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For immediate release
March 23, 2009
Contact: John Parker Media Coordinator
231-313-1612 (mobile)
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More than 200 Visits on Capitol Hill Today
Promote Economic Growth through Peace Development
More than 400 citizen lobbyists from over 40 states are meeting with their members of Congress today to tell them how Peace directly correlates with economic growth. More than 200 visits are planned on Capitol Hill to lobby for the establishment of a U.S. Department of Peace.
Research indicates the United States spends:
- $37 billion on Homicide and Violence-related Medically Treated Injuries
- $69 billion on Corrections (prisons, jails, etc.)
- $300 billion overall on Violence (estimate)
The U.S. loses in a single year:
- $64.7 billion in lost productivity due to violence
The Institute of Economics and Peace estimates that when a country moves up ten places on the Global Peace Index, the following major financial health indicators increase, on a per capita basis, an average of:
- Gross Domestic Product: $3,145
- Exports: $1,428
- Imports: $1,280
This lobbying day culminates a four-day conference hosted by The Peace Alliance and Student Peace Alliance, the nonpartisan nonprofit organizations leading the national grassroots campaign for a U.S. Department of Peace. H.R. 808, the legislation that will establish the Department currently has 66 cosponsors in the House of Representatives. It calls for $8.5 billion to provide tools for violence prevention and peacebuilding programs in American communities.
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 66 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 www.thepeacealliance.org .
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