Condemning the April 15, 2013, Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attacks in Boston, Massachusetts and calling upon the United States Government, the governments of all nations, the United Nations, and other international organizations to renounce the use of IEDs and take actions to stop their proliferation.

Whereas on April 15, 2013, innocent civilians were maliciously victimized by Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in a terrorist attack in Boston, Massachusetts; Whereas the IED has become a very effective weapon for those who advance their cause through terror and violence, as exemplified by the fact that an average of 500 IED incidents occur in the world each day, excluding incidents occurring in Iraq or Afghanistan, and that an average of 12 such incidents occur each day in both Iraq and Afghanistan; Whereas IED attacks are the leading cause of casualties for American servicemembers and are anticipated to remain the leading cause of such casualties for the foreseeable future; Whereas the Global Campaign Against IEDs, as a responsible international entity for action against IEDs and for supporting IED victims, has found that IED attacks are the leading cause of the most prevalent injuries to veterans, including vision and hearing loss, spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injury, amputations, genitourinary injuries, and post-traumatic stress disorder; Whereas the Blinded Veterans Association and AMVETS have found that the Department of Veterans Affairs currently treats 198,670 veterans for hearing injuries and 118,150 veterans for eye injuries, numbers that are expected to increase significantly as active duty servicemembers enter the Veterans Affairs system; Whereas people who live in areas affected by IED incidents live in constant fear of additional attacks that disrupt everything from daily routines to health care to elections, and these disruptions, together with the displacement, destruction, and loss of personal assets caused by IED incidents, severely degrade the ability of these people to sustain their livelihoods; Whereas reducing the use of IEDs and neutralizing the networks that produce them requires a holistic approach to identify and eliminate the root causes that allow such networks to form and survive; Whereas IEDs kill scores of innocent civilians, including women and children; and Whereas resolving the IED problem is the global community’s responsibility: Now, therefore, be it That the House of Representatives— (1) unequivocally condemns the use of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and calls for the full prosecution of those responsible for the IED terrorist attack in Boston, Massachusetts on April 15, 2013; (2) expresses its condolences to the families of those who were killed in the IED terrorist attack in Boston, Massachusetts on April 15, 2013, and its support for those who were injured as well as their families; (3) expresses unwavering support for the active duty servicemembers, first responders, and explosive ordnance disposal personnel of the United States who face the threat of IEDs and put their lives on the line to defeat them; (4) calls on all relevant agencies of the United States Government to coordinate with international partners and other responsible entities to reduce the use of IEDs and curb their proliferation; (5) urges the governments of all nations, as well as the United Nations and other international organizations, to formally renounce the use of IEDs through an international resolution and to assist all partners and responsible entities in securing and monitoring the manufacture, sale, transportation, and use of IED components and techniques; (6) calls on all relevant agencies of the United States Government to support the care of active duty servicemembers, veterans, and first responders who are victims of IEDs by facilitating the exchange of blast trauma research data among law enforcement agencies, the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, congressionally chartered veterans service organizations, and other responsible entities; and (7) calls on the United States Government to support international action against IEDs and those who traffic in IED components and techniques, and to support IED victims by sharing IED-related event data and information with responsible entities.

Summary: Condemns the use of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and calls for the full prosecution of those responsible for the IED terrorist attack in Boston, Massachusetts, on April 15, 2013. Expresses condolences to the families of those who were killed in the Boston terrorist attack, and support for those who were injured and their families. Supports U.S. service members, first responders, and explosive ordnance disposal personnel who face the IED threat. Calls on all relevant U.S. agencies to: (1) coordinate with international partners and other responsible entities to reduce the use of IEDs and curb their proliferation; and (2) support the care of active duty service members, veterans, and first responders who are victims of IEDs by facilitating the exchange of blast trauma research data among law enforcement agencies, the Department of Defense (DOD), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and veterans service organizations. Urges the governments of all nations, as well as the United Nations (U.N.) and other international organizations, to formally renounce the use of IEDs. Calls on the U.S. government to support international action against IEDs and those who traffic in IED components and techniques, and to support IED victims by sharing related event data and information.