,,ii #aahth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #djfg ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,march #bb1 #bjbd,mr4 ,murphy 7for himself and ,mr4 ,kaine7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on the ,judiciary ,a ,,bill ,to provide for an annual report on the prosecution activities of the ,coordinator for ,caribbean ,firearms ,prosecutions of the ,department of ,justice4 #a4 ,short titles ,this ,act may be cited as the ,caribbean ,arms ,trafficking ,causing ,harm ,act or the ,,catch ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,according to a #bjbc joint report by the ,caribbean ,community ,implementation ,agency for ,crime and ,security and the ,small ,arms ,survey1 the average number of violent deaths in the ,caribbean is nearly triple the global average4 7#b7 ,according to the ,united ,nations ,office on ,drugs and ,crime1 ,caribbean countries accounted for #f of the world's top #aj highest national murder rates in #bjba4 7#c7 ,law enforcement officials in ,haiti1 ,antigua and ,barbuda1 and ,jamaica have identified ,florida as a significant source of illicit firearms4 7#d7 ,according to the ,united ,nations1 ,caribbean countries do not manufacture firearms or ammunition1 nor do they import such products on a large scale4 7#e7 ,according to ,bahamian officials1 more than #ij percent of firearms used in homicides and confiscated by authorities in the ,bahamas are traced to manufacturers and retailers in the ,united ,states4 7#f7 ,in #bjbb1 the ,department of ,homeland ,security's ,homeland ,security ,investigations reported observing a significant increase in the quantity1 caliber and type of firearms being illegally trafficked to the ,caribbean1 including 4#ej caliber sniper rifles1 4#cjh rifles1 and a belt fed machine gun4 7#g7 ,according to a #bjbc assessment by ,united ,nations ,office on ,drugs and ,crime1 the flow of illicit firearms into ,haiti enables violent gangs and contributes to forced displacement throughout the country4 7#h7 ,according to the ,migration ,policy ,institute1 there has been a dramatic increase in migration to the ,united ,states from ,haiti in recent years1 caused in part by widespread gang violence4 7#i7 ,on ,june #be1 #bjbb1 ,president ,joe ,biden signed the ,bipartisan ,safer ,communities ,act 7,public ,law #aag-aei7 into law1 which created ,federal criminal offenses for firearm trafficking and granted the government new authorities to prosecute these offenses4 7#aj7 ,on ,november #ad1 #bjbb1 the ,caribbean ,community ,implementation ,agency for ,crime and ,security launched the ,crime ,gun ,intelligence ,unit1 in partnership with ,united ,states law enforcement agencies4 7#aa7 ,the ,crime ,gun ,intelligence ,unit1 located in ,trinidad and ,tobago1 provides intelligence for its member states regarding illicit firearms and ammunition4 7#ab7 ,on ,june #h1 #bjbc1 ,vice ,president ,kamala ,harris announced1 the ,department of ,justice will name a ,coordinator for ,caribbean ,firearms ,prosecutions who will be an experienced ,department of ,justice prosecutor44 7#ac7 ,on ,july #e1 #bjbc1 ,secretary of ,state ,antony ,blinken announced that ,michael ,ben',ary will serve as the ,coordinator for ,caribbean ,firearms ,prosecutions4 7#ad7 ,as of ,october #ca1 #bjbc1 the ,department of ,justice had prosecuted #bjg defendants for firearms trafficking using authorities derived from the ,bipartisan ,safer ,communities ,act1 including #hj defendants for making straw purchases4 #c4 ,purposes ,the purposes of this ,act are-- 7#a7 to combat illicit firearms trafficking from the ,united ,states to the ,caribbean2 7#b7 to bolster the security of the ,caribbean region and the ,united ,states2 and 7#c7 to increase oversight of the ,coordinator for ,caribbean ,firearms ,prosecutions of the ,department of ,justice4 #d4 ,defined term ,in this ,act1 the term appropriate congressional committees means-- 7#a7 the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate2 7#b7 the ,committee on the ,judiciary of the ,senate2 7#c7 the ,committee on ,homeland ,security and ,governmental ,affairs of the ,senate4 7#d7 the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives2 7#e7 the ,committee on the ,judiciary of the ,house of ,representatives2 7#f7 the ,committee on ,homeland ,security of the ,house of ,representatives2 #e4 ,report on ,coordinator for ,caribbean ,firearms ,prosecutions' activities ,not later than #ij days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 and annually thereafter for the following #e years1 the ,attorney ,general1 in coordination with the ,department of ,state1 and any other ,federal agency designated by the ,attorney ,general1 shall submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees that includes-- 7#a7 a comprehensive review of the enforcement of sections #icb and #icc of title #ah1 ,united ,states ,code1 by the ,coordinator for ,caribbean ,firearms ,prosecutions of the ,department of ,justice2 and 7#b7 specifies-- 7,a7 the total number of investigations and prosecutions launched by the ,coordinator for ,caribbean ,firearms ,prosecutions1 disaggregated by-- 7i7 the judicial district involved2 7ii7 the alleged destination of the firearm1 ammunition1 and firearm accessories2 7iii7 the number and types of firearms1 ammunition1 and firearm accessories1 to the extent such information is available2 and 7iv7 the method of transportation of the firearm1 ammunition1 and firearm accessories1 to the extent such information is available2 7,b7 coordination efforts with the ,department of ,state1 the ,department of ,homeland ,security1 and other ,federal1 ,state1 and local law enforcement agencies2 7,c7 coordination efforts with the ,caribbean ,community's ,crime ,gun ,intelligence ,unit1 and any other regional or international organizations designated by the ,secretary of ,state4