H. R. 3254 
One Hundred Eighteenth Congress 
of the 
United States of America 
AT THE SECOND SESSION 
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Wednesday, 
the third day of January, two thousand and twenty-four 
An Act 
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 Representatives of 
the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘First Responder Access to Innova-
tive Technologies Act’’. 
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 inserting the 
following: 
‘‘(1) APPLICATION REQUIREMENT.—If an applicant’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following new paragraphs: 
‘‘(2) REVIEW PROCESS.—The Administrator shall implement 
a uniform process for reviewing applications that, in accordance 
with paragraph (1), contain explanations to use grants provided 
under section 2003 or 2004 to purchase equipment or systems 
that do not meet or exceed any applicable national voluntary 
consensus standards developed under section 647 of the Post- 
Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 (6 U.S.C. 
747). 
‘‘(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. 
‘‘(B) The absence of a national voluntary consensus 
standard for such equipment or systems. 
‘‘(C) The existence of an international consensus 
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 equipment 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 stand-
ards.
H. R. 3254—2 
‘‘(F) Any other factor determined appropriate by the 
Administrator.’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following new subsection: 
‘‘(g) REVIEW PROCESS.—The Administrator shall implement a 
uniform process for reviewing applications to use grants provided 
under section 2003 or 2004 to purchase equipment or systems 
not included on the Authorized Equipment List maintained by 
the Administrator.’’. 
(b) INSPECTOR GENERAL REPORT.—Not later than three years 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Inspector General 
of the Department of Homeland Security shall submit to the Com-
mittee on Homeland Security 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 information on the following: 
(1) The number of requests to purchase equipment or sys-
tems that do not meet or exceed any applicable consensus 
standard evaluated under such review 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. 
Speaker of the House of Representatives. 
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.