HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1014        FILED ON: 1/14/2025

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No.         

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Christopher J. Worrell

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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 bill:

An Act providing for an audit of gun violence prevention and intervention funding.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1014        FILED ON: 1/14/2025

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No.         

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 2420 OF 2023-2024.]

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)

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An Act providing for an audit of gun violence prevention and intervention funding.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

(a) There shall be established, pursuant to section 2A of chapter 4 of the 2022 General Laws, a special legislative commission on gun violence. The commission shall conduct an audit and investigation into gun violence prevention funding in the Commonwealth.

(b) The special legislative commission shall consist of members of grassroots and community-based gun violence organizations from communities most impacted by gun violence.

(c) The audit and investigation shall include, but not be limited to, an examination of all gun violence and intervention funding in the commonwealth, including, but not limited to: (i) funding appropriated to and expended by the Massachusetts office for victim assistance for the purposes of addressing gun violence and prevention; (ii) funding appropriated for and expended by the grant program administered by the executive office of public safety known as the Senator Charles E. Shannon, Jr. Community Safety Initiative for the purposes of addressing gun violence and prevention; (iii) funding appropriated to and expended for the safe and successful youth initiative for the purposes of addressing gun violence and prevention; (iv) funding appropriated to and expended for youth-at-risk and primary violence prevention programs; (v) funding appropriated to and expended for the neighborhood-based gun and violent crime prevention pilot program for targeted work with out-of-school youth and young adults aged 17 to 24; (vi) which communities, broken down by census tract, have been most impacted by gun violence; and (vii) in which communities, broken down by census tract, funds have been expended to address gun violence and prevention.

(d) The special legislative commission shall submit a report within 180 days of the effective date of this act detailing the findings of the investigation and recommendations, including, but not limited to, a recommendation of whether the neighborhood-based gun and violent crime prevention pilot program should be made a permanent program in the department of public health or re-established in another department, to the secretary of public safety; the secretary of health and human services; the clerks of the house of representatives and the senate; the joint committee on public safety and homeland security; the joint committee on racial equity, civil rights and inclusion; and the joint committee on ways and means.