HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1621        FILED ON: 1/15/2015

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 2173

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Jeffrey Sánchez

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying resolve:

Resolve providing for a study by a special commission relative to the primary prevention of gun violence.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1621        FILED ON: 1/15/2015

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 2173

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Eighty-Ninth General Court
(2015-2016)

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Resolve providing for a study by a special commission relative to the primary prevention of gun violence.

Resolved, that a special commission is hereby established for the purposes of studying the primary prevention of gun violence.

(a) The commission shall report to the governor and shall review and recommend programs and interventions to reduce gun violence and promote peace in the commonwealth. The commission shall make recommendations including, but not limited to, the following topics:

(1) promoting education in schools on gun violence and the social context of community violence, including, but not limited to, poverty, race, socio-economic status, geographic location and gender;

(2) continuing research and education on gun trafficking and straw purchasing;

(3) building relationships between law enforcement and community members;

(4) improving services for homicide victims’ families and families of perpetrators, including trauma and rehabilitation services;

(5) improving post-prison planning and rehabilitation services; and

(6) reducing inequities in gun violence and prevention programming.

(b) The commission shall consist of 1 expert on public health and gun violence who will be appointed chair by the governor within 90 days after the effective date of this resolve. The chair will make recommendations to the governor to appoint the following: 1 representative from the department of public health; 1 representative from the department of mental health; 1 representative from the office of the attorney general; 1 additional expert on public health; 1 expert on mental health; 1 representative from the department of correction; 1 representative from the department of public safety and security; 1 representative from the parole board; 2 victim advocates; 1 prisoner advocate; 1 mental health advocate; the house and senate chairs of the joint committee on public health; the house and senate chairs of the joint committee on mental health and substance abuse; and 4 public members from communities that are affected by gun violence.

(c) The departments of public health, public safety and security and correction, the Boston public health commission and local boards of health and any other relevant departments will be required to share relevant data, including data on crimes, accidents and suicides, stratified by race, ethnicity and gender, as needed by the commission, to better inform recommendations.

(d) The commission shall be established for a three year period, beginning immediately following the appointment of a majority of its members.

(e) The commission shall submit a final report to the governor and the general court, the joint committee on public health and the joint committee on mental health and substance abuse. The report shall include data on gun violence and prevention in the commonwealth, recommendations for designing, implementing and improving gun violence prevention programs and services, including those that promote cultural competency, and any proposals for statutory or regulatory changes to reduce gun violence and promote peace in the commonwealth. The final report shall be due no later than 30 days after the dissolution of the commission.