[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3926 Introduced in House (IH)]

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114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3926

     To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for better 
 understanding of the epidemic of gun violence, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            November 4, 2015

Mr. Honda (for himself, Ms. Norton, Mr. Ryan of Ohio, Mr. Hastings, Mr. 
 Blumenauer, Ms. Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico, Mr. Van Hollen, 
   Mr. Murphy of Florida, Mr. Gallego, Mr. Rangel, Mr. McGovern, Ms. 
Brownley of California, Mrs. Lawrence, Mr. Grijalva, Ms. McCollum, Mr. 
 Richmond, Mr. Cardenas, Ms. Edwards, Ms. Moore, Mrs. Watson Coleman, 
 Ms. Jackson Lee, Ms. Velazquez, Ms. Esty, Mrs. Napolitano, Mr. Farr, 
Ms. Castor of Florida, Mr. Lipinski, Mr. Rush, Mr. Sires, Mr. Norcross, 
    Mr. Meeks, Ms. Pingree, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Connolly, Ms. Adams, Mr. 
 Ruppersberger, and Mr. Moulton) introduced the following bill; which 
          was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for better 
 understanding of the epidemic of gun violence, and for other purposes.

    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''.

SEC. 2. REAFFIRMING RESEARCH AUTHORITY OF THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE 
              CONTROL AND PREVENTION.

    (a) In General.--Section 391 of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 280b) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)(1), by striking ``research relating 
        to the causes, mechanisms, prevention, diagnosis, treatment of 
        injuries, and rehabilitation from injuries;'' and inserting 
        ``research, including data collection, relating to--
                    ``(A) the causes, mechanisms, prevention, 
                diagnosis, and treatment of injuries, including with 
                respect to gun violence; and
                    ``(B) rehabilitation from such injuries;''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(c) No Advocacy or Promotion of Gun Control.--Nothing in this 
section shall be construed to--
            ``(1) authorize the Secretary to give assistance, make 
        grants, or enter into cooperative agreements or contracts for 
        the purpose of advocating or promoting gun control; or
            ``(2) permit a recipient of any assistance, grant, 
        cooperative agreement, or contract under this section to use 
        such assistance, grant, agreement, or contract for the purpose 
        of advocating or promoting gun control.''.
    (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 394A of the Public 
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 280b-3) is amended by striking 
``authorized to be appropriated'' and all that follows through the end 
and inserting the following: ``authorized to be appropriated such sums 
as may be necessary for fiscal years 2016 through 2020.''.

SEC. 3. NATIONAL VIOLENT DEATH REPORTING SYSTEM.

    The Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the 
Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall 
improve, particularly through the inclusion of additional States, the 
National Violent Death Reporting System, as authorized by title III of 
the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 241 et seq.). Participation in 
the system by the States shall be voluntary.

SEC. 4. PROTECTING CONFIDENTIAL DOCTOR-PATIENT RELATIONSHIP.

    Section 2717(c) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300gg-
17(c)) is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(6) Rule of construction.--Notwithstanding the previous 
        provisions of this subsection, none of the authorities provided 
        to the Secretary under the Patient Protection and Affordable 
        Care Act, an amendment made by that Act, or this subsection 
        shall be construed to prohibit a physician or other health care 
        provider from--
                    ``(A) asking a patient about the ownership, 
                possession, use, or storage of a firearm or ammunition 
                in the home of such patient;
                    ``(B) speaking to a patient about gun safety; or
                    ``(C) reporting to the authorities a patient's 
                threat of violence.''.
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