State Firearms Dealer Licensing Enhancement Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9440 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9440

  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

                             June 24, 2026

Mr. Morelle (for himself, Mr. Quigley, Ms. Schakowsky, Ms. Norton, Ms.
Kelly of Illinois, Ms. Strickland, Mrs. Foushee, Mr. Davis of Illinois,
Ms. Titus, Ms. Tlaib, Mr. Thanedar, Mr. DeSaulnier, Ms. Craig, and Mr.
  Cisneros) introduced the following 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 Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``State Firearms Dealer Licensing
Enhancement Act''.

SEC. 2. STATE FIREARMS DEALER LICENSING GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) Grant Program Authorized.--Title I of the Omnibus Crime Control
and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10101 et seq.) is amended by
adding at the end the following:

        ``PART PP--STATE FIREARMS DEALER LICENSING GRANT PROGRAM

``SEC. 3061. GRANT PROGRAM.

    ``(a) Program Authorized.--From the amounts appropriated to carry
out this part, and not later than 180 days after such amounts are
appropriated, the Attorney General may award annual grants, on a
competitive basis, to eligible applicants for the development,
implementation, improvement, or evaluation of firearms dealer licensing
programs.
    ``(b) Application.--An eligible applicant desiring a grant under
this part shall submit to the Attorney General an application at such
time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Attorney
General may require, including--
            ``(1) a description of the law that the applicant has
        enacted to require a license for any firearms dealer, including
        a description of any exemptions to such law;
            ``(2) a description of how the applicant will use the grant
        to develop, implement, improve, or evaluate the firearms dealer
        licensing program of the applicant; and
            ``(3) a description of the inspection bodies and procedures
        of the applicant used to inspect firearms dealers.
    ``(c) Subawards.--A State that receives a grant under this part may
make a subaward to a unit of local government authorized to oversee and
enforce the development, implementation, improvement, or evaluation of
the firearms dealer licensing program for which the grant under this
part will be used.
    ``(d) Reporting Requirement.--
            ``(1) Annual reports by recipients.--An eligible applicant
        that receives a grant under this part shall provide an annual
        report to the Attorney General with the following information:
                    ``(A) The number of inspections conducted in the
                jurisdiction of the eligible applicant of persons
                licensed as a firearms dealer by the eligible applicant
                during the previous year.
                    ``(B) The number of violations by persons licensed
                as a firearms dealer by the eligible applicant that
                were cited during the previous year, disaggregated by
                violation type.
                    ``(C) The total number of persons licensed as a
                firearms dealer by the eligible applicant as of the end
                of the previous year.
                    ``(D) The number of licenses to engage in business
                as a firearms dealer in the jurisdiction of the
                eligible applicant that, during the previous year,
                were--
                            ``(i) issued;
                            ``(ii) renewed;
                            ``(iii) suspended; or
                            ``(iv) revoked.
            ``(2) To congress.--Not later than 13 months after the
        first grants are awarded under this part, and every year
        thereafter, the Attorney General shall submit to Congress and
        make available publicly through print and electronic means a
        report, which shall include the following information:
                    ``(A) A list of eligible applicants who received
                funds under a grant under this part during the previous
                fiscal year, including the funds awarded, cumulatively
                and disaggregated by grantee.
                    ``(B) The information gathered pursuant to
                paragraph (1), disaggregated by grantee.
                    ``(C) A list of eligible applicants who were denied
                grants under this part, and the basis for such denials.
    ``(e) Limitation on Grant Amount.--A grant under this part may not
be in an amount that is more than $2,500,000 per fiscal year.

``SEC. 3062. DEFINITIONS.

    ``In this part:
            ``(1) Eligible applicant.--The term `eligible applicant'
        means a State or Indian tribal government that has in effect a
        law that, at a minimum, requires the following:
                    ``(A) To engage in business as a firearms dealer in
                the area subject to the jurisdiction of the State or
                Indian tribal government, a person shall be a licensed
                dealer and be licensed as a firearms dealer under such
                law.
                    ``(B) A person shall only be licensed as a firearms
                dealer under such law upon successful completion of the
                application process set by such law.
                    ``(C) A license to engage in business as a firearms
                dealer shall be valid for not more than 3 years.
                    ``(D) A person licensed as a firearms dealer shall
                submit to inspections under the law of the State or
                Indian tribal government.
                    ``(E) Noncompliance of a person licensed as a
                firearms dealer with a requirement for firearms dealers
                under the law of the State or Indian tribal government
                may result in--
                            ``(i) the suspension or revocation of the
                        license; and
                            ``(ii) the imposition of civil penalties or
                        criminal charges.
            ``(2) Licensed dealer.--The term `licensed dealer' has the
        meaning given that term in section 921(a) of title 18, United
        States Code.''.
    (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 1001(a) of title I of
the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C.
10261(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(29) There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as
        may be necessary for each fiscal year to carry out part PP.''.
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