I 

108TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3644

To establish a technology, equipment, and information transfer program 

within the Department of Homeland Security. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 21, 2003

Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania (for himself and Mr. ANDREWS) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science, and in 

addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Energy and Commerce, 

Transportation and Infrastructure, and Select Homeland Security, for a 

period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 

consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL

To establish a technology, equipment, and information transfer program within the Department of Homeland Security.

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 ‘‘Homeland Security 

5 Technology Improvement Act of 2003’’. 
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1 SEC. 2. HOMELAND SECURITY TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER 

2 PROGRAM. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 313 of the Homeland Se4 curity Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 193) is amended—

5 (1) in subsection (b), by adding at the end the 

6 following: 

7 ‘‘(6) The establishment of a multi-agency home8 land security technology, equipment, and informa9 tion transfer program to allow for the transfer of 

10 technology, equipment, and information to State, re11 gional, and local fire, emergency medical service, and 

12 law enforcement agencies.’’; 

13 (2) by redesignating subsection (c) as sub14 section (d); and 

15 (3) by inserting after subsection (b) the fol16 lowing: 

17 ‘‘(c) TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER PROGRAM.—In devel18 oping the program described under subsection (b)(6), the 

19 Secretary, acting through the Under Secretary for Science 

20 and Technology shall—

21 ‘‘(1) in close cooperation with the Office of Do22 mestic Preparedness, conduct, on an ongoing basis—

23 ‘‘(A) research and development of new 

24 technologies; 

25 ‘‘(B) surveys and reviews of available ap26 propriate technologies; and 
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1 ‘‘(C) tests, evaluations, and demonstrations 

2 of new and available technologies that signifi3 cantly improve the capability of fire, emergency 

4 medical service, and law enforcement agencies 

5 in countering terrorist threats and traditional 

6 threats not related to terrorism; 

7 ‘‘(2) in support of the activities described in 

8 paragraph (1)—

9 ‘‘(A) consult with State, regional, and local 

10 fire, emergency medical service, and law en11 forcement agencies and others determined by 

12 the Secretary, including the advisory committee 

13 established under section 430(d); 

14 ‘‘(B) work with the National Institute of 

15 Standards and Technology and any other office 

16 or agency determined by the Secretary; 

17 ‘‘(C) at the discretion of the Secretary, 

18 enter into agreements and coordinate with other 

19 Federal agencies to maximize the effectiveness 

20 of the technologies, equipment, and informa21 tion; and 

22 ‘‘(D) utilize existing technology transfer 

23 centers and Federal and State training centers 

24 that test, evaluate, and transfer military and 
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1 other technologies for use by the first responder 

2 community; 

3 ‘‘(3) provide a comprehensive list of available 

4 technologies, equipment, and information to the Of5 fice for Domestic Preparedness which shall admin6 ister a technology transfer program described under 

7 section 430(d); and 

8 ‘‘(4) work with the Secretary of Defense to 

9 identify, evaluate, deploy, and transfer to Federal, 

10 State, regional, and local fire, emergency medical 

11 service, and law enforcement personnel, Department 

12 of Defense technologies and equipment for homeland 

13 security purposes, pursuant to section 1401 of the 

14 Bob Stump National Defense Authorization Act for 

15 Fiscal Year 2003.’’. 

16 (b) OFFICE FOR DOMESTIC PREPAREDNESS.—Sec17 tion 430 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 

18 238) is amended—

19 (1) by redesignating subsection (d) as sub20 section (e); and 

21 (2) by inserting after subsection (c) the fol22 lowing: 

23 ‘‘(d) TECHNOLOGY, EQUIPMENT, AND INFORMATION

24 TRANSFER PROGRAM.—
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1 ‘‘(1) ADMINISTRATION.—The Director of the 

2 Office for Domestic Preparedness, in coordination 

3 with the Under Secretary for Science and Tech4 nology, shall establish and administer a technology 

5 transfer program through which the Director shall—

6 ‘‘(A) make the counterterrorism and non7 terrorism response technology, equipment, and 

8 information available to State, regional, and 

9 local fire, emergency medical service, and law 

10 enforcement agencies each year based on—

11 ‘‘(i) the comprehensive list of available 

12 technologies, equipment, and information 

13 described under section 313(c); and 

14 ‘‘(ii) the needs identified by the advi15 sory committee established under this sub16 section; 

17 ‘‘(B) consult with State, regional, and local 

18 fire, emergency medical service, and law en19 forcement agencies and others, as determined 

20 by the Secretary; 

21 ‘‘(C) accept applications from the head of 

22 State, regional, and local fire, emergency med23 ical service, and law enforcement agencies that 

24 wish to acquire such technologies, equipment, 

25 and information to improve the homeland secu-
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1 rity capabilities of those agencies, and review 

2 these applications with the advisory committee 

3 established under this subsection; and 

4 ‘‘(D) transfer the approved technology, 

5 equipment, and information and provide the ap6 propriate training to the State, regional, or 

7 local fire, emergency medical service, and law 

8 enforcement agencies to implement such tech9 nology, equipment, and information. 

10 ‘‘(2) TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER ADVISORY COM11 MITTEE.—Under the authority of section 871, the 

12 Secretary, acting through the Director of the Office 

13 for Domestic Preparedness, shall establish an advi14 sory committee, or designate an existing advisory 

15 committee comprised of retired and active duty 

16 State, regional, and local fire, emergency medical 

17 service, and law enforcement officers, to advise the 

18 Director of the Office for Domestic Preparedness 

19 and the Under Secretary for Science and Technology 

20 regarding the homeland security technology transfer 

21 program established under this subsection. 

22 ‘‘(3) LIMITATION ON ADMINISTRATION EXPEND23 ITURE.—Not more than 10 percent of the budget of 

24 the technology, equipment, and information transfer 
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1 program established under this subsection may be 

2 used for administrative expenses. 

3 ‘‘(4) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—

4 There are authorized to be appropriated 

5 $50,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2005 

6 through 2014 to carry out this subsection.’’.

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