Resources for Victims of Gun Violence Act of 2023

I 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 3962 To establish a Federal Advisory Council to Support Victims of Gun Violence. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JUNE 9, 2023 Mr. EVANS (for himself, Mr. KHANNA, Ms. CROCKETT, Ms. WILD, Mr. MOSKOWITZ, Mr. BEYER, Ms. NORTON, Mr. HIGGINS of New York, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, Ms. LEE of California, Ms. BONAMICI, Ms. BARRAGA´N, Ms. TITUS, Ms. BALINT, Ms. TOKUDA, Mr. BOYLE of Penn- sylvania, Ms. BROWN, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Ms. LOFGREN, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mrs. CHERFILUS-MCCORMICK, Ms. BROWNLEY, Ms. KELLY of Illinois, Mr. CASTEN, Mr. LYNCH, Mr. MOULTON, Mrs. FOUSHEE, Mr. GREEN of Texas, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mr. GOTTHEIMER, and Mr. SCHIFF) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary A BILL To establish a Federal Advisory Council to Support Victims of Gun Violence. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Resources for Victims 4 of Gun Violence Act of 2023’’. 5 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 6 In this Act: 7 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:57 Jun 28, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3962.IH H3962 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 3962 IH (1) ADVISORY COUNCIL.—The term ‘‘Advisory 1 Council’’ means the Advisory Council to Support 2 Victims of Gun Violence established under section 3. 3 (2) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES.—The term 4 ‘‘appropriate committees’’ means the following: 5 (A) The Committee on Health, Education, 6 Labor, and Pensions of the Senate. 7 (B) The Committee on the Judiciary of the 8 Senate. 9 (C) The Committee on Education and the 10 Workforce of the House of Representatives. 11 (D) The Committee on Energy and Com- 12 merce of the House of Representatives. 13 (E) The Committee on the Judiciary of the 14 House of Representatives. 15 (F) Any other relevant committee of the 16 Senate or of the House of Representatives with 17 jurisdiction over matters affecting victims of 18 gun violence. 19 (3) GUN VIOLENCE.—The term ‘‘gun violence’’ 20 means— 21 (A) suicide involving firearms; 22 (B) homicide involving firearms; 23 (C) domestic violence involving firearms; 24 (D) hate crimes involving firearms; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:57 Jun 28, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3962.IH H3962 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 3962 IH (E) youth violence involving firearms; 1 (F) mass shootings; 2 (G) unintentional shootings; 3 (H) non-fatal shootings; and 4 (I) threats or exposure to violent acts in- 5 volving firearms. 6 (4) VICTIM ASSISTANCE PROFESSIONAL.—The 7 term ‘‘victim assistance professional’’ means a pro- 8 fessional who assists victims of gun violence, includ- 9 ing— 10 (A) a medical professional, including an 11 emergency medical professional; 12 (B) a social worker; 13 (C) a provider of long-term services or 14 care; and 15 (D) a victim advocate. 16 (5) VICTIM OF GUN VIOLENCE.—The term ‘‘vic- 17 tim of gun violence’’ means— 18 (A) an individual who has been wounded 19 as a result of gun violence; 20 (B) an individual who has been threatened 21 with an act of gun violence; 22 (C) an individual who has witnessed an act 23 of gun violence; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:57 Jun 28, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3962.IH H3962 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 3962 IH (D) a relative, classmate, coworker, or 1 other associate of— 2 (i) an individual who has been killed 3 as a result of gun violence; or 4 (ii) an individual described in sub- 5 paragraph (A) or (B). 6 SEC. 3. ADVISORY COUNCIL TO SUPPORT VICTIMS OF GUN 7 VIOLENCE. 8 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established an Advi- 9 sory Council to Support Victims of Gun Violence. 10 (b) MEMBERSHIP.— 11 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Advisory Council shall 12 be composed of the following members or their des- 13 ignees: 14 (A) The Secretary of Health and Human 15 Services. 16 (B) The Attorney General. 17 (C) The Secretary of Education. 18 (D) The Secretary of Housing and Urban 19 Development. 20 (E) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs. 21 (F) The Commissioner of Social Security. 22 (G) The Assistant Secretary for Mental 23 Health and Substance Use. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:57 Jun 28, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3962.IH H3962 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 3962 IH (H) The Director of the Centers for Dis- 1 ease Control and Prevention. 2 (I) The Director of the National Institutes 3 of Health. 4 (J) The Administrator of the Administra- 5 tion for Community Living. 6 (K) The Director of the Office on Violence 7 Against Women. 8 (L) The Director of the Office for Victims 9 of Crime. 10 (M) The chairman of the Board of the 11 Legal Services Corporation. 12 (N) As appropriate, the head of any other 13 Federal department or agency identified by the 14 Secretary of Health and Human Services as 15 having responsibilities, or administering pro- 16 grams, relating to issues affecting victims of 17 gun violence. 18 (2) ADDITIONAL MEMBERS.—In addition to the 19 members described in paragraph (1), the Advisory 20 Council shall be composed of the following: 21 (A) Not fewer than 2 and not more than 22 5 victims of gun violence, who shall be ap- 23 pointed by the Secretary of Health and Human 24 Services. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:57 Jun 28, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3962.IH H3962 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 3962 IH (B) Not fewer than 2 and not more than 1 5 victim assistance professionals, who shall be 2 appointed by the Secretary of Health and 3 Human Services. 4 (3) LEAD AGENCY.—The Department of Health 5 and Human Services shall be the lead agency for the 6 Advisory Council. 7 (c) DUTIES.— 8 (1) ASSESSMENT.—The Advisory Council 9 shall— 10 (A) survey victims of gun violence and vic- 11 tim assistance professionals about their needs 12 in order to inform the content of information 13 disseminated under paragraph (2) and the re- 14 port published under paragraph (3); 15 (B) conduct a literature review and assess 16 past or ongoing programs designed to assist vic- 17 tims of gun violence or individuals with similar 18 needs to determine— 19 (i) the effectiveness of the programs; 20 and 21 (ii) best and promising practices for 22 assisting victims of gun violence; and 23 (C) assess the administration of compensa- 24 tion funds established after mass shootings to 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:57 Jun 28, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3962.IH H3962 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 3962 IH determine best and promising practices to di- 1 rect victims of gun violence to sources of fund- 2 ing. 3 (2) INFORMATION.— 4 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Advisory Council 5 shall identify, promote, coordinate, and dissemi- 6 nate to the public information, resources, and 7 best and promising practices available to help 8 victims of gun violence— 9 (i) meet their medical, financial, edu- 10 cational, workplace, housing, transpor- 11 tation, assistive technology, and accessi- 12 bility needs; 13 (ii) maintain their mental health and 14 emotional well-being; 15 (iii) seek legal redress for their inju- 16 ries and protection against any ongoing 17 threats to their safety; and 18 (iv) access government programs, 19 services, and benefits for which they may 20 be eligible or to which they may be enti- 21 tled. 22 (B) CONTACT INFORMATION.—The Advi- 23 sory Council shall include in the information 24 disseminated under subparagraph (A) the 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:57 Jun 28, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3962.IH H3962 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 3962 IH websites and telephone contact information for 1 helplines of relevant Federal agencies, State 2 agencies, and nonprofit organizations. 3 (C) AVAILABILITY.—The Advisory Council 4 shall make the information described in sub- 5 paragraphs (A) and (B) available— 6 (i) online through a public website; 7 and 8 (ii) by submitting a hard copy and 9 making available additional hard copies 10 to— 11 (I) each Member of Congress; 12 (II) each field office of the Social 13 Security Administration; 14 (III) each State agency that is 15 responsible for administering health 16 and human services, for dissemination 17 to medical facilities; 18 (IV) each State agency that is re- 19 sponsible for administering education 20 programs, for dissemination to 21 schools; and 22 (V) the office of each State attor- 23 ney general, for dissemination to local 24 prosecutor’s offices. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:57 Jun 28, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3962.IH H3962 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 3962 IH (3) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after 1 the date of enactment of this Act, the Advisory 2 Council shall— 3 (A) prepare a report that— 4 (i) includes the best and promising 5 practices, resources, and other useful infor- 6 mation for victims of gun violence identi- 7 fied under paragraph (2); 8 (ii) identifies any gaps in items de- 9 scribed in clause (i); and 10 (iii) if applicable, identifies any addi- 11 tional Federal or State legislative authority 12 necessary to implement the activities de- 13 scribed in clause (i) or address the gaps 14 described in clause (ii); 15 (B) submit the report prepared under sub- 16 paragraph (A) to— 17 (i) the appropriate committees; 18 (ii) each State agency that is respon- 19 sible for administering health and human 20 services; 21 (iii) each State agency that is respon- 22 sible for administering education pro- 23 grams; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:57 Jun 28, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3962.IH H3962 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 3962 IH (iv) the office of each State attorney 1 general; and 2 (C) make the report prepared under sub- 3 paragraph (A) available to the public online in 4 an accessible format. 5 (4) FOLLOW-UP REPORT.—Not later than 2 6 years after the date on which the Advisory Council 7 prepares the report under paragraph (3), the Advi- 8 sory Council shall— 9 (A) submit to the entities described in sub- 10 paragraph (B) of that paragraph a follow-up re- 11 port that includes the information identified in 12 subparagraph (A) of that paragraph; and 13 (B) make the follow-up report described in 14 subparagraph (A) available to the public online 15 in an accessible format. 16 (5) PUBLIC INPUT.— 17 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Advisory Council 18 shall establish a process to collect public input 19 to inform the development of, and provide up- 20 dates to, the best and promising practices, re- 21 sources, and other information described in 22 paragraph (2), including by conducting out- 23 reach to entities and individuals described in 24 subparagraph (B) of this paragraph that— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:57 Jun 28, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3962.IH H3962 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 3962 IH (i) have a range of experience with the 1 types of gun violence described in section 2 2(3); and 3 (ii) include representation from com- 4 munities disproportionately affected by gun 5 violence. 6 (B) ENTITIES AND INDIVIDUALS.—The en- 7 tities and individuals described in this subpara- 8 graph are— 9 (i) States, local governments, and or- 10 ganizations that provide information to, or 11 support for, victims of gun violence; 12 (ii) victims of gun violence; and 13 (iii) victim assistance professionals. 14 (C) NATURE OF OUTREACH.—In con- 15 ducting outreach under subparagraph (A), the 16 Advisory Council shall ask for input on— 17 (i) information, resources, and best 18 and promising practices available, includ- 19 ing identification of any gaps and unmet 20 needs; 21 (ii) recommendations that would help 22 victims of gun violence— 23 (I) better meet their medical, fi- 24 nancial, educational, workplace, hous- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:57 Jun 28, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3962.IH H3962 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 3962 IH ing, transportation, assistive tech- 1 nology, and accessibility needs; 2 (II) maintain their mental health 3 and emotional well-being; 4 (III) seek legal redress for their 5 injuries and protection against any 6 ongoing threats to their safety; and 7 (IV) access government pro- 8 grams, services, and benefits for 9 which the victims may be eligible or to 10 which the victims may be entitled; and 11 (iii) any other subject areas discovered 12 during the process that would help victims 13 of gun violence. 14 (d) FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ACT.—Chapter 15 10 of title 5, United States Code, shall not apply to the 16 Advisory Council. 17 (e) FUNDING.—No additional funds are authorized to 18 be appropriated to carry out this Act. 19 (f) SUNSET.—The Advisory Council shall terminate 20 on the date that is 5 years after the date of establishment 21 of the Advisory Council. 22 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:57 Jun 28, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H3962.IH H3962 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS