H.R. 5478: Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act

113th Congress · introduced 2014-09-16 · Armed Forces and National Security · Latest: Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2014-09-16 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Johnson, Henry C. "Hank," Jr. [D-GA-4] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act

Plain summary

Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act - Amends the program under which the Secretary of Defense is authorized to transfer excess personal property of the Department of Defense (DOD) to federal and state agencies for law enforcement activities. Excludes counter-drug activities from the categories of law enforcement activities for which DOD property may be transferred under such program. Requires recipients of DOD property to certify that they: (1) have personnel, technical capacity, and training to operate the property; and (2) will return to the DOD any property that is surplus to the recipient's needs. Requires recipients that are not federal agencies to certify that they have notified their local community of requests for DOD property with a notice on a publicly accessible Internet website and postings at prominent locations in the jurisdiction. Requires the Secretary to submit annually to Congress a description of property to be transferred along with a certification that the transfers are not prohibited by law. Prohibits transfers of: automatic weapons that are not suitable for law enforcement purposes; weapons of .50 caliber or greater; tactical vehicles, including highly mobile multi-wheeled vehicles, armored vehicles, and mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles; armored or weaponized drones; aircraft that are combat configured or combat coded, or that have no established commercial flight application; grenades and similar explosives; silencers; and long range acoustic devices. Prohibits transfers conditioned upon the agency demonstrating the use of any small arms or ammunitions. Requires the Secretary to ensure that certain items are not transferred from one federal or state agency to another such agency. Prohibits obligations or expenditures of appropriations to carry out the DOD's property transfer program unless specified conditions have been met, including requirements to verify: (1) that in-person inventories of transferred property have been conducted at each agency, and (2) that 100% of such property was accounted for during the inventories or that agencies unable to account for such property have been suspended from the program. Requires the Defense Logistics Agency to maintain an Internet website that makes available publicly a description of: (1) each transfer broken down by state, county, and recipient; and (2) during the 30-day period preceding the date on which any property is transferred, the property to be transferred and the recipient.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Johnson, Henry C. "Hank," Jr. [D-GA-4] · 49 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Tom McClintock (R-CA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Al Green (D-TX), Katherine M. Clark (D-MA), Janice D. Schakowsky (D-IL), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), James P. McGovern (D-MA), Judy Chu (D-CA), Maxine Waters (D-CA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Diana DeGette (D-CO), Danny K. Davis (D-IL)

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Johnson, Henry C. "Hank," Jr. [D-GA-4] reported raising $514,399 (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (4)

Appropriation: Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Authorization: A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
Jurisdiction: The area or the matters a government or court has authority over.
Obligation: A binding promise by a government agency to pay money, for example by signing a contract or awarding a grant. Spending data such as USAspending.gov counts money when it is obligated, which can be before it is actually paid out.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-113hr5478.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/113/hr>

Record fed-us-cong113-hr5478 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong113 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong113