I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2585 

To establish a Federal Advisory Council to Support Victims of Gun Violence. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 8, 2019 

Mr. EVANS (for himself, Ms. CASTOR of Florida, Mr. DEUTCH, Mr. HASTINGS, Ms. NORTON, Mr. MORELLE, Mr. PAYNE, Ms. DEAN, Ms. 

HOULAHAN, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Mr. MICHAEL F. DOYLE of Pennsylvania, Ms. SCANLON, Ms. MENG, Mr. VEASEY, and Mr. ESPAILLAT) 

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. 

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

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Resources for Victims 

5 of Gun Violence Act of 2019’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) In the United States, approximately 100 in9 dividuals are killed with guns every day, and more 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
2 

•HR 2585 IH

1 than 36,000 individuals die from gun violence every 

2 year. Approximately 100,000 more individuals sur3 vive gun-related injuries every year. 

4 (2) The approximately 100,000 individuals who 

5 survive gun-related injuries every year in the United 

6 States face a life-long process of physical and emo7 tional healing, in addition to the heavy economic 

8 costs faced by those survivors, their families and 

9 communities, and society as a whole. According to a 

10 recent national poll, 4 percent of adults alive in the 

11 United States as of the date of the poll, or an esti12 mated 10,000,000 people, have been shot and in13 jured in their lifetimes. 

14 (3) Nearly two-thirds of gun-related deaths in 

15 the United States are suicides. Suicide attempts in16 volving firearms are uniquely lethal: while less than 

17 5 percent of suicide attempts not involving a firearm 

18 result in death, approximately 85 percent of suicide 

19 attempts involving a firearm end in death. According 

20 to a 2018 report by the Department of Veterans Af21 fairs, veterans are about 1.5 times as likely as civil22 ians to die by suicide, and 69.4 percent of veteran 

23 suicides in 2016 resulted from a firearm injury. 

24 (4) More than one-third of gun-related deaths 

25 in the United States are homicides, and in 2010, the 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
3 

•HR 2585 IH

1 gun homicide rate in the United States was 25.2 

2 times higher than in 22 other high-income countries. 

3 (5) Gun homicides in the United States occur 

4 disproportionately in cities, particularly in racially 

5 segregated neighborhoods with high rates of poverty. 

6 Gun homicide disproportionately affects communities 

7 of color, and Black Americans represent the major8 ity of gun homicide victims. 

9 (6) More than 325 mass shootings took place in 

10 the United States in 2018, and more than 1,900 

11 mass shootings have taken place since the shooting 

12 at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, 

13 Connecticut, in 2012. Fifty-four percent of mass 

14 shootings are related to domestic or family violence. 

15 (7) Firearms are the second leading cause of 

16 death for children and teenagers and the first lead17 ing cause of death for Black children and teenagers 

18 in the United States. Every year, nearly 3,000 chil19 dren and teenagers are shot and killed, and approxi20 mately 15,600 are shot and injured. 

21 (8) During an average year in the United 

22 States, more than 600 women are shot to death by 

23 an intimate partner, and many more women are shot 

24 and injured by an intimate partner. Nearly 

25 1,000,000 women in the United States who are alive 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
4 

•HR 2585 IH

1 as of the date of enactment of this Act have been 

2 shot or shot at by an intimate partner, and approxi3 mately 4,500,000 women alive as of that date have 

4 been threatened with a gun by an intimate partner. 

5 (9) More than 10,300 violent hate crimes com6 mitted in the United States in an average year in7 volve a gun, or more than 28 each day. The vast 

8 majority of hate crimes are directed against commu9 nities of color, religious minorities, and lesbian, gay, 

10 bisexual, transgender, and queer (commonly known 

11 as ‘‘LGBTQ’’) people. 

12 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

13 In this Act: 

14 (1) ADVISORY COUNCIL.—The term ‘‘Advisory 

15 Council’’ means the Advisory Council to Support 

16 Victims of Gun Violence established under section 4. 

17 (2) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES.—The term 

18 ‘‘appropriate committees’’ means the following: 

19 (A) The Committee on Health, Education, 

20 Labor, and Pensions of the Senate. 

21 (B) The Committee on the Judiciary of the 

22 Senate. 

23 (C) The Committee on Education and 

24 Labor of the House of Representatives. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
5 

•HR 2585 IH

1 (D) The Committee on Energy and Com2 merce of the House of Representatives. 

3 (E) The Committee on the Judiciary of the 

4 House of Representatives. 

5 (F) Any other relevant committee of the 

6 Senate or of the House of Representatives with 

7 jurisdiction over matters affecting victims of 

8 gun violence. 

9 (3) GUN VIOLENCE.—The term ‘‘gun violence’’ 

10 means— 

11 (A) suicide involving firearms; 

12 (B) homicide involving firearms; 

13 (C) domestic violence involving firearms; 

14 (D) hate crimes involving firearms; 

15 (E) youth violence involving firearms; 

16 (F) mass shootings; 

17 (G) unintentional shootings; 

18 (H) nonfatal shootings; and 

19 (I) threats or exposure to violent acts in20 volving firearms. 

21 (4) VICTIM OF GUN VIOLENCE.—The term ‘‘vic22 tim of gun violence’’ means— 

23 (A) an individual who has been wounded 

24 as a result of gun violence; 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
6 

•HR 2585 IH

1 (B) an individual who has been threatened 

2 with an act of gun violence; 

3 (C) an individual who has witnessed an act 

4 of gun violence; and 

5 (D) a relative, classmate, coworker, or 

6 other associate of— 

7 (i) an individual who has been killed 

8 as a result of gun violence; or 

9 (ii) an individual described in sub10 paragraph (A) or (B). 

11 (5) VICTIM ASSISTANCE PROFESSIONAL.—The 

12 term ‘‘victim assistance professional’’ means a pro13 fessional who assists victims of gun violence, includ14 ing— 

15 (A) a medical professional, including an 

16 emergency medical professional; 

17 (B) a social worker; 

18 (C) a provider of long-term services or 

19 care; and 

20 (D) a victim advocate. 

21 SEC. 4. ADVISORY COUNCIL TO SUPPORT VICTIMS OF GUN 

22 VIOLENCE. 

23 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established an Advi24 sory Council to Support Victims of Gun Violence. 

25 (b) MEMBERSHIP.— 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
7 

•HR 2585 IH

1 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Advisory Council shall 

2 be composed of the following members or their des3 ignees: 

4 (A) The Secretary of Health and Human 

5 Services. 

6 (B) The Attorney General. 

7 (C) The Secretary of Education. 

8 (D) The Secretary of Housing and Urban 

9 Development. 

10 (E) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs. 

11 (F) The Commissioner of the Social Secu12 rity Administration. 

13 (G) The Assistant Secretary for Mental 

14 Health and Substance Use. 

15 (H) The Director of the Centers for Dis16 ease Control and Prevention. 

17 (I) The Director of the National Institutes 

18 of Health. 

19 (J) The Administrator of the Administra20 tion for Community Living. 

21 (K) The Director of the Office on Violence 

22 Against Women. 

23 (L) The Director of the Office for Victims 

24 of Crime. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
8 

•HR 2585 IH

1 (M) The chairman of the Board of the 

2 Legal Services Corporation. 

3 (N) As appropriate, the head of any other 

4 Federal department or agency identified by the 

5 Secretary of Health and Human Services as 

6 having responsibilities, or administering pro7 grams, relating to issues affecting victims of 

8 gun violence. 

9 (2) ADDITIONAL MEMBERS.—In addition to the 

10 members described in paragraph (1), the Advisory 

11 Council shall be composed of the following: 

12 (A) Not fewer than 2 and not more than 

13 5 victims of gun violence, who shall be ap14 pointed by the Secretary of Health and Human 

15 Services. 

16 (B) Not fewer than 2 and not more than 

17 5 victim assistance professionals, who shall be 

18 appointed by the Secretary of Health and 

19 Human Services. 

20 (3) LEAD AGENCY.—The Department of Health 

21 and Human Services shall be the lead agency for the 

22 Advisory Council. 

23 (c) DUTIES.— 

24 (1) ASSESSMENT.—The Advisory Council 

25 shall— 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
9 

•HR 2585 IH

1 (A) survey victims of gun violence and vic2 tim assistance professionals about their needs 

3 in order to inform the content of information 

4 disseminated under paragraph (2) and the re5 port published under paragraph (3); 

6 (B) conduct a literature review and assess 

7 past or ongoing programs designed to assist vic8 tims of gun violence or individuals with similar 

9 needs to determine— 

10 (i) the effectiveness of the programs; 

11 and 

12 (ii) best and promising practices for 

13 assisting victims of gun violence; and 

14 (C) assess the administration of compensa15 tion funds established after mass shootings to 

16 determine best and promising practices to di17 rect victims of gun violence to sources of fund18 ing. 

19 (2) INFORMATION.— 

20 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Advisory Council 

21 shall identify, promote, coordinate, and dissemi22 nate to the public information, resources, and 

23 best and promising practices available to help 

24 victims of gun violence— 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
10 

•HR 2585 IH

1 (i) meet their medical, financial, edu2 cational, workplace, housing, transpor3 tation, assistive technology, and accessi4 bility needs; 

5 (ii) maintain their mental health and 

6 emotional well-being; 

7 (iii) seek legal redress for their inju8 ries and protection against any ongoing 

9 threats to their safety; and 

10 (iv) access government programs, 

11 services, and benefits for which they may 

12 be eligible or to which they may be enti13 tled. 

14 (B) CONTACT INFORMATION.—The Advi15 sory Council shall include in the information 

16 disseminated under subparagraph (A) the 

17 websites and telephone contact information for 

18 helplines of relevant Federal agencies, State 

19 agencies, and nonprofit organizations. 

20 (C) AVAILABILITY.—The Advisory Council 

21 shall make the information described in sub22 paragraphs (A) and (B) available— 

23 (i) online through a public website; 

24 and 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
11 

•HR 2585 IH

1 (ii) by submitting a hard copy and 

2 making available additional hard copies 

3 to— 

4 (I) each Member of Congress; 

5 (II) each field office of the Social 

6 Security Administration; 

7 (III) each State agency that is 

8 responsible for administering health 

9 and human services, for dissemination 

10 to medical facilities; 

11 (IV) each State agency that is re12 sponsible for administering education 

13 programs, for dissemination to 

14 schools; and 

15 (V) the office of each State attor16 ney general, for dissemination to local 

17 prosecutor’s offices. 

18 (3) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after 

19 the date of enactment of this Act, the Advisory 

20 Council shall— 

21 (A) prepare a report that— 

22 (i) includes the best and promising 

23 practices, resources, and other useful infor24 mation for victims of gun violence identi25 fied under paragraph (2); 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
12 

•HR 2585 IH

1 (ii) identifies any gaps in items de2 scribed in clause (i); and 

3 (iii) if applicable, identifies any addi4 tional Federal or State legislative authority 

5 necessary to implement the activities de6 scribed in clause (i) or address the gaps 

7 described in clause (ii); 

8 (B) submit the report prepared under sub9 paragraph (A) to— 

10 (i) the appropriate committees; 

11 (ii) each State agency that is respon12 sible for administering health and human 

13 services; 

14 (iii) each State agency that is respon15 sible for administering education pro16 grams; and 

17 (iv) the office of each State attorney 

18 general; and 

19 (C) make the report prepared under sub20 paragraph (A) available to the public online in 

21 an accessible format. 

22 (4) FOLLOW-UP REPORT.—Not later than 2 

23 years after the date on which the Advisory Council 

24 prepares the report under paragraph (3), the Advi25 sory Council shall— 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
13 

•HR 2585 IH

1 (A) submit to the entities described in sub2 paragraph (B) of that paragraph a follow-up re3 port that includes the information identified in 

4 subparagraph (A) of that paragraph; and 

5 (B) make the follow-up report described in 

6 subparagraph (A) available to the public online 

7 in an accessible format. 

8 (5) PUBLIC INPUT.— 

9 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Advisory Council 

10 shall establish a process to collect public input 

11 to inform the development of, and provide up12 dates to, the best and promising practices, re13 sources, and other information described in 

14 paragraph (2), including by conducting out15 reach to entities and individuals described in 

16 subparagraph (B) of this paragraph that— 

17 (i) have a range of experience with the 

18 types of gun violence described in section 

19 3(3); and 

20 (ii) include representation from com21 munities disproportionately affected by gun 

22 violence. 

23 (B) ENTITIES AND INDIVIDUALS.—The en24 tities and individuals described in this subpara25 graph are— 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
14 

•HR 2585 IH

1 (i) States, local governments, and or2 ganizations that provide information to, or 

3 support for, victims of gun violence; 

4 (ii) victims of gun violence; and 

5 (iii) victim assistance professionals. 

6 (C) NATURE OF OUTREACH.—In con7 ducting outreach under subparagraph (A), the 

8 Advisory Council shall ask for input on— 

9 (i) information, resources, and best 

10 and promising practices available, includ11 ing identification of any gaps and unmet 

12 needs; 

13 (ii) recommendations that would help 

14 victims of gun violence— 

15 (I) better meet their medical, fi16 nancial, educational, workplace, hous17 ing, transportation, assistive tech18 nology, and accessibility needs; 

19 (II) maintain their mental health 

20 and emotional well-being; 

21 (III) seek legal redress for their 

22 injuries and protection against any 

23 ongoing threats to their safety; and 

24 (IV) access government pro25 grams, services, and benefits for 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
15 

•HR 2585 IH

1 which the victims may be eligible or to 

2 which the victims may be entitled; and 

3 (iii) any other subject areas discovered 

4 during the process that would help victims 

5 of gun violence. 

6 (d) FACA.—The Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 

7 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to the Advisory Council. 

8 (e) FUNDING.—No additional funds are authorized to 

9 be appropriated to carry out this Act. 

10 (f) SUNSET.—The Advisory Council shall terminate 

11 on the date that is 5 years after the date of establishment 

12 of the Advisory Council. 

Æ 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS