[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1749 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1749
To permit employees of the House of Representatives who are authorized
to possess certain weapons in the District of Columbia to bring such
weapons into House Office Buildings for secure storage, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 27, 2025
Mr. Steube introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently
determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To permit employees of the House of Representatives who are authorized
to possess certain weapons in the District of Columbia to bring such
weapons into House Office Buildings for secure storage, 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; FINDINGS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Safe Storage
Lockers for House Office Buildings Act''.
(b) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) In 2024, there were 3,469 violent crime incidents in
the District of Columbia, making our Nation's capital one of
the most dangerous cities in the United States.
(2) Many employees of the House of Representatives who work
in House Office Buildings in the District of Columbia commute
to and from their offices by walking, and many have themselves
been victims of these crimes in the District of Columbia.
(3) Individuals in the District of Columbia are authorized
under District of Columbia law to carry and use certain weapons
for self-defense, including self-defense sprays, stun guns, and
concealed firearms. However, District of Columbia and Federal
law prohibit individuals from carrying these weapons inside a
Federal building.
(4) As a result, employees of the House of Representatives
who work in House Office Buildings in the District of Columbia
are prohibited from carrying weapons inside the buildings in
which they work, even if these employees are authorized under
District of Columbia law to carry and use these weapons for
self-defense outside these buildings.
SEC. 2. AUTHORIZING HOUSE EMPLOYEES TO BRING CERTAIN SELF-DEFENSE
WEAPONS INTO HOUSE OFFICE BUILDINGS.
(a) Authorization.--An individual who is an employee of the House
of Representatives may bring a weapon described in subsection (b) into
a House office building if--
(1) the individual is authorized under the laws of the
District of Columbia to carry the weapon outside of the
building;
(2) immediately prior to entering the building, the
individual is carrying the weapon in compliance with such laws;
(3) the individual enters the building through an external
pedestrian entrance;
(4) upon entering the building with the weapon, the
individual leaves the weapon in a storage locker operated by
the United States Capitol Police under section 3 while the
individual remains in the building; and
(5) after retrieving the weapon from the locker, the
individual leaves the building immediately.
(b) Weapons Described.--The weapons described in this subsection
are as follows:
(1) A self-defense spray described in section 212 of the
Firearms Control Regulations Act of 1975 (sec. 7-2502.12, D.C.
Official Code).
(2) A stun gun described in section 101(17A) of the
Firearms Control Regulations Act of 1975 (sec. 7-2501.01(17A),
D.C. Official Code).
(3) A firearm described in section 101(9) of the Firearms
Control Regulations Act of 1975 (sec. 7-2501.01(9), D.C.
Official Code).
SEC. 3. PROVISION OF SAFE STORAGE LOCKERS AT BUILDING ENTRANCES.
(a) Responsibilities of Capitol Police Board.--Not later than 180
days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Capitol Police
Board shall design, install, and operate storage lockers at external
pedestrian entrances to each House office building, which may be used
while an employee of the House is in the building to safely store a
weapon which the employee brings into the building under section 2, and
from which the employee may retrieve the weapon when the employee
leaves the building.
(b) Regulations.--The Capitol Police Board shall promulgate such
regulations as may be required to carry out this section.
(c) Conforming Amendment.--Section 5104(e)(1)(A) of title 40,
United States Code, is amended by striking ``except as authorized'' and
inserting ``except as provided under the Safe Storage Lockers for House
Office Buildings Act or as authorized''.
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.
(a) Employee of the House of Representatives.--In this Act, an
``employee of the House of Representatives'' includes an intern
(whether paid or unpaid) and a fellow assigned to an office of the
House of Representatives.
(b) House Office Building.--
(1) In general.--In this Act, the term ``House office
building'' means any of the following:
(A) The Cannon House Office Building.
(B) The Longworth House Office Building.
(C) The Rayburn House Office Building.
(D) The Ford House Office Building.
(E) The O'Neill House Office Building.
(F) The House wing of the United States Capitol.
(2) Exclusion of garages.--The term ``House office
building'' does not include a garage of a building described in
paragraph (1).
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