OHIO LEGISLATIVE SERVICE COMMISSION
Office of Research Legislative Budget
www.lsc.ohio.gov and Drafting Office
H.B. 420 Bill Analysis
135th General Assembly
Click here for H.B. 420’s Fiscal Note
Version: As Introduced
Primary Sponsors: Reps. Brewer and Abdullahi
Effective date:
Jason Hoskins, Attorney
SUMMARY
 Establishes the Office of Firearm Violence Prevention within the Department of Children
and Youth.
 Requires the Office of Firearm Violence Prevention to administer grant programs to
reduce firearm violence in the state and provide technical assistance and training to
grant recipients.
 Delays creation of the Office of Firearm Violence Prevention and firearm violence
prevention grant programs until January 1, 2025.
 Requires the Department of Medicaid to seek federal approval to establish a team-
based model of care system to address trauma recovery from chronic exposure to
firearm violence.
 Appropriates $500,000 in FY 2025 for the establishment of the Office of Firearm
Violence Prevention.
 Designates the bill as the “Building Safer Communities for Ohio’s Children Act.”
DETAILED ANALYSIS
Office of Firearm Violence Prevention
Office creation
The bill establishes the Office of Firearm Violence Prevention within the Department of
Children and Youth. The Department is required to appoint an executive director of violence
prevention to manage the office and to perform or oversee the performance of the duties of
the office (see “Duties” below). The executive director will serve at the pleasure of the
Department and will report the executive director’s actions to (1) the Director of Children and
Youth, (2) the Attorney General, and (3) the Governor. The bill specifies that the executive
director will receive an annual salary of $170,000, which will be increased on July 1, 2026, and
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annually thereafter, by the lesser of 3% or the percentage increase in the consumer price index
for the immediately preceding year.1 The bill authorizes the Director of Children and Youth to
adopt rules as necessary to establish the Office of Firearm Violence Prevention.2
Duties
The Office of Firearm Violence Prevention is tasked with (1) coordinating several firearm
violence prevention grant programs established by the bill (see “Grant programs” below)
and (2) providing technical assistance and training to grant recipients. The technical assistance
must include the following:3
 Training on how to provide violence prevention services and other professional
development services;
 Management training;
 Training and assistance on how to develop a memorandum of understanding for referral
services;
 Sharing lessons learned among other organizations participating in the grant program;
 Technical assistance and training on human resources, grant management, capacity
building, and fiscal management strategies.
Grant programs
The bill establishes three grant programs that are to be administered by the Office of
Firearm Violence Prevention. Two of these grant programs are available in eligible counties,
which the bill defines as the 15 counties in the state with the highest per capita rate of fatal and
nonfatal firearm-shot victims, excluding self-inflicted incidents, from January 1, 2018, to
December 31, 2022.4 The remaining grant program is available in counties that are ineligible to
participate in the other two grant programs.
Violence prevention organization grant program
The first grant program to be administered by the Office of Firearm Violence Prevention
is the violence prevention organization grant program. The bill requires the Office, beginning
July 1, 2025, to award grants to violence prevention organizations in eligible counties. 5 The
Office must establish a competitive application process for organizations seeking to participate
in the grant program.
1 R.C. 5180.52(B).
2 R.C. 5180.52(C).
3 R.C. 5180.52(A), 5180.53(E), and 5180.54(E).
4 R.C. 5180.50.
5 R.C. 5180.53(A).
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Upon reviewing applications, the Office is required to select two to six violence
prevention organizations to participate in the grant program. In selecting organizations, the bill
requires the Office to give preference to organizations that provide services in areas of eligible
counties most impacted by firearm violence and that demonstrate expertise in all of the
following:6
 Analyzing and leveraging data to identify the individuals who will most benefit from
evidence-based violence prevention services in an eligible county;
 Identifying the conflicts that are responsible for recurring violence;
 Having relationships with individuals who are most able to reduce conflicts;
 Addressing the stabilization and trauma recovery needs of individuals impacted by
violence by providing direct services for their unmet needs or referring them to other
qualified service providers;
 Having and building relationships with community members and community
organizations that provide evidence-based violence prevention services and receive
referrals of people who will most benefit from evidence-based violence prevention
services;
 Providing training and technical assistance to local law enforcement agencies to
improve their effectiveness without having any role, requirement, or mandate to
participate in the policing, enforcement, or prosecution of any crime.
Violence prevention organizations selected to participate in the grant program are
required to use grant funds to provide the following services:7
 Behavioral health services, including clinical interventions, crisis interventions, and
group counseling supports;
 Capacity-building services, including administrative and programmatic support, services,
and resources;
 Legal aid services (not including advocacy for criminal justice issues), including funding
for staff attorneys and paralegals to provide education, training, legal services, and
advocacy for individuals serviced by the organization;
 Housing services, including grants for emergency and temporary housing for individuals
at immediate risk of firearm violence;
 Workforce development services, including grants for job coaching, intensive care
management, employment training and placement, and retention services;
6 R.C. 5180.53(B).
7 R.C. 5180.53(C).
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 Services that assist individuals exiting the state or county criminal justice systems to
reintegrate into their communities;
 Victim services, including assessments and screening of victim needs, planning sessions
related to assessments, service planning and goal setting, assessing intervention needs,
and assisting participants through public assistance processes for victims.
As a condition of participating in the grant program, selected violence prevention
organizations are required to enter into a Medicaid provider agreement with the Department
of Medicaid to provide services under the team-based model of care system established by the
bill (see “Medicaid coverage of team-based care services” below).8
The bill requires violence prevention organizations within the same county to
collaborate. In doing so, the Office is required to designate a lead organization in each eligible
county. The lead organization is tasked with (1) organizing and leading monthly meetings of
participating violence prevention organizations to improve the effectiveness of evidence-based
violence prevention services, (2) attending other meetings in the county that discuss firearm
violence and strategies to resolve ongoing conflicts, (3) making recommendations to the Office
concerning ways to reduce violent conflict within eligible counties, and (4) sharing knowledge
and strategies for reducing firearm violence with youth development organizations
participating in the youth development grant program (see “Youth development grant
program” below).9
Youth development grant program
The second grant program to be administered by the Office of Firearm Violence
Prevention is the youth development grant program. The bill requires the Office, beginning
July 1, 2025, to award grants to youth development organizations in eligible counties.10 The
Office must establish a competitive application process for organizations seeking to participate
in the grant program.
Upon reviewing applications, the Office of Firearm Violence Prevention is required to
select four to eight youth development organizations to participate in the grant program. In
selecting organizations, the bill requires the Office to give preference to organizations that
provide services in areas of eligible counties most impacted by firearm violence and that serve
the following impacted individuals:11
 Youth who have past involvement with the criminal justice system;
8 R.C. 5180.53(B)(3).
9 R.C. 5180.53(D).
10 R.C. 5180.54(A).
11 R.C. 5180.54(B).
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 Students who attend or have attended a secondary school where 75% or more of
enrolled students have either stopped attending or have failed their courses since
entering ninth grade;
 Family members of individuals working with violence prevention organizations;
 Youth living in high-violence areas.
Each youth development organization participating in the grant program is required to
reserve a portion of grant funds to provide an individualized needs assessment to each
individual the organization serves. The needs assessment must examine the physical and
mental condition of each individual based on an individual’s connection to family, financial
resources, past substance use, involvement in the criminal justice system, and trauma related
to chronic exposure to firearm violence. Based on the results of the needs assessment, each
individual is required to receive individualized services. The services provided must empower
each individual with the social and emotional skills necessary to forge paths of health
development and disengagement from high-risk behaviors with the goal of building resilience
and the skills associated with healthy social, emotional, and identity development.12
Similar to the requirement imposed on violence prevention organizations within the
same eligible county, the bill requires participating youth development organizations within the
same eligible county to collaborate. The purpose of collaboration between youth development
organizations is to (1) build knowledge of the teens and their social organization in the areas in
which the organizations serve, (2) coordinate services between organizations and share
knowledge and strategies, and (3) meet on an emergency basis with other organizations when
conflicts concerning individuals receiving services arise.13
Grants to noneligible counties
Beginning July 1, 2025, the Office of Firearm Violence Prevention is required to establish
a third grant program to provide grants in counties that are not eligible to receive grants under
the violence prevention organization grant program or youth development grant program. The
bill requires the Office to select five counties to receive grants distributed using a formula the
Office establishes. In selecting the counties, the Office must examine which counties have
experienced the largest concentration of firearm violence in the five years since January 1,
2020, including the following factors:14
 The total number of fatal and nonfatal firearms victims;
 The per capita rate of fatal and nonfatal firearms victims;
12 R.C. 5180.54(C).
13 R.C. 5180.54(D).
14 R.C. 5180.55(A) to (C).
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 The number of children and youth that make up the total number of fatal and nonfatal
firearms victims.
Each county selected to receive grant funds under this program must establish a local
advisory council. The local advisory council must seek recommendations from the community
on how grant funds should be allocated and make recommendations to the Office related to
the recommendations received from the community. The bill requires the Office to consider the
recommendations of the local advisory council when distributing grant funds within a
participating county. If the Office does not adhere to the council’s recommendations, the Office
must provide the council with written notice explaining why the recommendations were not
followed.15
Annual report
Beginning January 1, 2026, and then annually thereafter, the Office of Firearm Violence
Prevention is required to prepare and submit a report to the General Assembly detailing (1) the
outcomes of the grant programs administered by the Office, including any reduction in firearm
violence that occurs, (2) recommendations that the Office receives from violence prevention
organizations to improve program outcomes and reduce firearm violence, and (3) any
recommendations the Office has to help reduce firearm violence across the state.16
Appropriation
The bill appropriates $500,000 in FY 2025 to the Department of Children and Youth to
support the establishment of the Office of Firearm Violence Prevention.17
Delayed effective date
The bill delays the effective date of the provisions establishing the Office of Firearm
Violence Prevention and creation of grant programs until January 1, 2025.18
Medicaid coverage of team-based care services
The bill requires the Medicaid Director, not later than 90 days after the bill’s effective
date, to seek approval from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to establish a
team-based model of care system to address trauma recovery from chronic exposure to firearm
violence.19 The team-based model of care system must include the following services:20
15 R.C. 5180.55(D).
16 R.C. 5180.56.
17 Sections 3 to 5.
18 Section 2.
19 R.C. 5164.97(A).
20 R.C. 5164.97(B).
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 Outreach services that recruit trauma-exposed individuals into the system and develop
supportive relationships with them based on lived experiences in their communities;
 Case management and community support services that provide stabilization to
individuals recovering from chronic exposure to firearm violence and school support
services that decrease truancy and involvement with the criminal justice system;
 Group and individual therapy that addresses underlying mental health conditions
associated with post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, substance use
disorders, intermittent explosive disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, attention
deficit hyperactivity disorder, and other mental health conditions resulting from chronic
disorder;
 Evidence-based family systems interventions that have proven to reduce anti-social
behaviors.
The bill requires the Department of Medicaid to establish a reimbursement
methodology for the services described above.21
Legislative findings
The bill makes all of the following legislative findings:22
 Certain areas across Ohio are experiencing concentrated and perpetual firearm violence
that is a public health epidemic;
 Within areas experiencing the firearm violence epidemic, violence is concentrated
among teens and young adults that have chronic exposure to the risk of violence and
criminal justice system involvement and related trauma in small geographic areas where
these young people live or congregate;
 Firearm violence victimization and perpetration is highly concentrated in particular
areas among a small number of individuals in these areas;
 People who are chr