I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 687 
To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish a process to 
review applications for certain grants to purchase equipment or systems 
that do not meet or exceed any applicable national voluntary consensus 
standards, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 24, 2017 
Mr. PAYNE (for himself, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, and Mr. DONOVAN) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
Homeland Security 
A BILL 
To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish 
a process to review applications for certain grants to 
purchase equipment or systems that do not meet or 
exceed any applicable national voluntary consensus 
standards, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘First Responder Ac-
cess to Innovative Technologies Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. APPROVAL OF CERTAIN EQUIPMENT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 2008 of the Homeland 
Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 609) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (f)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘If an applicant’’ and in-
serting the following: 
‘‘(1) APPLICATION REQUIREMENT.—If an appli-
cant’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraphs: 
‘‘(2) REVIEW
PROCESS.—The Administrator 
shall implement a uniform process for reviewing ap-
plications that, in accordance with paragraph (1), 
contain explanations to use grants provided under 
section 2003 or 2004 to purchase equipment or sys-
tems that do not meet or exceed any applicable na-
tional voluntary consensus standards developed 
under section 647 of the Post-Katrina Emergency 
Management Reform Act of 2006. 
‘‘(3) FACTORS.—In carrying out the review 
process under paragraph (2), the Administrator 
shall consider the following: 
‘‘(A) Current or past use of proposed 
equipment or systems by Federal agencies or 
the Armed Forces. 
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‘‘(B) The absence of a national voluntary 
consensus standard for such equipment or sys-
tems. 
‘‘(C) The existence of an international con-
sensus standard for such equipment or systems, 
and whether such equipment or systems meets 
such standard. 
‘‘(D) The nature of the capability gap 
identified by the applicant and how such equip-
ment or systems will address such gap. 
‘‘(E) The degree to which such equipment 
or systems will serve the needs of the applicant 
better than equipment or systems that meet or 
exceed existing consensus standards. 
‘‘(F) Any other factor determined appro-
priate by the Administrator.’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following new sub-
section: 
‘‘(g) REVIEW PROCESS.—The Administrator shall 
implement a uniform process for reviewing applications to 
use grants provided under section 2003 or 2004 to pur-
chase equipment or systems not included on the Author-
ized Equipment List maintained by the Administrator.’’. 
(b) INSPECTOR GENERAL REPORT.—Not later than 
three years after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
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the Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Se-
curity shall submit to the Committee on Homeland Secu-
rity of the House of Representatives and the Committee 
on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the 
Senate a report assessing the implementation of the review 
process established under paragraph (2) of subsection (f) 
of section 2008 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 
(as added by subsection (a) of this section), including in-
formation on the following: 
(1) The number of requests to purchase equip-
ment or systems that do not meet or exceed any ap-
plicable consensus standard evaluated under such re-
view process. 
(2) The capability gaps identified by applicants 
and the number of such requests granted or denied. 
(3) The processing time for the review of such 
requests. 
Æ 
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