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
To improve the effectiveness of body armor issued to female agents and officers of the Department of Homeland Security, and for other purposes.
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).