# 119-hr-9440: State Firearms Dealer Licensing Enhancement Act

119-hr-9440, State Firearms Dealer Licensing Enhancement Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Morelle, Joseph D. [D-NY-25] (D-NY); status introduced (as of 2026-09-04).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9440
- As of: 2026-09-04
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-9440
- Congress: 119
- Title: State Firearms Dealer Licensing Enhancement Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-06-24
- Sponsor: Rep. Morelle, Joseph D. [D-NY-25] (D-NY)
- Cosponsors: 17
- Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-04

## Summary

**This bill would create a new federal grant program called the** **State Firearms Dealer Licensing Grant Program** **to fund states and tribal governments that have laws licensing firearms dealers.** It would let the Attorney General award competitive annual grants to help develop, implement, improve, or evaluate state and tribal dealer-licensing systems. - States and Indian tribal governments: Eligible applicants would be those with in-effect licensing laws that allow licensing upon application, limit license validity to no more than 3 years, require inspections, and permit suspension, revocation, or penalties. Grants would support program development and implementation and would be capped at $2.5 million per grantee per fiscal year. - Local governments and licensed-dealer oversight: Grant recipients could subaward funds to local units that oversee enforcement. Recipients must report annually the number of inspections, the number and type of violations, the total number of licensed dealers, and counts of licenses issued, renewed, suspended, or revoked. - Transparency and federal reporting: The Attorney General would publish to Congress and the public an initial report within 13 months after the first grants and then annually. Reports must show funds awarded by grantee, the collected licensing and inspection data, and a list of denied grants with the reasons for denial.

## Cosponsors (17)

- Rep. Quigley, Mike [D-IL-5] (D-IL), 2026-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9] (D-IL), 2026-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2026-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Kelly, Robin L. [D-IL-2] (D-IL), 2026-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Strickland, Marilyn [D-WA-10] (D-WA), 2026-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Foushee, Valerie P. [D-NC-4] (D-NC), 2026-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Davis, Danny K. [D-IL-7] (D-IL), 2026-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Titus, Dina [D-NV-1] (D-NV), 2026-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12] (D-MI), 2026-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Thanedar, Shri [D-MI-13] (D-MI), 2026-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. DeSaulnier, Mark [D-CA-10] (D-CA), 2026-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Craig, Angie [D-MN-2] (D-MN), 2026-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Cisneros, Gilbert Ray [D-CA-31] (D-CA), 2026-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tokuda, Jill N. [D-HI-2] (D-HI), 2026-06-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Case, Ed [D-HI-1] (D-HI), 2026-07-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Carbajal, Salud O. [D-CA-24] (D-CA), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Scott, Robert C. "Bobby" [D-VA-3] (D-VA), 2026-09-02T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Federal grants for dealer licensing: mixed, medium. This bill would create a competitive federal grant program to help States and tribal governments build or improve firearms dealer licensing. Congress would authorize such sums as may be necessary each year, and the Attorney General would be able to award grants within 180 days after money is approp…
- Local grants and reporting rules: mixed, low. This bill would allow States that get a grant to make subawards to local governments that enforce the licensing program. Grantees would have to file an annual report with the Attorney General showing inspections, violations by type, total licensed dealers, and licenses issued, renewed, suspended, o…
- State rules for firearms dealers: mixed, low. This bill would require a State or tribe to have a law that licenses firearms dealers to be eligible for grants. Licenses would be valid for not more than 3 years, require inspections, and allow suspension, revocation, or civil or criminal penalties for noncompliance. For this program, 'licensed de…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act
- 119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025
- 119-hr-5390: FAMILY Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-9440 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/9440)

## Related
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977)
- [119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-51)
- [119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-20)
- [119-hr-5390: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5390)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9440 (as of 2026-09-04).