104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
SB2280
 
Introduced 2/7/2025, by Sen. Robert Peters
 
SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

430 ILCS 69/35-20
430 ILCS 69/35-25
 Amends the Reimagine Public Safety Act. Provides that the Office of Firearm Violence Prevention shall issue a report to the General Assembly annually (rather than no later than January 1 of each year) that identifies communities within Illinois municipalities of 1,000,000 or more residents and municipalities with less than 1,000,000 residents and more than 35,000 residents that are experiencing concentrated firearm violence, explaining the investments that are being made to reduce concentrated firearm violence, and making further recommendations on how to end Illinois' firearm violence epidemic. Provides that the Office of Firearm Violence Prevention shall compile recommendations from all Lead Violence Prevention Conveners and report to the General Assembly annually (rather than bi-annually) on these funding recommendations. 


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A BILL FOR
 
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1 AN ACT concerning safety.

2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 
3represented in the General Assembly:

4 Section 5. The Reimagine Public Safety Act is amended by 
5changing Sections 35-20 and 35-25 as follows:

6 (430 ILCS 69/35-20)
7 Sec. 35-20. Office of Firearm Violence Prevention. 
8 (a) On or before October 1, 2021, an Office of Firearm 
9Violence Prevention is established within the Illinois 
10Department of Human Services. The Assistant Secretary of 
11Violence Prevention shall report his or her actions to the 
12Secretary of Human Services and the Office of the Governor. 
13The Office shall have the authority to coordinate and 
14integrate all programs and services listed in this Act and 
15other programs and services the Governor establishes by 
16executive order to maximize an integrated approach to reducing 
17Illinois' firearm violence epidemic and ultimately ending this 
18public health crisis. 
19 (b) The Department of Human Services and the Office of 
20Firearm Violence Prevention shall have grant making, 
21operational, and procurement authority to distribute funds to 
22violence prevention organizations, youth development 
23organizations, high-risk youth intervention organizations, 
 
 
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1approved technical assistance and training providers, 
2evaluation and assessment organizations, and other entities 
3necessary to execute the functions established in this Act and 
4other programs and services the Governor establishes by 
5executive order for the Department and the Office. 
6 (c) The Assistant Secretary of Firearm Violence Prevention 
7shall be appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent 
8of the Senate. The Assistant Secretary of Firearm Violence 
9Prevention shall receive an annual salary of $170,000 or as 
10set by the Governor, whichever is higher, and, beginning July 
111, 2023, shall be compensated from appropriations provided to 
12the Comptroller for this purpose. On July 1, 2023, and on each 
13July 1 thereafter, the Assistant Secretary shall receive an 
14increase in salary based on a cost of living adjustment as 
15authorized by Senate Joint Resolution 192 of the 86th General 
16Assembly. The Assistant Secretary of Firearm Violence 
17Prevention shall report to the Secretary of Human Services and 
18also report his or her actions to the Office of the Governor. 
19 (d) For Illinois municipalities with a 1,000,000 or more 
20population, the Office of Firearm Violence Prevention shall 
21determine the 10 most violent neighborhoods. When possible, 
22this shall be determined by measuring the number of per capita 
23fatal and nonfatal firearm-shot victims, excluding 
24self-inflicted incidents, from January 1, 2016 through 
25December 31, 2020. These 10 communities shall qualify for 
26grants under this Act and coordination of other State services 
 
 
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1from the Office of Firearm Violence Prevention. The Office 
2shall, after identifying the top 10 neighborhoods, identify an 
3additional 7 eligible neighborhoods by considering the number 
4of victims in rank order in addition to the per capita rate. If 
5appropriate, and subject to appropriation, the Office shall 
6have the authority to consider adding up to 5 additional 
7eligible neighborhoods or clusters of contiguous neighborhoods 
8utilizing the same data sets so as to maximize the potential 
9impact for firearm violence reduction. For Illinois 
10municipalities with less than 1,000,000 residents and more 
11than 35,000 residents, the Office of Firearm Violence 
12Prevention shall identify the 10 municipalities or contiguous 
13geographic areas that have the greatest concentrated firearm 
14violence victims. When possible, this shall be determined by 
15measuring the number of fatal and nonfatal firearm-shot 
16victims, excluding self-inflicted incidents, from January 1, 
172016 through December 31, 2020 divided by the number of 
18residents for each municipality or area. These 10 
19municipalities or contiguous geographic areas and up to 5 
20additional municipalities or contiguous geographic areas 
21identified by the Office of Firearm Violence Prevention shall 
22qualify for grants under this Act and coordination of other 
23State services from the Office of Firearm Violence Prevention. 
24The Office of Firearm Violence Prevention shall consider 
25factors listed in subsection (a) of Section 35-40 to determine 
26up to 5 additional municipalities or contiguous geographic 
 
 
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1areas that qualify for grants under this Act. The Office of 
2Firearm Violence Prevention may, subject to appropriation, 
3identify up to 5 additional neighborhoods, municipalities, 
4contiguous geographic areas, or other local 
5government-identified boundary areas to receive funding under 
6this Act after considering additional risk factors that 
7contribute to community firearm violence. The data analysis to 
8identify new eligible neighborhoods and municipalities shall 
9be updated to reflect eligibility based on the most recently 
10available 5 full years of data no more frequently than once 
11every 3 years. 
12 (e) The Office of Firearm Violence Prevention shall issue 
13a report to the General Assembly annually no later than 
14January 1 of each year that identifies communities within 
15Illinois municipalities of 1,000,000 or more residents and 
16municipalities with less than 1,000,000 residents and more 
17than 35,000 residents that are experiencing concentrated 
18firearm violence, explaining the investments that are being 
19made to reduce concentrated firearm violence, and making 
20further recommendations on how to end Illinois' firearm 
21violence epidemic.
22(Source: P.A. 102-16, eff. 6-17-21; 102-679, eff. 12-10-21; 
23102-1115, eff. 1-9-23.)

24 (430 ILCS 69/35-25)
25 Sec. 35-25. Integrated violence prevention and other 
 
 
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1services. 
2 (a) Subject to appropriation, for municipalities with 
31,000,000 or more residents, the Office of Firearm Violence 
4Prevention shall make grants to violence prevention 
5organizations for evidence-based violence prevention services. 
6Approved technical assistance and training providers shall 
7create learning communities for the exchange of information 
8between community-based organizations in the same or similar 
9fields. Firearm violence prevention organizations shall 
10prioritize individuals at the highest risk of firearm violence 
11victimization and provide these individuals with 
12evidence-based comprehensive services that reduce their 
13exposure to chronic firearm violence.
14 (a-5) Grants may be awarded under this Act to Reimagine 
15Public Safety grantees or their subgrantees to provide any one 
16or more of the following services to Reimagine Public Safety 
17program participants or credible messengers: 
18  (1) Behavioral health services, including clinical 
19 interventions, crisis interventions, and group counseling 
20 supports, such as peer support groups, social-emotional 
21 learning supports, including skill building for anger 
22 management, de-escalation, sensory stabilization, coping 
23 strategies, and thoughtful decision-making, short-term 
24 clinical individual sessions, psycho-social assessments, 
25 and motivational interviewing. 
26   (A) Funds awarded under this paragraph may be used 
 
 
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1 for behavioral health services until July 1, 2026 
2 2025. 
3   (B) Any community violence prevention service 
4 provider being reimbursed from funds awarded under 
5 this paragraph for behavioral health services must 
6 also file a plan to become Medicaid certified for 
7 violence prevention-community support team services 
8 under the Illinois Medicaid program on or before July 
9 1, 2026 2025. 
10  (2) Capacity-building services, including 
11 administrative and programmatic support, services, and 
12 resources, such as subcontract development, budget 
13 development, grant monitoring and reporting, and fiscal 
14 sponsorship. Capacity-building services financed with 
15 grants awarded under this Act may also include intensive 
16 training and technical assistance focused on Community 
17 Violence Intervention (CVI) not-for-profit business 
18 operations, best practice delivery of firearm violence 
19 prevention services, and assistance with administering and 
20 meeting fiscal reporting or auditing requirements. 
21 Capacity-building services financed with grants awarded 
22 under this Act must be directed to a current or potential 
23 Reimagine Public Safety firearm violence prevention 
24 provider and cannot exceed 20% of potential funds awarded 
25 to the relevant provider or future provider. 
26  (3) Legal aid services, including funding for staff 
 
 
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1 attorneys and paralegals to provide education, training, 
2 legal services, and advocacy for program recipients. Legal 
3 aid services that may be provided with grant funds awarded 
4 under this Act include "Know Your Rights" clinics, 
5 trainings targeting returning citizens and families 
6 impacted by incarceration, and long-term legal efforts 
7 addressing expungement, civil rights, family law, housing, 
8 employment, and victim rights. Legal aid services provided 
9 with grant funds awarded under this Act shall not be 
10 directed toward criminal justice issues. 
11  (4) Housing services, including grants for emergency 
12 and temporary housing for individuals at immediate risk of 
13 firearm violence, except that grant funding provided under 
14 this paragraph must be directed only toward Reimagine 
15 Public Safety program participants. 
16  (5) Workforce development services, including grants 
17 for job coaching, intensive case management, employment 
18 training and placement, and retention services, including 
19 the provision of transitional job placements and access to 
20 basic certificate training for industry-specific jobs. 
21 Training also includes the provision of education-related 
22 content, such as financial literacy training, GED 
23 preparation, and academic coaching. 
24  (6) Re-entry services for individuals exiting the 
25 State or county criminal justice systems, if those 
26 individuals are either eligible for services under this 
 
 
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1 Act as participants or are individuals who can make an 
2 immediate contribution to mediate neighborhood conflicts 
3 if they receive stabilizing services. Re-entry services 
4 financed with grants awarded under this Act include all 
5 services authorized under this Act, including services 
6 listed in this subsection. 
7  (7) Victim services, including assessments and 
8 screening of victim needs, planning sessions related to 
9 assessments, service planning and goal setting, assessing 
10 intervention needs, notifying and navigating participants 
11 through public agency processes for victim compensation, 
12 crisis intervention, emergency financial assistance, 
13 transportation, medical care, stable housing, and shelter, 
14 assessment and linkage to public benefits, and relocation 
15 services. 
16 (b) In the geographic areas they serve, violence 
17prevention organizations shall develop expertise in:
18  (1) Analyzing and leveraging data to identify the 
19 individuals who will most benefit from evidence-based 
20 violence prevention services in their geographic areas.
21  (2) Identifying the conflicts that are responsible for 
22 recurring violence.
23  (3) Having relationships with individuals who are most 
24 able to reduce conflicts.
25  (4) Addressing the stabilization and trauma recovery 
26 needs of individuals impacted by violence by providing 
 
 
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1 direct services for their unmet needs or referring them to 
2 other qualified service providers. 
3  (5) Having and building relationships with community 
4 members and community organizations that provide 
5 evidence-based violence prevention services and get 
6 referrals of people who will most benefit from 
7 evidence-based violence prevention services in their 
8 geographic areas. 
9  (6) Providing training and technical assistance to 
10 local law enforcement agencies to improve their 
11 effectiveness without having any role, requirement, or 
12 mandate to participate in the policing, enforcement, or 
13 prosecution of any crime. 
14 (c) Violence prevention organizations receiving grants 
15under this Act shall coordinate services with other violence 
16prevention organizations in their area.
17 (d) The Office of Firearm Violence Prevention shall 
18identify, for each separate eligible service area under this 
19Act, an experienced violence prevention organization to serve 
20as the Lead Violence Prevention Convener for that area and 
21provide each Lead Violence Prevention Convener with a grant to 
22coordinate monthly meetings between violence prevention 
23organizations and youth development organizations under this 
24Act. The Lead Violence Prevention Convener may also receive, 
25from the Office of Firearm Violence Prevention, technical 
26assistance or training through approved providers when needs 
 
 
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1are jointly identified. The Lead Violence Prevention Convener 
2shall:
3  (1) provide the convened organizations with summary 
4 notes recommendations made at the monthly meetings to 
5 improve the effectiveness of evidence-based violence 
6 prevention services based on review of timely data on 
7 shootings and homicides in his or her relevant 
8 neighborhood;
9  (2) attend monthly meetings where the cause of 
10 violence and other neighborhood disputes is discussed and 
11 strategize on how to resolve ongoing conflicts and execute 
12 on agreed plans;
13  (3) (blank);
14  (4) on behalf of the convened organizations, make 
15 consensus recommendations to the Office of Firearm 
16 Violence Prevention and local law enforcement on how to 
17 reduce violent conflict in his or her neighborhood;
18  (5) meet on an emergency basis when conflicts that 
19 need immediate attention and resolution arise;
20  (6) share knowledge and strategies of the community 
21 violence dynamic in monthly meetings with local youth 
22 development specialists receiving grants under this Act; 
23  (7) select when and where needed an approved Office of 
24 Violence Prevention-funded technical assistance and 
25 training service provider to receive agreed upon services; 
26 and 
 
 
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1  (8) after meeting with community residents and other 
2 community organizations that have expertise in housing, 
3 mental health, economic development, education, and social 
4 services, make recommendations to the Office of Firearm 
5 Violence Prevention on how to target community 
6 revitalization resources available from federal and State 
7 funding sources.
8 The Office of Firearm Violence Prevention shall compile 
9recommendations from all Lead Violence Prevention Conveners 
10and report to the General Assembly annually bi-annually on 
11these funding recommendations. The Lead Violence Prevention 
12Convener may also serve as a violence prevention or youth 
13development provider.
14 (e) The Illinois Office of Firearm Violence Prevention 
15shall select, when possible and appropriate, no fewer than 2 
16and no more than 3 approved technical assistance and training 
17providers to deliver technical assistance and training to the 
18violence prevention organizations that request to receive 
19approved technical assistance and training. Violence 
20prevention organizations shall have the opportunity to select 
21among the approved technical assistance services providers 
22funded by the Office of Firearm Violence Prevention, as long 
23as the technical assistance provider has the capacity to 
24effectively serve the grantees that have selected them. The 
25Department shall make best efforts to accommodate second 
26choices of violence prevention organizations when the violence 
 
 
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1prevention organizations' first choice does not have capacity 
2to provide technical assistance. 
3 (f) Approved technical assistance and training providers 
4may:
5  (1) provide training and certification to violence 
6 prevention professionals on how to perform violence 
7 prevention services and other professional development to 
8 violence prevention professionals.
9  (2) provide management training on how to manage 
10 violence prevention professionals; 
11  (3) provide training and assistance on how to develop 
12 memorandum of understanding for referral services or 
13 create approved provider lists for these referral 
14 services, or both;
15  (4) share lessons learned among violence prevention 
16 professionals and service providers in their network; and
17  (5) provide technical assistance and training on human 
18 resources, grants management, capacity building, and 
19 fiscal management strategies. 
20 (g) Approved technical assistance and training providers 
21shall:
22  (1) provide additional services identified as 
23 necessary by the Office of Firearm Violence Prevention and 
24 service providers in their network; and 
25  (2) receive a base grant of up to $250,000 plus 
26 negotiated service rates to provide group and 
 
 
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