[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7799 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7799

 To provide for an annual report on the prosecution activities of the 
 Coordinator for Caribbean Firearms Prosecutions of the Department of 
                                Justice.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 22, 2024

    Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick (for herself and Mr. Castro of Texas) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                             the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To provide for an annual report on the prosecution activities of the 
 Coordinator for Caribbean Firearms Prosecutions of the Department of 
                                Justice.

    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 ``Caribbean Arms Trafficking Causing 
Harm Act'' or the ``CATCH Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds as follows:
            (1) According to a 2023 joint report by the Caribbean 
        Community Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) 
        and the Small Arms Survey, the average number of violent deaths 
        in the Caribbean is nearly triple the global average.
            (2) According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and 
        Crime (UNODC), in 2021, Caribbean countries accounted for six 
        of the world's top ten highest national murder rates.
            (3) Law enforcement officials in Haiti, Antigua and 
        Barbuda, and Jamaica have identified Florida as a significant 
        source of illicit firearms.
            (4) According to the United Nations, Caribbean countries do 
        not manufacture firearms or ammunition, nor do they import them 
        on a large scale.
            (5) According to Bahamian officials, over 90 percent of 
        firearms used in homicides and confiscated by authorities in 
        the Bahamas are traced to manufacturers and retailers in the 
        United States.
            (6) In 2022, the Department of Homeland Security's Homeland 
        Security Investigations reported observing a significant 
        increase in the quantity, caliber, and type of firearms being 
        illegally trafficked to the Caribbean, including .50 caliber 
        sniper rifles, .308 rifles, and a belt fed machine gun.
            (7) According to a 2023 assessment by UNODC, the flow of 
        illicit firearms into Haiti enables violent gangs and 
        contributes to forced displacement across the country.
            (8) According to the Migration Policy Institute, there has 
        been a dramatic increase in migration to the United States from 
        Haiti in recent years, caused in part by widespread gang 
        violence.
            (9) On June 25, 2022, President Joe Biden signed the 
        Bipartisan Safer Communities Act into law, which created 
        Federal criminal offenses for firearm trafficking and granted 
        the government new authorities to prosecute these offenses.
            (10) On November 14, 2022, the IMPACS launched the Crime 
        Gun Intelligence Unit in partnership with United States law 
        enforcement agencies.
            (11) Located in Trinidad and Tobago, the Crime Gun 
        Intelligence Unit provides intelligence for its member states 
        on illicit firearms and ammunition.
            (12) On June 8, 2023, Vice President Kamala Harris 
        announced that ``the Department of Justice will name a 
        Coordinator for Caribbean Firearms Prosecutions who will be an 
        experienced Department of Justice prosecutor''.
            (13) On July 5, 2023, Secretary of State Antony Blinken 
        announced that Michael Ben'Ary will serve as the Coordinator 
        for Caribbean Firearms Prosecutions.
            (14) As of October 31, 2023, the Department of Justice has 
        prosecuted 207 defendants for firearms trafficking, including 
        80 defendants for making straw purchases, using authorities 
        derived from the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.

SEC. 3. PURPOSES.

    The purposes of this Act include the following:
            (1) To combat illicit firearms trafficking from the United 
        States to the Caribbean.
            (2) To bolster the security of the Caribbean region and the 
        United States.
            (3) To increase oversight of the Coordinator for Caribbean 
        Firearms Prosecutions inside the Department of Justice.

SEC. 4. REPORT ON THE PROSECUTIONS ACTIVITIES OF THE COORDINATOR FOR 
              CARIBBEAN FIREARMS PROSECUTIONS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF 
              JUSTICE.

    (a) Definition.--In this section, the term ``appropriate 
congressional committees'' means--
            (1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 
        Representatives;
            (2) the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of 
        Representatives;
            (3) the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of 
        Representatives;
            (4) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate;
            (5) the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate; and
            (6) the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental 
        Affairs of the Senate.
    (b) Requirement.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, and each year thereafter for 5 years, the 
Attorney General, in coordination with the Secretary of State, and any 
other agency determined necessary by the Attorney General, shall submit 
a report to the appropriate congressional committees that includes, for 
the previous year--
            (1) a comprehensive review of the enforcement of sections 
        932 and 933 of title 18, United States Code, by the Coordinator 
        for Caribbean Firearms Prosecutions of the Department of 
        Justice; and
            (2) specifies--
                    (A) the total number of investigations and 
                prosecutions launched by the Coordinator for Caribbean 
                Firearms Prosecutions, disaggregated by--
                            (i) the judicial district involved;
                            (ii) the alleged destination of the 
                        firearm, ammunition, and firearm accessories, 
                        as applicable;
                            (iii) the number and types of firearms, 
                        ammunition, and firearm accessories, to the 
                        extent the information is available; and
                            (iv) the method of transportation of the 
                        firearm, ammunition, and firearm accessories, 
                        to the extent the information is available;
                    (B) coordination efforts of the Department of 
                Justice with the Department of State, the Department of 
                Homeland Security, and any other Federal, State, or 
                local law enforcement agencies; and
                    (C) coordination efforts of the Department of 
                Justice with the Caribbean Crime Gun Intelligence Unit 
                of the Carribean Community (commonly referred to as 
                ``CARICOM''), and any other regional or international 
                organizations determined necessary by the Secretary of 
                State.
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