[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3254 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        H.R.3254

                     One Hundred Eighteenth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America


                          AT THE SECOND SESSION

         Begun and held at the City of Washington on Wednesday,
         the third day of January, two thousand and twenty-four


                                 An Act


 
  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.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.