H.R. 4477: Fix NICS Act of 2017

115th Congress · introduced 2017-11-29 · Crime and Law Enforcement · Latest: Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 322.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2017-11-29 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Culberson, John Abney [R-TX-7] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 322. 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

Fix NICS Act of 2017

Plain summary

Fix NICS Act of 2017 (Sec. 2) This bill amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to require each federal agency and department, including a federal court, to: certify whether it has provided to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) disqualifying records of persons prohibited from receiving or possessing a firearm, and establish and substantially comply with an implementation plan to maximize record submissions and verify their accuracy. (Sec. 3) The bill amends the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 to modify the NICS Act Record Improvement Program (NARIP). Specifically, it: establishes a domestic abuse and violence prevention initiative as a priority area for NARIP grant funding, and creates a funding preference for states that establish an implementation plan and use grant funds to upload felony conviction and domestic violence records. (Sec. 4) It amends the Crime Identification Technology Act of 1998 to modify the National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP). Specifically, it: specifies that facilitating full participation in the NICS, as an allowable use of NCHIP grant funds, includes increasing efforts to pre-validate felony conviction and domestic violence records to expedite eligibility determinations; and permits the federal share of a grant to exceed 90% of program costs if a state complies with its implementation plan. (Sec. 5) This section amends the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 to: direct the Department of Justice (DOJ), in coordination with each state or tribal government, to establish an implementation plan, including benchmarks, to maximize the automation and submission of mental health and criminal history records to the NICS; require DOJ to conduct, and publish the results of, compliance determinations for state and tribal governments; give preference to certain discretionary grant applicants that substantially comply with an implementation plan; and require the NICS to notify law enforcement agencies when a firearm is transferred to a person who is subsequently determined to be prohibited from receiving or possessing a firearm. (Sec. 6) DOJ's Bureau of Justice Assistance must report to Congress on the use of bump stocks in the commission of crimes, including the number of instances and the types of firearms. (Sec. 7) The bill authorizes appropriations for FY2018-FY2022 to carry out activities under this bill.

Congressional Research Service summary (Reported to House with amendment(s)), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

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What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Fix NICS Act of 2017

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Reported to House with amendment(s))

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

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Culberson, John Abney [R-TX-7] · 9 cosponsors

Cost estimate: CBO cost estimate: H.R. 4477, Fix NICS Act of 2017 (2017-12-06)

Cosponsors on this site

Henry Cuellar (D-TX), Pete Aguilar (D-CA), Michael T. McCaul (R-TX), Dina Titus (D-NV)

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 (3)

Appropriation: Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Ballot initiative: A proposed law or constitutional amendment that citizens place on the ballot by gathering enough voter signatures, so voters decide it directly. About half the states allow some form of it.
Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Reported to House with amendment(s))
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-115hr4477.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/115/hr>

Record fed-us-cong115-hr4477 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong115 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong115