I 
108TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 3871
To establish the United States-Israel Homeland Security Foundation to make 
grants to joint business ventures between United States and Israeli 
private corporate entities to develop products and services with applica-
tions related to homeland security, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 2, 2004
Mr. TURNER of Texas (for himself and Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science, 
and in addition to the Select Committee on Homeland Security, for a pe-
riod to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for con-
sideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the com-
mittee concerned 
A BILL 
To establish the United States-Israel Homeland Security 
Foundation to make grants to joint business ventures 
between United States and Israeli private corporate enti-
ties to develop products and services with applications 
related to homeland security, 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 ‘‘United States-Israel 
Homeland Security Foundation Act’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) The development and implementation of 
technology is a crucial component of combating ter-
rorism and implementing homeland security strate-
gies. 
(2) Israel and Israeli industries have extensive 
experience with matters pertaining to homeland se-
curity generally and anti-terrorism specifically, in-
cluding expertise in the fields of border integrity, 
transportation security, first responder equipment, 
and civil defense planning. 
(3) The United States and Israel have an ex-
tensive history of working cooperatively and success-
fully to assist with the development of agricultural, 
defense, telecommunications, and other technologies 
mutually beneficial to each country, as exemplified 
by the success of the Binational Industrial Research 
and Development Foundation, commonly referred to 
as the BIRD Foundation. 
(4) Initiated in 1977 as a grant program fund-
ed in equal parts by the governments of the United 
States and Israel in support of joint United States-
Israeli business ventures, the BIRD Foundation has 
invested $180 million in 600 projects over the past
27 years and has realized $7 billion in sales and the 
development of a number of important technologies. 
(5) The establishment of a similar bi-national 
foundation, or the expansion of the BIRD Founda-
tion, to support the development of technologies and 
services applicable to homeland security would be 
beneficial to the security of the United States and 
Israel and would strengthen the economic ties be-
tween the two countries. 
SEC. 3. UNITED STATES-ISRAEL HOMELAND SECURITY 
FOUNDATION. 
The Homeland Security Act of 2002 (Public Law 
107–296) is amended by inserting after section 307 (6 
U.S.C. 187) the following new section: 
‘‘SEC. 307A UNITED STATES-ISRAEL HOMELAND SECURITY 
FOUNDATION AND GRANT PROGRAM. 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT AND PURPOSE.—
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT AUTHORIZED.—The Sec-
retary may establish a United States-Israel Home-
land Security Foundation (in this section referred to 
as the ‘Foundation’), for the purpose of awarding 
conditional grants to joint business ventures between 
United States and Israeli private corporate entities 
to develop, manufacture, sell, or otherwise provide
products and services with applications related to 
homeland security. 
‘‘(2) ADMINISTRATION.—The Secretary shall 
administer the grant program through the Direc-
torate of Science and Technology. 
‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—To be eligible to receive 
a grant under this section, an applicant shall—
‘‘(1) be a joint venture consisting of United 
States and Israeli private corporate entities; 
‘‘(2) be in the process of developing a product 
or service determined by the Secretary to have appli-
cations related to homeland security; and 
‘‘(3) demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Sec-
retary a capability to develop, manufacture, sell, and 
support the product or service. 
‘‘(c) APPLICATION.—An eligible entity may apply for 
a grant under this section by submitting to the Secretary 
an application at such time and in such manner as the 
Secretary may require and containing the following infor-
mation: 
‘‘(1) An identification of the entity that is ap-
plying for the grant. 
‘‘(2) The activities that the entity anticipates 
will be funded by the award of a grant.
‘‘(3) The services or products the entity antici-
pates will be made available, either commercially or 
otherwise, as a result of an award of a grant. 
‘‘(4) A detailed capital budget for the proposed 
project, including the manner in which the grant 
funds will be allocated and expended. 
‘‘(5) Such other information as the Secretary 
may require. 
‘‘(d) AMOUNT OF GRANT.—A grant under this sec-
tion may not exceed 50 percent of the total proposed cost 
for the development, manufacture, and provision of the 
product or service of the applicant described in the appli-
cation. 
‘‘(e) GRANT REPAYMENT.—A grant recipient shall 
repay the grant to the Foundation as the Secretary may 
reasonably require. Grant repayments may not exceed 
more than 150 percent of the grant awarded, adjusted for 
inflation in accordance with the Consumer Price Index. 
‘‘(f) ADVISORY BOARD.—
‘‘(1) REPRESENTATIVES.—Administration of 
the Foundation shall include an advisory board com-
prised of public and private sector representatives. 
‘‘(2) MEMBERSHIP OF ADVISORY BOARD.—
‘‘(A) UNITED
STATES
MEMBERSHIP.—
Membership to the advisory board shall include
the Director of the Homeland Security Ad-
vanced Research Projects Agency and the Di-
rector of International Affairs of the Depart-
ment of Homeland Security. 
‘‘(B) ISRAELI
MEMBERSHIP.—The Sec-
retary shall extend an invitation to the relevant 
Israeli government officials for their participa-
tion on the advisory board. 
‘‘(g) FOUNDATION FUNDING.—Subject to subsection 
(i), if the Secretary decides to establish the Foundation 
under subsection (a), the Secretary shall use not less than 
$25,000,000 of the funds available in the Acceleration 
Fund for Research and Development of Homeland Secu-
rity Technologies, established under section 307(c)(1), to 
administer the Foundation. 
‘‘(h) ALTERNATIVE MECHANISM TO SUPPORT HOME-
LAND SECURITY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES.—Subject to 
subsection (i), if the Secretary decides not to establish the 
Foundation under subsection (a), the Secretary shall use 
not less than $25,000,000 of the funds available in the 
Acceleration Fund for Research and Development of 
Homeland Security Technologies, established under sec-
tion 307(c)(1), to support the efforts of the Binational In-
dustrial Research and Development Foundation to make
grants to joint United States-Israeli business ventures for 
projects related to homeland security. 
‘‘(i) SHARED ENDOWMENT.—Any expenditure by the 
United States under this section shall be equal to the ex-
penditure by Israel for the same purpose.’’.
Æ