[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 195 (Tuesday, November 17, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H5814-H5816]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          BIPARTISAN SOLUTION TO CYCLICAL VIOLENCE ACT OF 2020

  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 5855) to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a 
grant program supporting trauma center violence intervention and 
violence prevention programs, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 5855

       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 ``Bipartisan Solution to 
     Cyclical Violence Act of 2020''.

     SEC. 2. GRANT PROGRAM SUPPORTING TRAUMA CENTER VIOLENCE 
                   INTERVENTION AND VIOLENCE PREVENTION PROGRAMS.

       Part P of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 
     U.S.C. 280g et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the 
     following new section:

     ``SEC. 399V-7. GRANT PROGRAM SUPPORTING TRAUMA CENTER 
                   VIOLENCE INTERVENTION AND VIOLENCE PREVENTION 
                   PROGRAMS.

       ``(a) Authority Established.--
       ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall award grants to 
     eligible entities to establish or expand violence 
     intervention or prevention programs for services and research 
     designed to reduce the incidence of reinjury and 
     reincarceration caused by intentional violent trauma, 
     excluding intimate partner violence.
       ``(2) First award.--Not later than 9 months after the date 
     of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall make the 
     first award under paragraph (1).
       ``(3) Grant duration.--Each grant awarded under paragraph 
     (1) shall be for a period of three years.
       ``(4) Grant amount.--The total amount of each grant awarded 
     under paragraph (1) for the 3-year grant period shall be not 
     less than $250,000 and not more than $500,000.
       ``(5) Supplement not supplant.--A grant awarded under 
     paragraph (1) to an eligible entity with an existing program 
     described in paragraph (1) shall be used to supplement, and 
     not supplant, any other funds provided to such entity for 
     such program.

[[Page H5815]]

       ``(b) Eligible Entities.--To be eligible to receive a grant 
     under subsection (a)(1), an entity shall--
       ``(1) either be--
       ``(A) a State-designated trauma center, or a trauma center 
     verified by the American College of Surgeons, that conducts 
     or seeks to conduct a violence intervention or violence 
     prevention program; or
       ``(B) a nonprofit entity that conducts or seeks to conduct 
     a program described in subparagraph (A) in cooperation with a 
     trauma center described in such subparagraph;
       ``(2) serve a community in which at least 100 incidents of 
     intentional violent trauma occur annually; and
       ``(3) submit to the Secretary an application at such time, 
     in such manner, and containing such information as the 
     Secretary may require.
       ``(c) Selection of Grant Recipients.--
       ``(1) Geographic diversity.--In selecting grant recipients 
     under subsection (a)(1), the Secretary shall ensure that 
     collectively grantees represent a diversity of geographic 
     areas.
       ``(2) Priority.--In selecting grant recipients under 
     subsection (a)(1), the Secretary shall prioritize applicants 
     that serve one or more communities with high absolute numbers 
     or high rates of intentional violent trauma.
       ``(3) Health professional shortage areas.--
       ``(A) Encouragement.--The Secretary shall encourage 
     entities described in paragraphs (1) and (2) that are located 
     in or serve a health professional shortage area to apply for 
     grants under subsection (a)(1).
       ``(B) Definition.--In subparagraph (A), the term `health 
     professional shortage area' means a health professional 
     shortage area designated under section 332.
       ``(d) Reports.--
       ``(1) Reports to secretary.--
       ``(A) In general.--An entity that receives a grant under 
     subsection (a)(1) shall submit reports on the use of the 
     grant funds to the Secretary, including progress reports, as 
     required by the Secretary. Such reports shall include--
       ``(i) any findings of the program established, or expanded, 
     by the entity through the grant; and
       ``(ii) if applicable, the manner in which the entity has 
     incorporated such findings in the violence intervention or 
     violence prevention program conducted by such entity.
       ``(B) Option for joint report.--To the extent feasible and 
     appropriate, an entity that receives a grant under subsection 
     (a)(1) may elect to coordinate with one or more other 
     entities that have received such a grant to submit a joint 
     report that meets the requirements of subparagraph (A).
       ``(2) Report to congress.--Not later than six years after 
     the date of enactment of the Bipartisan Solution to Cyclical 
     Violence Act of 2020, the Secretary shall submit to Congress 
     a report--
       ``(A) on any findings resulting from reports submitted to 
     the Secretary under paragraph (1);
       ``(B) on best practices developed by the Secretary under 
     subsection (e); and
       ``(C) with recommendations for legislative action relating 
     to intentional violent trauma prevention that the Secretary 
     determines appropriate.
       ``(e) Best Practices.--Not later than six years after the 
     date of enactment of the Bipartisan Solution to Cyclical 
     Violence Act of 2020, the Secretary shall--
       ``(1) develop, and post on a public website of the 
     Department of Health and Human Services, best practices for 
     intentional violent trauma prevention, based on any findings 
     reported to the Secretary under subsection (d)(1); and
       ``(2) disseminate such best practices to stakeholders, as 
     determined appropriate by the Secretary.
       ``(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this 
     section, there is authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 
     for the period of fiscal years 2021 through 2024.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Pallone) and the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Walden) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey.


                             General Leave

  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on H.R. 5855.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New Jersey?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, trauma is a pressing public health epidemic. In 2016 
alone, trauma accounted for 29.2 million emergency department visits 
and 39.5 million physician office visits in the U.S.
  Tragically, homicide is the leading cause of death for Black males 1 
to 24 years old and the second leading cause of death in Hispanic males 
1 to 24 years old.
  Regardless of race, among those who survive a single violent trauma, 
it is estimated that up to 45 percent will experience a second violent 
trauma. This is where H.R. 5855 steps in to provide critical data-
driven interventions.
  The Bipartisan Solution to Cyclical Violence Act of 2020 identifies 
patients at risk of repeat violent injury and connects them with 
hospital and community-based resources. The bill bridges tragedy with 
hospital-based violence intervention programs by providing intensive 
case management to individuals who have experienced at least one 
violent trauma. These programs have been shown to successfully reduce 
injury recidivism and help those at risk for violence live safer lives.
  I want to commend my colleagues, Representatives Ruppersberger and 
Kinzinger, for spearheading this initiative and the University of 
Maryland Hospital for establishing its shock trauma unit, which 
established the first cycles of violence intervention program.
  Again, I urge my colleagues to support this important bipartisan 
bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. WALDEN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5855, the Bipartisan 
Solution to Cyclical Violence Act of 2020.
  I want to thank our colleagues, Representatives Ruppersberger and 
Kinzinger, for putting forward a meaningful solution to address 
violence in all of our communities. This legislation provides Federal 
grants to hospitals and trauma centers for intervention services for 
victims of violent crime.
  Violence in America disproportionately impacts urban and underserved 
communities where poor social determinants of health can contribute to 
structural violence. Hospital-based intervention programs help reduce 
violence because they reach high-risk individuals recently admitted to 
a hospital for treatment of a serious violent injury.
  Hospitalization presents a unique and, frankly, teachable moment when 
an individual may be open to help, in turn, breaking the cycle of 
violence by immediate intervention.
  Currently, many hospitals are left with nothing but simply 
discharging gunshot injury patients without any strategy in place to 
reduce the risk of recidivism or retaliation. However, according to the 
American College of Surgeons, those who received violence intervention 
at the hospital, Madam Speaker, were significantly less likely to be 
reinjured and to get involved in crime in the future. So it works.
  By supporting hospital-based violence intervention programs, this 
bill would help individuals at risk from becoming entangled in violent 
crime and connect them with local resources that address the underlying 
risk factors for violence.
  Madam Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote, and I reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from 
Maryland (Mr. Ruppersberger), the sponsor of the legislation.
  (Mr. RUPPERSBERGER asked and was given permission to revise and 
extend his remarks.)
  Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Madam Speaker, I rise to urge my colleagues to 
support this bipartisan bill that will reduce the scourge of violence 
in America.
  The bill is based on a very simple concept: helping the victims of 
violent injury before they become repeat victims or even perpetrators 
themselves. We can do this by expanding hospital-based violence 
intervention programs around the country.
  I was inspired to write this bill after learning about the violence 
intervention program at the University of Maryland R. Adams Cowley 
Shock Trauma Center. Maryland Shock Trauma is considered one of the top 
trauma centers in the world. And, by the way, it helped save my life 
years ago.
  Shock Trauma has a staggering 20 percent of patients who are the 
victims of violence, usually stabbings and shootings, that have 
occurred on the streets of Baltimore. Many of these patients are repeat 
customers, caught in a revolving door of violent reinjury. In fact, one 
of the leading risk factors for violent injury is a prior violent 
injury.
  Shock Trauma is taking advantage of the fact that these patients are 
a captive audience, confined to a bed and off the streets, if only for 
a few days.

[[Page H5816]]

  


                              {time}  1315

  Participants in their violence intervention program, one of the 40 
that now exist across the country, receive a brief intervention in the 
emergency room or at the hospital bedside. They get counseling and 
support that could include help with groceries, bus money, substance 
abuse treatment, job training or help finding affordable housing.
  This intervention is then followed by intensive community-based case 
management services in the months following the injury. At Shock 
Trauma, program participants have shown an 83 percent decrease in 
rehospitalization due to intentional violent injury, and a 75 percent 
reduction in criminal activity, and an 82 percent increase in 
employment.
  This bill that we have before us today, the Bipartisan Solution to 
Cyclical Violence Act, provides $10 million in Federal grants to 
hospitals that want to create or expand violence prevention programs. 
At the end of a 3-year pilot, each hospital will report its findings 
back to the Federal Government. Awards will range from $250,000 to 
$500,000.
  I believe, however, this bill will net cost savings to the American 
taxpayers by reducing violent crime, which costs more than $12 billion, 
from police, courts, and jails, to the medical expenses of victims, to 
the lost wages to both victims and perpetrators.
  Further, as we engage in a national conversation about reimagining 
public safety, I think we need to do what we can to shift social work 
away from police and first responders and back to the experts in mental 
health, substance abuse, homelessness, unemployment, and other areas 
that often afflict victims of violent crime.
  In fact, when I first introduced this bill in 2019, it was endorsed 
by the Fraternal Order of Police, the National Association of Resource 
Officers, and the National District Attorneys Association. We also 
received endorsements from the NAACP, American College of Surgeons, 
Network of Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Programs, and the 
National League of Cities. It has also been endorsed by the National 
Hospital Association.
  Madam Speaker, I thank my friend, Adam Kinzinger, for coauthoring 
this important legislation; and Chairman Frank Pallone and Ranking 
Member Walden for helping us work through this bill.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote for the Bipartisan 
Solution to Cyclical Violence Act.
  Mr. WALDEN. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend from Maryland for his 
good work on this legislation.
  Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. 
Kinzinger), who is a very talented legislator. He has put a lot into 
this bill.
  Mr. KINZINGER. Madam Speaker, the COVID pandemic has changed almost 
every aspect of American life. While it may be difficult to measure at 
this stage, we know the impact on medical health of Americans across 
the country is significant and it is alarming.
  In the age of technology and instant gratification, more and more 
people were already feeling less connected. But once the pandemic 
struck, the negative effects of isolation and uncertainty were only 
compounded into a sense of hopelessness nationwide. If you don't have 
hope, you have very little reason to follow a moral code or fear the 
results of your actions.
  Hopelessness and desperation can be a dangerous trigger and it can 
lead to acts of violence. Unfortunately, victims of violence are often 
caught in a vicious cycle of violence, as one of the main risk factors 
for violent injury is a previous violent injury.
  My colleague, Congressman Ruppersberger, and I introduced legislation 
to try and put a stop to this horrific cycle of violence, the 
Bipartisan Solution to Cyclical Violence Act. Our legislation 
establishes a grant program at the Department of Health and Human 
Services to award grants to existing and aspiring violence intervention 
programs.
  These programs intervene while a victim is still in the hospital 
recovering from their injuries, and provide a wide range of services 
like counseling, substance abuse treatment, job training, or even 
assistance finding affordable housing. And it doesn't stop when the 
victim walks out of the hospital. The intervention continues for 
several months, and sometimes even up to a year following the initial 
incident.
  The successes of these programs have been astounding. At the 
University of Maryland Medical System, participants showed an 83 
percent decrease in rehospitalization due to intentional violent 
injury, and a 75 percent reduction in criminal activity, and an 82 
percent increase in employment. These programs really work.
  By supporting victims with the resources and education to pursue a 
different path, we can stop the vicious cycle of violence and give 
people hope for a better tomorrow. It is more important than ever that 
we work together to help and heal those who are struggling.
  I remain committed to finding commonsense and bipartisan solutions to 
problems facing our country, and the Bipartisan Solution to Cyclical 
Violence Act is a perfect example of how we can work together to enact 
policies that will have real and lasting impact in our communities.
  Madam Speaker, I thank Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger for working on 
this important bipartisan legislation. I also thank the chairman and 
the ranking member for bringing this up and your help with that.
  Mr. WALDEN. Madam Speaker, I have no more speakers on our side of the 
aisle. I urge passage of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I also urge all of my colleagues to 
support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. Wild). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5855, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________