[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 693 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 693
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 SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 24, 2025
Mr. Peters (for himself and Mrs. Britt) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security
and Governmental Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
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. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Ballistic resistant body armor.--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.
(2) Department.--The term ``Department'' means the
Department of Homeland Security.
(3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Homeland Security.
SEC. 3. PROCUREMENT OF BALLISTIC RESISTANT BODY ARMOR TO ENSURE THE
PROTECTION OF ALL OF THE DEPARTMENT'S AGENTS AND
OFFICERS.
(a) In General.--The Secretary shall require components of the
Department, when procuring ballistic resistant body armor for agents
and officers, to procure ballistic resistant body armor that--
(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; and
(5) is certified by the National Institute of Justice
(referred to in this paragraph as ``NIJ''), pursuant to the NIJ
standard for ballistic resistant body armor, and listed 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--
(A) ballistic testing on clay or gelatin molds to
ensure better contact of nonplanar panels with 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; and
(F) any additional testing criteria recommended by
the NIJ after the date of the enactment of this Act.
(b) Annual Reports.--
(1) Issuance of ballistic resistant body armor.--Not later
than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, and
annually thereafter for the following 2 years, the head of each
relevant component agency of the Department shall submit a
report to the Secretary regarding the ballistic resistant body
armor issued to female agents and officers of such component
agency, including, with respect to the reporting period--
(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, 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 that are
compliant with the requirements described in subsection
(a); and
(D) the percentage of female agents and officers of
such component agency 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 to be submitted under
paragraph (1), the Secretary shall submit a report that
aggregates all of the data contained in such reports to the
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the
Senate and the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of
Representatives.
SEC. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE.
Not later than 3 years after the date of the enactment of this Act,
all agents and officers of any component of the Department whose duties
require body armor shall have been issued body armor that meets the
requirements described in section 3(a).
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