,,ii #aahth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #daif ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,april #ah1 #bjbd,mr4 ,coons 7for himself and ,mr4 ,young7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,national and ,community ,service ,act of #aiij to establish an ,office of ,civic ,bridgebuilding within the ,corporation for ,national and ,community ,service1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,building ,civic ,bridges ,act4 #b4 ,civic ,bridgebuilding ,subtitle ,h of title ,i of the ,national and ,community ,service ,act of #aiij 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #abfec et seq47 is amended by adding at the end the following3 ,,vi ,civic ,bridgebuilding #aih,t4 ,office of ,civic ,bridgebuilding 7a7 ,establishment ,there shall be in the ,corporation an ,office of ,civic ,bridgebuilding 7in this section referred to as the ,office74 ,the ,office shall be headed by an ,officer of ,civic ,bridgebuilding1 who shall be designated by the ,chief ,executive ,officer pursuant to section #aie7;b74 7b7 ,duties ,the ,officer of ,civic ,bridgebuilding shall carry out each of the following3 7#a7 ,administer the grant program described in subsection 7d7 to support civic bridgebuilding across the ,united ,states1 including by establishing standardized criteria 7based on principles of scientific research and input through the consultation process under subsection 7c77 to track the effectiveness of projects and activities funded under such program4 7#b7 ,support the ,corporation in providing training in skills and techniques relevant to civic bridgebuilding 7based on principles of scientific research and input through the consultation process under subsection 7c77-- 7,a7 for participants 7including individuals who have been selected to be participants7 of a program receiving funding under the authority of the national service laws2 and 7,b7 upon request by an organization that receives funding under the authority of the national service laws or that is carrying out a program in which participants described in subparagraph 7,a7 are participating1 for such organization4 7#c7 ,support research and evaluations on civic bridgebuilding and the dissemination of related information1 including through-- 7,a7 evaluation and oversight of the grant program described in subsection 7d72 7,b7 as the ,corporation determines necessary1 collaboration 7including through the evaluation of the activities of the ,corporation relating to civic bridgebuilding and civic engagement7 between the ,office and-- 7i7 other offices 7such as the ,office of ,research and ,evaluation71 teams1 or individuals within the ,corporation2 and 7ii7 other ,federal agencies1 including the ,community ,relations ,service of the ,department of ,justice1 the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development1 and the ,united ,states ,institute of ,peace2 and 7,c7 the establishment of a publicly available collection of publications for a research base for the purpose of assembling research focused on evaluating the extent to which civic bridgebuilding and civic engagement activities strengthen or weaken other civic bridgebuilding and civic engagement activities and outcomes in the ,united ,states4 7#d7 ,activate and sustain a public conversation about the importance of civic bridgebuilding by convening and coordinating civic bridgebuilding programs and providing resources1 networking1 and collaboration opportunities to individuals and entities in the civic bridgebuilding field for the purpose of disseminating and refining best practices based on principles of scientific research and input through the consultation process under subsection 7c74 7c7 ,consultation process 7#a7 ,in general ,in carrying out the duties under this section1 the ,officer of ,civic ,bridgebuilding shall consult with members of the civic bridgebuilding field1 including for purposes of-- 7,a7 identifying strategic priorities for the ,office2 7,b7 developing the standardized criteria required under subsection 7b77#a72 7,c7 supporting the development and dissemination of research under subsection 7b77#c72 7,d7 developing best practices for civic bridgebuilding under subsection 7b77#d72 and 7,e7 administering the grant program described in subsection 7d74 7#b7 ,diversity in consultation ,in carrying out the consultation under paragraph 7#a71 the ,officer of ,civic ,bridgebuilding shall consult members of the civic bridgebuilding field who represent diverse ideological1 religious1 racial1 regional1 professional1 or ethnic communities1 including such members-- 7,a7 who represent eligible entities engaged in civic bridgebuilding2 7,b7 who represent existing or potential programs and grantees receiving funding under the authority of the national service laws1 including ,state ,service ,commissions2 7,c7 who are researchers producing work based on principles of scientific research related to civic bridgebuilding in the ,united ,states and internationally2 and 7,d7 who represent other ,federal agencies or public institutions engaged in or supporting work related to civic bridgebuilding in the ,united ,states and internationally1 such as-- 7i7 the ,community ,relations ,service of the ,department of ,justice2 7ii7 the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development2 and 7iii7 the ,united ,states ,institute of ,peace4 7d7 ,civic bridgebuilding pilot grant program 7#a7 ,in general ,from the amounts appropriated to carry out this subsection1 the ,corporation 7acting through the ,officer of ,civic ,bridgebuilding with input through the consultation process under subsection 7c77-- 7,a7 shall carry out a pilot program for a #c-year period to award grants1 on a competitive basis1 to eligible entities to support civic bridgebuilding programs across the ,united ,states for purposes of-- 7i7 reducing conflict and improving social cohesion2 and 7ii7 addressing a public concern such as unmet human1 educational1 health care1 environmental1 or public safety needs2 and 7,b7 may carry out such a pilot program for additional #c-year periods4 7#b7 ,grant period ,a grant awarded under this subsection shall be for a #a-year period4 ,grants shall be awarded under this subsection in #c grant cycles for each #c-year period of the pilot program carried out under paragraph 7#a74 7#c7 ,application ,to be eligible to receive a grant under this subsection1 an eligible entity shall submit an application to the ,corporation at such time1 in such manner1 and containing such information and assurances as the ,corporation may require1 including-- 7,a7 a description of the project that will be funded with the grant2 7,b7 an explanation of how that such project will-- 7i7 engage communities across lines of polarization2 7ii7 facilitate the establishment or continuation of civic bridgebuilding and social cohesion1 which may include addressing the root causes of polarization and conflict as described in the publicly available collection of publications for a research base established under subsection 7b77#c77;,c72 7iii7 reflect research supporting the efficacy and impact of the proposed approach for the project2 and 7iv7 ensure physical1 social1 and psychological wellbeing and safety for all participants involved in the project1 including for such participants from historically marginalized communities2 7,c7 a description of best practices grounded in principles of scientific research for how such safety will be achieved2 and 7,d7 an assurance that the eligible entity will report outcomes of such project to track effectiveness based on standardized criteria established by the ,office of ,civic ,bridgebuilding under subsection 7b77#a74 7#d7 ,uses of funds ,an eligible entity receiving a grant under this subsection shall use the grant funds to carry out a project to advance civic bridgebuilding in communities across the ,united ,states4 7e7 ,comptroller ,general ,the ,comptroller ,general of the ,united ,states shall1 not later than #ah months after the end of the #c-year period of the program carried out under subsection 7d77#a77;,a7 and1 as applicable1 not later than #ah months after each #c-year period of the program carried out under subsection 7d77#a77;,b71 submit to ,congress a report1 which summarizes and assesses the effectiveness and impact of the activities carried out under grants awarded under subsection 7d74 7f7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,civic bridgebuilding ,the term civic bridgebuilding-- 7,a7 means an activity1 grounded in principles of scientific research1 that-- 7i7 fosters respect between diverse communities2 7ii7 supports social cohesion and diminishes polarization2 7iii7 forges a sense of common civic purpose2 and 7iv7 seeks to address a public concern such as unmet human1 educational1 health care1 environmental1 or public safety needs2 and 7,b7 includes-- 7i7 activities that take place in local communities1 where individuals and institutions come together to build empathy and social cohesion1 strengthen belonging1 and address local issues2 and 7ii7 activities at the field level1 where civic bridgebuilding leaders work together to share research and best practices1 learn from one another1 and grow other civic bridgebuilding4 7#b7 ,civic bridgebuilding field ,the term civic bridgebuilding field means-- 7,a7 the programs1 leaders1 and community groups involved in civic bridgebuilding activities2 7,b7 researchers producing work based on principles of scientific research related to civic bridgebuilding in the ,united ,states and abroad2 and 7,c7 ,federal agencies and public institutions engaged in or supporting work related to civic bridgebuilding in the ,united ,states and internationally4 7#c7 ,civic bridgebuilding leader ,the term civic bridgebuilding leader means an individual who leads civic bridgebuilding programs or efforts4 7#d7 ,civic engagement ,the term civic engagement means an individual or collective action designed to address a public concern such as an unmet human1 educational1 health care1 environmental1 or public safety need4 7#e7 ,eligible entity ,the term eligible entity means a nonprofit entity1 community- or faith-based organization1 institution of higher education 7as defined in section #aja7;a7 of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajja7;a7771 public institution1 or consortium of any such entities4 7#f7 ,public institution ,the term public institution means a library or unit of ,state1 local1 or special purpose government4 7#g7 ,research base ,the term research base means any publications that contain observations1 analysis1 and conclusions based on principles of scientific research with respect to the challenges of political and social polarization in the ,united ,states1 and practical approaches to strengthen social cohesion1 foster a sense of national connection1 or improve intergroup relations in divided communities4 7g7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section #ae1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjbe through #bjbg4 4 #c4 ,table of contents ,the table of contents in section #a7;b7 of the ,national and ,community ,service ,act of #aiij is amended by inserting at the end of the item relating to subtitle ,h of title ,i1 the following3 ,part ,,vi--,civic ,bridgebuilding ,sec4 #aih,t4 ,office of ,civic ,bridgebuilding4 4