Fireworks Trafficking and Money Laundering Prevention Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9013 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9013

    To amend title 18, United States Code, to provide that unlawful 
 interstate transportation of fireworks is specified unlawful activity 
          for purposes of laundering of monetary instruments.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 22, 2026

 Mr. Case (for himself and Ms. Tokuda) introduced the following bill; 
          which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
    To amend title 18, United States Code, to provide that unlawful 
 interstate transportation of fireworks is specified unlawful activity 
          for purposes of laundering of monetary instruments.

    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 ``Fireworks Trafficking and Money 
Laundering Prevention Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Illegal fireworks trafficking is a multifaceted 
        criminal activity involving the transportation, distribution, 
        and sale of explosive materials in violation of Federal and 
        State laws.
            (2) Law enforcement actions across the United States have 
        demonstrated that individuals engaged in illegal fireworks 
        trafficking frequently participate in related financial crimes, 
        including money laundering, and may accumulate substantial 
        illicit proceeds and assets subject to forfeiture.
            (3) Investigations have revealed that illegal fireworks are 
        often transported across state lines and sold at significant 
        markups, creating highly profitable black-market operations 
        that can persist over many years.
            (4) The use of illegal fireworks has resulted in numerous 
        incidents causing serious injuries, mass casualty events, and 
        fatalities, including some of the deadliest explosions and 
        accidents in recent history.
            (5) Fireworks-related injuries place a significant burden 
        on emergency response systems and healthcare infrastructure, 
        with thousands of individuals requiring emergency medical 
        treatment each year.
            (6) Illegal trafficking of fireworks poses substantial 
        risks to public safety, as such explosives are often 
        manufactured, transported, stored, and used without proper 
        safety standards, increasing the likelihood of fires, 
        explosions, injuries, and deaths.
            (7) Illegal fireworks trafficking is frequently linked to 
        broader criminal activity, including drug trafficking, 
        financial crimes, and organized criminal enterprises, which may 
        use fireworks distribution networks to generate revenue, 
        launder money, and evade law enforcement oversight.
            (8) The investigation and prosecution of illegal interstate 
        fireworks trafficking are often constrained by the limited 
        statutory penalties, which provide for a maximum term of 
        imprisonment of one year, thereby reducing the prioritization 
        of such offenses relative to more serious Federal crimes, and 
        providing an insufficient disincentive to engage in illegal 
        activity especially as compared to the large financial 
        incentives to do so.
            (9) Designating illegal interstate fireworks trafficking as 
        a specified unlawful activity for purposes of laundering of 
        monetary instruments will strengthen law enforcement efforts by 
        authorizing the application of Federal money laundering 
        statutes to the proceeds of illegal fireworks trafficking, 
        thereby enhancing investigative tools, disrupting criminal 
        financial networks, and increasing the maximum term of 
        imprisonment to up to twenty years.

SEC. 3. UNLAWFUL INTERSTATE TRANSPORTATION OF FIREWORKS TO BE 
              CONSIDERED SPECIFIED UNLAWFUL ACTIVITY FOR PURPOSES OF 
              LAUNDERING OF MONETARY INSTRUMENTS.

    Section 1956(c)(7)(D) of title 18, United States Code, is amended 
by inserting ``section 836 (relating to interstate transportation of 
fireworks),'' after ``section 831 (relating to prohibited transactions 
involving nuclear materials),''.
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