Technological Resource to Assist Criminal Enforcement (TRACE) Act
Latest action · Mar 6, 2003 Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedFeb 13, 2003
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Directs the Attorney General to assist firearm manufacturers and importers in complying with these requirements by: (1) acquiring, installing, and upgrading ballistics equipment and bullet and cartridge casing recovery equipment; (2) hiring or designating sufficient personnel to develop and maintain a ballistics database; (3) providing education about the role of ballistics; and (4) providing for the coordination among law enforcement, regulatory agencies, and the firearm industry to curb firearm-related crime and illegal firearm trafficking.
Requires the Attorney General to: (1) establish a computer system through which State and local law enforcement agencies can promptly access ballistics records; (2) require training for all ballistics examiners; (3) conduct mandatory ballistics testing of all firearms obtained by or in the possession of the Department of Justice; and (4) report to Congress on the implementation of this Act.
Prohibits the use of ballistics information of individual guns for prosecutorial purposes unless officials have a reasonable belief that a crime has been committed and that ballistics information would assist in the investigation.
Cosponsors 23
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Feb 13, 2003 to Apr 27, 2004; 1 is an original cosponsor, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-CA | Anna G. Eshoo | Original | Feb 13, 2003 |
| D-DC | Eleanor Holmes Norton | Feb 27, 2003 | |
| D-MA | Martin T. Meehan | Feb 27, 2003 | |
| D-FL | Corrine Brown | Mar 18, 2003 | |
| D-VA | James P. Moran | Mar 18, 2003 | |
| D-CA | Lynn C. Woolsey | Mar 18, 2003 | |
| D-FL | Robert Wexler | Mar 20, 2003 | |
| D-CA | Tom Lantos | Apr 1, 2003 | |
| D-HI | Neil Abercrombie | Apr 8, 2003 | |
| D-MA | Edward J. Markey | Apr 29, 2003 | |
| D-PA | Joseph M. Hoeffel | Apr 29, 2003 | |
| D-CA | Barbara Lee | Oct 30, 2003 | |
| D-MA | Barney Frank | Nov 4, 2003 | |
| D-MO | Wm. Lacy Clay | Dec 8, 2003 | |
| R-CT | Christopher Shays | Jan 20, 2004 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Judiciary Committee | Referred Feb 13, 2003 |
| Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee | Referred Mar 6, 2003 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Mar 6, 2003Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
- Feb 13, 2003Introduced in House
- Feb 13, 2003Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To amend chapter 44 of title 18, United States Code, to require ballistics testing of all firearms manufactured and all firearms in custody of Federal agencies.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Technological Resource to Assist Criminal Enforcement (TRACE) Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement.
- Ammunition
- Arrest
- Business records
- Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
- Commerce
- Computers
- Congress
- Congressional reporting requirements
- Crime and Law Enforcement
- Criminal investigation
- Criminal justice information
- Criminal statistics
- Data banks
- Economics and Public Finance
- Electronic government information
- Employee training
- Evidence (Law)
- Federal aid to law enforcement
- Federal-local relations
- Federal-state relations
- Firearms
- Firearms control
- Foreign Trade and International Finance
- Government and business
- Government Operations and Politics
- Government publicity
- Identification devices
- Identification of criminals
- Imports
- Indictments
- Interstate relations
- Labor and Employment
- Law
- Licenses
- Manufacturing industries
- Prosecution
- Right of privacy
- Science, Technology, Communications
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Feb 13, 2003Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.