PORTLAND, Maine (AP) _ A gun safety bill supported by Maine’s Republican senator is now progressing in both houses of Congress.

Sen. Susan Collins says she’s on board with Senate legislation that would require the feds to inform states within 24 hours when a person prohibited from buying guns fails the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. A bipartisan group of senators introduced the bill last week.

Similar legislation has been referred to the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.

Collins says Maine’s one of 37 states where state law enforcement isn’t alerted when a prohibited person attempts to buy a gun. She says the NICS Denial Notification Act will help stop “dangerous people from obtaining guns illegally” while also protecting gun rights of people who play by the rules.