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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 10322 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 10322
To improve the effectiveness of body armor issued to female agents and
officers of the Department of Homeland Security, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 6, 2024
Mrs. McIver (for herself, Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, and Mr. Ezell)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Homeland Security
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To improve the effectiveness of body armor issued to female agents and
officers of the Department of Homeland Security, 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 ``DHS Better Ballistic Body Armor
Act''.
SEC. 2. PROCUREMENT OF BALLISTIC RESISTANT BODY ARMOR TO ENSURE THE
PROTECTION OF FEMALE AGENTS AND OFFICERS OF THE
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Homeland Security shall require
components of the Department of Homeland Security, when procuring
ballistic resistant body armor for agents and officers, to procure
ballistic resistant body armor that complies with the following
requirements:
(1) Is specifically designed to fully protect the body
shapes of agents and officers.
(2) Is made to conform to the individual wearer and provide
the best possible fit and coverage to allow for either a flat
or shaped front panel.
(3) Is assessed and verified, upon delivery, to fit
properly and have sufficient coverage in accordance with
American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM International)
standards for fit.
(4) Has enhanced and advanced fit and technology that stops
a bullet from redirecting off the chest at an upward angle into
the throat region or the spinal cord area.
(5) Is certified by the National Institute of Justice
(NIJ), pursuant to the NIJ standard for ballistic resistant
body armor, and included on the associated NIJ Compliant
Products List as successfully passing the ballistic resistant
body armor standards in accordance with the applicable
ballistic protection level recommended by the NIJ, including
passing testing that uses, for each test sample, the following:
(A) Ballistic testing on clay or gelatin molds to
ensure better contact of nonplanar panels with such
clay or gelatin molds, as required by the body shapes
of agents and officers.
(B) Soft body armor front panels contained in soft
carriers on female-shaped clay or gelatin molds
designed to fill the space behind the panel.
(C) Shots to be placed on shaping features.
(D) Angled shots.
(E) An angled shot at the chest to address the
concern of a bullet skipping into the neckline.
(F) Any additional testing criteria recommended by
the NIJ on or after the date of the enactment of this
Act.
(b) Annual Reports.--
(1) Issuance of ballistic resistant body armor.--Not later
than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act and
annually thereafter for the following two years, the head of
each relevant component of the Department of Homeland Security
shall submit to the Secretary of Homeland Security a report
regarding the ballistic resistant body armor issued to female
agents and officers of such component, including with respect
to the reporting period, information relating to the following:
(A) The number of female agents and officers to
whom ballistic resistant body armor was issued for
performance of their official duties.
(B) The number of ballistic resistant body armor
units issued to female agents and officers before the
date of the enactment of this Act, the use of which was
discontinued due to noncompliance with the requirements
described in subsection (a).
(C) The number of ballistic resistant body armor
units issued to female agents and officers before the
date of the enactment of this Act that are compliant
with the requirements described in subsection (a).
(D) The percentage of female agents and officers of
such component who, as of the last day of the reporting
period, have been issued ballistic resistant body armor
that complies with the requirements described in
subsection (a), disaggregated by duty station.
(2) Aggregate report.--Not later than 30 days after
receiving all of the reports required under paragraph (1)
during a reporting period, the Secretary of Homeland Security
shall submit to the Committee on Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on
Homeland Security of the House of Representatives a report that
aggregates all of the data contained in such reports.
(c) Effective Date.--Not later than three years after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall
ensure that all agents and officers of any component of the Department
of Homeland Security whose duties require body armor shall have been
issued body armor that complies with the requirements described in
subsection (a).
(d) Definitions.--In this section, the term ``ballistic resistant
body armor'' means torso ballistic protection containing either soft
ballistic panels, hard ballistic panels, or a combination of both,
contained within a carrier, which may be concealable for wear under a
uniform shirt or external for wear over a uniform shirt, and holds
panels and plates in position on the torso.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Homeland Security.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement.
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