Federal RuleAug 21
62
DOL Rewrites Disability Rules for 'Merit-Based Opportunity' Push
RuleLabor DepartmentFederal Contract Compliance Programs OfficeSignificant Wallet
119-hr-6736119th CongressWALLET
ARMAS Act of 2025
Sponsored By: Representative Castro, Joaquin [D-TX-20]
Introduced
Summary
Transfers control of specified munitions exports from the Department of Commerce to the Department of State. This bill would centralize licensing, tighten checks and monitoring for reclassified weapons, and require new reporting and data sharing focused on countries in the Americas.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
6 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 1 costs, 2 mixed.
More countries face tighter weapons rules
If enacted, the Secretary of State would have 180 days to designate covered countries in North America, South America, or the Caribbean that are not NATO members and meet other criteria. The Bahamas, Belize, Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Haiti, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago would be treated as designated on enactment and remain designated for five years. After that five-year period, ending a designation would require at least 180 days' notice to certain congressional committees.
More gun tracing and data sharing
If enacted, within 180 days after a covered country is named, the State Department would assess how that country's law enforcement shares forensic information on trafficked firearms. While a country is designated, State would work to improve sharing of serial numbers and other origin identifiers and promptly give such forensic data to U.S. law enforcement for investigations. The bill would also direct State and ATF to expand participation in the ATF eTrace tracing system, require eTrace in French and Haitian Creole for Haiti, allow use of existing foreign assistance funds for these activities, and require a report within two years on traced firearms that led to federal investigations or prosecutions.
Plan to stop firearms trafficking
If enacted, the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Commerce would jointly submit an interagency strategy to disrupt U.S. firearms trafficking to covered countries by January 1 of the year after enactment. The strategy would set objectives, performance measures with baselines and timelines, estimate needed resources and personnel, and describe how agencies and covered countries will cooperate.
Exporters face end-use checks and waits
If enacted, this bill would make the State Department set up a registration and end-use monitoring program for covered munitions before transfers to governments of covered countries. The program would require serial-number registration, records of origin, shipping, and distribution, and prohibit retransfers without U.S. consent. The State Department would vet recipients using the INVEST system and deny consent to those credibly implicated in gross human-rights violations. Licenses would need a written certification to Congress and must wait at least 15 days for NATO members and certain partners and 30 days for other countries; State could allow a one-year national-security waiver with written justification, and initial certifications must be recertified within 3 years and then annually.
Caribbean program adds gun measures
If enacted, the State Department would update the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative results framework to include specific firearms-trafficking indicators. This change would shift how the program tracks and reports progress on weapons trafficking in the Caribbean.
New export rules for munitions exporters
If enacted, this bill would require the Department of Commerce to transfer export control of certain previously covered munitions to the Department of State within one year. After the transfer, the Secretary of State could not return jurisdiction to Commerce. The bill would also bar Commerce from promoting those items before, on, or after the transfer. The Secretaries of State and Commerce would have to publish any implementing regulations by the transfer date.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Castro, Joaquin [D-TX-20]
TX • D
Cosponsors
Rep. Ansari, Yassamin [D-AZ-3]
AZ • D
Sponsored 10/6/2026
Rep. Quigley, Mike [D-IL-5]
IL • D
Sponsored 10/6/2026
Rep. Torres, Norma J. [D-CA-35]
CA • D
Sponsored 12/16/2025
Rep. Goldman, Daniel S. [D-NY-10]
NY • D
Sponsored 12/16/2025
Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick, Sheila [D-FL-20]
FL • D
Sponsored 12/16/2025
Rep. DeLauro, Rosa L. [D-CT-3]
CT • D
Sponsored 12/16/2025
Rep. Magaziner, Seth [D-RI-2]
RI • D
Sponsored 12/16/2025
Rep. Velázquez, Nydia M. [D-NY-7]
NY • D
Sponsored 12/16/2025
Rep. Frost, Maxwell [D-FL-10]
FL • D
Sponsored 12/16/2025
Rep. Dean, Madeleine [D-PA-4]
PA • D
Sponsored 12/16/2025
Rep. Ramirez, Delia C. [D-IL-3]
IL • D
Sponsored 12/16/2025
Rep. Jayapal, Pramila [D-WA-7]
WA • D
Sponsored 12/16/2025
Rep. Grijalva, Adelita S. [D-AZ-7]
AZ • D
Sponsored 12/16/2025
Rep. Omar, Ilhan [D-MN-5]
MN • D
Sponsored 12/16/2025
Rep. McGovern, James P. [D-MA-2]
MA • D
Sponsored 12/16/2025
Rep. Kelly, Robin L. [D-IL-2]
IL • D
Sponsored 12/16/2025
Rep. Wasserman Schultz, Debbie [D-FL-25]
FL • D
Sponsored 12/16/2025
Rep. Menendez, Robert [D-NJ-8]
NJ • D
Sponsored 12/16/2025
Rep. Titus, Dina [D-NV-1]
NV • D
Sponsored 12/16/2025
Rep. Casar, Greg [D-TX-35]
TX • D
Sponsored 12/18/2025
Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12]
MI • D
Sponsored 1/6/2026
Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large]
DC • D
Sponsored 2/23/2026
Rep. Simon, Lateefah [D-CA-12]
CA • D
Sponsored 2/23/2026
Rep. Soto, Darren [D-FL-9]
FL • D
Sponsored 4/2/2026
Rep. Auchincloss, Jake [D-MA-4]
MA • D
Sponsored 4/14/2026
Rep. Vargas, Juan [D-CA-52]
CA • D
Sponsored 4/21/2026
Rep. Wilson, Frederica S. [D-FL-24]
FL • D
Sponsored 4/27/2026
Rep. Jackson, Jonathan L. [D-IL-1]
IL • D
Sponsored 4/27/2026
Rep. Johnson, Henry C. "Hank" [D-GA-4]
GA • D
Sponsored 4/28/2026
Rep. Carbajal, Salud O. [D-CA-24]
CA • D
Sponsored 5/12/2026
Rep. Waters, Maxine [D-CA-43]
CA • D
Sponsored 5/14/2026
Rep. Watson Coleman, Bonnie [D-NJ-12]
NJ • D
Sponsored 7/23/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov