Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act of 1998

Summary: Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act of 1998 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance to:  (1) make grants to States, units of local government, and Indian tribes to purchase armor vests for use by State, local, and tribal law enforcement officers; and (2) give preferential consideration to applications from jurisdictions that have the greatest need, have or will institute a mandatory wear policy, have a violent crime rate at or above the national average, or have not received a block grant under the Local Law Enforcement Block Grant Program. 
Sets forth provisions regarding:  (1) minimum and maximum apportionments; (2) 50 percent matching funds (and specifies that any funds appropriated by the Congress for the activities of any agency of an Indian tribal government or the Bureau of Indian Affairs performing law enforcement functions on Indian lands may be used to provide the non-Federal share of a matching requirement funded under this Act); (3) the allocation of at least half the funds to units of local government with fewer than 100,000 residents; and (4)  applications and eligibility requirements;. 
Authorizes appropriations. 
(Sec. 4) Expresses the sense of the Congress that entities receiving assistance under this Act should, in expending such assistance, purchase only American-made equipment and products.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant 
Act of 1997''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSE.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
            (1) too many law enforcement officers die, while protecting 
        the public, as a result of gunshot wounds;
            (2) according to studies, between 1985 and 1994, 709 law 
        enforcement officers in the United States were feloniously 
        killed in the line of duty;
            (3) more than 92 percent of such law enforcement officers 
        were killed by firearms;
            (4) the number of law enforcement officers who die as a 
        result of gunshot wounds has declined significantly since the 
        introduction of modern bulletproof material;
            (5) according to studies, between 1985 and 1994, bullet 
        resistant materials helped save the lives of more than 2,000 
        law enforcement officers in the United States; and
            (6) the number of law enforcement officers who are killed 
        in the line of duty would significantly decrease if every law 
        enforcement officer in the United States has access to an armor 
        vest.
    (b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to save lives of law 
enforcement officers by helping State and local law enforcement 
departments provide officers with armor vests.

SEC. 3. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.

    (a) Grant Authorization.--The Director of the Bureau of Justice 
Assistance is authorized to make grants to States or units of local 
government to purchase armor vests for use by law enforcement officers.
    (b) Uses of Funds.--Awards shall be distributed directly to the 
State or unit of local government and shall be used for the purchase of 
not more than 1 armor vest for each police officer in a jurisdiction.
    (c) Preferential Consideration.--In awarding grants under this Act, 
the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance may give preferential 
consideration, where feasible, to applications from jurisdictions 
that--
            (1) have the greatest need for armor vests based on the 
        percentage of officers in the department who do not have access 
        to a vest;
            (2) have a mandatory wear policy that requires on-duty 
        officers to wear armor vests whenever feasible; and
            (3) have a violent crime rate at or above the national 
        average as determined by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
    (d) Minimum Amount.--Unless all applications submitted by any State 
or unit of local government pursuant to subsection (a) have been 
funded, each qualifying State or unit of local government shall be 
allocated in each fiscal year pursuant to subsection (a) not less than 
0.25 percent of the total amount appropriated in the fiscal year for 
grants pursuant to that subsection.
    (e) Maximum Amount.--A qualifying State or unit of local government 
may not receive more than 5 percent of the total amount appropriated in 
each fiscal year for grants pursuant to subsection (a).
    (f) Matching Funds.--The portion of the costs of a program provided 
by a grant under subsection (a) may not exceed 50 percent, unless the 
Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance determines a case of 
fiscal hardship and waives, wholly or in part, the requirement under 
this subsection of a non-Federal contribution to the costs of a 
program.
    (g) Allocation of Funds.--At least half of the funds awarded under 
this program shall be allocated to units of local government with fewer 
than 100,000 residents.

SEC. 4. APPLICATIONS.

    (a) State Applications.--To request a grant under this Act, the 
chief executive of a State shall submit an application to the Director 
of the Bureau of Justice Assistance, signed by the Attorney General of 
the State requesting the grant, in such form and containing such 
information as the Director may reasonably require.
    (b) Local Applications.-- To request a grant under this Act, the 
chief executive of a unit of local government shall submit an 
application to the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance, signed 
by the chief law enforcement officer of the unit of local government 
requesting the grant, in such form and containing such information as 
the Director may reasonably require.
    (c) Renewal.--A State or unit of local government is eligible to 
receive a grant under this Act every 3 years.
    (d) Regulations.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance 
shall promulgate regulations to implement this section (including the 
information that must be included and the requirements that the States 
and units of local government must meet) in submitting the applications 
required under this section.

SEC. 5. PROHIBITION OF PRISON INMATE LABOR.

    Any State or unit of local government that receives financial 
assistance provided using funds appropriated or otherwise made 
available by this Act may not purchase equipment or products 
manufactured using prison inmate labor.

SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.

    For purposes of this Act--
            (1) The term ``armor vest'' means--
                    (A) body armor which has been tested through the 
                voluntary compliance testing program operated by the 
                National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology 
                Center of the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), and 
                found to comply with the requirements of NIJ Standard 
                0101.03, or any subsequent revision of such standard; 
                or
                    (B) body armor which exceeds the specifications 
                stated in subparagraph (A), and which the law 
                enforcement officer's agency or department permits the 
                officer to wear on duty.
            (2) The term ``State'' means each of the 50 States, the 
        District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin 
        Islands, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands.
            (3) The term ``qualifying State or unit of local 
        government'' means any State or unit of local government which 
        has submitted an application for a grant, or in which an 
        eligible entity has submitted an application for a grant, which 
        meets the requirements prescribed by the Director of the Bureau 
        of Justice Assistance and the conditions set out in section 3.

SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION FOR APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated $25,000,000 for each fiscal 
year to carry out this program.

SEC. 8. SENSE OF THE CONGRESS.

    In the case of any equipment or products that may be authorized to 
be purchased with financial assistance provided using funds 
appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act, it is the sense 
of the Congress that entities receiving the assistance should, in 
expending the assistance, purchase only American-made equipment and 
products.