Safer Communities Act of 2017
Latest action · Nov 14, 2017 Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedOct 26, 2017
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Safer Communities Act of 2017
This bill provides grants to expand mental health crisis assistance programs, support comprehensive school mental health programs, and enhance mental health and substance abuse needs of prisoners.
The Department of Health and Human Services must expand research on violence associated with mental illness and substance abuse disorders.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must expand the National Violent Death Reporting System to all 50 states and research the causes, mechanisms, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of injuries from gun violence.
The bill states that no provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act prohibits physicians from asking patients about guns in their homes, speaking to a patient about gun safety, or reporting a patient's threat of violence.
It amends the federal criminal code to specify that the term "committed to a mental institution" applies to involuntary inpatient or outpatient treatment.
It amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize state grants to remove firearms from individuals who pose a threat to themselves or others.
The Department of Justice must promptly notify law enforcement agencies when a prohibited person attempts to purchase a firearm.
The bill replaces statutory references to persons "adjudicated as a mental defective" with persons "adjudicated as ineligible due to disqualifying mental status."
It amends the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 to:
- establish procedures to restore firearm ownership rights after a mental health adjudication or commitment,
- require an annual report on record submissions due to domestic violence misdemeanor convictions,
- authorize state grants to improve the automation and transmittal of mental health and criminal history records, and
- require quarterly updates to federal agency record submissions.
The bill reauthorizes the National Criminal History Records Improvement Program through FY2023.
Cosponsors 7
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Oct 26, 2017 to Sep 4, 2018, with 1 there on the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-CO | Ed Perlmutter | Original | Oct 26, 2017 |
| D-TN | Steve Cohen | Dec 21, 2017 | |
| D-TX | Sheila Jackson Lee | Mar 1, 2018 | |
| D-NJ | Albio Sires | Mar 5, 2018 | |
| D-MA | William R. Keating | May 15, 2018 | |
| D-FL | Alcee L. Hastings | Jun 1, 2018 | |
| D-CA | Judy Chu | Sep 4, 2018 |
Actions 4
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Nov 14, 2017Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.
- Oct 27, 2017Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
- Oct 26, 2017Introduced in House
- Oct 26, 2017Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Related bills 2
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 1370 | Mental Health in Schools Act of 2017 | Related bill | Jun 15, 2017 |
| HR 2913 | Mental Health in Schools Act of 2017 | Related bill | Jun 16, 2017 |
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement.
- Child health
- Congressional oversight
- Crime and Law Enforcement
- Criminal justice information and records
- Drug, alcohol, tobacco use
- Education programs funding
- Elementary and secondary education
- Firearms and explosives
- Health information and medical records
- Health personnel
- Health programs administration and funding
- Home and outpatient care
- Law enforcement administration and funding
- Law enforcement officers
- Medical research
- Medical tests and diagnostic methods
- Mental health
- Performance measurement
- Research administration and funding
- Retail and wholesale trades
- State and local government operations
- Violent crime
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Oct 26, 2017Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov.