I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4199 

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 

AUGUST 20, 2019 

Mr. THOMPSON of California (for himself and Mr. PERLMUTTER) 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 2019’’. 

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. High utilizers. 

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 and Prevention’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 be at an elevated risk of committing future acts 

17 of 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, 2024, 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 2020 through 

10 2024. 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 2020 though 2024. 

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 for promoting the so4 cial, emotional, mental, and behavioral 

5 health of all students; and 

6 ‘‘(iv) strategies to increase the knowl7 edge and skills of school and community 

8 leaders about the impact of trauma and vi9 olence and on the application of a public 

10 health approach to comprehensive school11 based mental health programs. 

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

13 mental health program carried out under this 

14 section will include comprehensive training for 

15 parents, siblings, and other family members of 

16 children with mental health disorders, and for 

17 concerned members of the community in— 

18 ‘‘(i) the techniques and supports need19 ed to identify early children with trauma 

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

21 mental illness; 

22 ‘‘(ii) the use of referral mechanisms 

23 that effectively link such children to appro24 priate treatment and intervention services 

25 in the school and in the community and 


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1 follow-up when such services are not avail2 able; and 

3 ‘‘(iii) strategies that promote a school4 wide positive environment. 

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

6 mental health program carried out under this 

7 section will demonstrate the measures to be 

8 taken to sustain the program after funding 

9 under this section terminates. 

10 ‘‘(F) That the local education agency part11 nership involved is supported by the State edu12 cational and mental health system to ensure 

13 that the sustainability of the programs is estab14 lished after funding under this section termi15 nates. 

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

17 mental health program carried out under this 

18 section will be based on trauma-informed and 

19 evidence-based practices. 

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

21 mental health program carried out under this 

22 section will be coordinated with early inter23 vening activities carried out under the Individ24 uals with Disabilities Education Act. 


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

2 mental health program carried out under this 

3 section will be trauma-informed and culturally 

4 and linguistically appropriate. 

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

6 mental health program carried out under this 

7 section will include a broad needs assessment of 

8 youth who drop out of school due to policies of 

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

10 or weapons and an inability to obtain appro11 priate services. 

12 ‘‘(K) That the mental health services pro13 vided through the comprehensive school-based 

14 mental health program carried out under this 

15 section will be provided by qualified mental and 

16 behavioral health professionals who are certified 

17 or licensed by the State involved and practicing 

18 within their area of expertise. 

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

20 member of a partnership described in paragraph 

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

22 activities under the grant if all members of the part23 nership agree. 

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

25 under this section shall be deemed to be a covered 


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1 entity for purposes of compliance with the regula2 tions promulgated under section 264(c) of the 

3 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act 

4 of 1996 with respect to any patient records devel5 oped through activities under the grant. 

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

7 shall ensure that grants, contracts, or cooperative agree8 ments under subsection (a) will be distributed equitably 

9 among the regions of the country and among urban and 

10 rural areas. 

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

12 grant, contract, or cooperative agreement under sub13 section (a), the period during which payments under such 

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

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

16 except that an entity that is providing services and sup17 ports on a regional basis may receive additional funding 

18 after the expiration of the preceding grant period. 

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

20 ‘‘(1) DEVELOPMENT OF PROCESS.—The Ad21 ministrator shall develop a fiscally appropriate proc22 ess for evaluating activities carried out under this 

23 section. Such process shall include— 


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

2 submission of program data by grant, contract, 

3 or cooperative agreement recipients; 

4 ‘‘(B) the development of measures of out5 comes (in accordance with paragraph (2)) to be 

6 applied by such recipients in evaluating pro7 grams carried out under this section; and 

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

9 such recipients concerning the effectiveness of 

10 programs carried out under this section. 

11 ‘‘(2) MEASURES OF OUTCOMES.— 

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

13 shall develop measures of outcomes to be ap14 plied by recipients of assistance under this sec15 tion, and the Administrator, in evaluating the 

16 effectiveness of programs carried out under this 

17 section. Such measures shall include student 

18 and family measures as provided for in sub19 paragraph (B) and local educational measures 

20 as provided for under subparagraph (C). 

21 ‘‘(B) STUDENT AND FAMILY MEASURES OF

22 OUTCOMES.—The measures of outcomes devel23 oped under paragraph (1)(B) relating to stu24 dents and families shall, with respect to activi25 ties carried out under a program under this 


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1 section, at a minimum include provisions to 

2 evaluate whether the program is effective in— 

3 ‘‘(i) improving social, emotional, men4 tal, and behavioral health and wellness; 

5 ‘‘(ii) increasing academic competency 

6 (as defined by the Secretary); 

7 ‘‘(iii) reducing disruptive and aggres8 sive behaviors; 

9 ‘‘(iv) improving child functioning; 

10 ‘‘(v) reducing substance use disorders; 

11 ‘‘(vi) reducing suspensions, truancy, 

12 expulsions, and violence; 

13 ‘‘(vii) increasing graduation rates (de14 fined as the percentage of students who 

15 graduate from secondary school with a reg16 ular diploma in the standard number of 

17 years); and 

18 ‘‘(viii) improving access to care for 

19 mental health disorders. 

20 ‘‘(C) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES.— 

21 The outcome measures developed under para22 graph (1)(B) relating to local educational sys23 tems shall, with respect to activities carried out 

24 under a program under this section, at a min25 imum include provisions to evaluate— 


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1 ‘‘(i) the effectiveness of comprehensive 

2 school mental health programs established 

3 under this section; 

4 ‘‘(ii) the effectiveness of formal part5 nership linkages among child and family 

6 serving institutions, community support 

7 systems, and the educational system; 

8 ‘‘(iii) the progress made in sustaining 

9 the program once funding under the grant 

10 has expired; 

11 ‘‘(iv) the effectiveness of training and 

12 professional development programs for all 

13 school personnel that incorporate indica14 tors that measure cultural and linguistic 

15 competencies under the program in a man16 ner that incorporates appropriate cultural 

17 and linguistic training; 

18 ‘‘(v) the improvement in perception of 

19 a safe and supportive learning environment 

20 among school staff, students, and parents; 

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

22 of students in need of more intensive serv23 ices and referral of identified students to 

24 early intervention and clinical services; 


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1 ‘‘(vii) the improvement in the imme2 diate availability of clinical assessment and 

3 treatment services within the context of 

4 the local community to students posing a 

5 danger to themselves or others; 

6 ‘‘(viii) the increased successful matric7 ulation to postsecondary school; and 

8 ‘‘(ix) reduced referrals to juvenile jus9 tice. 

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

11 that receives a grant, contract, or cooperative agree12 ment under this section shall annually submit to the 

13 Administrator a report that includes data to evalu14 ate the success of the program carried out by the en15 tity based on whether such program is achieving the 

16 purposes of the program. Such reports shall utilize 

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

18 reasonable manner to demonstrate the progress of 

19 the program in achieving such purposes. 

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

21 on the data submitted under paragraph (3), the Ad22 ministrator shall annually submit to Congress a re23 port concerning the results and effectiveness of the 

24 programs carried out with assistance received under 

25 this section. 


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

2 exceed 10 percent of amounts received under a grant 

3 under this section to carry out evaluation activities 

4 under this subsection. 

5 ‘‘(g) INFORMATION AND EDUCATION.—The Sec6 retary shall establish comprehensive information and edu7 cation programs to disseminate the findings of the knowl8 edge development and application under this section to the 

9 general public and to health care professionals. 

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

11 APPROPRIATIONS.— 

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

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

14 $1,000,000 for each of grant years 2020 though 

15 2024. The Secretary shall determine the amount of 

16 each such grant based on the population of children 

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

18 grant. 

19 ‘‘(2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

20 There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

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

22 2020 though 2024.’’. 

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

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


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

2 the part heading and inserting the following: 

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

4 SEC. 103. HIGH UTILIZERS. 

5 Section 2991 of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe 

6 Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10651) is amended— 

7 (1) by redesignating subsections (m) through 

8 (o) as subsections (n) through (p), respectively; and 

9 (2) by inserting after subsection (l) the fol10 lowing: 

11 ‘‘(m) DEMONSTRATION GRANTS RESPONDING TO

12 HIGH UTILIZERS.— 

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

14 ‘high utilizer’ means an individual who— 

15 ‘‘(A) manifests obvious signs of mental ill16 ness or has been diagnosed by a qualified men17 tal health professional as having a mental ill18 ness; and 

19 ‘‘(B) consumes a significantly dispropor20 tionate quantity of public resources, such as 

21 emergency, housing, judicial, corrections, and 

22 law enforcement services. 

23 ‘‘(2) DEMONSTRATION GRANTS RESPONDING TO

24 HIGH UTILIZERS.— 


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

2 may award not more than 6 grants per year 

3 under this subsection to applicants for the pur4 pose of reducing the use of public services by 

5 high utilizers. 

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

7 grant awarded under this subsection may use 

8 the grant— 

9 ‘‘(i) to develop or support multidisci10 plinary teams that coordinate, implement, 

11 and administer community-based crisis re12 sponses and long-term plans for high uti13 lizers; 

14 ‘‘(ii) to provide training on how to re15 spond appropriately to the unique issues 

16 involving high utilizers for public service 

17 personnel, including criminal justice, men18 tal health, substance abuse, emergency 

19 room, healthcare, law enforcement, correc20 tions, and housing personnel; 

21 ‘‘(iii) to develop or support alter22 natives to hospital and jail admissions for 

23 high utilizers that provide treatment, sta24 bilization, and other appropriate supports 


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1 in the least restrictive, yet appropriate, en2 vironment; or 

3 ‘‘(iv) to develop protocols and systems 

4 among law enforcement, mental health, 

5 substance abuse, housing, corrections, and 

6 emergency medical service operations to 

7 provide coordinated assistance to high uti8 lizers. 

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

10 day of the first year following the fiscal year in 

11 which a grant is awarded under this subsection, 

12 the recipient of the grant shall submit to the 

13 Attorney General a report that— 

14 ‘‘(i) measures the performance of the 

15 grant recipient in reducing the use of pub16 lic services by high utilizers; and 

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

18 systems, or procedures that other jurisdic19 tions can adopt to reduce the use of public 

20 services by high utilizers.’’. 

21 TITLE II—IMPROVING 

22 RESEARCH ON VIOLENCE 

23 SEC. 201. RESEARCH WITH RESPECT TO VIOLENCE. 

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

25 Human Services, in consultation with the Director of the 


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1 National Institutes of Health, shall expand and intensify 

2 research on self-directed and other-directed violence asso3 ciated with mental illness and substance abuse disorders. 

4 (b) LIMITATIONS ON AUTHORIZATION OF APPRO5 PRIATIONS.—To carry out subsection (a), there are au6 thorized to be appropriated $100,000,000 without fiscal 

7 year limitation, which is authorized to remain available 

8 until expended. 

9 TITLE III—UNDERSTANDING 

10 THE EPIDEMIC OF GUN VIO11 LENCE 

12 SEC. 301. NATIONAL VIOLENT DEATH REPORTING SYSTEM. 

13 The Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting 

14 through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control 

15 and Prevention, shall improve the National Violent Death 

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

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

18 through the expansion of the application of such system 

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

20 the States shall be voluntary. 

21 SEC. 302. REAFFIRMING CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL 

22 AND PREVENTION’S AUTHORITY. 

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

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


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

2 relating to the causes, mechanisms, prevention, diag3 nosis, treatment of injuries, and rehabilitation from 

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

5 collection, relating to— 

6 ‘‘(A) the causes, mechanisms, prevention, diag7 nosis, and treatment of injuries, including with re8 spect to gun violence; and 

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

10 (2) by adding at the end the following new sub11 section: 

12 ‘‘(c) NO ADVOCACY OR PROMOTION OF GUN CON13 TROL.—Nothing in this section shall be construed to— 

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

15 make grants, or enter into cooperative agreements or 

16 contracts for the purpose of advocating or promoting 

17 gun control; or 

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

19 cooperative agreement, or contract under this section 

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

21 for the purpose of advocating or promoting gun con22 trol.’’. 

23 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 

24 394A of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 280b– 

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


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1 and all that follows through the end and inserting the fol2 lowing: ‘‘authorized to be appropriated such sums as may 

3 be necessary for each of fiscal years 2020 though 2024.’’. 

4 SEC. 303. PROTECTING CONFIDENTIAL DOCTOR-PATIENT 

5 RELATIONSHIP. 

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

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

8 following new paragraph: 

9 ‘‘(6) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Notwith10 standing the previous provisions of this subsection, 

11 none of the authorities provided to the Secretary 

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

13 amendment made by such Public Law shall be con14 strued to prohibit a physician or other health care 

15 provider from— 

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

17 possession, use, or storage of a firearm or am18 munition in the home of such patient; 

19 ‘‘(B) speaking to a patient about gun safe20 ty; or 

21 ‘‘(C) reporting to the authorities a pa22 tient’s threat of violence.’’. 


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1 TITLE IV—ENSURING SAFE 

2 COMMUNITIES 

3 SEC. 401. BAN ON FIREARM POSSESSION BY PERSON COM4 MITTED INVOLUNTARILY TO MENTAL INSTI5 TUTION ON AN OUTPATIENT BASIS. 

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

7 18, United States Code, are each amended by inserting 

8 ‘‘on an involuntary inpatient or involuntary outpatient 

9 basis’’ before the semicolon. 

10 SEC. 402. GRANT PROGRAM REGARDING FIREARMS. 

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

12 Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10157(b)) is amend13 ed— 

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

15 local government, for 1 or more of the purposes 

16 specified in section 501, pursuant to his determina17 tion that the same is necessary’’; 

18 (2) by inserting before paragraph (1) the fol19 lowing: 

20 ‘‘(1) one or more States or units of local gov21 ernment, for one or more of the purposes specified 

22 in section 501, pursuant to his determination that 

23 the same is necessary—’’; 

24 (3) by redesignating the second paragraph (1) 

25 as subparagraph (A); 


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1 (4) in paragraph (2)— 

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

3 inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 

4 (B) by redesignating paragraph (2) as sub5 paragraph (B); and 

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

7 ‘‘(2) one or more States, if that State has dem8 onstrated, in the determination of the Attorney Gen9 eral, that the State has adopted policies, procedures, 

10 protocols, laws or regulations pertaining to the pos11 session or transfer of firearms or ammunition that— 

12 ‘‘(A)(i) give State and local law enforce13 ment the authority, to the extent allowable 

14 under Federal laws and the United States Con15 stitution, to seize firearms or ammunition from 

16 an individual pursuant to a warrant, where 

17 there is probable cause to believe that the indi18 vidual in possession of such firearms or ammu19 nition poses an elevated risk of harm to himself 

20 or herself or to another individual, which may 

21 be determined by considering whether the indi22 vidual has caused harm to himself or herself or 

23 another individual, has detailed plans to cause 

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1 vidual, has a history of substance abuse, or 

2 lacks impulse control; and 

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

4 after such a seizure, an individual from whom 

5 a firearm or ammunition was so seized shall be 

6 given an opportunity to contest such seizure in 

7 court, and any firearm or ammunition so seized 

8 shall be returned to the individual, unless a 

9 State or local law enforcement officer dem10 onstrates in court by a preponderance of the 

11 evidence that the individual from whom a fire12 arm or ammunition was seized poses an ele13 vated risk of harm to himself or herself or to 

14 another individual; or 

15 ‘‘(B) temporarily prohibit an individual 

16 who has been involuntarily hospitalized for a 

17 period of not less than 48 hours for mental ill18 ness on an emergency basis, from possessing a 

19 firearm or ammunition;’’. 

20 SEC. 403. NOTIFICATION OF STATE AND LOCAL LAW EN21 FORCEMENT AUTHORITIES OF ATTEMPT TO 

22 PURCHASE FIREARM BY INELIGIBLE PER23 SON. 

24 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General shall estab25 lish a system for the prompt notification of the relevant 


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1 State and local enforcement agencies when the National 

2 Instant Criminal Background Check System established 

3 under section 103 of the Brady Handgun Violence Preven4 tion Act notifies a licensed dealer that the information 

5 available to the system indicates that the possession of a 

6 firearm by an individual attempting to obtain a firearm 

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

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

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

10 that law enforcement purposes would best be served by 

11 not providing such a notice. 

12 (b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the terms ‘‘fire13 arm’’ and ‘‘licensed dealer’’ shall have the meanings given 

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

15 Code. 

16 TITLE V—RESTORATION 

17 SEC. 501. FEDERAL AGENCY RELIEF PROGRAM. 

18 Section 101(c) of the NICS Improvement Amend19 ments Act of 2007 (34 U.S.C. 40911) is amended— 

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

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

22 such person is a person described in subparagraph 

23 (C) and submits the opinion (and records and infor24 mation supporting the opinion) of a psychiatrist, a 

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1 tal health professional who can provide adequate in2 formation who has personally evaluated the person’’; 

3 and 

4 (2) by adding at the end of paragraph (2) the 

5 following: 

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

7 described in this subparagraph if, beginning not 

8 earlier than 1 year after the person is subject 

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

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

11 States Code, and after affording the Federal 

12 department or agency the opportunity to re13 quest an additional evaluation, by a psychia14 trist, a clinical psychologist, or a licensed or 

15 qualified mental health professional who can 

16 provide adequate information appointed by the 

17 department or agency, the department or agen18 cy determines by a preponderance of the evi19 dence received that— 

20 ‘‘(i) the person no longer manifests 

21 the symptoms of mental disorder that re22 sulted in that person’s adjudication as in23 eligible due to disqualifying mental status 

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1 wise significantly elevate the risk of harm 

2 to self or others; 

3 ‘‘(ii) the person has adhered consist4 ently to any prescribed treatment for a 

5 substantial period of time preceding the 

6 date of the application and has expressed 

7 a willingness to continue treatment under 

8 an appropriate mental health professional; 

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

10 that adherence to that treatment is likely 

11 to minimize the risk that the person will 

12 revert to a mental state that would present 

13 a danger to self or others; and 

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

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

16 SEC. 502. STATE RELIEF PROGRAMS. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 105 of the NICS Im18 provement Amendments Act of 2007 (34 U.S.C. 40915) 

19 is amended— 

20 (1) in subsection (a)(2), by striking ‘‘if the cir21 cumstances’’ and all that follows through ‘‘public in22 terest’’ and inserting ‘‘beginning not earlier than 1 

23 year after the person is first adjudicated as de24 scribed in subsection (g)(4) of section 922 of title 

25 18, United States Code, if the person submits the 


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1 opinion (and records and information supporting the 

2 opinion) of a psychiatrist, a clinical psychologist, or 

3 a licensed or qualified mental health professional 

4 who can provide adequate information who has per5 sonally evaluated the person, and after affording the 

6 State the opportunity to request an additional eval7 uation, by a psychiatrist, clinical psychologist, or 

8 other licensed or qualified mental health professional 

9 who can provide adequate information appointed by 

10 the court, board, commission, or other lawful author11 ity, only if the court, board, commission, or other 

12 lawful authority determines by a preponderance of 

13 the evidence received that the person is a person de14 scribed in subsection (c)’’; and 

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

16 ‘‘(c) ELIGIBLE PERSON DESCRIBED.—A person de17 scribed in this subsection is any person who submits with 

18 the application for relief under subsection (a)(1), the opin19 ion (and records and information supporting the opinion) 

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

21 qualified mental health professional who can provide ade22 quate information who has personally evaluated the peti23 tioner and which attests that— 

24 ‘‘(1) the person no longer manifests the symp25 toms of disqualifying mental status that resulted in 


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1 that person’s adjudication as ineligible due to dis2 qualifying mental status or involuntary commitment; 

3 ‘‘(2) the person appears to have adhered con4 sistently to any prescribed treatment for a substan5 tial period of time preceding the date of the applica6 tion and has expressed a willingness to continue 

7 treatment under an appropriate mental health pro8 fessional; 

9 ‘‘(3) if ongoing treatment is required, that ad10 herence to that treatment is likely to minimize the 

11 risk that the person will revert to a mental state 

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

13 ‘‘(4) the granting of the relief would not be con14 trary to the public interest. 

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

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

17 with Federal programs providing relief from disabilities 

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

19 title 18, United States Code.’’. 

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

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

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

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

24 105 of the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 


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1 (34 U.S.C. 40915) in effect on the date of enactment of 

2 this Act. 

3 SEC. 503. INELIGIBILITY DUE TO DISQUALIFYING MENTAL 

4 STATUS. 

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

6 is amended by striking ‘‘adjudicated as a mental defec7 tive’’ and inserting ‘‘adjudicated as ineligible due to dis8 qualifying mental status’’. 

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

10 is amended by striking ‘‘adjudicated as a mental defec11 tive’’ and inserting ‘‘adjudicated as ineligible due to dis12 qualifying mental status’’. 

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

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

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

16 disqualifying mental status’’. 

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

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

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

20 disqualifying mental status’’. 

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

22 is amended by striking ‘‘adjudicated a mental defective’’ 

23 and inserting ‘‘adjudicated as ineligible due to disquali24 fying mental status’’. 


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

2 is amended by striking ‘‘adjudicated as a mental defec3 tive’’ and inserting ‘‘adjudicated as ineligible due to dis4 qualifying mental status’’. 

5 (g) Section 3(2) of the NICS Improvement Amend6 ments Act of 2007 (34 U.S.C. 40903) is amended by 

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

8 ‘‘adjudicated as ineligible due to disqualifying mental sta9 tus’’. 

10 (h) Section 101(b)(2)(C)(ii) of the NICS Improve11 ment Amendments Act of 2007 (34 U.S.C. 40911) is 

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

13 and inserting ‘‘adjudicated as ineligible due to disquali14 fying mental status’’. 

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

16 Amendments Act of 2007 (34 U.S.C. 40911) is amended 

17 by striking ‘‘adjudicated as a mental defective’’ and insert18 ing ‘‘adjudicated as ineligible due to disqualifying mental 

19 status’’. 

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

21 Amendments Act of 2007 (34 U.S.C. 40911) is amended 

22 in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking 

23 ‘‘adjudicate a person as a mental defective’’ and inserting 

24 ‘‘adjudicate a person as ineligible due to disqualifying 

25 mental status’’. 


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

2 Amendments Act of 2007 (34 U.S.C. 40911) is amended 

3 by striking ‘‘adjudicate the person as a mental defective,’’ 

4 and inserting ‘‘adjudicate the person as ineligible due to 

5 disqualifying mental status’’. 

6 (l) Section 102(b)(1)(C)(iv) of the NICS Improve7 ment Amendments Act of 2007 (34 U.S.C. 40912) is 

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

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

11 TITLE VI—SUBMISSION OF 

12 RECORDS TO NATIONAL IN13 STANT CRIMINAL BACK14 GROUND CHECK SYSTEM 

15 SEC. 601. REPORTS RELATING TO SUBMISSION OF INFOR16 MATION TO NICS. 

17 Section 201 of the NICS Improvement Amendments 

18 Act of 2007 (34 U.S.C. 40931) is amended— 

19 (1) by amending subsection (b) to read as fol20 lows: 

21 ‘‘(b) REPORT ON PERSONS PROHIBITED FROM OB22 TAINING FIREARMS AS A RESULT OF A CONVICTION OF

23 A MISDEMEANOR CRIME OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.—Not 

24 later than January 31 of each year, the Director shall sub25 mit to Congress a report containing the number of persons 


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1 reported by each State to the National Instant Criminal 

2 Background Check System who are prohibited from pos3 sessing or receiving a firearm under section 922(g)(9) of 

4 title 18, United States Code.’’; 

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

6 (3) by inserting after subsection (c) the fol7 lowing: 

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

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

10 after the date of enactment of the Safer Commu11 nities Act of 2019, and annually thereafter, the Di12 rector shall submit to Congress and to each State 

13 participating in the National Criminal History Im14 provement Program, a report of the practices of the 

15 States that the Director considers to be promising 

16 practices. 

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

18 purposes of this subsection, the term ‘promising 

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

20 State regarding the collection, maintenance, automa21 tion, and transmittal of information relevant to de22 termining whether a person is prohibited from pos23 sessing or receiving a firearm by Federal or State 

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

25 records relevant to the National Instant Criminal 


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1 Background Check System, that the Director deter2 mines— 

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

4 agency to successfully increase or expand its 

5 ability to collect, maintain, automate, and 

6 transmit the information described in the mat7 ter preceding this subparagraph; 

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

9 becoming a best practice under subsection (c), 

10 with long-term sustainable impact; and 

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

12 agencies.’’. 

13 SEC. 602. REAUTHORIZATION OF THE NATIONAL CRIMINAL 

14 HISTORY RECORDS IMPROVEMENT PRO15 GRAM. 

16 Section 106(b) of Public Law 103–159 (34 U.S.C. 

17 40302) is amended— 

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

19 subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘Fix NICS Act of 

20 2018’’ and inserting ‘‘Safer Communities Act of 

21 2019’’; and 

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

23 following: 

24 ‘‘(2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

25 There are authorized to be appropriated for grants 


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1 under this subsection $100,000,000 for each of fis2 cal years 2020 though 2024.’’. 

3 SEC. 603. IMPROVEMENT OF METRICS AND INCENTIVES. 

4 Section 102(b) of the NICS Improvement Amend5 ments Act of 2007 (34 U.S.C. 40912) is amended to read 

6 as follows: 

7 ‘‘(b) IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.— 

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

9 the date of enactment of the Safer Communities Act 

10 of 2019, the Attorney General, in coordination with 

11 the States, shall establish for each State or Indian 

12 Tribal government applying for a grant under sec13 tion 103 a 4-year implementation plan to ensure 

14 maximum coordination and automation of the re15 porting of records or making records available to the 

16 National Instant Criminal Background Check Sys17 tem. 

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

19 year plan established under paragraph (1) shall in20 clude annual benchmarks, including both qualitative 

21 goals and quantitative measures, to assess imple22 mentation of the 4-year plan. 

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

24 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—During the 4-year pe25 riod covered by a 4-year plan established under 


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1 paragraph (1), the Attorney General shall with2 hold— 

3 ‘‘(i) 10 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 (34 

7 U.S.C. 10156) if the State does not meet 

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

10 period; 

11 ‘‘(ii) 11 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 (34 

15 U.S.C. 10156) if the State does not meet 

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

18 period; 

19 ‘‘(iii) 13 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 (34 

23 U.S.C. 10156) if the State does not meet 

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

2 period; and 

3 ‘‘(iv) 15 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 (34 

7 U.S.C. 10156) if the State does not meet 

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

10 period. 

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

12 State that fails to establish a plan under para13 graph (1) shall be treated as having not met 

14 any benchmark established under paragraph 

15 (2).’’. 

16 SEC. 604. GRANTS TO STATES TO IMPROVE COORDINATION 

17 AND AUTOMATION OF NICS RECORD REPORT18 ING. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—The NICS Improvement Amend20 ments Act of 2007 (34 U.S.C. 40901 et seq.) is amend21 ed— 

22 (1) by striking section 103 and inserting the 

23 following: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 103. GRANTS TO STATES FOR IMPROVEMENT OF CO2 ORDINATION AND AUTOMATION OF NICS 

3 RECORD REPORTING. 

4 ‘‘(a) AUTHORIZATION.—From amounts made avail5 able to carry out this section, the Attorney General shall 

6 make grants to States, Indian Tribal governments, and 

7 State court systems, in a manner consistent with the Na8 tional Criminal History Improvement Program and con9 sistent with State plans for integration, automation, and 

10 accessibility of criminal history records, for use by the 

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

12 Tribal government, or State court system to improve the 

13 automation and transmittal of mental health records and 

14 criminal history dispositions, records relevant to deter15 mining whether a person has been convicted of a mis16 demeanor crime of domestic violence, court orders, and 

17 mental health adjudications or commitments to Federal 

18 and State record repositories in accordance with section 

19 102 and the National Criminal History Improvement Pro20 gram. 

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

22 States, Indian Tribal governments, or State court systems 

23 under this section may only be used to— 

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

25 capabilities of the courts of the State or Indian Trib26 al government for the automation and transmission 


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1 of arrest and conviction records, court orders, and 

2 mental health adjudications or commitments to Fed3 eral and State record repositories; 

4 ‘‘(2) implement policies, systems, and proce5 dures for the automation and transmission of arrest 

6 and conviction records, court orders, and mental 

7 health adjudications or commitments to Federal and 

8 State record repositories; 

9 ‘‘(3) create electronic systems that provide ac10 curate and up-to-date information which is directly 

11 related to checks under the National Instant Crimi12 nal Background Check System, including court dis13 position and corrections records; 

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

15 in establishing or enhancing their own capacities to 

16 perform background checks using the National In17 stant Criminal Background Check System; and 

18 ‘‘(5) develop and maintain the relief from dis19 abilities program in accordance with section 105. 

20 ‘‘(c) ELIGIBILITY.— 

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

22 under this section, a State, Indian Tribal govern23 ment, or State court system shall certify, to the sat24 isfaction of the Attorney General, that the State, In25 dian Tribal government, or State court system— 


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

2 court order from submitting mental health 

3 records to the National Instant Criminal Back4 ground Check System; and 

5 ‘‘(B) subject to paragraph (2), has imple6 mented a relief from disabilities program in ac7 cordance with section 105. 

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

9 For purposes of obtaining a grant under this sec10 tion, a State, Indian Tribal government, or State 

11 court system shall not be required to meet the eligi12 bility requirement described in paragraph (1)(B) 

13 until the date that is 2 years after the date of enact14 ment of the Safer Communities Act of 2019. 

15 ‘‘(d) FEDERAL SHARE.— 

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

17 ACTIVITIES.—The Federal share of a study, assess18 ment, creation of a task force, or other non-material 

19 activity, as determined by the Attorney General, car20 ried out with a grant under this section shall be not 

21 more than 25 percent. 

22 ‘‘(2) INFRASTRUCTURE OR SYSTEM DEVELOP23 MENT.—The Federal share of an activity involving 

24 infrastructure or system development, including 

25 labor-related costs, for the purpose of improving 


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1 State or Indian Tribal government record reporting 

2 to the National Instant Criminal Background Check 

3 System carried out with a grant under this section 

4 may amount to 100 percent of the cost of the activ5 ity. 

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

7 of the grant funding available under this section may be 

8 reserved for Indian Tribal governments for use by Indian 

9 Tribal judicial systems. 

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

11 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

12 $100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2020 though 2023.’’; 

13 (2) by striking title III; and 

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

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

16 of enactment of the Safer Communities Act of 

17 2019’’. 

18 (b) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENT.— 

19 The table of sections in section 1(b) of the NICS Improve20 ment Amendments Act of 2007 is amended by striking 

21 the item relating to section 103 and inserting the fol22 lowing: 

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

of NICS record reporting.’’. 


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1 SEC. 605. SHARING OF RECORDS BY FEDERAL DEPART2 MENTS AND AGENCIES WITH NICS. 

3 Section 101(b) of the NICS Improvement Amend4 ments Act of 2007 (34 U.S.C. 40911) is amended— 

5 (1) in paragraph (2)— 

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

7 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

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

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

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

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

12 date of the enactment of the Safer Communities 

13 Act of 2019, and annually thereafter, submit a 

14 report to Congress on the compliance of the 

15 heads of Federal departments and agencies 

16 with the requirements of paragraphs (1) and 

17 (3).’’; and 

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

19 ‘‘(3) OTHER FEDERAL DEPARTMENTS AND

20 AGENCIES.—The head of each Federal department 

21 or agency in possession of records which are relevant 

22 to a determination of whether a person is disquali23 fied from possessing or receiving a firearm under 

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

25 United States Code, shall make available to the At26 torney General, such records, updated not less than 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
50 

•HR 4199 IH

1 quarterly, for use in the background checks per2 formed by the National Instant Criminal Back3 ground Check System.’’. 

Æ 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS