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.

Now is one of our strongest opportunities to raise awareness and gain support for the bill. Please contact your Member of Congress today.

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.

Lastly, please make plans now to attend the 2009 Department of Peace Conference in D.C. on March 20-23. 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!