Call to Action: The Building Civic Bridges Act (H.R. 6843/S. 4530)

The Building Civic Bridges Act is expected to be reintroduced in September of this year. This bill, which has broad bipartisan support, would authorize $25 million per year to formalize efforts with regard to civic bridge building. It will establish an Office of Civic Bridgebuilding within AmeriCorps to research civic bridge building and social cohesion, train AmeriCorps members on bridge-building skills, and support bridge-building efforts throughout the nation.

To Do

Contact your members of Congress to urge them to support the Building Civic Bridges Act. Use MWEG’s advocacy tool to send a letter. Quickly enter your contact information, write your letter, and send with just one click.

Background

The Building Civic Bridges Act was introduced in Congress in early 2022 and is expected to be reintroduced in September of this year. It has broad bipartisan support. It was originally co-sponsored by twelve Republicans and twelve Democrats in the House.

At the present time, Americans are deeply divided politically, religiously, and socially. These divisions make it difficult to address problems that affect us all. Part of MWEG’s official vision to build a “more peaceful, just, and ethical world” includes efforts in active peacemaking and intentional nonpartisanship. We are driven by our faith to love all people and recognize their inherent worth. MWEG members understand that love demands effort to listen and learn, to temper passions, to reduce animosity and division, and to embrace fellowship.

The Building Civic Bridges Act would establish an Office of Civic Bridgebuilding within AmeriCorps. More than 200,000 Americans volunteer every year through AmeriCorps. It already serves as a way to build bridges by bringing different people together in service activities. This bill would authorize $25 million per year to formalize efforts with regard to civic bridge building. 

The bill defines civic bridge building as “an activity that fosters respect between diverse communities, strengthens relationships across lines of difference, forges a sense of common civic purpose, and seeks to solve a community problem and diminish polarization.”

The Office of Civic Bridgebuilding would support bridge-building efforts across the country through a grant program with money used for research, projects, and training relevant to civic bridgebuilding. The office will establish a base for research to be collected and made publicly available. Grant money would be used to activate public conversation about the place and importance of bridge building, to coordinate bridge-building programs, and to provide collaboration opportunities for experts already working in this field. The office would coordinate national communication, promote local bridge-building programs, produce new resources, provide training, and focus on best practices.

MWEG is committed to the idea that society functions best when it is built upon mutual trust, respect, and social cohesion. Organized efforts to build bridges of understanding can create a more peaceful, just, and ethical world.

For more information and to view the full text of the bill, see congress.gov.