[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4067 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4067

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


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 22, 2024

 Mr. Murphy (for himself and Mr. Kaine) introduced the following bill; 
  which was read twice and 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 TITLES.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Caribbean Arms Trafficking Causing 
Harm Act'' or the ``CATCH Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) According to a 2023 joint report by the Caribbean 
        Community Implementation Agency for Crime and Security 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, Caribbean countries accounted for 6 of the world's top 
        10 highest national murder rates in 2021.
            (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 such 
        products on a large scale.
            (5) According to Bahamian officials, more than 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 United Nations Office 
        on Drugs and Crime, the flow of illicit firearms into Haiti 
        enables violent gangs and contributes to forced displacement 
        throughout 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 (Public Law 117-159) 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 Caribbean Community 
        Implementation Agency for Crime and Security launched the Crime 
        Gun Intelligence Unit, in partnership with United States law 
        enforcement agencies.
            (11) The Crime Gun Intelligence Unit, located in Trinidad 
        and Tobago, provides intelligence for its member states 
        regarding illicit firearms and ammunition.
            (12) On June 8, 2023, Vice President Kamala Harris 
        announced, ``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 had 
        prosecuted 207 defendants for firearms trafficking using 
        authorities derived from the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, 
        including 80 defendants for making straw purchases.

SEC. 3. PURPOSES.

    The purposes of this Act are--
            (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; and
            (3) to increase oversight of the Coordinator for Caribbean 
        Firearms Prosecutions of the Department of Justice.

SEC. 4. DEFINED TERM.

    In this Act, the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' 
means--
            (1) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate;
            (2) the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate;
            (3) the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental 
        Affairs of the Senate.
            (4) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 
        Representatives;
            (5) the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of 
        Representatives;
            (6) the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of 
        Representatives;

SEC. 5. REPORT ON COORDINATOR FOR CARIBBEAN FIREARMS PROSECUTIONS' 
              ACTIVITIES.

    Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
and annually thereafter for the following 5 years, the Attorney 
General, in coordination with the Department of State, and any other 
Federal agency designated by the Attorney General, shall submit a 
report to the appropriate congressional committees that includes--
            (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;
                            (iii) the number and types of firearms, 
                        ammunition, and firearm accessories, to the 
                        extent such information is available; and
                            (iv) the method of transportation of the 
                        firearm, ammunition, and firearm accessories, 
                        to the extent such information is available;
                    (B) coordination efforts with the Department of 
                State, the Department of Homeland Security, and other 
                Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies;
                    (C) coordination efforts with the Caribbean 
                Community's Crime Gun Intelligence Unit, and any other 
                regional or international organizations designated by 
                the Secretary of State.
                                 <all>