Resources for Victims of Gun Violence Act of 2025

What it does

• •Establishes a Federal Advisory Council to Support Victims of Gun Violence, composed of federal agency heads (HHS, DOJ, Education, HUD, VA, CDC, NIH, and others), plus 2-5 victims of gun violence and 2-5 victim assistance professionals appointed by HHS.
• •Requires the Advisory Council to assess victim needs, survey existing assistance programs for effectiveness, and identify best practices for helping gun violence victims with medical, financial, educational, housing, mental health, legal, and government benefit access.
• •Mandates the Council publish a report within 180 days identifying available resources, gaps in services, and any needed legislative changes, with a follow-up report within 2 years; establishes a public input process to continuously update information.
• •Requires the Council to disseminate resources and information online and in print to Congress, federal agencies, state health/education/law enforcement agencies, and nonprofit organizations serving gun violence victims.

Why it matters

• •The bill addresses coordination of federal resources for gun violence victims across multiple agencies and establishes a centralized mechanism to identify service gaps and best practices currently lacking systematic oversight.
• •By requiring broad dissemination of victim assistance information to state agencies, schools, medical facilities, and prosecutor offices, the bill aims to improve victim access to available support services and government benefits.
• •The Council is explicitly exempted from the Federal Advisory Committee Act, meaning it operates with reduced procedural constraints compared to standard federal advisory bodies.

Who is affected

• •Victims of gun violence, defined broadly to include individuals wounded by firearms, threatened with gun violence, witnesses to such acts, and relatives or associates of those killed or injured.
• •Victim assistance professionals such as medical professionals, social workers, long-term care providers, and victim advocates who serve gun violence victims.
• •Federal agencies (HHS, DOJ, Education, HUD, VA, SSA, CDC, NIH, and others), state agencies administering health, education, and law enforcement programs, and nonprofit organizations providing victim services.

What happens next

The bill has been referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary; if enacted, the Advisory Council would have 180 days to produce its initial report and 2 years for a follow-up report, with the Council automatically terminating 5 years after enactment.