[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4929 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4929

To improve lethal means safety training and education conducted by the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             August 1, 2024

   Mr. King introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
             referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To improve lethal means safety training and education conducted by the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs, 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 ``Lethal Means Safe Storage for 
Veteran Suicide Prevention Act''.

SEC. 2. UPDATE ON POLICY OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS FOR LETHAL 
              MEANS SAFETY.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 120 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall update 
the policy of the Department of Veterans Affairs relating to lethal 
means safety and suicide prevention to require each health care 
provider of the Veterans Health Administration that is required to 
receive training on lethal means safety and suicide prevention to 
receive such training not less frequently than annually.
    (b) Immediate Receipt of Training.--The Secretary shall ensure that 
each health care provider of the Veterans Health Administration who has 
not received training on lethal means safety and suicide prevention 
during the one-year period preceding the date of the enactment of this 
Act receives such training not later than 120 days after such date of 
enactment.
    (c) Community Care Providers.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary shall ensure that a health 
        care provider, as a condition of serving as a health care 
        provider under the Veterans Community Care Program under 
        section 1703 of title 38, United States Code, shall receive 
        training on lethal means safety and suicide prevention not less 
        frequently than annually.
            (2) Immediate receipt of training.--The Secretary shall 
        ensure that a health care provider under the Veterans Community 
        Care Program who has not received training on lethal means 
        safety and suicide prevention during the one-year period 
        preceding the date of the enactment of this Act receives such 
        training not later than 120 days after such date of enactment.
    (d) Health Care Provider of the Veterans Health Administration 
Defined.--In this section, the term ``health care provider of the 
Veterans Health Administration'' means a full-time, part-time, or 
intermittent employee of the Veterans Health Administration--
            (1) engaged in patient care as a physician, psychologist, 
        registered nurse, social worker, physician assistant, 
        pharmacist, or dentist; or
            (2) serving in the capacity of case manager or as a team 
        leader or counselor at a Vet Center (as defined in section 
        1712A(h) of title 38, United States Code).

SEC. 3. PUBLIC EDUCATION CAMPAIGN OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS ON 
              LETHAL MEANS SAFETY.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall coordinate 
with veterans service organizations to carry out public education 
campaigns for veterans related to lethal means safety and safe storage 
options.
    (b) Matters To Be Included.--Public education campaigns under 
subsection (a) shall focus on--
            (1) suicide prevention;
            (2) communicating why health care providers may ask about 
        access to lethal means (including firearms and medications);
            (3) communicating the importance of planning ahead to put 
        space and time between thoughts of self-harm and access to 
        lethal means; and
            (4) communicating the importance of secure storage of 
        firearms.
    (c) Veterans Service Organization Defined.--In this section, the 
term ``veterans service organization'' means any organization 
recognized by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for the representation 
of veterans under section 5902 of title 38, United States Code.

SEC. 4. GRANT PROGRAM OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS ON LETHAL MEANS 
              SAFETY.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall carry out 
a grant program to award grants to entities specified in subsection (b) 
for the purpose of distributing gun lock boxes or gun safes to 
veterans.
    (b) Entities Specified.--The entities specified in this subsection 
are the following:
            (1) States.
            (2) Veterans service organizations.
            (3) Nonprofit organizations.
            (4) Indian tribes.
    (c) Amount of Grants.--
            (1) Total amount.--The total amount of grants awarded under 
        this section may not exceed $2,000,000.
            (2) Individual grants.--An entity specified in subsection 
        (b) may receive a grant under this section in an amount not to 
        exceed $100,000.
    (d) Use of Grant Amounts.--Grant amounts awarded under this section 
shall be used to provide free gun lock boxes or gun safes to veterans.
    (e) Collection of Information.--An entity awarded a grant under 
this section may not--
            (1) collect names or personal information of any veteran 
        seeking a gun lock box or gun safe under this section; or
            (2) inquire about the gun ownership of any such veteran.
    (f) Confirmation of Veteran Status.--If a veteran presents to an 
entity awarded a grant under this section the Department of Defense 
Form 214 for such veteran or another approved method of confirming 
their veteran status, that shall be sufficient proof of eligibility for 
a gun lock box or gun safe under this section.
    (g) Limitation on Number of Grants.--
            (1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), not 
        more than one grant may be awarded under this section in each 
        Veterans Integrated Service Network.
            (2) Additional funding.--Additional grants may be awarded 
        under this section within a Veterans Integrated Service Network 
        if the Secretary determines that additional amounts are 
        available, with priority given to Veterans Integrated Service 
        Networks with the highest rates of suicide by firearm among 
        veterans.
    (h) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be 
construed to--
            (1) authorize or require the collection of personal 
        identifiable information of recipients of gun lock boxes or gun 
        safes for the purpose of tracking firearms ownership;
            (2) require veterans to register firearms with the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs;
            (3) require mandatory firearm storage for veterans 
        participating in the grant program under this section; or
            (4) consider a veteran participating in the grant program 
        under this section a prohibited person under section 922(g) of 
        title 18, United States Code.
    (i) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Gun lock box; gun safe.--The terms ``gun lock box'' and 
        ``gun safe'' mean a lock box or safe, as the case may be--
                    (A) intended to be used for the secure storage of a 
                firearm;
                    (B) designed and marketed to deny unauthorized 
                access to, or render inoperable, a firearm or 
                ammunition, and secured by a combination, key, or 
                biometric lock;
                    (C) that may be unlocked only by means of a 
                combination, key, or other similar means;
                    (D) that complies with the standards set forth by 
                the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM 
                International); and
                    (E) is manufactured in the United States.
            (2) Veterans service organization.--The term ``veterans 
        service organization'' means any organization recognized by the 
        Secretary of Veterans Affairs for the representation of 
        veterans under section 5902 of title 38, United States Code.
    (j) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            (1) In general.--There is authorized to be appropriated to 
        the Secretary of Veterans Affairs $2,000,000 for each of fiscal 
        years 2025 through 2030 to carry out this section.
            (2) Supplement not supplant.--Amounts appropriated pursuant 
        to an authorization of appropriations under paragraph (1) shall 
        supplement, not supplant, existing suicide prevention funding 
        of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
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