Resources for Victims of Gun Violence Act of 2021
This bill establishes the Advisory Council to Support Victims of Gun Violence.
Among other things, the advisory council must assess the needs of victims of gun violence and disseminate information about helpful resources.
[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1560 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1560
To establish a Federal Advisory Council to Support Victims of Gun
Violence.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 3, 2021
Mr. Evans (for himself, Mr. Auchincloss, Ms. Barragan, Ms. Bass, Mrs.
Beatty, Mr. Beyer, Mr. Blumenauer, Ms. Blunt Rochester, Mr. Bowman, Ms.
Brownley, Mrs. Bustos, Mr. Carson, Mr. Casten, Ms. Clarke of New York,
Mr. Cooper, Mr. Costa, Ms. Dean, Ms. DeGette, Mr. DeSaulnier, Mr.
Michael F. Doyle of Pennsylvania, Ms. Escobar, Mr. Espaillat, Mr.
Garcia of Illinois, Mr. Green of Texas, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Hastings,
Mrs. Hayes, Mr. Higgins of New York, Mr. Himes, Mr. Horsford, Ms.
Jackson Lee, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Mr. Jones, Ms. Kelly of Illinois,
Mr. Khanna, Mr. Kildee, Mrs. Kirkpatrick, Mrs. Lawrence, Ms. Lee of
California, Mr. Lynch, Mrs. McBath, Ms. McCollum, Mr. McEachin, Mr.
McGovern, Mr. Meeks, Ms. Meng, Mr. Morelle, Mr. Moulton, Mr. Neguse,
Ms. Norton, Mr. Pocan, Ms. Pressley, Mr. Raskin, Ms. Roybal-Allard, Ms.
Scanlon, Ms. Schakowsky, Ms. Sewell, Mr. Sires, Mr. Smith of
Washington, Ms. Speier, Mr. Suozzi, Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, Ms.
Tlaib, Ms. Underwood, Mr. Vargas, Mr. Veasey, Ms. Wasserman Schultz,
Mrs. Watson Coleman, and Ms. Wild) 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 Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Resources for Victims of Gun
Violence Act of 2021''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) In the United States, more than 100 individuals are
killed with guns every day, totaling nearly 40,000 individuals
who die from gun violence every year.
(2) Additionally, more than 230 individuals sustain a
nonfatal gun injury every day. According to a recent national
poll, an estimated 10,000,000 individuals in the United States
have been shot and injured in their lifetimes.
(3) In that same poll, approximately 58 percent of adults
in the United States reported that they, or someone they care
for, have experienced a form of gun violence, including a gun
suicide, a gun homicide, domestic violence involving a gun, or
an unintentional shooting.
(4) Nearly two-thirds of gun-related deaths in the United
States are suicides. Most individuals who attempt suicide do
not die--unless they use a gun. Approximately 90 percent of gun
suicide attempts end in death, whereas 4 percent of suicide
attempts not involving a firearm result in death.
(5) This is particularly concerning for veterans, children,
and teenagers. Veterans are 1.5 times more likely than non-
veterans to die by suicide, and in 2017, 69 percent of veteran
suicides were by gun. Among children and teenagers, the rate of
gun suicide has increased 59 percent over the past 10 years.
(6) An estimated 40,000,000 adults in the United States
report someone they cared for had attempted or died by suicide
with a gun.
(7) More than one-third of gun-related deaths in the United
States are homicides, and in 2015, the gun homicide rate in the
United States was nearly 25 times higher than in other high-
income countries.
(8) Gun homicides in the United States occur
disproportionately in cities, particularly in racially
segregated neighborhoods with high rates of poverty. Gun
homicide disproportionately affects communities of color, and
Black Americans represent the majority of gun homicide victims.
(9) More than 600 mass shootings, defined as shootings in
which 4 or more individuals were shot and killed or injured,
took place in the United States in 2020, and more than 2,600
mass shootings have taken place since the shooting at Sandy
Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012.
(10) Firearms are the leading cause of death for children
and teenagers. In 2019, more than 3,300 children and teenagers
were shot and killed. Each year, approximately 15,600 children
and teenagers are shot and injured. Black children and
teenagers are 14 times more likely than their white peers to
die by gun homicide.
(11) During an average year in the United States, more than
600 women are shot to death by an intimate partner, and many
more women are shot and injured by an intimate partner. Nearly
1,000,000 women in the United States who are alive today have
been shot or shot at by an intimate partner, and approximately
4,500,000 women in the United States today have been threatened
with a gun by an intimate partner.
(12) More than 10,300 violent hate crimes committed in the
United States in an average year involve a gun, or more than 28
each day. The vast majority of hate crimes are directed against
communities of color, religious minorities, and individuals in
the LGBTQ+ community.
(13) In 2020, communities and cities across the United
States experienced an increase in gun violence and gun
homicides as the country struggled with the economic and social
uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
(14) From March 2020 through November 2020, an estimated
17,400,000 guns were sold, an 81 percent increase over the same
period in 2019. This unprecedented surge in gun sales put
children, victims of domestic abuse, and communities of color
at an even greater risk of gun violence.
(15) The individuals who survive gun violence every year in
the United States face a lifelong process of physical and
emotional healing, in addition to the heavy economic costs
faced by those survivors, their families and communities, and
society as a whole. Furthermore, victims of gun violence are
often unaware of or have trouble accessing many available
resources that could help them in their recovery.
(16) Victims of gun violence experience persistent mental
health problems, including post-traumatic stress, depression,
self-harm, anxiety, and substance abuse. The National Center
for PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) of the Department of
Veterans Affairs estimates that 28 percent of individuals who
witness a mass shooting develop PTSD, and about one-third of
those individuals develop acute stress disorder. Victims of gun
violence suffer from increased rates of unemployment, and young
victims of gun violence are more likely to have lower grades
and more absences from school.
(17) Young people who survive gun-related incidents are
also at risk of experiencing gun violence again in the future.
One study estimated that nearly one-fourth of the individuals
who survive a gun shooting at age 24 or younger will be shot
again within the next 10 years.
(18) Given the immense physical and emotional toll of gun
violence on victims, Congress must do more to ensure that
victims of gun violence have access to the resources they need
to recover from their trauma--especially for victims
experiencing common, everyday gun violence in racially
segregated neighborhoods with high rates of poverty and chronic
disinvestment.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Advisory council.--The term ``Advisory Council'' means
the Advisory Council to Support Victims of Gun Violence
established under section 4.
(2) Appropriate committees.--The term ``appropriate
committees'' means the following:
(A) The Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and
Pensions of the Senate.
(B) The Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate.
(C) The Committee on Education and Labor of the
House of Representatives.
(D) The Committee on Energy and Commerce of the
House of Representatives.
(E) The Committee on the Judiciary of the House of
Representatives.
(F) Any other relevant committee of the Senate or
of the House of Representatives with jurisdiction over
matters affecting victims of gun violence.
(3) Gun violence.--The term ``gun violence'' means--
(A) suicide involving firearms;
(B) homicide involving firearms;
(C) domestic violence involving firearms;
(D) hate crimes involving firearms;
(E) youth violence involving firearms;
(F) mass shootings;
(G) unintentional shootings;
(H) non-fatal shootings; and
(I) threats or exposure to violent acts involving
firearms.
(4) Victim assistance professional.--The term ``victim
assistance professional'' means a professional who assists
victims of gun violence, including--
(A) a medical professional, including an emergency
medical professional;
(B) a social worker;
(C) a provider of long-term services or care; and
(D) a victim advocate.
(5) Victim of gun violence.--The term ``victim of gun
violence'' means--
(A) an individual who has been wounded as a result
of gun violence;
(B) an individual who has been threatened with an
act of gun violence;
(C) an individual who has witnessed an act of gun
violence; and
(D) a relative, classmate, coworker, or other
associate of--
(i) an individual who has been killed as a
result of gun violence; or
(ii) an individual described in
subparagraph (A) or (B).
SEC. 4. ADVISORY COUNCIL TO SUPPORT VICTIMS OF GUN VIOLENCE.
(a) Establishment.--There is established an Advisory Council to
Support Victims of Gun Violence.
(b) Membership.--
(1) In general.--The Advisory Council shall be composed of
the following members or their designees:
(A) The Secretary of Health and Human Services.
(B) The Attorney General.
(C) The Secretary of Education.
(D) The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
(E) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
(F) The Commissioner of the Social Security
Administration.
(G) The Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and
Substance Use.
(H) The Director of the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention.
(I) The Director of the National Institutes of
Health.
(J) The Administrator of the Administration for
Community Living.
(K) The Director of the Office on Violence Against
Women.
(L) The Director of the Office for Victims of
Crime.
(M) The chairman of the Board of the Legal Services
Corporation.
(N) As appropriate, the head of any other Federal
department or agency identified by the Secretary of
Health and Human Services as having responsibilities,
or administering programs, relating to issues affecting
victims of gun violence.
(2) Additional members.--In addition to the members
described in paragraph (1), the Advisory Council shall be
composed of the following:
(A) Not fewer than 2 and not more than 5 victims of
gun violence, who shall be appointed by the Secretary
of Health and Human Services.
(B) Not fewer than 2 and not more than 5 victim
assistance professionals, who shall be appointed by the
Secretary of Health and Human Services.
(3) Lead agency.--The Department of Health and Human
Services shall be the lead agency for the Advisory Council.
(c) Duties.--
(1) Assessment.--The Advisory Council shall--
(A) survey victims of gun violence and victim
assistance professionals about their needs in order to
inform the content of information disseminated under
paragraph (2) and the report published under paragraph
(3);
(B) conduct a literature review and assess past or
ongoing programs designed to assist victims of gun
violence or individuals with similar needs to
determine--
(i) the effectiveness of the programs; and
(ii) best and promising practices for
assisting victims of gun violence; and
(C) assess the administration of compensation funds
established after mass shootings to determine best and
promising practices to direct victims of gun violence
to sources of funding.
(2) Information.--
(A) In general.--The Advisory Council shall
identify, promote, coordinate, and disseminate to the
public information, resources, and best and promising
practices available to help victims of gun violence--
(i) meet their medical, financial,
educational, workplace, housing,
transportation, assistive technology, and
accessibility needs;
(ii) maintain their mental health and
emotional well-being;
(iii) seek legal redress for their injuries
and protection against any ongoing threats to
their safety; and
(iv) access government programs, services,
and benefits for which they may be eligible or
to which they may be entitled.
(B) Contact information.--The Advisory Council
shall include in the information disseminated under
subparagraph (A) the websites and telephone contact
information for helplines of relevant Federal agencies,
State agencies, and nonprofit organizations.
(C) Availability.--The Advisory Council shall make
the information described in subparagraphs (A) and (B)
available--
(i) online through a public website; and
(ii) by submitting a hard copy and making
available additional hard copies to--
(I) each Member of Congress;
(II) each field office of the
Social Security Administration;
(III) each State agency that is
responsible for administering health
and human services, for dissemination
to medical facilities;
(IV) each State agency that is
responsible for administering education
programs, for dissemination to schools;
and
(V) the office of each State
attorney general, for dissemination to
local prosecutor's offices.
(3) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Advisory Council shall--
(A) prepare a report that--
(i) includes the best and promising
practices, resources, and other useful
information for victims of gun violence
identified under paragraph (2);
(ii) identifies any gaps in items described
in clause (i); and
(iii) if applicable, identifies any
additional Federal or State legislative
authority necessary to implement the activities
described in clause (i) or address the gaps
described in clause (ii);
(B) submit the report prepared under subparagraph
(A) to--
(i) the appropriate committees;
(ii) each State agency that is responsible
for administering health and human services;
(iii) each State agency that is responsible
for administering education programs; and
(iv) the office of each State attorney
general; and
(C) make the report prepared under subparagraph (A)
available to the public online in an accessible format.
(4) Follow-up report.--Not later than 2 years after the
date on which the Advisory Council prepares the report under
paragraph (3), the Advisory Council shall--
(A) submit to the entities described in
subparagraph (B) of that paragraph a follow-up report
that includes the information identified in
subparagraph (A) of that paragraph; and
(B) make the follow-up report described in
subparagraph (A) available to the public online in an
accessible format.
(5) Public input.--
(A) In general.--The Advisory Council shall
establish a process to collect public input to inform
the development of, and provide updates to, the best
and promising practices, resources, and other
information described in paragraph (2), including by
conducting outreach to entities and individuals
described in subparagraph (B) of this paragraph that--
(i) have a range of experience with the
types of gun violence described in section
3(3); and
(ii) include representation from
communities disproportionately affected by gun
violence.
(B) Entities and individuals.--The entities and
individuals described in this subparagraph are--
(i) States, local governments, and
organizations that provide information to, or
support for, victims of gun violence;
(ii) victims of gun violence; and
(iii) victim assistance professionals.
(C) Nature of outreach.--In conducting outreach
under subparagraph (A), the Advisory Council shall ask
for input on--
(i) information, resources, and best and
promising practices available, including
identification of any gaps and unmet needs;
(ii) recommendations that would help
victims of gun violence--
(I) better meet their medical,
financial, educational, workplace,
housing, transportation, assistive
technology, and accessibility needs;
(II) maintain their mental health
and emotional well-being;
(III) seek legal redress for their
injuries and protection against any
ongoing threats to their safety; and
(IV) access government programs,
services, and benefits for which the
victims may be eligible or to which the
victims may be entitled; and
(iii) any other subject areas discovered
during the process that would help victims of
gun violence.
(d) FACA.--The Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall
not apply to the Advisory Council.
(e) Funding.--No additional funds are authorized to be appropriated
to carry out this Act.
(f) Sunset.--The Advisory Council shall terminate on the date that
is 5 years after the date of establishment of the Advisory Council.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
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