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House Bill 2791 is a trailer bill to the Reimagine Public Safety
Act, which was signed in June 2021 and created the Office of
Firearm Violence Prevention to issue grants and provide support
to violence prevention organizations in communities affected by
gun violence.
House Bill 2791 would increase the number of communities that
can get the grant money for gun violence programs, based on
population size, under the Reimagine Public Safety Act.
The bill would also allow for five more communities to be
elected statewide and would allow organizations to apply
directly for training and assistance from the state.
State Rep. Justin Slaughter said this is a step in defeating a
public health crisis.
"With this bill, our state takes a significantly more
comprehensive and holistic approach to gun violence by
recognizing this issue as a public health crisis," Slaughter
said.
The bill would require the use of state funds and would
distribute the funds to all necessary entities including youth
development organizations and high-risk youth intervention
organizations in areas deemed high risk by the state.
State Rep. Rita Mayfield spoke out against the bill during the
House debate, drawing attention to the large amount of funding
needed for this legislation.
"This is $100 million, this is not free money, it is not just a
bill," Mayfield said. "It is $100 million that will be
appropriated in January whether we have it or not."
House Bill 2791 passed the Senate by a vote of 52-0-0, and the
House passed a concurrence motion by a vote of 71-41-0. The bill
now awaits action from Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
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