{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://case.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=4916", "Case, Tokuda Introduce Measure To Crack Down On Interstate Trafficking Of Illegal Fireworks", "2026-05-22", "2026", "2026-05", "Democrat", "House", "HI", "Ed Case", "C001055", "case.house.gov", "case", "https://case.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27&Page=1", "scraper", "(Washington, DC) \u2013 U.S. Representatives Ed Case (Hawai\u02bbi-01) and Jill Tokuda (Hawai\u02bbi-02) today introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives proposed legislation to crack down on illegal fireworks by allowing prosecutors to pursue money laundering charges against criminals moving illegal fireworks across state lines.\n\n\u201cOur legislation addresses the source dealers in illegal fireworks who engage in large-scale national criminal enterprise that threatens public safety, fuels illicit financial activity and has devastated communities in Hawai\u2018i and across the country,\u201d said Case.\n\nCurrent federal law carries a maximum prison time of only one year for those convicted of transporting illegal fireworks across state lines, which Case called a completely insufficient consequence which does not deter this source criminal activity when compared to profits realized. He said their proposed \u201cFireworks Trafficking and Money Laundering Prevention Act\u201d would increase the maximum prison time for such activity to twenty years, a far more consequential sentence for highly harmful activity.\n\n\u201cIllegal fireworks trafficking is far more than a minor regulatory violation. It is a sophisticated interstate operation involving the unlawful transportation, distribution and sale of explosive materials in violation of federal and state law,\u201d said Case. \u201cThese highly profitable black-market networks often operate for years, moving illegal fireworks across state lines and generating substantial criminal proceeds.\u201d\n\n\u201cFor too long, the punishment for trafficking illegal fireworks has not matched the danger these criminal operations pose to our communities. These sophisticated enterprises exploit our borders and ports, fueling preventable tragedies that have already cost Hawai\u02bbi families far too much,\u201d said Rep. Tokuda. \u201cThis bill sends a clear message: illegal fireworks trafficking that harm our communities will not be tolerated. I\u2019m proud to co-lead this measure with Representative Case to give law enforcement the federal tools they need to stop these shipments, crack down on illicit profits, and hold those responsible fully accountable.\u201d\n\nCase said: \u201cOur legislation would strengthen law enforcement\u2019s ability to combat these criminal networks by designating illegal interstate fireworks trafficking as a specified unlawful activity under federal money laundering statutes. Doing so would provide investigators and prosecutors with stronger tools to follow illicit proceeds, dismantle trafficking operations and hold offenders accountable with penalties that better reflect the seriousness of these crimes.\u201d\n\nCase emphasized that their proposal does not determine whether specific fireworks manufacture and use are illegal, as that is left to the individual states, but only that if specific fireworks are designated as illegal, a state can adequately regulate and enforce its laws.\n\n\u201cFor our Hawai\u2018i, it is widely known that many if not most fireworks that we have designated as illegal and which have maimed and killed our fellow residents are either manufactured and distributed on the continent, or imported from foreign countries to the continent, and then transshipped to Hawai\u2018i for distribution. If we can disrupt the source distribution of illegal fireworks, then we can better enforce whatever laws we choose to enact on what is and is not permissible in our balancing of cultural traditions and public safety.\u201d\n\nThe introduction of the measure comes after Case last week secured funding in his House Appropriations Committee of a project to better screen for illegal fireworks at Honolulu\u2019s ports of entry. The Committee approved his request for $772,000 for the Enhancing Hawai\u2018i Cargo Security through Advanced High-Energy Cargo Screening Systems Project which would support the efforts of the Hawai\u2018i State Department of Law Enforcement to develop advanced high-energy cargo screening systems for Honolulu's ports.\n\n\u201cThis targeted investment will enhance the state's ability to interdict illegal fireworks, weapons, narcotics and other contraband, while also strengthening Hawaii's first line of defense against invasive species and other biosecurity threats entering through commercial freight pathways,\u201d said Case.\n\nA copy of Case\u2019s remarks in Congress on introduction of their measure is here.\n\nThe fireworks measure is here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-05-23T06:08:46Z", "2026-05-23T06:10:20Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://case.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=4916"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8847750723361969, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}