IIB 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 6873 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 18 (legislative day, MAY 17), 2022 

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and 

Governmental Affairs 

AN ACT 

To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish 

the Office for Bombing Prevention to address terrorist 

explosive threats, 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, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Bombing Prevention 

3 Act of 2022’’. 

4 SEC. 2. OFFICE FOR BOMBING PREVENTION. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Title XXII of the Homeland Se6 curity Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 651 et seq.) is amended by 

7 adding at the end the following new subtitle: 

8 ‘‘Subtitle D—Bombing Prevention 

9 ‘‘SEC. 2241. OFFICE FOR BOMBING PREVENTION. 

10 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established within 

11 the Department an Office for Bombing Prevention (in this 

12 section referred to as the ‘Office’). 

13 ‘‘(b) ACTIVITIES.—The Office shall have the primary 

14 responsibility within the Department for enhancing the 

15 ability and coordinating the efforts of the United States 

16 to deter, detect, prevent, protect against, mitigate, and re17 spond to terrorist explosive threats and attacks in the 

18 United States, including by carrying out the following: 

19 ‘‘(1) Advising the Secretary on matters related 

20 to terrorist explosive threats and attacks in the 

21 United States. 

22 ‘‘(2) Coordinating the efforts of the Depart23 ment to counter terrorist explosive threats and at24 tacks in the United States, including by carrying out 

25 the following: 


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1 ‘‘(A) Developing, in coordination with the 

2 Under Secretary for Strategy, Policy, and 

3 Plans, the Department’s strategy against ter4 rorist explosives threats and attacks, including 

5 efforts to support the security and preparedness 

6 of critical infrastructure and the public sector 

7 and private sector. 

8 ‘‘(B) Leading the prioritization of the De9 partment’s efforts against terrorist explosive 

10 threats and attacks, including preparedness and 

11 operational requirements. 

12 ‘‘(C) Ensuring, in coordination with the 

13 Under Secretary for Science and Technology 

14 and the Administrator of the Federal Emer15 gency Management Agency, the identification, 

16 evaluation, and availability of effective tech17 nology applications through field pilot testing 

18 and acquisition of such technology applications 

19 by the public sector to deter, detect, prevent, 

20 protect against, mitigate, and respond to ter21 rorist explosive threats and attacks in the 

22 United States. 

23 ‘‘(D) Providing advice and recommenda24 tions to the Administrator of the Federal Emer25 gency Management Agency regarding the effecVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:12 May 19, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6873.RFS H6873

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1 tive use of grants authorized under section 

2 2002. 

3 ‘‘(E) In coordination with the Assistant 

4 Secretary for Countering Weapons of Mass De5 struction, aligning Department efforts related 

6 to terrorist explosive threats and attacks in the 

7 United States and weapons of mass destruction. 

8 ‘‘(3) Engaging other Federal departments and 

9 agencies, including Sector Risk Management Agen10 cies, regarding terrorist explosive threats and at11 tacks in the United States. 

12 ‘‘(4) Facilitating information sharing and deci13 sion support of the public and private sector involved 

14 in deterrence, detection, prevention, protection 

15 against, mitigation of, and response to terrorist ex16 plosive threats and attacks in the United States. 

17 Such sharing and support may include the following: 

18 ‘‘(A) Operating and maintaining a secure 

19 information sharing system that allows the 

20 sharing of critical information and data relating 

21 to terrorist explosive attack tactics, techniques, 

22 procedures, and security capabilities, including 

23 information and data described in paragraph 

24 (6) and section 2242. 


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1 ‘‘(B) Working with international partners, 

2 in coordination with the Office for International 

3 Affairs of the Department, to develop and share 

4 effective practices to deter, prevent, detect, pro5 tect against, mitigate, and respond to terrorist 

6 explosive threats and attacks in the United 

7 States. 

8 ‘‘(5) Promoting security awareness among the 

9 public and private sector and the general public re10 garding the risks posed by the misuse of explosive 

11 precursor chemicals and other bomb-making mate12 rials. 

13 ‘‘(6) Providing training, guidance, assessments, 

14 and planning assistance to the public and private 

15 sector, as appropriate, to help counter the risk of 

16 terrorist explosive threats and attacks in the United 

17 States. 

18 ‘‘(7) Conducting analysis and planning for the 

19 capabilities and requirements necessary for the pub20 lic and private sector, as appropriate, to deter, de21 tect, prevent, protect against, mitigate, and respond 

22 to terrorist explosive threats and attacks in the 

23 United States by carrying out the following: 

24 ‘‘(A) Maintaining a database on capabili25 ties and requirements, including capabilities 


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1 and requirements of public safety bomb squads, 

2 explosive detection canine teams, special tactics 

3 teams, public safety dive teams, and recipients 

4 of services described in section 2242. 

5 ‘‘(B) Applying the analysis derived from 

6 the database described in subparagraph (A) 

7 with respect to the following: 

8 ‘‘(i) Evaluating progress toward clos9 ing identified gaps relating to national 

10 strategic goals and standards related to de11 terring, detecting, preventing, protecting 

12 against, mitigating, and responding to ter13 rorist explosive threats and attacks in the 

14 United States. 

15 ‘‘(ii) Informing decisions relating to 

16 homeland security policy, assistance, train17 ing, research, development efforts, testing 

18 and evaluation, and related requirements 

19 regarding deterring, detecting, preventing, 

20 protecting against, mitigating, and re21 sponding to terrorist explosive threats and 

22 attacks in the United States. 

23 ‘‘(8) Promoting secure information sharing of 

24 sensitive material and promoting security awareness, 

25 including by carrying out the following: 


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1 ‘‘(A) Operating and maintaining a secure 

2 information sharing system that allows the 

3 sharing among and between the public and pri4 vate sector of critical information relating to ex5 plosive attack tactics, techniques, and proce6 dures. 

7 ‘‘(B) Educating the public and private sec8 tors about explosive precursor chemicals. 

9 ‘‘(C) Working with international partners, 

10 in coordination with the Office for International 

11 Affairs of the Department, to develop and share 

12 effective practices to deter, detect, prevent, pro13 tect against, mitigate, and respond to terrorist 

14 explosive threats and attacks in the United 

15 States. 

16 ‘‘(D) Executing national public awareness 

17 and vigilance campaigns relating to terrorist ex18 plosive threats and attacks in the United 

19 States, preventing explosive attacks, and activi20 ties and measures underway to safeguard the 

21 United States. 

22 ‘‘(E) Working with relevant stakeholder or23 ganizations. 

24 ‘‘(9) Providing any other assistance the Sec25 retary determines necessary. 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 2242. COUNTERING EXPLOSIVE DEVICES TECHNICAL 

2 ASSISTANCE. 

3 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Upon request, the Secretary 

4 shall, to the extent practicable, provide to the public and 

5 private sector technical assistance services to support the 

6 security and preparedness of such sectors, as appropriate, 

7 to counter terrorist explosive threats and attacks that pose 

8 a risk in certain jurisdictions, including vulnerable and 

9 disadvantaged communities, to critical infrastructure fa10 cilities, or to special events, as appropriate. 

11 ‘‘(b) ELEMENTS.—Technical assistance services pro12 vided pursuant to subsection (a) shall— 

13 ‘‘(1) support the planning and implementation 

14 of effective measures to deter, detect, prevent, pro15 tect against, mitigate, and respond to terrorist ex16 plosive threats and attacks in the United States, in17 cluding effective strategic risk management and 

18 emergency operations plans; 

19 ‘‘(2) support the security of explosive precursor 

20 chemicals and other bomb-making materials outside 

21 of regulatory control; 

22 ‘‘(3) support efforts to prepare for and respond 

23 to bomb threats or other acts involving the malicious 

24 conveyance of false information concerning terrorist 

25 explosive threats and attacks in the United States; 


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1 ‘‘(4) make available resources to enhance deter2 rence, prevention, detection, protection, mitigation, 

3 and response capabilities for terrorist explosive 

4 threats and attacks in the United States, including 

5 coordination and communication, to better integrate 

6 State, local, Tribal, and territorial and private sector 

7 capabilities and assets, as appropriate, with Federal 

8 operations; 

9 ‘‘(5) make available augmenting resources, as 

10 appropriate, to enable State, local, Tribal, and terri11 torial governments to sustain and refresh their capa12 bilities; 

13 ‘‘(6) track performance in meeting the goals 

14 and associated plans of the provision of such tech15 nical assistance; and 

16 ‘‘(7) include any other assistance the Secretary 

17 determines necessary. 

18 ‘‘SEC. 2243. RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER DEPARTMENT COM19 PONENTS AND FEDERAL AGENCIES. 

20 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The authority of the Secretary 

21 under this subtitle shall not affect or diminish the author22 ity or the responsibility of any officer of any other Federal 

23 agency with respect to the command, control, or direction 

24 of the functions, personnel, funds, assets, or liabilities of 

25 any other such Federal agency. 


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1 ‘‘(b) DEPARTMENT COMPONENTS.—Nothing in this 

2 subtitle or any other provision of law may be construed 

3 to affect or reduce the responsibilities of— 

4 ‘‘(1) the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruc5 tion Office or the Assistant Secretary of the Office, 

6 including with respect to any asset, function, or mis7 sion of the Office or the Assistant Secretary, as the 

8 case may be; 

9 ‘‘(2) the Federal Emergency Management 

10 Agency or the Administrator of the Agency, includ11 ing the diversion of any asset, function, or mission 

12 of the Agency or the Administrator as the case may 

13 be; or 

14 ‘‘(3) the Transportation Security Administra15 tion or the Administrator of the Administration, in16 cluding the diversion of any asset, function, or mis17 sion of the Administration or the Administrator, as 

18 the case may be.’’. 

19 (b) STRATEGY AND REPORTS.— 

20 (1) STRATEGY.—Not later than one year after 

21 the date of the enactment of this Act, the head of 

22 the Office for Bombing Prevention of the Depart23 ment of Homeland Security (established pursuant to 

24 section 2241 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, 

25 as added by subsection (a)), in consultation with the 


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1 heads of other components of the Department and 

2 the heads of other Federal agencies, as appropriate, 

3 shall develop a strategy to align the Office’s activi4 ties with the threat environment and stakeholder 

5 needs, and make the public and private sector aware 

6 of the Office’s capabilities. Such strategy shall in7 clude the following elements: 

8 (A) Information on terrorist explosive 

9 threats, tactics, and attacks in the United 

10 States. 

11 (B) Information, by region of the United 

12 States, regarding public and private sector enti13 ties likely to be targeted by terrorist explosive 

14 threats and attacks in the United States, in15 cluding historically black colleges and univer16 sities and minority serving institutions, places 

17 of worship, health care facilities, transportation 

18 systems, commercial facilities, and government 

19 facilities. 

20 (C) Guidance on how outreach to owners 

21 and operators of critical infrastructure (as such 

22 term is defined in section 1016(e) of Public 

23 Law 107–56 (42 U.S.C. 5195c(e))) in a region 

24 should be prioritized. 


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1 (D) A catalogue of the services and train2 ing currently offered by the Office, and a de3 scription of how such services and trainings as4 sist the public and private sector to deter, de5 tect, prevent, protect against, mitigate, and re6 spond to terrorist explosive threats and attacks 

7 in the United States. 

8 (E) Long-term objectives of the Office, in9 cluding future service and training offerings. 

10 (F) Metrics for measuring the effectiveness 

11 of services and trainings offered by the Office. 

12 (G) An assessment of resource require13 ments necessary to implement such strategy. 

14 (H) A description of how the Office part15 ners with other components of the Department 

16 and other Federal agencies to carry out its mis17 sion. 

18 (2) REPORTS.—Not later than one year after 

19 the date of the enactment of this Act and annually 

20 thereafter, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall 

21 submit to the Committee on Homeland Security of 

22 the House of Representatives and the Committee on 

23 Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the 

24 Senate a report describing the activities of the Office 

25 for Bombing Prevention of the Department of 


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1 Homeland Security (established pursuant to section 

2 2241 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, as 

3 added by subsection (a)). Each such report shall in4 clude information on the following: 

5 (A) Changes to terrorist explosive threats, 

6 tactics, and attacks in the United States. 

7 (B) Changes to the types of public and pri8 vate sector entities likely to be targeted by ter9 rorist explosive threats and attacks in the 

10 United States. 

11 (C) The number of trainings, assessments, 

12 and other engagements carried out by the Of13 fice within each region of the United States, in14 cluding a description of the critical infrastruc15 ture sector or stakeholder served. 

16 (D) The number of trainings, assessments, 

17 or other engagements the Office was asked to 

18 conduct but did not, and an explanation relat19 ing thereto. 

20 (E) The effectiveness of the trainings, as21 sessments, or other engagements provided by 

22 the Office based on the metrics described in 

23 paragraph (1)(F). 

24 (F) Any changes or anticipated changes in 

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1 ments, or any other services, offered by the Of2 fice, and an explanation relating thereto. 

3 (c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 

4 in section 1(b) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 is 

5 amended by inserting after the item relating to section 

6 2238 the following new items: 

‘‘Subtitle D—Bombing Prevention 

‘‘Sec. 2241. Office for Bombing Prevention. 

‘‘Sec. 2242. Countering explosive devices technical assistance. 

‘‘Sec. 2243. Relationship to other Department components and Federal agencies.’’. 

7 SEC. 3. EXPLOSIVES TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Title III of the Homeland Secu9 rity Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 181 et seq.) is amended by 

10 adding at the end the following new section: 

11 ‘‘SEC. 323. EXPLOSIVES RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT. 

12 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through 

13 the Under Secretary for Science and Technology, and in 

14 coordination with the head of the Office for Bombing Pre15 vention and the Assistant Secretary for the Countering 

16 Weapons of Mass Destruction Office, and in consultation 

17 with the Attorney General, the Secretary of Defense, and 

18 the head of any other relevant Federal department or 

19 agency, including Sector Risk Management Agencies, shall 

20 ensure coordination and information sharing regarding 

21 nonmilitary research, development, testing, and evaluation 

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1 rence, detection, prevention, protection against, mitigation 

2 of, and response to terrorist explosive threats and attacks 

3 in the United States. 

4 ‘‘(b) LEVERAGING MILITARY RESEARCH.—The Sec5 retary, acting through the Under Secretary for Science 

6 and Technology, and in coordination with the head of the 

7 Office for Bombing Prevention and the Assistant Sec8 retary for the Countering of Weapons of Mass Destruction 

9 Office, shall consult with the Secretary of Defense and the 

10 head of any other relevant Federal department or agency, 

11 including Sector Risk Management Agencies, to ensure 

12 that, to the maximum extent possible, military policies and 

13 procedures, and research, development, testing, and eval14 uation activities relating to the deterrence, detection, pre15 vention, protection against, mitigation of, and response to 

16 terrorist explosive threats and attacks in the United 

17 States are adapted to nonmilitary uses.’’. 

18 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 

19 in section 1(b) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 is 


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1 amended by inserting after the item relating to section 

2 322 the following new item: 

‘‘Sec. 323. Explosives research and development.’’. 

Passed the House of Representatives May 17, 2022. 

Attest: CHERYL L. JOHNSON, 

Clerk. 


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