National Bombing Prevention Act of 2007

Bill: 110-s-2292
Sponsor: Sen. Collins, Susan M. [R-ME]
Introduced: 2007-11-01 in the Senate
Policy area: Emergency Management
Subjects: Armed Forces and National Security
Bombings
Bombs
Commercialization
Crime and Law Enforcement
Department of Homeland Security
Executive reorganization
Explosives
Federal advisory bodies
Government Operations and Politics
Military research
Research and development
Science, Technology, Communications
Technology transfer
Terrorism

Summary:
action_date: 2007-11-01
text: 
National Bombing Prevention Act of 2007 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish an Office for Bombing Prevention in the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Protective Security Coordination Division of the Office of Infrastructure Protection. Assigns the Office primary responsibility for enhancing the ability and coordinating the efforts of the nation to deter, detect, prevent, protect against, and respond to terrorist explosive attacks.

Directs the President to develop and periodically update a national strategy to prevent and prepare for terrorist attacks using explosives or improvised explosive devices in the United States.

Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security, acting through the Under Secretary for Science and Technology, to: (1) coordinate federal nonmilitary research, development, testing, and evaluation activities relating to the detection and prevention of, protection against, and response to explosive attacks within the United States and the development of bomb squad tools and technologies necessary to neutralize and disable explosive devices; (2) coordinate with the Secretary of Defense and the heads of other relevant federal departments to ensure that military information and related activities are applied to nonmilitary uses; (3) establish a technology transfer program to facilitate the identification, modification, and commercialization of technology and equipment for use by governmental agencies, emergency response providers, and the private sector against such attacks; and (4) establish a working group to advise and assist in the identification of military technologies developed by the Department of Defense (DOD) or the private sector to protect against and respond to explosive attacks.

action_date: 2008-09-23
text: 
National Bombing Prevention Act of 2007 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish an Office for Bombing Prevention in the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS's) Office of Infrastructure Protection. Assigns the Office primary responsibility for enhancing the ability and coordinating the efforts of the nation to deter, detect, prevent, protect against, and respond to terrorist explosive attacks.

Directs the Office to: (1) serve as the lead agency of DHS for ensuring that programs designed to counter terrorist explosive attacks nationwide function together efficiently to meet the evolving threat from explosives and improvised explosive devices (IEDs); (2) coordinate national and intergovernmental bombing prevention activities; (3) analyze requirements necessary for state and local governments to protect against and respond to terrorist explosive attacks by maintaining a national analysis database on the capabilities of bomb squads, explosive detection canine teams, tactics teams, and public safety dive teams and applying the analysis in evaluating progress toward closing gaps relating to national strategic goals and standards and informing decisions relating to homeland security policy, assistance, training, research, development efforts, and testing and evaluation requirements; (4) promote secure information sharing of sensitive material relating to terrorist explosives and security awareness; (5) assist state and local governments in developing multijurisdictional IEDs security plans for high-risk jurisdictions; (6) help to ensure the identification and availability of effective technology applications through field pilot testing and the acquisition of such applications by federal, state, and local governments to prevent andrespond to terrorist explosive attacks; (7) coordinate the efforts of DHS regarding, and assist in developing and implementing, national explosives detection canine training, certification, and performance standards; (8) ensure the implementation of any recommendations contained the the national strategy to prevent and prepare for terrorist attacks using explosives; and (9) develop programmatic guidance and permitted uses for bombing prevention activities funded by homeland security assistance administered by DHS. Authorizes appropriations.

Directs the President to: (1) develop and periodically update a national strategy to prevent and prepare for terrorist attacks using explosives or IEDs in the United States; and (2) report to the House and Senate homeland security committees within six months after submitting the report regarding each quadrennial homeland security review.

(Sec. 3) Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security, acting through the Under Secretary for Science and Technology, to: (1) coordinate federal nonmilitary research, development, testing, and evaluation activities relating to the detection and prevention of, protection against, and response to explosive attacks within the United States and the development of bomb squad tools and technologies necessary to neutralize and disable explosive devices; (2) coordinate with the Secretary of Defense and the heads of other relevant federal departments to ensure that military information and related activities are applied to nonmilitary uses; (3) establish a technology transfer program to facilitate the identification, modification, and commercialization of technology and equipment for use by state and local governmental agencies, emergency response providers, and the private sector against such attacks; and (4) establish a working group to advise and assist in the identification of military technologies developed by the Department of Defense (DOD) or the private sector to protect against and respond to explosive attacks.



Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-09-23
text: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 1043.
action_date: 2008-09-23
text: Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Reported by Senator Lieberman with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 110-481.
action_date: 2008-09-23
text: Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Reported by Senator Lieberman with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 110-481.
action_date: 2007-11-14
text: Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
action_date: 2007-11-01
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2007-11-01
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S13692-13693)
action_date: 2007-11-01
text: Introduced in Senate