Sponsors (31)
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Creates a federal grant program to fund and expand school- and community-based violence prevention programs focused on K–12 students and youth under 19. Grants will support evidence-based, culturally competent, trauma-informed services and require partnerships among state and local education agencies and community nonprofits, with evaluation, reporting, and dissemination of best practices. The Secretary (in consultation with the Education Secretary) must set outcome measures, require regular grantee reports, contract independent researchers to evaluate results, publicly share best practices, and the program is authorized for funding for FY2025–FY2031.
Redesignate Part G of Title V of the Public Health Service Act as Part J and redesignate sections 581–584 as sections 596–596C.
Authorize the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Education, to award grants to eligible entities to establish or expand a comprehensive school-based violence prevention program to assist youth at highest risk for involvement in gun violence, including schools funded by the Bureau of Indian Education.
Grants must, as appropriate, be used to implement school-based violence prevention programs primarily focused on students enrolled in K–12 or youth younger than 19 that use evidence-based, culturally competent, trauma-informed, and linguistically and developmentally inclusive strategies proven to prevent or reduce youth violence.
List of eligible program strategies includes: promoting community engagement and cultural/ethnic pride; promoting healing from trauma and adverse childhood experiences; strengthening interpersonal and emotional skills (communication, problem-solving, empathy, conflict management); connecting youth to mental health professionals, counselors, mentors, community leaders, crisis intervention professionals, community violence interrupters, or trauma-informed educators; fostering safe community environments; and lessening harms of escalating violence and preventing future risk.
Grants may be used to provide technical assistance to local educational agencies and community-based nonprofit organizations for developing the programs described.
Primary beneficiaries will be K–12 students and other youth under 19 who are at elevated risk for involvement in gun violence; they may receive increased access to trauma-informed counseling, prevention programming, mentoring, and school-based supports. K–12 schools and community nonprofits will be direct grant recipients or partners, receiving federal funding and technical requirements to implement or expand programs. State and local education agencies must participate as partners, which will increase coordination responsibilities and data/reporting obligations for those agencies. Independent researchers and evaluators will gain contracts to assess program outcomes, producing evidence and best practices. At the federal level, the administering agency must develop outcome measures, manage grants and evaluations, and publicly disseminate findings; this will expand federal oversight and program evaluation activity. Communities with existing evidence-based violence-prevention capacity may be better positioned to receive grants; communities without such capacity may need to build partnerships and program infrastructure to participate. Over time the program aims to reduce youth involvement in gun violence, but measurable impact will depend on funding levels, program quality, and fidelity to evidence-based approaches.
Last progress June 12, 2025 (8 months ago)
Introduced on June 12, 2025 by Jahana Hayes