Resources for Victims of Gun Violence Act of 2021
Bill: S.556 | Sponsor: Sen. Casey, Robert P., Jr. (D-PA)
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement

Summary:
Resources for Victims of Gun Violence Act of 2021
This bill establishes the Advisory Council to Support Victims of Gun Violence.
Among other things, the advisory council must assess the needs of victims of gun violence and disseminate information about helpful resources.

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

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Resources for Victims of Gun 
Violence Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) In the United States, more than 100 individuals are 
        killed with guns every day, totaling nearly 40,000 individuals 
        who die from gun violence every year.
            (2) Additionally, more than 230 individuals sustain a 
        nonfatal gun injury every day. According to a recent national 
        poll, an estimated 10,000,000 individuals in the United States 
        have been shot and injured in their lifetimes.
            (3) In that same poll, approximately 58 percent of adults 
        in the United States reported that they, or someone they care 
        for, have experienced a form of gun violence, including a gun 
        suicide, a gun homicide, domestic violence involving a gun, or 
        an unintentional shooting.
            (4) Nearly two-thirds of gun-related deaths in the United 
        States are suicides. Most individuals who attempt suicide do 
        not die--unless they use a gun. Approximately 90 percent of gun 
        suicide attempts end in death, whereas 4 percent of suicide 
        attempts not involving a firearm result in death.
            (5) This is particularly concerning for veterans, children, 
        and teenagers. Veterans are 1.5 times more likely than non-
        veterans to die by suicide, and in 2017, 69 percent of veteran 
        suicides were by gun. Among children and teenagers, the rate of 
        gun suicide has increased 59 percent over the past 10 years.
            (6) An estimated 40,000,000 adults in the United States 
        report someone they cared for had attempted or died by suicide 
        with a gun.
            (7) More than one-third of gun-related deaths in the United 
        States are homicides, and in 2015, the gun homicide rate in the 
        United States was nearly 25 times higher than in other high-
        income countries.
            (8) Gun homicides in the United States occur 
        disproportionately in cities, particularly in racially 
        segregated neighborhoods with high rates of poverty. Gun 
        homicide disproportionately affects communities of color, and 
        Black Americans represent the majority of gun homicide victims.
            (9) More than 600 mass shootings, defined as shootings in 
        which 4 or more individuals were shot and killed or injured, 
        took place in the United States in 2020, and more than 2,600 
        mass shootings have taken place since the shooting at Sandy 
        Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012.
            (10) Firearms are the leading cause of death for children 
        and teenagers. In 2019, more than 3,300 children and teenagers 
        were shot and killed. Each year, approximately 15,600 children 
        and teenagers are shot and injured. Black children and 
        teenagers are 14 times more likely than their white peers to 
        die by gun homicide.
            (11) During an average year in the United States, more than 
        600 women are shot to death by an intimate partner, and many 
        more women are shot and injured by an intimate partner. Nearly 
        1,000,000 women in the United States who are alive today have 
        been shot or shot at by an intimate partner, and approximately 
        4,500,000 women in the United States today have been threatened 
        with a gun by an intimate partner.
            (12) More than 10,300 violent hate crimes committed in the 
        United States in an average year involve a gun, or more than 28 
        each day. The vast majority of hate crimes are directed against 
        communities of color, religious minorities, and individuals in 
        the LGBTQ+ community.
            (13) In 2020, communities and cities across the United 
        States experienced an increase in gun violence and gun 
        homicides as the country struggled with the economic and social 
        uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
            (14) From March 2020 through November 2020, an estimated 
        17,400,000 guns were sold, an 81 percent increase over the same 
        period in 2019. This unprecedented surge in gun sales put 
        children, victims of domestic abuse, and communities of color 
        at an even greater risk of gun violence.
            (15) The individuals who survive gun violence every year in 
        the United States face a lifelong process of physical and 
        emotional healing, in addition to the heavy economic costs 
        faced by those survivors, their families and communities, and 
        society as a whole. Furthermore, victims of gun violence are 
        often unaware of or have trouble accessing many available 
        resources that could help them in their recovery.
            (16) Victims of gun violence experience persistent mental 
        health problems, including post-traumatic stress, depression, 
        self-harm, anxiety, and substance abuse. The National Center 
        for PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) of the Department of 
        Veterans Affairs estimates that 28 percent of individuals who 
        witness a mass shooting develop PTSD, and about one-third of 
        those individuals develop acute stress disorder. Victims of gun 
        violence suffer from increased rates of unemployment, and young 
        victims of gun violence are more likely to have lower grades 
        and more absences from school.
            (17) Young people who survive gun-related incidents are 
        also at risk of experiencing gun violence again in the future. 
        One study estimated that nearly one-fourth of the individuals 
        who survive a gun shooting at age 24 or younger will be shot 
        again within the next 10 years.
            (18) Given the immense physical and emotional toll of gun 
        violence on victims, Congress must do more to ensure that 
        victims of gun violence have access to the resources they need 
        to recover from their trauma--especially for victims 
        experiencing common, everyday gun violence in racially 
        segregated neighborhoods with high rates of poverty and chronic 
        disinvestment.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Advisory council.--The term ``Advisory Council'' means 
        the Advisory Council to Support Victims of Gun Violence 
        established under section 4.
            (2) Appropriate committees.--The term ``appropriate 
        committees'' means the following:
                    (A) The Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
                Pensions of the Senate.
                    (B) The Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate.
                    (C) The Committee on Education and Labor of the 
                House of Representatives.
                    (D) The Committee on Energy and Commerce of the 
                House of Representatives.
                    (E) The Committee on the Judiciary of the House of 
                Representatives.
                    (F) Any other relevant committee of the Senate or 
                of the House of Representatives with jurisdiction over 
                matters affecting victims of gun violence.
            (3) Gun violence.--The term ``gun violence'' means--
                    (A) suicide involving firearms;
                    (B) homicide involving firearms;
                    (C) domestic violence involving firearms;
                    (D) hate crimes involving firearms;
                    (E) youth violence involving firearms;
                    (F) mass shootings;
                    (G) unintentional shootings;
                    (H) non-fatal shootings; and
                    (I) threats or exposure to violent acts involving 
                firearms.
            (4) Victim assistance professional.--The term ``victim 
        assistance professional'' means a professional who assists 
        victims of gun violence, including--
                    (A) a medical professional, including an emergency 
                medical professional;
                    (B) a social worker;
                    (C) a provider of long-term services or care; and
                    (D) a victim advocate.
            (5) Victim of gun violence.--The term ``victim of gun 
        violence'' means--
                    (A) an individual who has been wounded as a result 
                of gun violence;
                    (B) an individual who has been threatened with an 
                act of gun violence;
                    (C) an individual who has witnessed an act of gun 
                violence; and
                    (D) a relative, classmate, coworker, or other 
                associate of--
                            (i) an individual who has been killed as a 
                        result of gun violence; or
                            (ii) an individual described in 
                        subparagraph (A) or (B).

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

    (a) Establishment.--There is established an Advisory Council to 
Support Victims of Gun Violence.
    (b) Membership.--
            (1) In general.--The Advisory Council shall be composed of 
        the following members or their designees:
                    (A) The Secretary of Health and Human Services.
                    (B) The Attorney General.
                    (C) The Secretary of Education.
                    (D) The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
                    (E) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
                    (F) The Commissioner of the Social Security 
                Administration.
                    (G) The Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and 
                Substance Use.
                    (H) The Director of the Centers for Disease Control 
                and Prevention.
                    (I) The Director of the National Institutes of 
                Health.
                    (J) The Administrator of the Administration for 
                Community Living.
                    (K) The Director of the Office on Violence Against 
                Women.
                    (L) The Director of the Office for Victims of 
                Crime.
                    (M) The chairman of the Board of the Legal Services 
                Corporation.
                    (N) As appropriate, the head of any other Federal 
                department or agency identified by the Secretary of 
                Health and Human Services as having responsibilities, 
                or administering programs, relating to issues affecting 
                victims of gun violence.
            (2) Additional members.--In addition to the members 
        described in paragraph (1), the Advisory Council shall be 
        composed of the following:
                    (A) Not fewer than 2 and not more than 5 victims of 
                gun violence, who shall be appointed by the Secretary 
                of Health and Human Services.
                    (B) Not fewer than 2 and not more than 5 victim 
                assistance professionals, who shall be appointed by the 
                Secretary of Health and Human Services.
            (3) Lead agency.--The Department of Health and Human 
        Services shall be the lead agency for the Advisory Council.
    (c) Duties.--
            (1) Assessment.--The Advisory Council shall--
                    (A) survey victims of gun violence and victim 
                assistance professionals about their needs in order to 
                inform the content of information disseminated under 
                paragraph (2) and the report published under paragraph 
                (3);
                    (B) conduct a literature review and assess past or 
                ongoing programs designed to assist victims of gun 
                violence or individuals with similar needs to 
                determine--
                            (i) the effectiveness of the programs; and
                            (ii) best and promising practices for 
                        assisting victims of gun violence; and
                    (C) assess the administration of compensation funds 
                established after mass shootings to determine best and 
                promising practices to direct victims of gun violence 
                to sources of funding.
            (2) Information.--
                    (A) In general.--The Advisory Council shall 
                identify, promote, coordinate, and disseminate to the 
                public information, resources, and best and promising 
                practices available to help victims of gun violence--
                            (i) meet their medical, financial, 
                        educational, workplace, housing, 
                        transportation, assistive technology, and 
                        accessibility needs;
                            (ii) maintain their mental health and 
                        emotional well-being;
                            (iii) seek legal redress for their injuries 
                        and protection against any ongoing threats to 
                        their safety; and
                            (iv) access government programs, services, 
                        and benefits for which they may be eligible or 
                        to which they may be entitled.
                    (B) Contact information.--The Advisory Council 
                shall include in the information disseminated under 
                subparagraph (A) the websites and telephone contact 
                information for helplines of relevant Federal agencies, 
                State agencies, and nonprofit organizations.
                    (C) Availability.--The Advisory Council shall make 
                the information described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) 
                available--
                            (i) online through a public website; and
                            (ii) by submitting a hard copy and making 
                        available additional hard copies to--
                                    (I) each Member of Congress;
                                    (II) each field office of the 
                                Social Security Administration;
                                    (III) each State agency that is 
                                responsible for administering health 
                                and human services, for dissemination 
                                to medical facilities;
                                    (IV) each State agency that is 
                                responsible for administering education 
                                programs, for dissemination to schools; 
                                and
                                    (V) the office of each State 
                                attorney general, for dissemination to 
                                local prosecutor's offices.
            (3) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Advisory Council shall--
                    (A) prepare a report that--
                            (i) includes the best and promising 
                        practices, resources, and other useful 
                        information for victims of gun violence 
                        identified under paragraph (2);
                            (ii) identifies any gaps in items described 
                        in clause (i); and
                            (iii) if applicable, identifies any 
                        additional Federal or State legislative 
                        authority necessary to implement the activities 
                        described in clause (i) or address the gaps 
                        described in clause (ii);
                    (B) submit the report prepared under subparagraph 
                (A) to--
                            (i) the appropriate committees;
                            (ii) each State agency that is responsible 
                        for administering health and human services;
                            (iii) each State agency that is responsible 
                        for administering education programs; and
                            (iv) the office of each State attorney 
                        general; and
                    (C) make the report prepared under subparagraph (A) 
                available to the public online in an accessible format.
            (4) Follow-up report.--Not later than 2 years after the 
        date on which the Advisory Council prepares the report under 
        paragraph (3), the Advisory Council shall--
                    (A) submit to the entities described in 
                subparagraph (B) of that paragraph a follow-up report 
                that includes the information identified in 
                subparagraph (A) of that paragraph; and
                    (B) make the follow-up report described in 
                subparagraph (A) available to the public online in an 
                accessible format.
            (5) Public input.--
                    (A) In general.--The Advisory Council shall 
                establish a process to collect public input to inform 
                the development of, and provide updates to, the best 
                and promising practices, resources, and other 
                information described in paragraph (2), including by 
                conducting outreach to entities and individuals 
                described in subparagraph (B) of this paragraph that--
                            (i) have a range of experience with the 
                        types of gun violence described in section 
                        3(3); and
                            (ii) include representation from 
                        communities disproportionately affected by gun 
                        violence.
                    (B) Entities and individuals.--The entities and 
                individuals described in this subparagraph are--
                            (i) States, local governments, and 
                        organizations that provide information to, or 
                        support for, victims of gun violence;
                            (ii) victims of gun violence; and
                            (iii) victim assistance professionals.
                    (C) Nature of outreach.--In conducting outreach 
                under subparagraph (A), the Advisory Council shall ask 
                for input on--
                            (i) information, resources, and best and 
                        promising practices available, including 
                        identification of any gaps and unmet needs;
                            (ii) recommendations that would help 
                        victims of gun violence--
                                    (I) better meet their medical, 
                                financial, educational, workplace, 
                                housing, transportation, assistive 
                                technology, and accessibility needs;
                                    (II) maintain their mental health 
                                and emotional well-being;
                                    (III) seek legal redress for their 
                                injuries and protection against any 
                                ongoing threats to their safety; and
                                    (IV) access government programs, 
                                services, and benefits for which the 
                                victims may be eligible or to which the 
                                victims may be entitled; and
                            (iii) any other subject areas discovered 
                        during the process that would help victims of 
                        gun violence.
    (d) FACA.--The Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall 
not apply to the Advisory Council.
    (e) Funding.--No additional funds are authorized to be appropriated 
to carry out this Act.
    (f) Sunset.--The Advisory Council shall terminate on the date that 
is 5 years after the date of establishment of the Advisory Council.
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