PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Oct 26, 2017
Safer Communities Act of 2017
This bill provides grants to expand mental health crisis assistance programs, support comprehensive school mental health programs, and enhance mental health and substance abuse needs of prisoners.
The Department of Health and Human Services must expand research on violence associated with mental illness and substance abuse disorders.
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must expand the National Violent Death Reporting System to all 50 states and research the causes, mechanisms, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of injuries from gun violence.
The bill states that no provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act prohibits physicians from asking patients about guns in their homes, speaking to a patient about gun safety, or reporting a patient's threat of violence.
It amends the federal criminal code to specify that the term "committed to a mental institution" applies to involuntary inpatient or outpatient treatment.
It amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize state grants to remove firearms from individuals who pose a threat to themselves or others.
The Department of Justice must promptly notify law enforcement agencies when a prohibited person attempts to purchase a firearm.
The bill replaces statutory references to persons "adjudicated as a mental defective" with persons "adjudicated as ineligible due to disqualifying mental status."
It amends the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 to:
establish procedures to restore firearm ownership rights after a mental health adjudication or commitment,
require an annual report on record submissions due to domestic violence misdemeanor convictions,
authorize state grants to improve the automation and transmittal of mental health and criminal history records, and
require quarterly updates to federal agency record submissions.
The bill reauthorizes the National Criminal History Records Improvement Program through FY2023.
People & committees
Rep. Thompson, Mike [D-CA-5] · D–CA
Legislative record
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Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
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.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
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Source last updated: Aug 11, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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