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To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to award grants for providing legal resources for petitioners seeking extreme risk protection orders, and for other purposes.
Summary
The bill authorizes federal grants to states, local governments, and tribal governments to provide legal representation and resources to individuals seeking extreme risk protection orders, which are court orders designed to reduce firearm-related deaths by prohibiting or restricting firearm access for specific individuals. Grant recipients may use funds to provide counsel and translation services, establish legal resource centers, hire staff to process applications and represent petitioners, support nonprofit legal aid organizations, and train legal professionals and law enforcement officers. The bill appropriates $50 million annually for fiscal years 2028 through 2034 to support these grants. The legislation also clarifies that federal courts cannot exercise jurisdiction over cases involving extreme risk protection order petitions unless the petition was filed falsely or as harassment.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
- Rep. Chu, Judy [D-CA-28] (D-CA)
8 cosponsors
- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC)
- Rep. Frost, Maxwell [D-FL-10] (D-FL)
- Rep. Goldman, Daniel S. [D-NY-10] (D-NY)
- Rep. Johnson, Henry C. "Hank" [D-GA-4] (D-GA)
- Rep. Lynch, Stephen F. [D-MA-8] (D-MA)
- Rep. McBath, Lucy [D-GA-6] (D-GA)
- Rep. Moskowitz, Jared [D-FL-23] (D-FL)
- Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9] (D-IL)
Money behind the sponsor
Top reported contributors to Judy Chu’s campaign committee (2024 cycle) — who funds the bill’s sponsor, not a claim about this bill. Data from FEC.
- NULL $39,775
- MEBO INTERNATIONAL $13,200
- GARFIELD HEALTH CENTER $12,800
- APEX GLOBAL GROUPS INC $9,900
- EDI MEDIA $9,900
Organizations whose employees gave the most — itemized individual contributions grouped by the donor’s reported employer (FEC Schedule A). Full finance for Judy Chu → · Outside spending →
Actions (2)
- Jan 21, 2026 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. · house
- Jan 21, 2026 Introduced in House
Similar bills (6)
Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.
Full text
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 21, 2026
Ms. Chu (for herself, Mr. Goldman of New York, Ms. Norton, Mr. Lynch, Mr. Frost, Mr. Moskowitz, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Mrs. McBath, and Ms. Schakowsky) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
A BILL
To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to award grants for providing legal resources for petitioners seeking extreme risk protection orders, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the “Fair Legal Access Grants Act”.
SEC. 2. LEGAL RESOURCES FOR EXTREME RISK PROTECTION ORDER PETITIONERS.
Subpart I of part E of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10151 et seq.) is amended—
(1) by redesignating section 509 as section 510; and
(2) by inserting after section 508 the following:
“SEC. 509. LEGAL RESOURCES FOR EXTREME RISK PROTECTION ORDER PETITIONERS.
“(a) Definitions.—In this section:
“(1) Covered petitioner.—The term ‘covered petitioner’ means an individual who is eligible to seek an extreme risk protection order from an applicable State or Tribal court.
“(2) Extreme risk protection order.—The term ‘extreme risk protection order’ means a written order or warrant, issued by a State or Tribal court or signed by a magistrate or other comparable judicial officer, the primary purpose of which is to reduce the risk of firearm-related death or injury by—
“(A) prohibiting a named individual from owning, purchasing, possessing, receiving, or having under the custody or control of the individual a firearm; or
“(B) having a firearm removed or requiring the surrender of a firearm from a named individual.
“(3) Firearm.—The term ‘firearm’ has the meaning given the term in section 921 of title 18, United States Code.
“(b) Authority.—
“(1) In general.—The Attorney General shall award grants to States, local governments, and Tribal Governments for the purpose of providing legal representation and resources to covered petitioners.
“(2) Use of funds.—A State, local government, or Tribal Government that receives a grant under paragraph (1) may use amounts from the grant to—
“(A) ensure covered petitioners have access to counsel and interpretation and translation services;
“(B) establish legal resources centers—
“(i) for publishing and distributing information and responding to inquiries relating to the extreme risk protection order legal process of the applicable State or Tribal Government; and
“(ii) that focus on expanding resources in multiple languages other than English;
“(C) hire personnel to—
“(i) process and represent covered petitioners, such as personnel in local district attorney offices and law enforcement agencies; or
“(ii) serve as legal resource coordinators;
“(D) award subgrants to nonprofit organizations that provide community legal aid; and
“(E) train legal service providers, law enforcement officers, prosecutors, court personnel, and other individuals on the differences between an extreme risk protection order and a domestic violence protection order to ensure that victims of domestic violence seek the form of protection order that best addresses their safety needs.
“(c) Authorization of Appropriations.—There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2028 through 2034.”.
SEC. 3. JURISDICTION OF FEDERAL COURTS.
(a) Definition.—In this section, the term “covered petitioner” has the meaning given the term in section 509(a) of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, as added by section 2 of this Act.
(b) No Jurisdiction.—No Federal court may exercise jurisdiction over a Federal, State, Tribal, or local cause of action in response to a covered petitioner filing a petition for an extreme risk protection order if the covered petitioner did not file a false or intentionally harassing petition. <all>
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