II 

109TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2230 

To ensure that members of the Armed Forces have complete personal armored 

protection necessary for their duties, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 31, 2006 

Mr. DODD (for himself and Mr. KENNEDY) introduced the following bill; which 

was read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services 

A BILL 

To ensure that members of the Armed Forces have complete 

personal armored protection necessary for their duties, 

and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Servicemember Safety 

5 Act of 2006’’. 

6 SEC. 2. COMPLETE PERSONAL ARMORED PROTECTION FOR 

7 MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES. 

8 (a) PROVISION OF COMPLETE PERSONAL ARMORED

9 PROTECTION.— 
2 

•S 2230 IS

1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Commencing as soon as 

2 practicable after the date of the enactment of this 

3 Act, the Secretary of each military department shall, 

4 except as provided in paragraph (2), ensure that 

5 each covered member of the Armed Forces under the 

6 jurisdiction of such Secretary is provided interceptor 

7 body armor and such other appropriate protective 

8 gear as is necessary to provide such member with 

9 complete personal armored protection. 

10 (2) EXCEPTION.—A member of the Armed 

11 Forces described in paragraph (1) may be provided 

12 body armor and other protective gear that provides 

13 such member with less than complete personal ar14 mored protection if a unit commander of such mem15 ber (at such level of command as the Secretary of 

16 the military department concerned shall specify for 

17 purposes of this section) certifies that the provision 

18 to such member of body armor and other gear pro19 viding complete personal armored protection would 

20 impose on such member a greater risk of injury or 

21 death than would be borne by such member if pro22 vided body armor and other gear under this para23 graph. 

24 (b) PAYMENT FOR BODY ARMOR AND PROTECTIVE

25 GEAR.— 
3 

•S 2230 IS

1 (1) TEMPORARY AUTHORITY FOR PAYMENT.— 

2 During the period beginning on the date of the en3 actment of this Act and ending on the date of the 

4 commencement of the provision of body armor and 

5 other protective gear under subsection (a) by the 

6 Secretary of a military department, such Secretary 

7 shall provide to such covered members of the Armed 

8 Forces under the jurisdiction of such Secretary as 

9 such Secretary shall designate for purposes of this 

10 subsection an amount for the purchase by such 

11 members, or for the reimbursement of purchases 

12 made by others on behalf of such members, of such 

13 interceptor body armor and other appropriate pro14 tective gear as is necessary to provide such members 

15 with complete personal armored protection. 

16 (2) DESIGNATION OF MEMBERS.—In desig17 nating members of the Armed Forces under para18 graph (1), the Secretary of a military department 

19 shall designate members whose military duties or as20 signments most urgently require the acquisition by 

21 such members of complete personal armored protec22 tion. 

23 (3) AMOUNT OF PAYMENT.—The total amount 

24 of the payment made to a member of the Armed 
4 

•S 2230 IS

1 Forces under paragraph (1) may not exceed the less2 er of— 

3 (A) $1,100; or 

4 (B) the amount incurred by or on behalf of 

5 such member to purchase body armor and other 

6 gear as described in that paragraph. 

7 (4) AUTHORIZED PRODUCERS AND SUPPLIERS

8 OF ARMOR AND GEAR.—Payment may be made to a 

9 member of the Armed Forces under paragraph (1) 

10 for the purchase of body armor or other gear only 

11 if such body armor or other gear is purchased from 

12 such producers and suppliers of military gear as the 

13 Secretary of the military department concerned shall 

14 designate for purposes of this subsection. 

15 (5) COORDINATION WITH PROVISION OF COM16 PLETE PERSONAL ARMORED PROTECTION.—A mem17 ber of the Armed Forces who receives a payment 

18 under this subsection is not entitled to the provision 

19 of body armor or protective gear under subsection 

20 (a) unless the Secretary of the military department 

21 concerned determines that the provision of body 

22 armor or protective gear to such member under that 

23 subsection is necessary in order to meet the require24 ments of that subsection with respect to such mem25 ber. 
5 

•S 2230 IS

1 (c) COORDINATION AMONG MILITARY DEPART2 MENTS.—The Secretary of Defense shall ensure that the 

3 requirements of this section are, to the maximum extent 

4 practicable, carried out uniformly across the military de5 partments. 

6 (d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

7 (1) The term ‘‘complete personal armored pro8 tection’’, in the case of a member of the Armed 

9 Forces, means such interceptor body armor, other 

10 body armor, and other protective gear as is nec11 essary to fully shield the torso of the member (in12 cluding the shoulders, sides, and lower torso) with 

13 body armor. 

14 (2) The term ‘‘covered member of the Armed 

15 Forces’’ means a member of the Armed Forces who 

16 is ordered, assigned, or deployed to a combat zone 

17 or on a combat operation. 

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