[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 313 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
108th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. RES. 313
Expressing the sense of the Senate encouraging the active engagement of
Americans in world affairs and urging the Secretary of State to
coordinate with implementing partners in creating an online database of
international exchange programs and related opportunities.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 9, 2004
Mr. Feingold (for himself and Mr. Hagel) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the Senate encouraging the active engagement of
Americans in world affairs and urging the Secretary of State to
coordinate with implementing partners in creating an online database of
international exchange programs and related opportunities.
Whereas many polls and studies have indicated that the United States needs to do
a better job of building personal and institutional relationships with
peoples and nations around the world in order to combat anti-American
sentiment;
Whereas broad bipartisan consensus in favor of strengthening United States
public diplomacy emerged during 2003 in both Houses of Congress and in
various reports, including reports of the Council on Foreign Relations,
the General Accounting Office, the Advisory Commission on Public
Diplomacy, the Heritage Foundation, and the Advisory Group on Public
Diplomacy for the Arab and Muslim World;
Whereas in November 2003, NAFSA: Association of International Educators warned
that Americans' lack of knowledge of the world represents a national
liability in the fight against terrorism;
Whereas international exchange programs, which have assisted in extending
American influence in the world by educating the world's leaders, are
suffering from a decline in funding and policy priority;
Whereas the number of United States university-level students studying abroad in
2001-2002 was 160,920, representing just over 1 percent of United States
students;
Whereas \2/3\ of United States students studying abroad study in Western Europe
(18.7 percent in the United Kingdom alone), although 95 percent of the
world population growth in the next 50 years is expected to occur
outside Western Europe;
Whereas the number of scholarships for foreign students studying at United
States institutions has dropped from 20,000 a year in the 1980s to 900
in 2003;
Whereas there are 29,400,000 retired workers in the United States as of June
2003, meaning that there are many older Americans who have the talent,
maturity, and time to volunteer their services abroad;
Whereas the average American college graduate who has studied 1 of the less
commonly taught languages reaches no more than an intermediate level of
proficiency in the language, which is insufficient to meet national
security requirements; and
Whereas there are hundreds of well-established organizations in the United
States that implement educational and professional exchanges,
international volunteering, and related programs, and the efforts of
those organizations could readily be expanded to reach out to more
Americans: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This resolution may be cited as the ``People-to-People Engagement
in World Affairs Resolution''.
SEC. 2. SENSE OF SENATE.
It is the sense of the Senate--
(1) to urge the Secretary of State to coordinate with
implementing partners in creating an online database that
provides information on how Americans can take advantage of--
(A) international exchange programs of the
Department of State, the Department of Education, and
other Federal Government and non-government entities;
(B) volunteer opportunities with organizations that
assist refugees and immigrants in the United States;
(C) opportunities to host international students
and professionals in the United States;
(D) sister-city organizations in the United States;
(E) international fairs and cultural events in the
United States; and
(F) foreign language learning opportunities;
(2) to challenge Americans to become more engaged in
international affairs and more aware of peoples and
developments outside the United States; and
(3) to encourage Americans to seize 1 or more opportunities
toward this end, by such means as--
(A) participating in a professional or cultural
exchange;
(B) studying abroad;
(C) volunteering abroad;
(D) working with an immigrant or refugee group;
(E) hosting a foreign student or professional;
(F) participating in a sister-city program; and
(G) learning a foreign language.
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