Office of Gun Violence Prevention Act of 2023

Bill: 118-s-951
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Murphy, Christopher [D-CT]
Introduced: 2023-03-22
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Advisory bodies

Congressional oversight

Criminal justice information and records

Department of Justice

Executive agency funding and structure

Firearms and explosives

Government studies and investigations
Latest action: action_date: 2023-03-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Summaries:
action_date: 2023-03-22
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><b>Office of Gun Violence Prevention Act of 2023</b></p> <p>This bill establishes an Office of Gun Violence Prevention within the Department of Justice's Office of Legal Policy. </p> <p>Among its duties, the office must coordinate various gun violence prevention efforts that are administered by the Department of Justice, recommend policy options to promote evidence-based gun violence prevention strategies, and promote related data collection. </p>

tv_txt: II 118th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 951 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES March 22, 2023 Mr. Murphy (for himself and Mr. Blumenthal ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary A BILL To establish the Office of Gun Violence Prevention, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Office of Gun Violence Prevention Act of 2023 . 2. Definitions In this Act: (1) Advisory Council The term Advisory Council means the advisory council established under section 3(c)(1). (2) Director The term Director means the Director of the Office. (3) Gun violence The term gun violence includes homicide, violent crime, domestic violence, attempted suicide, suicide, and unintentional death or injury involving a firearm. (4) Office The term Office means the Office of Gun Violence Prevention established under section 3(a). 3. Office of Gun Violence Prevention (a) Establishment (1) In general The Attorney General shall establish within the Office of Legal Policy of the Department of Justice the Office of Gun Violence Prevention. (2) Director The Attorney General shall appoint a Director to be the head of the Office. (b) Duties (1) In general The Director, in consultation with the Advisory Council, shall coordinate, integrate, and maximize the efficacy of each responsibility, program, and service relating to gun violence prevention administered by the Attorney General to maximize an integrated approach to reducing gun violence and serving victims of gun violence, including— (A) the responsibilities of the heads of the Criminal and Civil Divisions of the Department of Justice, the Director of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, each United States Attorney, Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Director of the Office on Violence Against Women, the Director of the Office of Victims of Crime, and the Director of the Office of Justice Programs; and (B) the administration of the national instant criminal background check system established under section 103 of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act ( 34 U.S.C. 40901 ). (2) Evaluation The Director, in consultation with the Advisory Council, shall evaluate laws, regulations, Federal programs, offices, data sources, and grant programs relating to gun violence prevention administered by the Attorney General to assess how each such law, regulation, Federal program, office, data source, and grant program can be maximized, modernized, and coordinated to reduce gun violence. (3) Policy recommendations The Director shall recommend to Congress and the President legislative and executive policy options to promote evidence-based gun violence prevention strategies, including the implementation of existing laws, regulations, and grant programs. (4) Data The Director, in consultation with the Advisory Council, shall— (A) identify gaps in available data needed for gun violence prevention research, policy development, and the implementation of evidence-based gun violence prevention strategies; and (B) develop a plan to collect and analyze the data described in subparagraph (A). (5) Assessment The Director, in consultation with the Advisory Council, shall assess ongoing research efforts of the Department of Justice relating to gun violence to establish a comprehensive research agenda on the causes and solutions of gun violence. (6) Education The Director, in consultation with the Advisory Council, shall educate the general public about Federal laws, regulations, and grant programs relating to gun violence prevention, including by conducting education and awareness campaigns— (A) directed at— (i) owners of firearms; (ii) parents and legal guardians of minors; and (iii) professionals who provide services to individuals and communities disproportionately impacted by gun violence; and (B) that include education relating to the secure storage or firearms and suicide prevention. (7) Coordination In carrying out the duties under this subsection, the Director shall coordinate with Federal agencies and commissions that have jurisdiction over gun violence prevention, including— (A) the Department of Health and Human Services; (B) the Department of Veterans Affairs; (C) the Department of Education; (D) the Department of Housing and Urban Development; (E) the Department of Commerce; (F) the Department of Homeland Security; (G) the Department of Defense; (H) the Department of the Interior; (I) the Consumer Product Safety Commission; (J) the Federal Trade Commission; and (K) the United States Sentencing Commission. (8) Annual report Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Director shall submit to Congress a report that includes— (A) information on the state of gun violence in the United States; (B) recommendations for policy initiatives and legislation to reduce gun violence in the United States; and (C) a description of the efforts of the Director to carry out the duties under this subsection. (c) Advisory council (1) In general Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, and not less frequently than quarterly thereafter, the Attorney General shall convene an advisory council— (A) chaired by the Director; and (B) the membership of which includes the following individuals or a designee of the individual: (i) The Deputy Attorney General. (ii) The Associate Attorney General. (iii) The Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Policy. (iv) The Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs. (v) The Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division. (vi) The Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. (vii) The Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. (viii) The Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance. (ix) The Director of the Office on Violence Against Women. (x) The Director of the Office of Victims of Crime. (xi) The Director of the Bureau of Justice Statistics. (xii) The Director of the National Institute of Justice. (2) Additional members (A) In general The Director shall make every reasonable effort to include as members of the Advisory Council not fewer than 12 additional individuals. (B) Representatives The additional members described in subparagraph (A) shall include not fewer than 1— (i) survivor of gun violence; (ii) community violence intervention service provider; (iii) public health official; (iv) medical professional who provides trauma care; (v) mental health clinician; (vi) official from a department of justice of a State; (vii) State or local public health department official; (viii) teacher; (ix) member of a student group; and (x) veteran. (d) Authorization of appropriations There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary to carry out this section.