Auto Theft Prevention Act
Justice Department would offer $30M yearly grants to help police fight auto theft and car trafficking
Legislative Progress
Key Points
- Creates a Justice Department grant program to help states and local police fight car theft and stolen-vehicle trafficking.
- States must show they need help, explain what they already did last year, and submit a plan for how they’ll use the money and measure results.
- Grant funds must be aimed at auto theft, including tools like license plate readers, hiring staff, overtime, training, task forces, and data work.
- At least half of each state’s grant must go to local police through competitive subgrants, with priority for places with more auto theft.
- Authorizes $30 million per year from 2026–2030 and caps administrative costs at 5% of each grant.
Impact Analysis
Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.
Milestones
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in Senate
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
Related News
3 articles
Moreno and Coons introduce bipartisan bill targeting rise in auto theft
Covers the Auto Theft Prevention Act proposal for a federal grant program to help state/local law enforcement combat auto theft and stolen-vehicle trafficking.
Press Release: Senators Bernie Moreno and Chris Coons Introduce Auto Theft Prevention Act
Syndicated/aggregated summary of the Senate announcement describing the bill’s federal grant program concept and eligible uses (equipment, training, data, etc.).
New Moreno, Coons Bill to Crack Down on Auto Theft
Announces the Auto Theft Prevention Act and outlines a DOJ/COPS grant program for states/localities; lists proposed eligible activities and endorsements.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Auto Theft Prevention Act
Data Sources
Sponsor
Cosponsors
(2)Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.