September 30, 2025
Mr. Williams of Texas (for himself and Mr. Moore of Alabama) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
To establish statutory deadlines for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives to process permit applications, and require quarterly congressional and public reporting on application processing metrics and compliance.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Reducing Unnecessary Slowdowns in Handling Act
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Sec. 2. Statutory processing deadlines
(a) Applications to the ATF generally
Within 90 calendar days after receipt of an application not described in subsection (b), the Bureau shall complete processing of the application.
(b) Applications relating to licenses under section 923 of title 18, United States Code
Within 60 calendar days after receipt of an application relating to a license under section 923 of title 18, United States Code, the Bureau shall complete processing of the application.
Sec. 3. Quarterly congressional and public reporting requirement
Within 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and every 90 days thereafter, the Bureau shall submit to the Committees on Oversight and Accountability and on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives and the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate, and shall make available to the public on the website of the Bureau, a report that contains the following, with respect to each type of application processed during the 90-day period ending with the date the report is so submitted:
(1)
A specification of the number of applications received, approved, denied, and pending.
(2)
A specification of the length of time taken to process the applications.
(3)
A summary of reasons for delays in the processing of the applications.
(4)
A summary of reasons for denials of the applications.
Sec. 4. Internal oversight and implementation
(a) Appeals process
The Bureau shall establish a process for applicants to appeal the denial of an application, or to compel the completion of the processing of an application the processing of which is not in compliance with section 2.
(b) Internal oversight
The Bureau shall establish procedures to identify the causes of noncompliance with section 2, and to take necessary corrective actions.
(c) Implementation
The Bureau shall implement this Act through the use of funds otherwise made available to the Bureau for salaries and expenses, and not by hiring additional personnel or acquiring additional resources, and in doing so shall eliminate repetitive reviews and unnecessary administrative steps, and revise any outdated or duplicative procedural processes hindering the timely processing of permits.
Sec. 5. Definitions
In this Act:
(1) Application
The term application means an application for a license, permit, authorization, or a form required by Federal law to be submitted to the Bureau.
(2) Bureau
The term Bureau means the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
(3) Easily accessible format
The term easily accessible format means, with respect to a report, a format that is available to the general public and allows users to efficiently locate and read the report.