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HR 5478 113th Congress House Armed Forces and National Security Congressional oversight Firearms and explosives Government buildings, facilities, and property Government information and archives Law enforcement administration and funding Military facilities and property State and local government operations

Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act

Introduced: September 17, 2014 Introduced by: Johnson, Henry C. "Hank" Democratic · Georgia See on congress.gov
This bill died when the 113th Congress ended
It never became law before the 113th Congress (2013–2014) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Sep 16, 2014
Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.
Sep 16, 2014
Introduced in House
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 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

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.

What's happening now September 16, 2014

Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 5478: Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act. 113th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/113-HR-5478/
MLA
"H.R. 5478: Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act." 113th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/113-HR-5478/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 5478, 113th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/113-HR-5478/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 5478: Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/113-HR-5478/)
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