Legislative Activity

The Global Criminal Justice Act establishes an Office of Global Criminal Justice within the Department of State, headed by an Ambassador-at-Large. This office will advise officials and coordinate U.S. policy on preventing and responding to atrocities like war crimes and genocide. It will also coordinate U.S. positions on international courts, help establish tribunals to investigate and prosecute atrocities, and work to collect evidence, judge those responsible, protect victims, and prevent future atrocities. The office will also advise on transitional justice in conflict zones and represent the State Department on interagency groups addressing genocide.

This bill establishes a Department of Peacebuilding within the executive branch to coordinate and promote peace-related efforts, both domestically and internationally, through nonviolent conflict resolution and violence reduction strategies. The department will be led by a Secretary of Peacebuilding and will include offices focused on peace education, domestic and international peacebuilding, technology for peace, and human rights. It emphasizes collaboration with other agencies and allocates resources, with a focus on domestic peace programs, to implement these initiatives. The bill also directs the Secretary to propose legislative changes, encourages the promotion of peace through Peace Days, and defines key terms to ensure clarity in the Act's implementation.

The Combating International Islamophobia Act directs the State Department to establish an Office to Monitor and Combat Islamophobia, headed by a Special Envoy. This office will monitor and combat Islamophobia and Islamophobic incitement in foreign countries. The State Department will also include information about Islamophobia in its annual reports on human rights practices and international religious freedom.

The "Neighbors Not Enemies Act" repeals the Alien Enemies Act, specifically removing sections 4067 through 4070 of the Revised Statutes of the United States. This eliminates the outdated provisions that allowed for the apprehension, restraint, securing, and removal of alien enemies during times of war or declared invasion.