# 119-s-5656: Domestic Violence SAFE Notice Act

119-s-5656, Domestic Violence SAFE Notice Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI] (D-RI); status introduced (as of 2026-10-17).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5656
- As of: 2026-10-17
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-5656
- Congress: 119
- Title: Domestic Violence SAFE Notice Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-09-30
- Sponsor: Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI] (D-RI)
- Cosponsors: 7
- Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-10-17

## Summary

**Federal victim notification system for firearm access** would create a national framework to alert domestic violence survivors when an offender attempts to acquire or possesses a firearm and when pardons, appeals, retrievals, or other status changes affect firearm eligibility. - Survivors and families: Survivors could register or deregister at any time and would receive alerts when an abuser attempts a firearm purchase that a background check would have denied, when a delayed denial shows a transferred gun, or when pardons, appeals, or record changes affect firearm rights. Notifications must include the national Family Violence hotline and State or Tribal resource information. - State and Tribal victim systems and service providers: The bill would fund a multi-year pilot to upgrade notification systems, require training and best practices, and authorizes $10.0 million per year for fiscal years 2027 through 2031 for the pilot grants. Recipients must implement core features within 3 years and operate the system for at least 3 years. - Federal background-check and enforcement reporting: The FBI through NICS and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives would be required to report attempted acquisitions, denials, retrievals, arrests, and specified status changes to victim notification systems within 24 hours. *Would authorize at least $50.0 million in pilot grants over FY2027–2031 and unspecified additional appropriations for a federal system, increasing potential federal spending.*

## Cosponsors (7)

- Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN] (D-MN), 2026-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA] (D-CA), 2026-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] (D-OR), 2026-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Coons, Christopher A. [D-DE] (D-DE), 2026-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI] (D-HI), 2026-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Smith, Tina [D-MN] (D-MN), 2026-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Blunt Rochester, Lisa [D-DE] (D-DE), 2026-09-30T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Federal firearm alert system for victims: benefit, medium. If enacted, the FBI would create a national firearms-access victim notification system. Victims of listed domestic-violence offenses could register or deregister at any time. Lawful representatives could register for minors or incapacitated victims, but offenders could not serve as representatives.…
- Grants to build State and Tribal alert systems: benefit, medium. If enacted, the Attorney General would fund a multi-year pilot to help States and Tribes build or upgrade victim notification systems. The bill would authorize $10 million per year for fiscal years 2027 through 2031, in addition to other Crime Victims Fund amounts. Grant recipients would have to ad…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-s-2823: FAMILY Act
- 119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026
- 119-s-1503: Equality Act

## Sources
- [119-s-5656 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/5656)

## Related
- [119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5066)
- [119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3990)
- [119-s-2823: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2823)
- [119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-51)
- [119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5108)
- [119-s-1503: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1503)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5656 (as of 2026-10-17).