I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2994 

To protect individuals by strengthening the Nation’s mental health infrastructure, improving the understanding of violence, strengthening firearm 

prohibitions and protections for at-risk individuals, and improving and 

expanding the reporting of mental health records to the National Instant 

Criminal Background Check System. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 9, 2015 

Mr. THOMPSON of California (for himself, Mr. PERLMUTTER, Ms. TSONGAS, 

Mr. FATTAH, Ms. ESTY, Mr. YARMUTH, Mr. HIMES, Mr. SWALWELL of 

California, Ms. NORTON, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Ms. 

CLARK of Massachusetts, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr. ELLISON, Ms. MATSUI, 

Ms. EDWARDS, Mr. QUIGLEY, Ms. LEE, and Mrs. CAPPS) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and 

in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to 

be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 

concerned 

A BILL 

To protect individuals by strengthening the Nation’s mental 

health infrastructure, improving the understanding of violence, strengthening firearm prohibitions and protections for at-risk individuals, and improving and expanding the reporting of mental health records to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Safer Communities 

3 Act of 2015’’. 

4 SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

5 The table of contents of this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title. 

Sec. 2. Table of contents. 

Sec. 3. Statement of purpose. 

TITLE I—STRENGTHENING AND IMPROVING INTERVENTION 

EFFORTS 

Sec. 101. Mental health crisis assessment, prevention, and education grant program. 

Sec. 102. School-based mental health programs. 

Sec. 103. Justice and mental health collaboration. 

TITLE II—IMPROVING RESEARCH ON VIOLENCE 

Sec. 201. Research with respect to violence. 

TITLE III—UNDERSTANDING THE EPIDEMIC OF GUN VIOLENCE 

Sec. 301. National violent death reporting system. 

Sec. 302. Reaffirming Centers for Disease Control’s authority. 

Sec. 303. Protecting confidential doctor-patient relationship. 

TITLE IV—ENSURING SAFE COMMUNITIES 

Sec. 401. Ban on firearm possession by person committed involuntarily to mental institution on an outpatient basis. 

Sec. 402. Grant program regarding firearms. 

Sec. 403. Notification of State and local law enforcement authorities of attempt 

to purchase firearm by ineligible person. 

TITLE V—RESTORATION 

Sec. 501. Federal agency relief program. 

Sec. 502. State relief programs. 

Sec. 503. Ineligibility due to disqualifying mental status. 

TITLE VI—SUBMISSION OF RECORDS TO NATIONAL INSTANT 

CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECK SYSTEM 

Sec. 601. Reports relating to submission of information to NICS. 

Sec. 602. Reauthorization of the National Criminal History Records Improvement Program. 

Sec. 603. Improvement of metrics and incentives. 

Sec. 604. Grants to States to improve coordination and automation of NICS 

record reporting. 

Sec. 605. Sharing of records by Federal departments and agencies with NICS. 

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1 SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE. 

2 The purpose of this Act is to ensure the public safety 

3 and welfare of communities by promoting evidence-based 

4 approaches that will prevent the tragic toll of gun violence 

5 on families and communities. This purpose can be accom6 plished by— 

7 (1) strengthening and improving intervention 

8 efforts by increasing investments in programs de9 signed to appropriately identify, respond to, treat, 

10 and mitigate future behavioral health crises; 

11 (2) prioritizing research on reducing the threat 

12 of gun violence to self or others and identifying fur13 ther risk factors for violence, including gender, cul14 ture, substance abuse, and history of violence; and 

15 (3) restricting gun access by individuals found 

16 to at an elevated risk of committing future acts of 

17 violence against self or others. 

18 TITLE I—STRENGTHENING AND 

19 IMPROVING INTERVENTION 

20 EFFORTS 

21 SEC. 101. MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS ASSESSMENT, PREVEN22 TION, AND EDUCATION GRANT PROGRAM. 

23 (a) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section, the 

24 following definitions shall apply: 

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1 (1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti2 ty’’ means a State, political subdivision of a State, 

3 or nonprofit private entity. 

4 (2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

5 the Secretary of Health and Human Services. 

6 (3) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each 

7 State of the United States, the District of Columbia, 

8 each commonwealth, territory or possession of the 

9 United States, and each federally recognized Indian 

10 tribe. 

11 (b) ESTABLISHMENT OF GRANT PROGRAM.— 

12 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall es13 tablish a program to award grants to eligible entities 

14 to carry out the activities described in paragraph 

15 (2). 

16 (2) USE OF FUNDS.— 

17 (A) IN GENERAL.—Grants under this sec18 tion may be used to carry out programs that— 

19 (i) expand early invention and treat20 ment services to improve access to mental 

21 health crisis assistance and address unmet 

22 mental health care needs; 

23 (ii) expand the continuum of services 

24 to address crisis intervention and crisis 

25 stabilization; 

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1 (iii) reduce recidivism due to mental 

2 health crises and mitigate unnecessary ex3 penditures by local law enforcement; and 

4 (iv) reduce unnecessary hospitaliza5 tions by appropriately utilizing community6 based services and improving access to 

7 timely mental health crisis assistance. 

8 (B) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.—The pro9 grams described in subparagraph (A) may in10 clude any or all of the following activities: 

11 (i) Mental health crisis intervention 

12 and response training for law enforcement 

13 (to increase officers’ understanding and 

14 recognition of mental illnesses). 

15 (ii) Mobile support that provides field16 based behavioral health assistance to law 

17 enforcement and members of the commu18 nity and links individuals in crisis to ap19 propriate services. 

20 (iii) School and community-based 

21 early intervention and prevention programs 

22 that provide mobile response, screening 

23 and assessment, training and education, 

24 and peer-based and family services. 

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1 (3) APPLICATION.—To be considered for a 

2 grant under this section, an eligible entity shall sub3 mit an application to the Secretary at such time, in 

4 such manner, and containing such information as 

5 the Secretary may require. At minimum, such appli6 cation shall include a description of— 

7 (A) the activities to be funded with the 

8 grant; 

9 (B) community needs; 

10 (C) the population to be served; and 

11 (D) the interaction between the activities 

12 described in subparagraph (A) and public sys13 tems of health and mental health care, law en14 forcement, social services, and related assist15 ance programs. 

16 (4) SELECTING AMONG APPLICANTS.— 

17 (A) IN GENERAL.—Grants shall be award18 ed to eligible entities on a competitive basis. 

19 (B) SELECTION CRITERIA.—The Secretary 

20 shall evaluate applicants based on such criteria 

21 as the Secretary determines to be appropriate, 

22 including the ability of an applicant to carry 

23 out the activities described in paragraph (2). 

24 (5) REPORTS.— 

25 (A) ANNUAL REPORTS.— 

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1 (i) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—As a condi2 tion of receiving a grant under this section, 

3 an eligible entity shall agree to submit a 

4 report to the Secretary, on an annual 

5 basis, describing the activities carried out 

6 with the grant and assessing the effective7 ness of such activities. 

8 (ii) SECRETARY.—The Secretary 

9 shall, on an annual basis, and using the re10 ports received under clause (i), report to 

11 Congress on the overall impact and effec12 tiveness of the grant program under this 

13 section. 

14 (B) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than Janu15 ary 15, 2020, the Secretary shall submit to 

16 Congress a final report that includes rec17 ommendations with respect to the feasibility 

18 and advisability of extending or expanding the 

19 grant program. 

20 (6) COLLECTION OF DATA.— 

21 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall col22 lect data on the grant program to determine its 

23 effectiveness in reducing the social impact of 

24 mental health crises and the feasibility and ad25 visability of extending the grant program. 

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1 (B) MANNER OF COLLECTION.—Data de2 scribed in subparagraph (A) shall be collected 

3 and analyzed using a scientific peer-reviewed 

4 system and valid and reliable results-based re5 search methodologies. 

6 (c) FUNDING.— 

7 (1) GRANT AMOUNT.—A grant under this sec8 tion shall be in an amount that is not more than 

9 $100,000 for each of fiscal years 2016 through 

10 2020. Subject to the preceding sentence, the Sec11 retary shall determine the amount of each grant. 

12 (2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

13 There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

14 this section $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

15 2016 through 2020. 

16 SEC. 102. SCHOOL-BASED MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAMS. 

17 (a) TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS.—The second part G 

18 (relating to services provided through religious organiza19 tions) of title V of the Public Health Service Act (42 

20 U.S.C. 290kk et seq.) is amended— 

21 (1) by redesignating such part as part J; and 

22 (2) by redesignating sections 581 through 584 

23 as sections 596 through 596C, respectively. 

24 (b) SCHOOL-BASED MENTAL HEALTH AND CHIL25 DREN AND VIOLENCE.—Section 581 of the Public Health 

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1 Service Act (42 U.S.C. 290hh) is amended to read as fol2 lows: 

3 ‘‘SEC. 581. SCHOOL-BASED MENTAL HEALTH AND CHIL4 DREN AND VIOLENCE. 

5 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in collaboration 

6 with the Secretary of Education and in consultation with 

7 the Attorney General, shall, directly or through grants, 

8 contracts, or cooperative agreements awarded to public en9 tities and local education agencies, assist local commu10 nities and schools in applying a public health approach 

11 to mental health services both in schools and in the com12 munity. Such approach should provide comprehensive age13 appropriate services and supports, be linguistically and 

14 culturally appropriate, be trauma-informed, and incor15 porate age-appropriate strategies of positive behavioral 

16 interventions and supports. A comprehensive school men17 tal health program funded under this section shall assist 

18 children in dealing with trauma and violence. 

19 ‘‘(b) ACTIVITIES.—Under the program under sub20 section (a), the Secretary may— 

21 ‘‘(1) provide financial support to enable local 

22 communities to implement a comprehensive cul23 turally and linguistically appropriate, trauma-in24 formed, and age-appropriate, school mental health 

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1 ventions, client treatment, and supports to foster the 

2 health and development of children; 

3 ‘‘(2) provide technical assistance to local com4 munities with respect to the development of pro5 grams described in paragraph (1); 

6 ‘‘(3) provide assistance to local communities in 

7 the development of policies to address child and ado8 lescent trauma and mental health issues and violence 

9 when and if it occurs; 

10 ‘‘(4) facilitate community partnerships among 

11 families, students, law enforcement agencies, edu12 cation systems, mental health and substance use dis13 order service systems, family-based mental health 

14 service systems, welfare agencies, health care service 

15 systems (including physicians), faith-based pro16 grams, trauma networks, and other community17 based systems; and 

18 ‘‘(5) establish mechanisms for children and ado19 lescents to report incidents of violence or plans by 

20 other children, adolescents, or adults to commit vio21 lence. 

22 ‘‘(c) REQUIREMENTS.— 

23 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible for a grant, 

24 contract, or cooperative agreement under subsection 

25 (a), an entity shall— 

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1 ‘‘(A) be a partnership between a local edu2 cation agency and at least one community pro3 gram or agency that is involved in mental 

4 health; and 

5 ‘‘(B) submit an application, that is en6 dorsed by all members of the partnership, that 

7 contains the assurances described in paragraph 

8 (2). 

9 ‘‘(2) REQUIRED ASSURANCES.—An application 

10 under paragraph (1) shall contain assurances as fol11 lows: 

12 ‘‘(A) That the applicant will ensure that, 

13 in carrying out activities under this section, the 

14 local educational agency involved will enter into 

15 a memorandum of understanding— 

16 ‘‘(i) with at least one public or private 

17 mental health entity, health care entity, 

18 law enforcement or juvenile justice entity, 

19 child welfare agency, family-based mental 

20 health entity, family or family organiza21 tion, trauma network, or other community22 based entity; and 

23 ‘‘(ii) that clearly states— 

24 ‘‘(I) how school-employed mental 

25 health professionals (such as school 

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1 psychologists, school counselors, and 

2 school social workers) will be utilized 

3 in the comprehensive school mental 

4 health program; 

5 ‘‘(II) the responsibilities of each 

6 partner with respect to the activities 

7 to be carried out; 

8 ‘‘(III) how each such partner will 

9 be accountable for carrying out such 

10 responsibilities; and 

11 ‘‘(IV) the amount of non-Federal 

12 funding or in-kind contributions that 

13 each such partner will contribute in 

14 order to sustain the program. 

15 ‘‘(B) That the comprehensive school-based 

16 mental health program carried out under this 

17 section supports the flexible use of funds to ad18 dress— 

19 ‘‘(i) the promotion of the social, emo20 tional, mental, and behavioral health and 

21 wellness of all students in an environment 

22 that is conducive to learning; 

23 ‘‘(ii) the reduction in the likelihood of 

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1 tional, mental, and behavioral health prob2 lems, or substance use disorders; 

3 ‘‘(iii) the early identification of social, 

4 emotional, mental, and behavioral prob5 lems, or substance use disorders and the 

6 provision of early intervention services; 

7 ‘‘(iv) the treatment or referral for 

8 treatment of students with existing social, 

9 emotional, mental, and behavioral health 

10 problems, or substance use disorders; and 

11 ‘‘(v) the development and implementa12 tion of programs to assist children in deal13 ing with trauma and violence. 

14 ‘‘(C) That the comprehensive school-based 

15 mental health program carried out under this 

16 section will provide for in-service training of all 

17 school personnel, including ancillary staff and 

18 volunteers, in— 

19 ‘‘(i) the techniques and supports need20 ed to identify early children with trauma 

21 histories and children with, or at risk of, 

22 mental illness; 

23 ‘‘(ii) the use of referral mechanisms 

24 that effectively link such children to appro25 priate treatment and intervention services 

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1 in the school and in the community and to 

2 follow-up when services are not available; 

3 ‘‘(iii) strategies that promote the so4 cial, emotional, mental, and behavioral 

5 health and wellness of all students; 

6 ‘‘(iv) strategies for promoting the so7 cial, emotional, mental, and behavioral 

8 health of all students; and 

9 ‘‘(v) strategies to increase the knowl10 edge and skills of school and community 

11 leaders about the impact of trauma and vi12 olence and on the application of a public 

13 health approach to comprehensive school14 based mental health programs. 

15 ‘‘(D) That the comprehensive school-based 

16 mental health program carried out under this 

17 section will include comprehensive training for 

18 parents, siblings, and other family members of 

19 children with mental health disorders, and for 

20 concerned members of the community in— 

21 ‘‘(i) the techniques and supports need22 ed to identify early children with trauma 

23 histories, and children with, or at risk of, 

24 mental illness; 

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1 ‘‘(ii) the use of referral mechanisms 

2 that effectively link such children to appro3 priate treatment and intervention services 

4 in the school and in the community and 

5 follow-up when such services are not avail6 able; and 

7 ‘‘(iii) strategies that promote a school8 wide positive environment. 

9 ‘‘(E) That the comprehensive school-based 

10 mental health program carried out under this 

11 section will demonstrate the measures to be 

12 taken to sustain the program after funding 

13 under this section terminates. 

14 ‘‘(F) That the local education agency part15 nership involved is supported by the State edu16 cational and mental health system to ensure 

17 that the sustainability of the programs is estab18 lished after funding under this section termi19 nates. 

20 ‘‘(G) That the comprehensive school-based 

21 mental health program carried out under this 

22 section will be based on trauma-informed and 

23 evidence-based practices. 

24 ‘‘(H) That the comprehensive school-based 

25 mental health program carried out under this 

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1 section will be coordinated with early inter2 vening activities carried out under the Individ3 uals with Disabilities Education Act. 

4 ‘‘(I) That the comprehensive school-based 

5 mental health program carried out under this 

6 section will be trauma-informed and culturally 

7 and linguistically appropriate. 

8 ‘‘(J) That the comprehensive school-based 

9 mental health program carried out under this 

10 section will include a broad needs assessment of 

11 youth who drop out of school due to policies of 

12 ‘zero tolerance’ with respect to drugs, alcohol, 

13 or weapons and an inability to obtain appro14 priate services. 

15 ‘‘(K) That the mental health services pro16 vided through the comprehensive school-based 

17 mental health program carried out under this 

18 section will be provided by qualified mental and 

19 behavioral health professionals who are certified 

20 or licensed by the State involved and practicing 

21 within their area of expertise. 

22 ‘‘(3) COORDINATOR.—Any entity that is a 

23 member of a partnership described in paragraph 

24 (1)(A) may serve as the coordinator of funding and 

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1 activities under the grant if all members of the part2 nership agree. 

3 ‘‘(4) COMPLIANCE WITH HIPAA.—A grantee 

4 under this section shall be deemed to be a covered 

5 entity for purposes of compliance with the regula6 tions promulgated under section 264(c) of the 

7 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act 

8 of 1996 with respect to any patient records devel9 oped through activities under the grant. 

10 ‘‘(d) GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION.—The Secretary 

11 shall ensure that grants, contracts, or cooperative agree12 ments under subsection (a) will be distributed equitably 

13 among the regions of the country and among urban and 

14 rural areas. 

15 ‘‘(e) DURATION OF AWARDS.—With respect to a 

16 grant, contract, or cooperative agreement under sub17 section (a), the period during which payments under such 

18 an award will be made to the recipient shall be 6 years. 

19 An entity may receive only one award under this section, 

20 except that an entity that is providing services and sup21 ports on a regional basis may receive additional funding 

22 after the expiration of the preceding grant period. 

23 ‘‘(f) EVALUATION AND MEASURES OF OUTCOMES.— 

24 ‘‘(1) DEVELOPMENT OF PROCESS.—The Ad25 ministrator shall develop a fiscally appropriate procmstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with BILLS

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1 ess for evaluating activities carried out under this 

2 section. Such process shall include— 

3 ‘‘(A) the development of guidelines for the 

4 submission of program data by grant, contract, 

5 or cooperative agreement recipients; 

6 ‘‘(B) the development of measures of out7 comes (in accordance with paragraph (2)) to be 

8 applied by such recipients in evaluating pro9 grams carried out under this section; and 

10 ‘‘(C) the submission of annual reports by 

11 such recipients concerning the effectiveness of 

12 programs carried out under this section. 

13 ‘‘(2) MEASURES OF OUTCOMES.— 

14 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator 

15 shall develop measures of outcomes to be ap16 plied by recipients of assistance under this sec17 tion, and the Administrator, in evaluating the 

18 effectiveness of programs carried out under this 

19 section. Such measures shall include student 

20 and family measures as provided for in sub21 paragraph (B) and local educational measures 

22 as provided for under subparagraph (C). 

23 ‘‘(B) STUDENT AND FAMILY MEASURES OF

24 OUTCOMES.—The measures of outcomes devel25 oped under paragraph (1)(B) relating to stumstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with BILLS

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1 dents and families shall, with respect to activi2 ties carried out under a program under this 

3 section, at a minimum include provisions to 

4 evaluate whether the program is effective in— 

5 ‘‘(i) improving social, emotional, men6 tal, and behavioral health and wellness; 

7 ‘‘(ii) increasing academic competency 

8 (as defined by Secretary); 

9 ‘‘(iii) reducing disruptive and aggres10 sive behaviors; 

11 ‘‘(iv) improving child functioning; 

12 ‘‘(v) reducing substance use disorders; 

13 ‘‘(vi) reducing suspensions, truancy, 

14 expulsions and violence; 

15 ‘‘(vii) increasing graduation rates (as 

16 defined in section 1111(b)(2)(C)(vi) of the 

17 Elementary and Secondary Education Act 

18 of 1965); and 

19 ‘‘(viii) improving access to care for 

20 mental health disorders. 

21 ‘‘(C) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES.— 

22 The outcome measures developed under para23 graph (1)(B) relating to local educational sys24 tems shall, with respect to activities carried out 

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1 under a program under this section, at a min2 imum include provisions to evaluate— 

3 ‘‘(i) the effectiveness of comprehensive 

4 school mental health programs established 

5 under this section; 

6 ‘‘(ii) the effectiveness of formal part7 nership linkages among child and family 

8 serving institutions, community support 

9 systems, and the educational system; 

10 ‘‘(iii) the progress made in sustaining 

11 the program once funding under the grant 

12 has expired; 

13 ‘‘(iv) the effectiveness of training and 

14 professional development programs for all 

15 school personnel that incorporate indica16 tors that measure cultural and linguistic 

17 competencies under the program in a man18 ner that incorporates appropriate cultural 

19 and linguistic training; 

20 ‘‘(v) the improvement in perception of 

21 a safe and supportive learning environment 

22 among school staff, students, and parents; 

23 ‘‘(vi) the improvement in case-finding 

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1 ices and referral of identified students to 

2 early intervention and clinical services; 

3 ‘‘(vii) the improvement in the imme4 diate availability of clinical assessment and 

5 treatment services within the context of 

6 the local community to students posing a 

7 danger to themselves or others; 

8 ‘‘(viii) the increased successful matric9 ulation to postsecondary school; and 

10 ‘‘(ix) reduced referrals to juvenile jus11 tice. 

12 ‘‘(3) SUBMISSION OF ANNUAL DATA.—An entity 

13 that receives a grant, contract, or cooperative agree14 ment under this section shall annually submit to the 

15 Administrator a report that includes data to evalu16 ate the success of the program carried out by the en17 tity based on whether such program is achieving the 

18 purposes of the program. Such reports shall utilize 

19 the measures of outcomes under paragraph (2) in a 

20 reasonable manner to demonstrate the progress of 

21 the program in achieving such purposes. 

22 ‘‘(4) EVALUATION BY ADMINISTRATOR.—Based 

23 on the data submitted under paragraph (3), the Ad24 ministrator shall annually submit to Congress a re25 port concerning the results and effectiveness of the 

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1 programs carried out with assistance received under 

2 this section. 

3 ‘‘(5) LIMITATION.—A grantee shall use not to 

4 exceed 10 percent of amounts received under a grant 

5 under this section to carry out evaluation activities 

6 under this subsection. 

7 ‘‘(g) INFORMATION AND EDUCATION.—The Sec8 retary shall establish comprehensive information and edu9 cation programs to disseminate the findings of the knowl10 edge development and application under this section to the 

11 general public and to health care professionals. 

12 ‘‘(h) AMOUNT OF GRANTS AND AUTHORIZATION OF

13 APPROPRIATIONS.— 

14 ‘‘(1) AMOUNT OF GRANTS.—A grant under this 

15 section shall be in an amount that is not more than 

16 $1,000,000 for each of grant years 2016 through 

17 2020. The Secretary shall determine the amount of 

18 each such grant based on the population of children 

19 up to age 21 of the area to be served under the 

20 grant. 

21 ‘‘(2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

22 There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

23 this section, $200,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

24 2016 through 2020.’’. 

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1 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Part G of title V of 

2 the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 290hh et seq.), 

3 as amended by this section, is further amended by striking 

4 the part heading and inserting the following: 

5 ‘‘PART G—SCHOOL-BASED MENTAL HEALTH’’. 

6 SEC. 103. JUSTICE AND MENTAL HEALTH COLLABORATION. 

7 (a) ASSISTING VETERANS.— 

8 (1) REDESIGNATION.—Section 2991 of the Om9 nibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 

10 (42 U.S.C. 3797aa) is amended by redesignating 

11 subsection (i) as subsection (l). 

12 (2) ASSISTING VETERANS.—Section 2991 of the 

13 Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 

14 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3797aa) is amended by inserting 

15 after subsection (h) the following: 

16 ‘‘(i) ASSISTING VETERANS.— 

17 ‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

18 ‘‘(A) PEER TO PEER SERVICES OR PRO19 GRAMS.—The term ‘peer to peer services or 

20 programs’ means services or programs that con21 nect qualified veterans with other veterans for 

22 the purpose of providing support and 

23 mentorship to assist qualified veterans in ob24 taining treatment, recovery, stabilization, or re25 habilitation. 

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1 ‘‘(B) QUALIFIED VETERAN.—The term 

2 ‘qualified veteran’ means a preliminarily quali3 fied offender who— 

4 ‘‘(i) has served on active duty in any 

5 branch of the Armed Forces, including the 

6 National Guard and reserve components; 

7 and 

8 ‘‘(ii) was discharged or released from 

9 such service under conditions other than 

10 dishonorable. 

11 ‘‘(C) VETERANS TREATMENT COURT PRO12 GRAM.—The term ‘veterans treatment court 

13 program’ means a court program involving col14 laboration among criminal justice, veterans, and 

15 mental health and substance abuse agencies 

16 that provides qualified veterans with— 

17 ‘‘(i) intensive judicial supervision and 

18 case management, which may include ran19 dom and frequent drug testing where ap20 propriate; 

21 ‘‘(ii) a full continuum of treatment 

22 services, including mental health services, 

23 substance abuse services, medical services, 

24 and services to address trauma; 

25 ‘‘(iii) alternatives to incarceration; or 

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1 ‘‘(iv) other appropriate services, which 

2 may include housing, transportation, men3 toring, employment, job training, edu4 cation, and assistance in applying for and 

5 obtaining available benefits. 

6 ‘‘(2) VETERANS ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.— 

7 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General, 

8 in consultation with the Secretary of Veterans 

9 Affairs, may award grants under this sub10 section to applicants to establish or expand— 

11 ‘‘(i) veterans treatment court pro12 grams; 

13 ‘‘(ii) peer to peer services or programs 

14 for qualified veterans; 

15 ‘‘(iii) practices that identify and pro16 vide treatment, rehabilitation, legal, transi17 tional, and other appropriate services to 

18 qualified veterans who have been incarcer19 ated; and 

20 ‘‘(iv) training programs to teach 

21 criminal justice, law enforcement, correc22 tions, mental health, and substance abuse 

23 personnel how to identify and appro24 priately respond to incidents involving 

25 qualified veterans. 

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1 ‘‘(B) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants 

2 under this subsection, the Attorney General 

3 shall give priority to applications that— 

4 ‘‘(i) demonstrate collaboration be5 tween and joint investments by criminal 

6 justice, mental health, substance abuse, 

7 and veterans service agencies; 

8 ‘‘(ii) promote effective strategies to 

9 identify and reduce the risk of harm to 

10 qualified veterans and public safety; and 

11 ‘‘(iii) propose interventions with em12 pirical support to improve outcomes for 

13 qualified veterans.’’. 

14 (b) CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES.—Section 2991 of 

15 the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 

16 (42 U.S.C. 3797aa) is amended by inserting after sub17 section (i), as so added by subsection (a), the following: 

18 ‘‘(j) CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES.— 

19 ‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.— 

20 ‘‘(A) CORRECTIONAL FACILITY.—The term 

21 ‘correctional facility’ means a jail, prison, or 

22 other detention facility used to house people 

23 who have been arrested, detained, held, or con24 victed by a criminal justice agency or a court. 

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1 ‘‘(B) ELIGIBLE INMATE.—The term ‘eligi2 ble inmate’ means an individual who— 

3 ‘‘(i) is being held, detained, or incar4 cerated in a correctional facility; and 

5 ‘‘(ii) manifests obvious signs of a 

6 mental illness or has been diagnosed by a 

7 qualified mental health professional as hav8 ing a mental illness. 

9 ‘‘(2) CORRECTIONAL FACILITY GRANTS.—The 

10 Attorney General may award grants to applicants to 

11 enhance the capabilities of a correctional facility— 

12 ‘‘(A) to identify and screen for eligible in13 mates; 

14 ‘‘(B) to plan and provide— 

15 ‘‘(i) initial and periodic assessments of 

16 the clinical, medical, and social needs of in17 mates; and 

18 ‘‘(ii) appropriate treatment and serv19 ices that address the mental health and 

20 substance abuse needs of inmates; 

21 ‘‘(C) to develop, implement, and enhance— 

22 ‘‘(i) post-release transition plans for 

23 eligible inmates that, in a comprehensive 

24 manner, coordinate health, housing, medmstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with BILLS

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1 ical, employment, and other appropriate 

2 services and public benefits; 

3 ‘‘(ii) the availability of mental health 

4 care services and substance abuse treat5 ment services; and 

6 ‘‘(iii) alternatives to solitary confine7 ment and segregated housing and mental 

8 health screening and treatment for inmates 

9 placed in solitary confinement or seg10 regated housing; and 

11 ‘‘(D) to train each employee of the correc12 tional facility to identify and appropriately re13 spond to incidents involving inmates with men14 tal health or co-occurring mental health and 

15 substance abuse disorders.’’. 

16 (c) HIGH UTILIZERS.—Section 2991 of the Omnibus 

17 Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 

18 3797aa) is amended by inserting after subsection (j), as 

19 added by subsection (b), the following: 

20 ‘‘(k) DEMONSTRATION GRANTS RESPONDING TO

21 HIGH UTILIZERS.— 

22 ‘‘(1) DEFINITION.—In this subsection, the term 

23 ‘high utilizer’ means an individual who— 

24 ‘‘(A) manifests obvious signs of mental ill25 ness or has been diagnosed by a qualified menmstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with BILLS

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1 tal health professional as having a mental ill2 ness; and 

3 ‘‘(B) consumes a significantly dispropor4 tionate quantity of public resources, such as 

5 emergency, housing, judicial, corrections, and 

6 law enforcement services. 

7 ‘‘(2) DEMONSTRATION GRANTS RESPONDING TO

8 HIGH UTILIZERS.— 

9 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General 

10 may award not more than 6 grants per year 

11 under this subsection to applicants for the pur12 pose of reducing the use of public services by 

13 high utilizers. 

14 ‘‘(B) USE OF GRANTS.—A recipient of a 

15 grant awarded under this subsection may use 

16 the grant— 

17 ‘‘(i) to develop or support multidisci18 plinary teams that coordinate, implement, 

19 and administer community-based crisis re20 sponses and long-term plans for high uti21 lizers; 

22 ‘‘(ii) to provide training on how to re23 spond appropriately to the unique issues 

24 involving high utilizers for public service 

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1 tal health, substance abuse, emergency 

2 room, healthcare, law enforcement, correc3 tions, and housing personnel; 

4 ‘‘(iii) to develop or support alter5 natives to hospital and jail admissions for 

6 high utilizers that provide treatment, sta7 bilization, and other appropriate supports 

8 in the least restrictive, yet appropriate, en9 vironment; or 

10 ‘‘(iv) to develop protocols and systems 

11 among law enforcement, mental health, 

12 substance abuse, housing, corrections, and 

13 emergency medical service operations to 

14 provide coordinated assistance to high uti15 lizers. 

16 ‘‘(C) REPORT.—Not later than the last 

17 day of the first year following the fiscal year in 

18 which a grant is awarded under this subsection, 

19 the recipient of the grant shall submit to the 

20 Attorney General a report that— 

21 ‘‘(i) measures the performance of the 

22 grant recipient in reducing the use of pub23 lic services by high utilizers; and 

24 ‘‘(ii) provides a model set of practices, 

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1 tions can adopt to reduce the use of public 

2 services by high utilizers.’’. 

3 (d) ACADEMY TRAINING.—Section 2991(h) of the 

4 Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 

5 U.S.C. 3797aa(h)) is amended— 

6 (1) in paragraph (1), by adding at the end the 

7 following: 

8 ‘‘(F) ACADEMY TRAINING.—To provide 

9 support for academy curricula, law enforcement 

10 officer orientation programs, continuing edu11 cation training, and other programs that teach 

12 law enforcement personnel how to identify and 

13 respond to incidents involving individuals with 

14 mental illness or co-occurring mental illness and 

15 substance abuse disorders.’’; and 

16 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

17 ‘‘(4) PRIORITY CONSIDERATION.—The Attorney 

18 General, in awarding grants under this subsection, 

19 shall give priority to programs that law enforcement 

20 personnel and members of the mental health and 

21 substance abuse professions develop and administer 

22 cooperatively.’’. 

23 (e) EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICES.—Section 2991(c) 

24 of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 

25 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3797aa(c)) is amended— 

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1 (1) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘or’’ at the 

2 end; 

3 (2) by redesignating paragraph (4) as para4 graph (6); and 

5 (3) by inserting after paragraph (3), the fol6 lowing: 

7 ‘‘(4) propose interventions that have been 

8 shown by empirical evidence to reduce recidivism; 

9 ‘‘(5) when appropriate, use validated assess10 ment tools to target preliminarily qualified offenders 

11 with a moderate or high risk of recidivism and a 

12 need for treatment and services; or’’. 

13 (f) SAFE COMMUNITIES.— 

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 2991(a) of the Om15 nibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 

16 (42 U.S.C. 3797aa(a)) is amended by striking para17 graph (9) and inserting the following: 

18 ‘‘(9) PRELIMINARILY QUALIFIED OFFENDER.— 

19 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘prelimi20 narily qualified offender’ means an adult or ju21 venile accused of an offense who— 

22 ‘‘(i)(I) previously or currently has 

23 been diagnosed by a qualified mental 

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1 ness or co-occurring mental illness and 

2 substance abuse disorders; 

3 ‘‘(II) manifests obvious signs of men4 tal illness or co-occurring mental illness 

5 and substance abuse disorders during ar6 rest or confinement or before any court; or 

7 ‘‘(III) in the case of a veterans treat8 ment court provided under subsection (i), 

9 has been diagnosed with, or manifests ob10 vious signs of, mental illness or a sub11 stance abuse disorder or co-occurring men12 tal illness and substance abuse disorder; 

13 and 

14 ‘‘(ii) has been unanimously approved 

15 for participation in a program funded 

16 under this section by, when appropriate, 

17 the relevant— 

18 ‘‘(I) prosecuting attorney; 

19 ‘‘(II) defense attorney; 

20 ‘‘(III) probation or corrections 

21 official; 

22 ‘‘(IV) judge; and 

23 ‘‘(V) a representative from the 

24 relevant mental health agency de25 scribed in subsection (b)(5)(B)(i). 

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1 ‘‘(B) DETERMINATION.—In determining 

2 whether to designate an individual as a prelimi3 narily qualified offender, the relevant pros4 ecuting attorney, defense attorney, probation or 

5 corrections official, judge, and mental health or 

6 substance abuse agency representative shall 

7 take into account— 

8 ‘‘(i) whether the participation of the 

9 individual in the program would pose a 

10 substantial risk of violence to the commu11 nity; 

12 ‘‘(ii) the criminal history of the indi13 vidual and the nature and severity of the 

14 offense for which the individual is charged; 

15 ‘‘(iii) the views of any relevant victims 

16 to the offense; 

17 ‘‘(iv) the extent to which the indi18 vidual would benefit from participation in 

19 the program; 

20 ‘‘(v) the extent to which the commu21 nity would realize cost savings because of 

22 the individual’s participation in the pro23 gram; and 

24 ‘‘(vi) whether the individual satisfies 

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1 pation unanimously established by the rel2 evant prosecuting attorney, defense attor3 ney, probation or corrections official, judge 

4 and mental health or substance abuse 

5 agency representative.’’. 

6 (2) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMEND7 MENT.—Section 2927(2) of the Omnibus Crime 

8 Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 

9 3797s–6(2)) is amended by striking ‘‘has the mean10 ing given that term in section 2991(a).’’ and insert11 ing ‘‘means an offense that— 

12 ‘‘(A) does not have as an element the use, 

13 attempted use, or threatened use of physical 

14 force against the person or property of another; 

15 or 

16 ‘‘(B) is not a felony that by its nature in17 volves a substantial risk that physical force 

18 against the person or property of another may 

19 be used in the course of committing the of20 fense.’’. 

21 (g) REAUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Sub22 section (l) of section 2991 of the Omnibus Crime Control 

23 and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3797aa), as re24 designated in subsection (a)(1), is amended— 

25 (1) in paragraph (1)— 

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1 (A) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

2 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

3 (B) in subparagraph (C), by striking the 

4 period and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

5 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘(D) $40,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

7 2016 through 2020.’’; and 

8 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

9 ‘‘(3) LIMITATION.—Not more than 20 percent 

10 of the funds authorized to be appropriated under 

11 this section may be used for purposes described in 

12 subsection (i) (relating to veterans).’’. 

13 TITLE II—IMPROVING 

14 RESEARCH ON VIOLENCE 

15 SEC. 201. RESEARCH WITH RESPECT TO VIOLENCE. 

16 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 

17 Human Services, in consultation with the Director of the 

18 National Institutes of Health, shall expand and intensify 

19 research on self-directed and other-directed violence asso20 ciated with mental illness and substance abuse disorders. 

21 (b) LIMITATIONS ON AUTHORIZATION OF APPRO22 PRIATIONS.—To carry out subsection (a), there are au23 thorized to be appropriated $100,000, without fiscal year 

24 limitation, which is authorized to remain available until 

25 expended. 

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1 TITLE III—UNDERSTANDING 

2 THE EPIDEMIC OF GUN VIO3 LENCE 

4 SEC. 301. NATIONAL VIOLENT DEATH REPORTING SYSTEM. 

5 The Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting 

6 through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control 

7 and Prevention, shall improve the National Violent Death 

8 Reporting System, as authorized by title III of the Public 

9 Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 241 et seq.), particularly 

10 through the expansion of the application of such system 

11 to include the 50 States. Participation in the system by 

12 the States shall be voluntary. 

13 SEC. 302. REAFFIRMING CENTERS FOR DISEASE CON14 TROL’S AUTHORITY. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 391 of the Public Health 

16 Service Act (42 U.S.C. 280b) is amended— 

17 (1) in subsection (a)(1), by striking ‘‘research 

18 relating to the causes, mechanisms, prevention, diag19 nosis, treatment of injuries, and rehabilitation from 

20 injuries;’’ and inserting ‘‘research, including data 

21 collection, relating to— 

22 ‘‘(A) the causes, mechanisms, prevention, diag23 nosis, and treatment of injuries, including with re24 spect to gun violence; and 

25 ‘‘(B) rehabilitation from such injuries;’’; and 

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1 (2) by adding at the end the following new sub2 section: 

3 ‘‘(c) NO ADVOCACY OR PROMOTION OF GUN CON4 TROL.—Nothing in this section shall be construed to— 

5 ‘‘(1) authorize the Secretary to give assistance, 

6 make grants, or enter into cooperative agreements or 

7 contracts for the purpose of advocating or promoting 

8 gun control; or 

9 ‘‘(2) permit a recipient of any assistance, grant, 

10 cooperative agreement, or contract under this section 

11 to use such assistance, grant, agreement, or contract 

12 for the purpose of advocating or promoting gun con13 trol.’’. 

14 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 

15 394A of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 280b– 

16 3) is amended by striking ‘‘authorized to be appropriated’’ 

17 and all that follows through the end and inserting the fol18 lowing: ‘‘authorized to be appropriated such sums as may 

19 be necessary for each of fiscal years 2015 through 2019.’’. 

20 SEC. 303. PROTECTING CONFIDENTIAL DOCTOR-PATIENT 

21 RELATIONSHIP. 

22 Section 2717(c) of the Public Health Service Act (42 

23 U.S.C. 300gg–17(c)) is amended by adding at the end the 

24 following new paragraph: 

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1 ‘‘(6) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Notwith2 standing the previous provisions of this subsection, 

3 none of the authorities provided to the Secretary 

4 under this subsection, Public Law 111–148, or an 

5 amendment made by such Public Law shall be con6 strued to prohibit a physician or other health care 

7 provider from— 

8 ‘‘(A) asking a patient about the ownership, 

9 possession, use, or storage of a firearm or am10 munition in the home of such patient; 

11 ‘‘(B) speaking to a patient about gun safe12 ty; or 

13 ‘‘(C) reporting to the authorities a pa14 tient’s threat of violence.’’. 

15 TITLE IV—ENSURING SAFE 

16 COMMUNITIES 

17 SEC. 401. BAN ON FIREARM POSSESSION BY PERSON COM18 MITTED INVOLUNTARILY TO MENTAL INSTI19 TUTION ON AN OUTPATIENT BASIS. 

20 Subsections (d)(4) and (g)(4) of section 922 of title 

21 18, United States Code, are each amended by inserting 

22 ‘‘on an involuntary inpatient or involuntary outpatient 

23 basis’’ before the semicolon. 

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1 SEC. 402. GRANT PROGRAM REGARDING FIREARMS. 

2 Section 506(b) of the Omnibus Crime Control and 

3 Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3756(b)) is amend4 ed— 

5 (1) by striking ‘‘1 or more States or units of 

6 local government, for 1 or more of the purposes 

7 specified in section 501, pursuant to his determina8 tion that the same is necessary’’; 

9 (2) by inserting before paragraph (1) the fol10 lowing: 

11 ‘‘(1) 1 or more States or units of local govern12 ment, for 1 or more of the purposes specified in sec13 tion 501, pursuant to his determination that the 

14 same is necessary—’’; 

15 (3) by redesignating paragraph (1) as subpara16 graph (A); 

17 (4) in paragraph (2)— 

18 (A) by striking the period at the end and 

19 inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 

20 (B) by redesignating paragraph (2) as sub21 paragraph (B); and 

22 (5) by adding at the end the following: 

23 ‘‘(2) 1 or more States, if that State has dem24 onstrated, in the determination of the Attorney Gen25 eral, that the State has adopted policies, procedures, 

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1 protocols, laws or regulations pertaining to the pos2 session or transfer of firearms or ammunition that— 

3 ‘‘(A)(i) give State and local law enforce4 ment the authority, to the extent allowable 

5 under Federal laws and the United States Con6 stitution, to seize firearms or ammunition from 

7 an individual pursuant to a warrant, where 

8 there is probable cause to believe that the indi9 vidual in possession of such firearms or ammu10 nition poses an elevated risk of harm to himself 

11 or herself or to another individual, which may 

12 be determined by considering whether the indi13 vidual has caused harm to himself or herself or 

14 another individual, has detailed plans to cause 

15 harm to himself or herself or another indi16 vidual, has a history of substance abuse, or 

17 lacks impulse control; and 

18 ‘‘(ii) provide that not later than 14 days 

19 after such a seizure, an individual from whom 

20 a firearm or ammunition was so seized shall be 

21 given an opportunity to contest such seizure in 

22 court, and any firearm or ammunition so seized 

23 shall be returned to the individual, unless a 

24 State or local law enforcement officer dem25 onstrates in court by a preponderance of the 

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1 evidence that the individual from whom a fire2 arm or ammunition was seized poses an ele3 vated risk of harm to himself or herself or to 

4 another individual; or 

5 ‘‘(B) temporarily prohibit an individual 

6 who has been involuntarily hospitalized for a 

7 period of not less than 48 hours for mental ill8 ness on an emergency basis, from possessing a 

9 firearm or ammunition;’’. 

10 SEC. 403. NOTIFICATION OF STATE AND LOCAL LAW EN11 FORCEMENT AUTHORITIES OF ATTEMPT TO 

12 PURCHASE FIREARM BY INELIGIBLE PER13 SON. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General shall estab15 lish a system for the prompt notification of the relevant 

16 State and local enforcement agencies when the National 

17 Instant Criminal Background Check System established 

18 under section 103 of the Brady Handgun Violence Preven19 tion Act notifies a licensed dealer that the information 

20 available to the system indicates that the possession of a 

21 firearm by an individual attempting to obtain a firearm 

22 from the licensed dealer would violate subsection (g) or 

23 (n) of section 922 of title 18, United States Code, or State 

24 law, except when it is determined, on a case-by-case basis, 

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1 that law enforcement purposes would best be served by 

2 not providing such a notice. 

3 (b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the terms ‘‘fire4 arm’’ and ‘‘licensed dealer’’ shall have the meanings given 

5 such terms in section 921(a) of title 18, United States 

6 Code. 

7 TITLE V—RESTORATION 

8 SEC. 501. FEDERAL AGENCY RELIEF PROGRAM. 

9 Section 101(c) of the NICS Improvement Amend10 ments Act of 2007 (18 U.S.C. 922 note) is amended— 

11 (1) in paragraph (2)(A)(i), by inserting after 

12 ‘‘imposed by such subsections’’ the following: ‘‘if 

13 such person is a person described in subparagraph 

14 (C) and submits the opinion (and records and infor15 mation supporting the opinion) of a psychiatrist, a 

16 clinical psychologist, or a licensed or qualified men17 tal health professional who can provide adequate in18 formation who has personally evaluated the person’’; 

19 and 

20 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

21 ‘‘(C) PERSON DESCRIBED.—A person is 

22 described in this subparagraph if, beginning not 

23 earlier than 1 year after the person is subject 

24 to the disabilities imposed by subsection (d)(4) 

25 or (g)(4) of section 922 of title 18, United 

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1 States Code, and after affording the Federal 

2 department or agency the opportunity to re3 quest an additional evaluation, by a psychia4 trist, a clinical psychologist, or a licensed or 

5 qualified mental health professional who can 

6 provide adequate information appointed by the 

7 department or agency, the department or agen8 cy determines by a preponderance of the evi9 dence received that— 

10 ‘‘(i) the person no longer manifests 

11 the symptoms of mental disorder that re12 sulted in that person’s adjudication as in13 eligible due to disqualifying mental status 

14 or involuntary commitment or that other15 wise significantly elevate the risk of harm 

16 to self or others; 

17 ‘‘(ii) the person has adhered consist18 ently to any prescribed treatment for a 

19 substantial period of time preceding the 

20 date of the application and has expressed 

21 a willingness to continue treatment under 

22 an appropriate mental health professional; 

23 ‘‘(iii) if ongoing treatment is required, 

24 that adherence to that treatment is likely 

25 to minimize the risk that the person will 

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1 revert to a mental state that would present 

2 a danger to self or others; and 

3 ‘‘(iv) the granting of the relief would 

4 not be contrary to the public interest.’’. 

5 SEC. 502. STATE RELIEF PROGRAMS. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 105 of the NICS Im7 provement Amendments Act of 2007 (18 U.S.C. 922 note) 

8 is amended— 

9 (1) in subsection (a)(2), by striking ‘‘if the cir10 cumstances regarding the disabilities referred to in 

11 paragraph (1), and the person’s record and reputa12 tion, are such that the person will not be likely to 

13 act in a manner dangerous to public safety and that 

14 the granting of the relief would not be contrary to 

15 the public interest; and’’ and inserting the following: 

16 ‘‘beginning not earlier than 1 year after the person 

17 is first adjudicated as described in subsection (g)(4) 

18 of section 922 of title 18, United States Code, if the 

19 person submits the opinion (and records and infor20 mation supporting the opinion) of a psychiatrist, a 

21 clinical psychologist, or a licensed or qualified men22 tal health professional who can provide adequate in23 formation who has personally evaluated the person, 

24 and after affording the State the opportunity to re25 quest an additional evaluation, by a psychiatrist, 

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1 clinical psychologist, or other licensed or qualified 

2 mental health professional who can provide adequate 

3 information appointed by the court, board, commis4 sion, or other lawful authority, only if the court, 

5 board, commission, or other lawful authority deter6 mines by a preponderance of the evidence received 

7 that the person is a person described in subsection 

8 (c); and’’; and 

9 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

10 ‘‘(c) ELIGIBLE PERSON DESCRIBED.—A person de11 scribed in this subsection is any person who submits with 

12 the application for relief under subsection (a)(1), the opin13 ion (and records and information supporting the opinion) 

14 of a psychiatrist, a clinical psychologist, or a licensed or 

15 qualified mental health professional who can provide ade16 quate information who has personally evaluated the peti17 tioner and which attests that— 

18 ‘‘(1) the person no longer manifests the symp19 toms of disqualifying mental status that resulted in 

20 that person’s adjudication as a mental defective or 

21 involuntary commitment; 

22 ‘‘(2) the person appears to have adhered con23 sistently to any prescribed treatment for a substan24 tial period of time preceding the date of the applica25 tion and has expressed a willingness to continue 

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1 treatment under an appropriate mental health pro2 fessional; 

3 ‘‘(3) if ongoing treatment is required, that ad4 herence to that treatment is likely to minimize the 

5 risk that the person will revert to a mental state 

6 that would present a danger to self or others; and 

7 ‘‘(4) the granting of the relief would not be con8 trary to the public interest. 

9 ‘‘(d) DEFINITIONS.—The Attorney General may, by 

10 rule, define terms used in this section to ensure conformity 

11 with Federal programs providing relief from disabilities 

12 imposed under subsections (d) and (g) of section 922 of 

13 title 18, United States Code.’’. 

14 (b) TRANSITION RULE.—The amendment made by 

15 subsection (a) shall apply only beginning on the date that 

16 is 5 years after the date of enactment of this Act, in the 

17 case of any State that has a program described in section 

18 105 of the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 

19 (18 U.S.C. 922 note) in effect on the date of enactment 

20 of this Act. 

21 SEC. 503. INELIGIBILITY DUE TO DISQUALIFYING MENTAL 

22 STATUS. 

23 (a) Section 922(d)(4) of title 18, United States Code, 

24 is amended by striking ‘‘adjudicated as a mental defecmstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with BILLS

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1 tive’’ and inserting ‘‘adjudicated as ineligible due to dis2 qualifying mental status’’. 

3 (b) Section 922(g)(4) of title 18, United States Code, 

4 is amended by striking ‘‘adjudicated as a mental defec5 tive’’ and inserting ‘‘adjudicated as ineligible due to dis6 qualifying mental status’’. 

7 (c) Section 922(s)(3)(B)(iv) of title 18, United States 

8 Code, is by striking ‘‘adjudicated as a mental defective’’ 

9 and inserting ‘‘adjudicated as ineligible due to disquali10 fying mental status’’. 

11 (d) Section 175b(d)(2)(F) of title 18, United States 

12 Code, is amended by striking ‘‘adjudicated as a mental 

13 defective’’ and inserting ‘‘adjudicated as ineligible due to 

14 disqualifying mental status’’. 

15 (e) Section 842(d)(6) of title 18, United States Code, 

16 is amended by striking ‘‘adjudicated as a mental defec17 tive’’ and inserting ‘‘adjudicated as ineligible due to dis18 qualifying mental status’’. 

19 (f) Section 842(i)(4) of title 18, United States Code, 

20 is amended by striking ‘‘adjudicated as a mental defec21 tive’’ and inserting ‘‘adjudicated as ineligible due to dis22 qualifying mental status’’. 

23 (g) Section 3(2) of the NICS Improvement Amend24 ments Act of 2007 (18 U.S.C. 922 note) is amended by 

25 striking ‘‘adjudicated as a mental defective’’ and inserting 

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1 ‘‘adjudicated as ineligible due to disqualifying mental sta2 tus’’. 

3 (h) Section 101(b)(2)(C)(ii) of the NICS Improve4 ment Amendments Act of 2007 (18 U.S.C. 922 note) is 

5 amended by striking ‘‘adjudicated as a mental defective’’ 

6 and inserting ‘‘adjudicated as ineligible due to disquali7 fying mental status’’. 

8 (i) Section 101(c)(1)(C) of the NICS Improvement 

9 Amendments Act of 2007 (18 U.S.C. 922 note) is amend10 ed by striking ‘‘adjudicated as a mental defective’’ and in11 serting ‘‘adjudicated as ineligible due to disqualifying 

12 mental status’’. 

13 (j) Section 101(c)(3) of the NICS Improvement 

14 Amendments Act of 2007 (18 U.S.C. 922 note) is amend15 ed by striking ‘‘adjudicate a person as a mental defective,’’ 

16 and insert ‘‘adjudicate a person as ineligible due to dis17 qualifying mental status’’. 

18 (k) Section 101(c)(3)(A) of the NICS Improvement 

19 Amendments Act of 2007 (18 U.S.C. 922 note) is amend20 ed by striking ‘‘adjudicate the person as a mental defec21 tive,’’ and insert ‘‘adjudicate the person as ineligible due 

22 to disqualifying mental status’’. 

23 (l) Section 102(b)(1)(C)(iv) of the NICS Improve24 ment Amendments Act of 2007 (18 U.S.C. 922 note) is 

25 amended by striking ‘‘adjudicated as a mental defective’’ 

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1 and inserting ‘‘adjudicated as ineligible due to disquali2 fying mental status’’. 

3 TITLE VI—SUBMISSION OF 

4 RECORDS TO NATIONAL IN5 STANT CRIMINAL BACK6 GROUND CHECK SYSTEM 

7 SEC. 601. REPORTS RELATING TO SUBMISSION OF INFOR8 MATION TO NICS. 

9 Section 201 of the NICS Improvement Amendments 

10 Act of 2007 (18 U.S.C. 922 note) is amended— 

11 (1) by amending subsection (b) to read as fol12 lows: 

13 ‘‘(b) REPORT ON PERSONS PROHIBITED FROM OB14 TAINING FIREARMS AS A RESULT OF A CONVICTION OF

15 A MISDEMEANOR CRIME OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.—Not 

16 later than January 31 of each year, the Director shall sub17 mit to Congress a report containing the number of persons 

18 reported by each State to the National Instant Criminal 

19 Background Check System who are prohibited from pos20 sessing or receiving a firearm under section 922(g)(9) of 

21 title 18, United States Code.’’; 

22 (2) by redesignating subsection (d) as (e); and 

23 (3) by inserting after subsection (c) the fol24 lowing: 

25 ‘‘(d) REPORT ON PROMISING PRACTICES.— 

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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

2 after the date of enactment of the Safer Commu3 nities Act of 2015, and annually thereafter, the Di4 rector shall submit to Congress and to each State 

5 participating in the National Criminal History Im6 provement Program, a report of the practices of the 

7 States that the Director considers to be promising 

8 practices. 

9 ‘‘(2) PROMISING PRACTICE DEFINED.—For 

10 purposes of this subsection, the term ‘promising 

11 practice’ means a program, activity, or strategy of a 

12 State regarding the collection, maintenance, automa13 tion, and transmittal of information relevant to de14 termining whether a person is prohibited from pos15 sessing or receiving a firearm by Federal or State 

16 law, by the State or any other agency, or any other 

17 records relevant to the National Instant Criminal 

18 Background Check System, that the Director deter19 mines— 

20 ‘‘(A) has been used by a State or other 

21 agency to successfully increase or expand its 

22 ability to collect, maintain, automate, and 

23 transmit the information described in the mat24 ter preceding this subparagraph; 

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1 ‘‘(B) shows promise in its early stages of 

2 becoming a best practice under subsection (c), 

3 with long-term sustainable impact; and 

4 ‘‘(C) may be replicated by other States or 

5 agencies.’’. 

6 SEC. 602. REAUTHORIZATION OF THE NATIONAL CRIMINAL 

7 HISTORY RECORDS IMPROVEMENT PRO8 GRAM. 

9 Section 106(b) of Public Law 103–159 (18 U.S.C. 

10 922 note) is amended— 

11 (1) in paragraph (1), in the matter preceding 

12 subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘of this Act’’ and in13 serting ‘‘of the Safer Communities Act of 2015’’; 

14 and 

15 (2) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the 

16 following: 

17 ‘‘(2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

18 There are authorized to be appropriated for grants 

19 under this subsection $100,000,000 for each of fis20 cal years 2016 through 2019.’’. 

21 SEC. 603. IMPROVEMENT OF METRICS AND INCENTIVES. 

22 Section 102(b) of the NICS Improvement Amend23 ments Act of 2007 (18 U.S.C. 922 note) is amended to 

24 read as follows: 

25 ‘‘(b) IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.— 

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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 

2 the date of enactment of the Safer Communities Act 

3 of 2015, the Attorney General, in coordination with 

4 the States, shall establish for each State or Indian 

5 tribal government applying for a grant under section 

6 103 a 4-year implementation plan to ensure max7 imum coordination and automation of the reporting 

8 of records or making records available to the Na9 tional Instant Criminal Background Check System. 

10 ‘‘(2) BENCHMARK REQUIREMENTS.—Each 4- 

11 year plan established under paragraph (1) shall in12 clude annual benchmarks, including both qualitative 

13 goals and quantitative measures, to assess imple14 mentation of the 4-year plan. 

15 ‘‘(3) PENALTIES FOR NON-COMPLIANCE.— 

16 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—During the 4-year pe17 riod covered by a 4-year plan established under 

18 paragraph (1), the Attorney General shall with19 hold— 

20 ‘‘(i) 10 percent of the amount that 

21 would otherwise be allocated to a State 

22 under section 505 of the Omnibus Crime 

23 Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 

24 U.S.C. 3755) if the State does not meet 

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1 graph (2) for the first year in the 4-year 

2 period; 

3 ‘‘(ii) 11 percent of the amount that 

4 would otherwise be allocated to a State 

5 under section 505 of the Omnibus Crime 

6 Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 

7 U.S.C. 3755) if the State does not meet 

8 the benchmark established under para9 graph (2) for the second year in the 4-year 

10 period; 

11 ‘‘(iii) 13 percent of the amount that 

12 would otherwise be allocated to a State 

13 under section 505 of the Omnibus Crime 

14 Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 

15 U.S.C. 3755) if the State does not meet 

16 the benchmark established under para17 graph (2) for the third year in the 4-year 

18 period; and 

19 ‘‘(iv) 15 percent of the amount that 

20 would otherwise be allocated to a State 

21 under section 505 of the Omnibus Crime 

22 Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 

23 U.S.C. 3755) if the State does not meet 

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1 graph (2) for the fourth year in the 4-year 

2 period. 

3 ‘‘(B) FAILURE TO ESTABLISH A PLAN.—A 

4 State that fails to establish a plan under para5 graph (1) shall be treated as having not met 

6 any benchmark established under paragraph 

7 (2).’’. 

8 SEC. 604. GRANTS TO STATES TO IMPROVE COORDINATION 

9 AND AUTOMATION OF NICS RECORD REPORT10 ING. 

11 (a) IN GENERAL.—The NICS Improvement Amend12 ments Act of 2007 (18 U.S.C. 922 note) is amended— 

13 (1) by striking section 103 and inserting the 

14 following: 

15 ‘‘SEC. 103. GRANTS TO STATES FOR IMPROVEMENT OF CO16 ORDINATION AND AUTOMATION OF NICS 

17 RECORD REPORTING. 

18 ‘‘(a) AUTHORIZATION.—From amounts made avail19 able to carry out this section, the Attorney General shall 

20 make grants to States, Indian Tribal governments, and 

21 State court systems, in a manner consistent with the Na22 tional Criminal History Improvement Program and con23 sistent with State plans for integration, automation, and 

24 accessibility of criminal history records, for use by the 

25 State, or units of local government of the State, Indian 

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1 Tribal government, or State court system to improve the 

2 automation and transmittal of mental health records and 

3 criminal history dispositions, records relevant to deter4 mining whether a person has been convicted of a mis5 demeanor crime of domestic violence, court orders, and 

6 mental health adjudications or commitments to Federal 

7 and State record repositories in accordance with section 

8 102 and the National Criminal History Improvement Pro9 gram. 

10 ‘‘(b) USE OF GRANT AMOUNTS.—Grants awarded to 

11 States, Indian Tribal governments, or State court systems 

12 under this section may only be used to— 

13 ‘‘(1) carry out, as necessary, assessments of the 

14 capabilities of the courts of the State or Indian Trib15 al government for the automation and transmission 

16 of arrest and conviction records, court orders, and 

17 mental health adjudications or commitments to Fed18 eral and State record repositories; 

19 ‘‘(2) implement policies, systems, and proce20 dures for the automation and transmission of arrest 

21 and conviction records, court orders, and mental 

22 health adjudications or commitments to Federal and 

23 State record repositories; 

24 ‘‘(3) create electronic systems that provide ac25 curate and up-to-date information which is directly 

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1 related to checks under the National Instant Crimi2 nal Background Check System, including court dis3 position and corrections records; 

4 ‘‘(4) assist States or Indian Tribal governments 

5 in establishing or enhancing their own capacities to 

6 perform background checks using the National In7 stant Criminal Background Check System; and 

8 ‘‘(5) develop and maintain the relief from dis9 abilities program in accordance with section 105. 

10 ‘‘(c) ELIGIBILITY.— 

11 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible for a grant 

12 under this section, a State, Indian Tribal govern13 ment, or State court system shall certify, to the sat14 isfaction of the Attorney General, that the State, In15 dian Tribal government, or State court system— 

16 ‘‘(A) is not prohibited by State law or 

17 court order from submitting mental health 

18 records to the National Instant Criminal Back19 ground Check System; and 

20 ‘‘(B) subject to paragraph (2), has imple21 mented a relief from disabilities program in ac22 cordance with section 105. 

23 ‘‘(2) RELIEF FROM DISABILITIES PROGRAM.— 

24 For purposes of obtaining a grant under this sec25 tion, a State, Indian Tribal government, or State 

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1 court system shall not be required to meet the eligi2 bility requirement described in paragraph (1)(B) 

3 until the date that is 2 years after the date of enact4 ment of the Safer Communities Act of 2015. 

5 ‘‘(d) FEDERAL SHARE.— 

6 ‘‘(1) STUDIES, ASSESSMENTS, NON-MATERIAL

7 ACTIVITIES.—The Federal share of a study, assess8 ment, creation of a task force, or other non-material 

9 activity, as determined by the Attorney General, car10 ried out with a grant under this section shall be not 

11 more than 25 percent. 

12 ‘‘(2) INFRASTRUCTURE OR SYSTEM DEVELOP13 MENT.—The Federal share of an activity involving 

14 infrastructure or system development, including 

15 labor-related costs, for the purpose of improving 

16 State or Indian Tribal government record reporting 

17 to the National Instant Criminal Background Check 

18 System carried out with a grant under this section 

19 may amount to 100 percent of the cost of the activ20 ity. 

21 ‘‘(e) GRANTS TO INDIAN TRIBES.—Up to 5 percent 

22 of the grant funding available under this section may be 

23 reserved for Indian tribal governments for use by Indian 

24 tribal judicial systems. 

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1 ‘‘(f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

2 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

3 $100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2016 through 

4 2019.’’; 

5 (2) by striking title III; and 

6 (3) in section 401(b), by inserting after ‘‘of this 

7 Act’’ the following: ‘‘and 18 months after the date 

8 of enactment of the Safer Communities Act of 

9 2015’’. 

10 (b) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENT.— 

11 The table of sections in section 1(b) of the NICS Improve12 ment Amendments Act of 2007 (18 U.S.C. 922 note) is 

13 amended by striking the item relating to section 103 and 

14 inserting the following: 

‘‘Sec. 103. Grants to States for improvement of coordination and automation 

of NICS record reporting.’’. 

15 SEC. 605. SHARING OF RECORDS BY FEDERAL DEPART16 MENTS AND AGENCIES WITH NICS. 

17 Section 101(b) of the NICS Improvement Act of 

18 2007 (18 U.S.C. 922 note) is amended— 

19 (1) in paragraph (2)— 

20 (A) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

21 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

22 (B) in subparagraph (C), by striking the 

23 period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

24 (C) by inserting at the end the following: 

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1 ‘‘(D) not later than 180 days after the 

2 date of the enactment of the Safer Communities 

3 Act of 2015, and annually thereafter, submit a 

4 report to Congress on the compliance of the 

5 heads of Federal departments and agencies 

6 with the requirements of paragraphs (1) and 

7 (3).’’; and 

8 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

9 ‘‘(3) OTHER FEDERAL DEPARTMENTS AND

10 AGENCIES.—The head of each Federal department 

11 or agency in possession of records which are relevant 

12 to a determination of whether a person is disquali13 fied from possessing or receiving a firearm under 

14 subsection (g) or (n) of section 922 of title 18, 

15 United States Code, shall make available to the At16 torney General, such records, updated not less than 

17 quarterly, for use in the background checks per18 formed by the National Instant Criminal Back19 ground Check System.’’. 

Æ 

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