First Responder Access to Innovative Technologies Act

First Responder Access to Innovative Technologies Act

This bill directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to implement a uniform process for reviewing applications for certain anti-terrorism grants to urban areas and state, local, and tribal governments. Specifically, the uniform review must be done for grant applications requesting to purchase first responder equipment or systems that do not meet or exceed any applicable national voluntary consensus standards.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1594 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1594

 To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish a process to 
review applications for certain grants to purchase equipment or systems 
that do not meet or exceed any applicable national voluntary consensus 
                   standards, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 7, 2019

 Mr. Payne (for himself, Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, and Mr. Green of 
    Texas) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Homeland Security

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish a process to 
review applications for certain grants to purchase equipment or systems 
that do not meet or exceed any applicable national voluntary consensus 
                   standards, and for other purposes.

    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 ``First Responder Access to Innovative 
Technologies Act''.

SEC. 2. APPROVAL OF CERTAIN EQUIPMENT.

    (a) In General.--Section 2008 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 
(6 U.S.C. 609) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (f)--
                    (A) by striking ``If an applicant'' and inserting 
                the following:
            ``(1) Application requirement.--If an applicant''; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following new 
                paragraphs:
            ``(2) Review process.--The Administrator shall implement a 
        uniform process for reviewing applications that, in accordance 
        with paragraph (1), contain explanations to use grants provided 
        under section 2003 or 2004 to purchase equipment or systems 
        that do not meet or exceed any applicable national voluntary 
        consensus standards developed under section 647 of the Post-
        Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 (6 U.S.C. 747).
            ``(3) Factors.--In carrying out the review process under 
        paragraph (2), the Administrator shall consider the following:
                    ``(A) Current or past use of proposed equipment or 
                systems by Federal agencies or the Armed Forces.
                    ``(B) The absence of a national voluntary consensus 
                standard for such equipment or systems.
                    ``(C) The existence of an international consensus 
                standard for such equipment or systems, and whether 
                such equipment or systems meets such standard.
                    ``(D) The nature of the capability gap identified 
                by the applicant and how such equipment or systems will 
                address such gap.
                    ``(E) The degree to which such equipment or systems 
                will serve the needs of the applicant better than 
                equipment or systems that meet or exceed existing 
                consensus standards.
                    ``(F) Any other factor determined appropriate by 
                the Administrator.''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(g) Review Process.--The Administrator shall implement a uniform 
process for reviewing applications to use grants provided under section 
2003 or 2004 to purchase equipment or systems not included on the 
Authorized Equipment List maintained by the Administrator.''.
    (b) Inspector General Report.--Not later than three years after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Inspector General of the 
Department of Homeland Security shall submit to the Committee on 
Homeland Security of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate a report 
assessing the implementation of the review process established under 
paragraph (2) of subsection (f) of section 2008 of the Homeland 
Security Act of 2002 (as added by subsection (a) of this section), 
including information on the following:
            (1) The number of requests to purchase equipment or systems 
        that do not meet or exceed any applicable consensus standard 
        evaluated under such review process.
            (2) The capability gaps identified by applicants and the 
        number of such requests granted or denied.
            (3) The processing time for the review of such requests.
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