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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7170 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7170
To remove linguistic barriers to participation in Gun Violence
Prevention Strategies.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 21, 2026
Ms. Chu (for herself, Ms. Norton, Ms. Tokuda, Mr. Lynch, Mr. Johnson of
Georgia, Mr. Mullin, Ms. Schakowsky, Mrs. Foushee, Mr. Moskowitz, Mr.
David Scott of Georgia, Mr. Frost, Mr. Evans of Pennsylvania, Ms.
Scholten, and Mr. Goldman of New York) introduced the following bill;
which was referred 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
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To remove linguistic barriers to participation in Gun Violence
Prevention Strategies.
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 ``Language Access to Gun Violence
Prevention Strategies Act of 2026''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Community-based organization.--The term ``community-
based organization'' means a neighborhood or community-based
organization, as that term is defined in section 901 of title I
of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34
U.S.C. 10251).
(2) Extreme risk protection order.--The term ``extreme risk
protection order'' means a written order or warrant, issued by
a State or Tribal court or signed by a magistrate (or other
comparable judicial officer), the primary purpose of which is
to reduce the risk of firearm-related death or injury by doing
1 or more of the following:
(A) Temporarily prohibiting a named individual from
owning, purchasing, possessing, receiving, or having
under the custody or control of the individual, a
firearm.
(B) Having a firearm temporarily removed or
requiring the temporary surrender of a firearm from a
named individual.
(3) Firearm.--The term ``firearm'' has the meaning given
the term in section 921 of title 18, United States Code.
(4) Gun violence.--The term ``gun violence'' includes mass
shooting incidents, other firearm homicides or assaults,
firearm suicides or self-harm, unintentional firearm deaths and
injuries, and firearm-related crime.
(5) Gun violence prevention strategy.--The term ``Gun
Violence Prevention Strategy'' means programs, policies, or
practices that have the potential to reduce firearm-related
violence, injuries, death, or crime within populations or
settings experiencing elevated risk.
(6) Individual with limited english proficiency.--The term
``individual with limited English proficiency'' means an
individual who does not speak English as the individual's
primary language and has a limited ability to read, write,
speak, or understand English.
(7) Language access.--The term ``language access'' means
the provision of culturally competent and effective language
services to an individual with limited English proficiency
designed to enhance that individual's access to, understanding
of, or benefit from the services, activities, programs, or
benefits provided by a Federal agency.
(8) Limited english proficient population.--The term
``limited English proficient population'' means the sum of all
individuals with limited English proficiency.
(9) Priority languages.--The term ``priority languages''
means, at a minimum, the 10 most commonly spoken languages in
the United States other than English, which shall include
Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese, and Korean.
(10) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Health and Human Services.
(11) Significant resource.--The term ``significant
resource'' means, in the case of a Federal agency, any
material, digital or otherwise, prepared by the Federal agency
that contains information critical for education, awareness,
and participation in public education campaigns, such as
informational and outreach materials.
SEC. 3. TRANSLATION OF FEDERAL AGENCY MATERIALS.
(a) In General.--The Attorney General and the Secretary shall
ensure that all significant resources for services, activities,
benefits, and programs of the Department of Justice and the Department
of Health and Human Services, respectively, that are prepared for the
general public relating to gun violence prevention and firearm safety
are competently translated and provided in accessible formats in
priority languages.
(b) Specific Resources.--The significant resources described in
subsection (a) shall include--
(1) extreme risk protection orders and safe gun storage
materials; and
(2) significant resources prepared using amounts
appropriated under division B of the Bipartisan Safer
Communities Act (Public Law 117-159; 136 Stat. 1338) for
Federal grant programs and other activities carried out by the
Attorney General and the Secretary that were in effect as of
the date of enactment of that Act to support mental health
services, crisis response, school-based mental health, and
suicide prevention.
(c) Community Review.--
(1) In general.--For the purpose of ensuring that
significant resources described in subsection (a) are
culturally competent and accessible by the intended audience,
the Attorney General and the Secretary shall ensure all
translated materials are reviewed by community-based
organizations with demonstrated relationships with speakers of
a given language prior to publishing.
(2) Funding.--The Attorney General and the Secretary shall
provide amounts appropriated to carry out this Act to
community-based organizations to carry out paragraph (1).
SEC. 4. PRIORITY GRANT APPLICATIONS.
(a) In General.--The Attorney General shall ensure that
applications for grants for the creation and implementation of extreme
risk protection orders, State crisis intervention court proceedings,
and other gun violence reduction efforts incorporate meaningful
engagement with limited English proficient populations by giving
priority to applications that demonstrate a targeted outreach plan.
(b) Public Outreach and Education Efforts.--Section 501 of title I
of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C.
10152) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)(1)(I)(iv)--
(A) in subclause (III), by striking ``and'' at the
end;
(B) in subclause (IV), by striking the period at
the end and inserting ``; and''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(V) public outreach and education
efforts, which shall include--
``(aa) meaningful
engagement with community-based
organizations directly serving
limited English proficient
populations (as defined in
section 2 of the Language
Access to Gun Violence
Prevention Strategies Act of
2026); and
``(bb) translation of
public facing documents into
any language other than English
spoken by a limited English
proficient population that
constitutes not less than 3
percent or 500 individuals,
whichever is less, of the
population served or
encountered.''; and
(2) in subsection (h)--
(A) in paragraph (3), by striking ``and'' at the
end;
(B) in paragraph (4), by striking the period at the
end and inserting ``; and''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(5) measures that have been taken by each grant recipient
to comply with subsection (a)(1)(I)(iv)(V).''.
(c) Guidance.--Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment
of this Act, the Attorney General shall issue guidance related to the
requirements set forth in subsections (a)(1)(I)(iv)(V) and (h)(5) of
section 501 of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets
Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10152), as added by subsection (b).
SEC. 5. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION PUBLIC AWARENESS
CAMPAIGN.
(a) In General.--For the purpose of increasing language access to
community-based gun violence prevention strategies, the Attorney
General, acting through the Director of the Office of Justice Programs,
and in coordination with the Community-Based Violence Intervention and
Prevention Initiative of the Office of Justice Programs, shall develop
and implement a national public awareness campaign to increase
awareness of federally supported gun violence prevention strategies,
such as extreme risk protection orders, with a focus on outreach and
engagement with limited English proficient populations.
(b) Requirements.--The public awareness campaign under this section
shall include--
(1) the provision of in-language and culturally appropriate
messaging to disseminate scientific and evidence-based
information; and
(2) the dissemination of information on subgrants to
community-based organizations educating professionals and
community stakeholders.
(c) Coordination.--The public awareness campaign under this section
shall be complementary to, and coordinated with, any other Federal,
State, Tribal, and local efforts, as appropriate.
(d) Reports to Congress.--The Attorney General shall submit a
report to Congress detailing how funds appropriated to carry out this
section were used.
SEC. 6. DEPARTMENT OF HEATH AND HUMAN SERVICES GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION
PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN.
(a) In General.--For the purpose of increasing language access to
gun violence prevention strategies, the Secretary, acting through the
Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and in
coordination with the Director of the National Center for Injury
Prevention and Control, shall develop and implement a national public
education campaign to increase awareness of gun violence prevention
strategies and firearm safety programs supported by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, such as safe gun storage practices,
with a focus on outreach and engagement with limited English proficient
populations.
(b) Requirements.--The public awareness campaign under this section
shall include--
(1) the provision of in-language and culturally appropriate
messaging to disseminate scientific and evidence-based
information related to gun violence prevention and firearm
safety; and
(2) the dissemination of information on subgrants to
community-based organizations educating professionals and
community stakeholders.
(c) Coordination.--The public awareness campaign under this section
shall be complementary to, and coordinated with, any other Federal,
State, Tribal, and local efforts, as appropriate.
(d) Reports to Congress.--The Secretary shall submit a report to
Congress detailing how funds appropriated to carry out this section
were used.
SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act such
sums as may be necessary.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred 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.
Referred 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.
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