Bill > HR7170

This bill, the Language Access to Gun Violence Prevention Strategies Act of 2026, aims to remove language barriers that prevent individuals with limited English proficiency—meaning those who don't speak English as their primary language and have difficulty understanding it—from accessing and participating in gun violence prevention efforts. It mandates that federal agencies, specifically the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services, must translate important materials related to gun violence prevention and firearm safety into "priority languages," which are defined as the ten most commonly spoken languages in the U.S. besides English, into accessible formats. These translated materials must be reviewed by community-based organizations that work with speakers of those languages to ensure they are culturally appropriate and understandable. The bill also requires grant applications for gun violence reduction programs to include plans for engaging with limited English proficient populations and to prioritize those that do, including translating public-facing documents into languages spoken by at least 3% or 500 individuals of the population served. Furthermore, both the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services are directed to develop national public awareness campaigns focused on gun violence prevention strategies, ensuring these campaigns use in-language and culturally appropriate messaging to reach limited English proficient populations.

Justice

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/7170/all-info