HR 4399 · 114th Congress 2015–2017, ended

Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act

Introduced Feb 1, 2016 Originated House Sponsor Adam B. Schiff D-CA

Fact sheet Spreadsheet

Latest action · Feb 29, 2016 Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice.

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.

  1. IntroducedFeb 1, 2016
  2. Passed HouseNot reached
  3. Passed SenateNot reached
  4. To the PresidentNot reached
  5. Became lawNot reached

Summary

Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act

This bill amends the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act to repeal provisions that prohibit state or federal civil actions or administrative proceedings from being brought against firearm or ammunition manufacturers, sellers, importers, dealers, or trade associations for criminal or unlawful misuse of a firearm by the person bringing the action or a third party.

The bill lifts the immunity from legal process of the Firearms Trace System database maintained by the National Trace Center of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. In state or federal civil actions or administrative proceedings, the contents of the database: (1) shall be subject to discovery and admissible as evidence; and (2) may be used, relied on, or disclosed in any manner. Testimony or other evidence may also be permitted based on that data.

Cosponsors 59

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Feb 1, 2016 to Sep 28, 2016; 35 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.

SeatCosponsorSigned on
D-CAAlan S. LowenthalOriginalFeb 1, 2016
D-FLAlcee L. HastingsOriginalFeb 1, 2016
D-MNBetty McCollumOriginalFeb 1, 2016
D-MIBrenda L. LawrenceOriginalFeb 1, 2016
D-MDChris Van HollenOriginalFeb 1, 2016
D-RIDavid N. CicillineOriginalFeb 1, 2016
D-FLDebbie Wasserman SchultzOriginalFeb 1, 2016
D-VADonald S. Beyer, Jr.OriginalFeb 1, 2016
D-MDDonna F. EdwardsOriginalFeb 1, 2016
D-CADoris O. MatsuiOriginalFeb 1, 2016
D-OREarl BlumenauerOriginalFeb 1, 2016
D-DCEleanor Holmes NortonOriginalFeb 1, 2016
D-CTElizabeth H. EstyOriginalFeb 1, 2016
D-CAEric SwalwellOriginalFeb 1, 2016
D-CAGrace F. NapolitanoOriginalFeb 1, 2016
D-WIGwen MooreOriginalFeb 1, 2016
D-CTJames A. HimesOriginalFeb 1, 2016
D-NYJerrold NadlerOriginalFeb 1, 2016
D-MIJohn Conyers, Jr.OriginalFeb 1, 2016
D-NYJose E. SerranoOriginalFeb 1, 2016
D-CAJudy ChuOriginalFeb 1, 2016
D-FLLois FrankelOriginalFeb 1, 2016
D-NYLouise McIntosh SlaughterOriginalFeb 1, 2016
D-CAMark DeSaulnierOriginalFeb 1, 2016
D-CAMark TakanoOriginalFeb 1, 2016
D-NMMichelle Lujan GrishamOriginalFeb 1, 2016
D-ILMike QuigleyOriginalFeb 1, 2016
D-MANiki TsongasOriginalFeb 1, 2016
D-ILRobin L. KellyOriginalFeb 1, 2016
D-NYSean Patrick MaloneyOriginalFeb 1, 2016
D-TNSteve CohenOriginalFeb 1, 2016
D-ORSuzanne BonamiciOriginalFeb 1, 2016
D-ILTammy DuckworthOriginalFeb 1, 2016
D-CATed LieuOriginalFeb 1, 2016
D-FLTheodore E. DeutchOriginalFeb 1, 2016
D-CAAnna G. EshooFeb 2, 2016
D-MNKeith EllisonFeb 2, 2016
D-CAMichael M. HondaFeb 2, 2016
D-NYCharles B. RangelFeb 3, 2016
D-NYEliot L. EngelFeb 11, 2016
D-MAKatherine M. ClarkFeb 11, 2016
D-CASam FarrFeb 11, 2016
D-MISander M. LevinMar 2, 2016
D-CTJoe CourtneyApr 12, 2016
D-NYNita M. LoweyApr 14, 2016
D-AZRaúl M. GrijalvaApr 14, 2016
D-NYSteve IsraelApr 14, 2016
D-NJFrank Pallone, Jr.Apr 15, 2016
D-KYJohn A. YarmuthApr 18, 2016
D-WAAdam SmithApr 28, 2016
D-NJAlbio SiresApr 28, 2016
D-MEChellie PingreeApr 28, 2016
D-MDElijah E. CummingsJun 21, 2016
D-CAJared HuffmanJul 6, 2016
D-FLPatrick MurphyJul 6, 2016
D-NYCarolyn B. MaloneySep 6, 2016
D-LACedric L. RichmondSep 6, 2016
D-FLAlan GraysonSep 27, 2016
D-FLFrederica S. WilsonSep 28, 2016

Committees 1

Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.

ChamberCommitteeWhat it did
HouseJudiciary Committee
Referred Feb 1, 2016
Constitution and Limited Government Subcommittee
Referred Feb 29, 2016

Actions 3

Everything that happened, newest first.

  1. Feb 29, 2016Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice.
  2. Feb 1, 2016Introduced in House
  3. Feb 1, 2016Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Research

What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.

Constitutional authority

Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant to the following: Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence is constitutionally authorized under Article I, Section 8, Clause 3, the Commerce Clause and Article I, Section 8, Clause 18, the Necessary and Proper Clause. Additionally, the Preamble to the Constitution provides support of the authority to enact legislation to promote the General Welfare.

The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 162, no. 18, February 1, 2016, page H431.

CRS reports 1

Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.

Cite it 1

Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.

Related bills 3

Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.

BillTitleRelationshipLatest action
S 2469A bill to repeal the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act.Related billJan 27, 2016
S 2594A bill to provide for the discoverability and admissibility of gun trace information in civil proceedings.Related billFeb 25, 2016
HR 3984Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence ActReintroduced BillOct 16, 2017

Titles 2

Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.

Official Title as Introduced
To repeal the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, and provide for the discoverability and admissibility of gun trace information in civil proceedings.
Short Titles as Introduced
Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Law.

Text 1

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

  1. Feb 1, 2016Introduced in House

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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.