 2009, in Washington DC. "Participants
will learn about cutting-edge technologies in violence prevention, be
empowered as citizen activists, and go to Capitol Hill to encourage
their elected officials to support violence reduction and prevention,
and HR 808 specifically," she noted.
"We as citizens must become personally and passionately involved in the
issue of violence reduction or it will continue to destroy far too many
hopes, dreams and lives," McMullen said.
About The Peace Alliance:
The Peace Alliance is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization supporting
a growing grassroots movement active in all 50 states to pass
legislation to reduce and prevent violence, and to create a U.S.
Department of Peace. The bill, HR 808, is currently cosponsored by 65
members of the U.S. House of Representatives, including the original
sponsor.
For more information on The Peace Alliance, HR 808 and the campaign to
establish a U.S. Department of Peace, please visit
<http://www.thepeacealliance.org>www.thepeacealliance.org
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<http://www.change.org/ideas/view/appoint_secretary_of_peace_in_department_of_peace_and_non-violence>http://www.change.org/ideas/view/appoint_secretary_of_peace_in_department_of_peace_and_non-violence
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Department of Peace Legislation Introduced in the House
by Ted Nunn
Published February 16, 2009 @ 03:38PM PST
HR 808 - legislation to establish a U.S. Department of Peace - was
reintroduced into the U.S. House of Representatives on February 3,
2009, by Congressman Dennis Kucinich (OH-10) with 62 Congressional
cosponsors. Two additional cosponsors signed on after introduction,
bringing the total number of supporters to 65.
This bill has some small but exciting changes from the previous
version. For example, it calls for $10 billion dollars to fund the
Department, with 85 percent of funds designated to reduce and prevent
violence here in the United States. You can read the entire bill on The
Peace Alliance website
<http://www.thepeacealliance.org/content/view/658/23/>http://www.thepeacealliance.org/content/view/658/23/
Now is one of our strongest opportunities to raise awareness and gain
support for the bill. Please contact your Member of Congress today
<http://www.thepeacealliance.org/content/view/29/139/>http://www.thepeacealliance.org/content/view/29/139/
If your Representative is already a cosponsor, please thank him or her
and encourage them to contact other members of Congress and enroll
their support. If your Representative is not yet a cosponsor, please
encourage him or her to sign on to this vital piece of legislation. A
list of current cosponsors is available on the Peace Alliance website
<http://www.thepeacealliance.org/content/view/49/649/>http://www.thepeacealliance.org/content/view/49/649/
Lastly, please make plans now to attend the 2009 Department of Peace
Conference in D.C. on March 20-23
<http://www.thepeacealliance.org/content/view/12/67/>http://www.thepeacealliance.org/content/view/12/67/
You will learn all
you need to know about HR 808 and grassroots lobbying. On March 23, we
will all be visiting our Representatives and Senators on Capital Hill
and encouraging them to champion the Department of Peace legislation. I
hope to see you there!
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