[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 951 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 951
To establish the Office of Gun Violence Prevention, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 22, 2023
Mr. Murphy (for himself and Mr. Blumenthal) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the
Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish the Office of Gun Violence Prevention, and for other
purposes.
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 ``Office of Gun Violence Prevention
Act of 2023''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Advisory council.--The term ``Advisory Council'' means
the advisory council established under section 3(c)(1).
(2) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of
the Office.
(3) Gun violence.--The term ``gun violence'' includes
homicide, violent crime, domestic violence, attempted suicide,
suicide, and unintentional death or injury involving a firearm.
(4) Office.--The term ``Office'' means the Office of Gun
Violence Prevention established under section 3(a).
SEC. 3. OFFICE OF GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION.
(a) Establishment.--
(1) In general.--The Attorney General shall establish
within the Office of Legal Policy of the Department of Justice
the Office of Gun Violence Prevention.
(2) Director.--The Attorney General shall appoint a
Director to be the head of the Office.
(b) Duties.--
(1) In general.--The Director, in consultation with the
Advisory Council, shall coordinate, integrate, and maximize the
efficacy of each responsibility, program, and service relating
to gun violence prevention administered by the Attorney General
to maximize an integrated approach to reducing gun violence and
serving victims of gun violence, including--
(A) the responsibilities of the heads of the
Criminal and Civil Divisions of the Department of
Justice, the Director of the Office of Community
Oriented Policing Services, each United States
Attorney, Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms and Explosives, the Director of the Office on
Violence Against Women, the Director of the Office of
Victims of Crime, and the Director of the Office of
Justice Programs; and
(B) the administration of the national instant
criminal background check system established under
section 103 of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention
Act (34 U.S.C. 40901).
(2) Evaluation.--The Director, in consultation with the
Advisory Council, shall evaluate laws, regulations, Federal
programs, offices, data sources, and grant programs relating to
gun violence prevention administered by the Attorney General to
assess how each such law, regulation, Federal program, office,
data source, and grant program can be maximized, modernized,
and coordinated to reduce gun violence.
(3) Policy recommendations.--The Director shall recommend
to Congress and the President legislative and executive policy
options to promote evidence-based gun violence prevention
strategies, including the implementation of existing laws,
regulations, and grant programs.
(4) Data.--The Director, in consultation with the Advisory
Council, shall--
(A) identify gaps in available data needed for gun
violence prevention research, policy development, and
the implementation of evidence-based gun violence
prevention strategies; and
(B) develop a plan to collect and analyze the data
described in subparagraph (A).
(5) Assessment.--The Director, in consultation with the
Advisory Council, shall assess ongoing research efforts of the
Department of Justice relating to gun violence to establish a
comprehensive research agenda on the causes and solutions of
gun violence.
(6) Education.--The Director, in consultation with the
Advisory Council, shall educate the general public about
Federal laws, regulations, and grant programs relating to gun
violence prevention, including by conducting education and
awareness campaigns--
(A) directed at--
(i) owners of firearms;
(ii) parents and legal guardians of minors;
and
(iii) professionals who provide services to
individuals and communities disproportionately
impacted by gun violence; and
(B) that include education relating to the secure
storage or firearms and suicide prevention.
(7) Coordination.--In carrying out the duties under this
subsection, the Director shall coordinate with Federal agencies
and commissions that have jurisdiction over gun violence
prevention, including--
(A) the Department of Health and Human Services;
(B) the Department of Veterans Affairs;
(C) the Department of Education;
(D) the Department of Housing and Urban
Development;
(E) the Department of Commerce;
(F) the Department of Homeland Security;
(G) the Department of Defense;
(H) the Department of the Interior;
(I) the Consumer Product Safety Commission;
(J) the Federal Trade Commission; and
(K) the United States Sentencing Commission.
(8) Annual report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Director
shall submit to Congress a report that includes--
(A) information on the state of gun violence in the
United States;
(B) recommendations for policy initiatives and
legislation to reduce gun violence in the United
States; and
(C) a description of the efforts of the Director to
carry out the duties under this subsection.
(c) Advisory Council.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, and not less frequently than quarterly
thereafter, the Attorney General shall convene an advisory
council--
(A) chaired by the Director; and
(B) the membership of which includes the following
individuals or a designee of the individual:
(i) The Deputy Attorney General.
(ii) The Associate Attorney General.
(iii) The Assistant Attorney General for
the Office of Legal Policy.
(iv) The Assistant Attorney General for the
Office of Justice Programs.
(v) The Assistant Attorney General for the
Criminal Division.
(vi) The Director of the Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
(vii) The Director of the Federal Bureau of
Investigation.
(viii) The Director of the Bureau of
Justice Assistance.
(ix) The Director of the Office on Violence
Against Women.
(x) The Director of the Office of Victims
of Crime.
(xi) The Director of the Bureau of Justice
Statistics.
(xii) The Director of the National
Institute of Justice.
(2) Additional members.--
(A) In general.--The Director shall make every
reasonable effort to include as members of the Advisory
Council not fewer than 12 additional individuals.
(B) Representatives.--The additional members
described in subparagraph (A) shall include not fewer
than 1--
(i) survivor of gun violence;
(ii) community violence intervention
service provider;
(iii) public health official;
(iv) medical professional who provides
trauma care;
(v) mental health clinician;
(vi) official from a department of justice
of a State;
(vii) State or local public health
department official;
(viii) teacher;
(ix) member of a student group; and
(x) veteran.
(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated such sums as are necessary to carry out this section.
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