What This Bill Does
This bill creates a new federal grant program that gives money to states and tribal governments to help them develop, run, improve or test programs that require gun dealers to get licenses. The Attorney General (the head of the federal Justice Department) would award these grants on a competitive basis to states and tribes that already have dealer licensing laws in place.
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Who It Affects
States and Indian tribal governments with existing firearms dealer licensing laws. Local governments within those states or tribes. The Attorney General. Federal Congress. Gun dealers in states that have licensing requirements.
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Key Provisions
• The Attorney General can award annual grants to states and Indian tribes with firearms dealer licensing laws, starting no later than 180 days after money is appropriated (Sec. 3061(a)).
• Grant applicants must describe their firearms dealer licensing law, explain how they will use the grant money, and describe how they inspect gun dealers (Sec. 3061(b)).
• States that receive grants can give part of that money to local governments that oversee and enforce the firearms dealer licensing program (Sec. 3061(c)).
• Grant recipients must report yearly to the Attorney General on the number of inspections conducted, violations cited, total licensed dealers, and licenses issued, renewed, suspended or revoked (Sec. 3061(d)(1)).
• The Attorney General must report to Congress yearly (starting no later than 13 months after the first grants are awarded) listing which states received grants, how much money each received, and which states were denied grants and why (Sec. 3061(d)(2)).
• No single grant can be more than $2,500,000 per fiscal year (Sec. 3061(e)).
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What Changes
If this bill becomes law, a new part of the federal crime control law will be added that establishes this grant program. States and tribes with firearms dealer licensing requirements could now apply for federal money to support those programs. The Attorney General gains the authority to award and oversee these grants. Congress will start receiving yearly reports about which states received grants and information about inspections and violations.
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Important Definitions
**Eligible applicant**: A state or Indian tribal government that has a law requiring gun dealers to be licensed. The law must require dealers to pass an application process, keep licenses valid for no more than three years, allow inspections, and permit license suspension, revocation, civil penalties or criminal charges for violations (Sec. 3062(1)).
**Licensed dealer**: Defined by reference to federal law (title 18, United States Code, section 921(a)), which is not provided in this bill text.
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I
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION H. R. 1595
To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to
provide for grants for State firearms dealer licensing programs, and
for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 14, 2023
Mr. MORELLE (for himself, Mr. AUCHINCLOSS, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Ms.
BONAMICI, Ms. BROWN, Mr. CASTEN, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr.
DESAULNIER, Mr. EVANS, Mr. HIGGINS of New York, Ms. JACOBS, Ms.
KELLY of Illinois, Ms. LEE of California, Ms. LOFGREN, Ms. MENG, Ms.
NORTON, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. QUIGLEY, Ms. SA´NCHEZ, Ms. SCANLON, Ms.
SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia, Ms. STRICKLAND, Ms.
TITUS, Ms. TLAIB, and Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
A BILL
To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets
Act of 1968 to provide for grants for State firearms
dealer licensing programs, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
2
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
3
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘State Firearms Dealer
4
Licensing Enhancement Act’’.
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•HR 1595 IH
SEC. 2. STATE FIREARMS DEALER LICENSING GRANT PRO-
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GRAM.
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(a) GRANT PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—Title I of the
3
Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34
4
U.S.C. 10101 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end
5
the following:
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‘‘PART PP—STATE FIREARMS DEALER LICENSING
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GRANT PROGRAM
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‘‘SEC. 3061. GRANT PROGRAM.
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‘‘(a) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—From the amounts
10
appropriated to carry out this part, and not later than
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180 days after such amounts are appropriated, the Attor-
12
ney General may award annual grants, on a competitive
13
basis, to eligible applicants for the development, imple-
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mentation, improvement, or evaluation of firearms dealer
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licensing programs.
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‘‘(b) APPLICATION.—An eligible applicant desiring a
17
grant under this part shall submit to the Attorney General
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an application at such time, in such manner, and con-
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taining such information as the Attorney General may re-
20
quire, including—
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‘‘(1) a description of the law that the applicant
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has enacted to require a license for any firearms
23
dealer, including a description of any exemptions to
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such law;
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•HR 1595 IH
‘‘(2) a description of how the applicant will use
1
the grant to develop, implement, improve, or evalu-
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ate the firearms dealer licensing program of the ap-
3
plicant; and
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‘‘(3) a description of the inspection bodies and
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procedures of the applicant used to inspect firearms
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dealers.
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‘‘(c) SUBAWARDS.—A State that receives a grant
8
under this part may make a subaward to a unit of local
9
government authorized to oversee and enforce the develop-
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ment, implementation, improvement, or evaluation of the
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firearms dealer licensing program for which the grant
12
under this part will be used.
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‘‘(d) REPORTING REQUIREMENT.—
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‘‘(1) ANNUAL
REPORTS
BY
RECIPIENTS.—An
15
eligible applicant that receives a grant under this
16
part shall provide an annual report to the Attorney
17
General with the following information:
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‘‘(A) The number of inspections conducted
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in the jurisdiction of the eligible applicant of
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persons licensed as a firearms dealer by the eli-
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gible applicant during the previous year.
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‘‘(B) The number of violations by persons
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licensed as a firearms dealer by the eligible ap-
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•HR 1595 IH
plicant that were cited during the previous year,
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disaggregated by violation type.
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‘‘(C) The total number of persons licensed
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as a firearms dealer by the eligible applicant as
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of the end of the previous year.
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‘‘(D) The number of licenses to engage in
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business as a firearms dealer in the jurisdiction
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of the eligible applicant that, during the pre-
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vious year, were—
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‘‘(i) issued;
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‘‘(ii) renewed;
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‘‘(iii) suspended; or
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‘‘(iv) revoked.
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‘‘(2) TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 13 months
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after the first grants are awarded under this part,
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and every year thereafter, the Attorney General shall
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submit to Congress and make available publicly
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through print and electronic means a report, which
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shall include the following information:
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‘‘(A) A list of eligible applicants who re-
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ceived funds under a grant under this part dur-
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ing the previous fiscal year, including the funds
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awarded, cumulatively and disaggregated by
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grantee.
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•HR 1595 IH
‘‘(B) The information gathered pursuant
1
to paragraph (1), disaggregated by grantee.
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‘‘(C) A list of eligible applicants who were
3
denied grants under this part, and the basis for
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such denials.
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‘‘(e) LIMITATION
ON GRANT AMOUNT.—A grant
6
under this part may not be in an amount that is more
7
than $2,500,000 per fiscal year.
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‘‘SEC. 3062. DEFINITIONS.
9
‘‘In this part:
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‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE APPLICANT.—The term ‘eligible
11
applicant’ means a State or Indian tribal govern-
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ment that has in effect a law that, at a minimum,
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requires the following:
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‘‘(A) To engage in business as a firearms
15
dealer in the area subject to the jurisdiction of
16
the State or Indian tribal government, a person
17
shall be a licensed dealer and be licensed as a
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firearms dealer under such law.
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‘‘(B) A person shall only be licensed as a
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firearms dealer under such law upon successful
21
completion of the application process set by
22
such law.
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•HR 1595 IH
‘‘(C) A license to engage in business as a
1
firearms dealer shall be valid for not more than
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3 years.
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‘‘(D) A person licensed as a firearms deal-
4
er shall submit to inspections under the law of
5
the State or Indian tribal government.
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‘‘(E) Noncompliance of a person licensed
7
as a firearms dealer with a requirement for fire-
8
arms dealers under the law of the State or In-
9
dian tribal government may result in—
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‘‘(i) the suspension or revocation of
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the license; and
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‘‘(ii) the imposition of civil penalties
13
or criminal charges.
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‘‘(2) LICENSED DEALER.—The term ‘licensed
15
dealer’ has the meaning given that term in section
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921(a) of title 18, United States Code.’’.
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(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section
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1001(a) of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe
19
Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10261(a)) is amended by
20
adding at the end the following:
21
‘‘(29) There are authorized to be appropriated
22
such sums as may be necessary for each fiscal year
23
to carry out part PP.’’.
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Æ
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