To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to award grants for providing legal resources for petitioners seeking extreme risk protection orders, and for other purposes.
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · July 10, 2023
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
This bill, the Fair Legal Access Grants Act, would provide federal grants to help people obtain legal representation when seeking extreme risk protection orders, which are court orders designed to temporarily remove firearms from individuals deemed at risk of harming themselves or others. The Attorney General would award up to fifty million dollars annually from 2025 through 2031 to states, local governments, and tribal governments to fund legal services, hire staff, establish information centers in multiple languages, and train law enforcement and court personnel on these orders. The grants would help ensure that people from low-income backgrounds and those needing interpretation services can access attorneys and legal resources to petition for these orders. The bill also clarifies that federal courts cannot interfere with state or tribal extreme risk protection order cases unless someone files a false or intentionally harassing petition. Overall, the legislation aims to remove financial barriers that might prevent eligible individuals from seeking court protection when they believe someone poses a firearm-related danger.
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