Title: Gun Violence Research Act of 2017
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Gun Violence Research Act of 2017
This bill amends the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016, with respect to the prohibition on the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) using funds to advocate or promote gun control. The bill declares that this prohibition does not restrict HHS funding for research on mental health, gun violence, and how they intersect.
The Surgeon General must report annually on the effects of gun violence on public health, including mental health, and the status of actions taken to address those effects. HHS must report on the effects of gun violence on public health in minority communities.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4573 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4573

To clarify that the Dickey Amendment does not prevent the use of funds 
 for research on mental health, gun violence, and how they intersect, 
      and to provide for reporting on the effects of gun violence.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            December 6, 2017

Ms. Kelly of Illinois (for herself, Mr. Richmond, Mr. Clay, Mr. Lawson 
 of Florida, Mr. Lewis of Georgia, Mr. Danny K. Davis of Illinois, Mr. 
 David Scott of Georgia, Mr. Rush, Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, 
 Ms. Wilson of Florida, Mr. Jeffries, Mrs. Beatty, Mrs. Lawrence, Ms. 
 Bass, Mr. Carson of Indiana, Ms. Clarke of New York, Ms. Fudge, Mrs. 
  Watson Coleman, Ms. Adams, and Mr. Evans) introduced the following 
    bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To clarify that the Dickey Amendment does not prevent the use of funds 
 for research on mental health, gun violence, and how they intersect, 
      and to provide for reporting on the effects 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 ``Gun Violence Research Act of 2017''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds as follows:
            (1) As of December 4, 2017, there have been 56,825 
        incidents of gun violence in the United States in 2017.
            (2) As of December 4, 2017, there have been 14,319 deaths 
        related to gun violence in the United States in 2017.
            (3) Defining a mass shooting as an incident of violence 
        during which four or more people are shot, not including the 
        shooter--
                    (A) there have been 327 mass shootings in the 
                United States in 2017;
                    (B) on average, there is more than one mass 
                shooting each day in the United States; and
                    (C) there have been more than 1,500 mass shootings 
                in the United States since the shooting at Sandy Hook 
                Elementary in 2012.

SEC. 3. RESEARCH ON MENTAL HEALTH, GUN VIOLENCE, AND HOW THEY 
              INTERSECT.

    Effective on the date of enactment of the Consolidated 
Appropriations Act, 2016 (Public Law 114-113), section 210 (prohibiting 
the availability of funds to advocate or promote gun control) of title 
II of division H of such Act (relating to the Department of Health and 
Human Services) is amended to read as follows:
    ``Sec. 210.  None of the funds made available in this title may be 
used, in whole or in part, to advocate or promote gun control. Nothing 
in this section shall be construed to limit funding for the conduct or 
support of research on mental health, gun violence, and how they 
intersect.''.

SEC. 4. REPORT ON EFFECTS OF GUN VIOLENCE ON PUBLIC HEALTH.

    Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, and annually thereafter, the Surgeon General of the Public Health 
Service shall submit to Congress a report on the effects on public 
health, including mental health, of gun violence in the United States 
during the preceding year, and the status of actions taken to address 
such effects.

SEC. 5. REPORT ON EFFECTS OF GUN VIOLENCE ON MENTAL HEALTH IN MINORITY 
              COMMUNITIES.

    Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health in the Office 
of the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall submit to Congress 
a report on the effects of gun violence on public health, including 
mental health, in minority communities in the United States, and the 
status of actions taken to address such effects.
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