Help Empower Americans to Respond Act of 2021
Latest action · Oct 19, 2021 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.
- IntroducedApr 14, 2021
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Help Empower Americans to Respond Act of 2021 or the HEAR Act
This bill establishes a new criminal offense for the import, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession of a firearm silencer or firearm muffler.
The bill does not prohibit certain conduct with respect to a firearm silencer or firearm muffler, including the following:
- importation, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession related to certain law enforcement efforts, or authorized tests or experiments; and
- importation, sale, transfer, or possession related to securing nuclear materials.
In addition, the bill requires the Department of Justice to establish and implement a buy-back program to purchase firearm silencers and firearm mufflers. States and local governments may use Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program funds to compensate individuals who surrender firearm silencers and firearm mufflers under this buy-back program.
Cosponsors 17
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Apr 14, 2021 to Jun 8, 2022; 12 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-IN | André Carson | Original | Apr 14, 2021 |
| D-MN | Betty McCollum | Original | Apr 14, 2021 |
| D-IL | Bobby L. Rush | Original | Apr 14, 2021 |
| D-IL | Danny K. Davis | Original | Apr 14, 2021 |
| D-NJ | Donald M. Payne, Jr. | Original | Apr 14, 2021 |
| D-DC | Eleanor Holmes Norton | Original | Apr 14, 2021 |
| D-NJ | Frank Pallone, Jr. | Original | Apr 14, 2021 |
| D-GA | Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. | Original | Apr 14, 2021 |
| D-IL | Janice D. Schakowsky | Original | Apr 14, 2021 |
| D-CO | Joe Neguse | Original | Apr 14, 2021 |
| D-CA | Mark DeSaulnier | Original | Apr 14, 2021 |
| D-TX | Veronica Escobar | Original | Apr 14, 2021 |
| D-CT | Jahana Hayes | Apr 15, 2021 | |
| D-OR | Earl Blumenauer | Apr 30, 2021 | |
| D-AL | Terri A. Sewell | May 18, 2021 | |
| D-NY | Carolyn B. Maloney | Jun 8, 2022 | |
| D-NV | Dina Titus | Jun 8, 2022 |
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 Apr 14, 2021 |
| Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee | Referred Oct 19, 2021 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Oct 19, 2021Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
- Apr 14, 2021Introduced in House
- Apr 14, 2021Referred 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
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 167, no. 64, April 14, 2021, page H1791.
Related bills 3
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 1131 | HEAR Act | Identical bill | Apr 15, 2021 |
| HR 2985 | HEAR Act of 2023 | Reintroduced Bill | Apr 27, 2023 |
| HR 3454 | HEAR Act | Reintroduction of | Jul 30, 2019 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To regulate firearm silencers and firearm mufflers.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Help Empower Americans to Respond Act of 2021
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Apr 14, 2021Introduced 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.
