Bill > HR6736

This bill, the Americas Regional Monitoring of Arms Sales Act of 2025 (ARMAS Act of 2025), aims to shift the regulatory control of certain munitions exports from the Department of Commerce to the Department of State, recognizing that U.S.-origin firearms contribute to violence and human rights abuses in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. It mandates the transfer of control over items previously on the U.S. Munitions List but moved to the Commerce Control List back to the Department of State within one year, and prohibits the Department of Commerce from promoting the export of these items. The bill also requires the Secretary of State to develop and implement strategies to disrupt illegal firearms trafficking to designated "covered countries" (initially including Mexico, Colombia, and several Central American and Caribbean nations), improve data sharing on trafficked firearms, and enhance participation in the eTrace program for firearm tracing. Furthermore, it introduces certification requirements for the export of certain munitions to covered countries, including a program to prohibit retransfer without U.S. consent and monitor end-use, and limits the ability to grant export licenses for these items without prior congressional notification and a potential resolution of disapproval. The Caribbean Basin Security Initiative will also be updated to include specific indicators for firearms trafficking.

Military Affairs and Security

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6736/all-info