[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 951 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 951

   To establish the Office of Gun Violence Prevention, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   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.

    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 ``Office of Gun Violence Prevention 
Act of 2023''.

SEC. 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).

SEC. 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.
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