I 
113TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2812 
To encourage States to prohibit ‘‘stand your ground’’ laws and require neigh-
borhood watch programs to register with local law enforcement agencies 
and the Department of Justice, to direct the Attorney General to study 
such laws, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 24, 2013 
Ms. JACKSON LEE (for herself, Mr. CUMMINGS, Ms. BASS, Mr. ELLISON, Mr. 
LEWIS, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. GUTIE´RREZ, Ms. HAHN, Mr. 
LOWENTHAL, and Mr. COHEN) introduced the following bill; which was 
referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To encourage States to prohibit ‘‘stand your ground’’ laws 
and require neighborhood watch programs to register 
with local law enforcement agencies and the Department 
of Justice, to direct the Attorney General to study such 
laws, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Justice Exists for All 
of Us Act of 2013’’. 
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SEC. 2. STATE ‘‘STAND YOUR GROUND’’ LAWS AND NEIGH-
BORHOOD WATCH REGISTRATION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—For each fiscal year after the ex-
piration of the period of implementation specified in sub-
section (b), a State shall— 
(1) not have in effect throughout the State any 
law or policy that allows a person to use deadly force 
when such person is threatened that does not impose 
a duty to retreat before using such force in any 
place where such person is lawfully present (com-
monly known as ‘‘stand your ground laws’’), except 
that a State may have in place a law or policy that 
permits a victim of domestic violence to use deadly 
force when such victim is threatened and does not 
impose a duty on the victim to retreat before using 
such force in any place where such victim is lawfully 
present; and 
(2) have in effect throughout the State laws 
and policies that make it unlawful to establish, orga-
nize, operate, or participate in a neighborhood watch 
program unless such program is registered with— 
(A) the local law enforcement agency that 
has jurisdiction over the neighborhood in which 
the program is located; and 
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plement this section because of a demonstrated 
inability to implement certain provisions that 
would place the State in violation of its con-
stitution, as determined by a ruling of the 
State’s highest court. 
(B) EFFORTS.—If the circumstances arise 
under subparagraph (A), then the Attorney 
General and the State shall make good faith ef-
forts to accomplish substantial implementation 
of this section and to reconcile any conflicts be-
tween this section and the State’s constitution. 
In considering whether compliance with the re-
quirements of this section would likely violate 
the State’s constitution or an interpretation 
thereof by the State’s highest court, the Attor-
ney General shall consult with the chief execu-
tive and chief legal officer of the State con-
cerning the State’s interpretation of the State’s 
constitution and rulings thereon by the State’s 
highest court. 
(C) ALTERNATIVE
PROCEDURES.—If the 
State is unable to substantially implement this 
section because of a limitation imposed by the 
State’s constitution, the Attorney General may 
determine that the State is in compliance with 
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this Act if the State has implemented, or is in 
the process of implementing, reasonable alter-
native procedures or accommodations that are 
consistent with the purposes of this Act. 
(D) FUNDING
REDUCTION.—If a State 
does not comply with subparagraph (C), then 
the State shall be subject to a funding reduc-
tion as specified in paragraph (1). 
(3) REALLOCATION.—Amounts not allocated 
under subpart 1 of part E of title I of the Omnibus 
Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 
U.S.C. 3750 et seq.) to a State for failure to sub-
stantially implement this section shall be reallocated 
under such subpart to States that have not failed to 
substantially implement this section or may be re-
allocated to a State from which they were withheld 
to be used solely for the purpose of implementing 
this section. 
(d) DEFINITION OF STATE.—In this section the term 
‘‘State’’ shall have the meaning given such term in section 
901(a) of Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act 
of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3791(a) et seq.). 
SEC. 3. STUDY ON ‘‘STAND YOUR GROUND’’ LAWS. 
(a) AUTHORITY.—Not later than one year after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall 
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conduct a study of State laws that allow a person to use 
deadly force when such person is threatened and do not 
impose a duty to retreat before using such force in any 
place where such person is lawfully present (commonly 
known as ‘‘stand your ground laws’’). 
(b) CONTENTS OF STUDY.—In conducting the study 
under subsection (a), the Attorney General shall examine 
each of the following: 
(1) The effect that stand your ground laws have 
on rates of violent deaths, including determining 
whether States that have stand your ground laws 
have higher rates of violent deaths than States that 
do not have such laws. 
(2) Whether women and minorities are targets 
of the force authorized by stand your ground laws 
at a higher rate than the general population. 
(c) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after com-
pleting the study conducted under subsection (a), the At-
torney General shall report the findings of such study to 
Congress. 
Æ 
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