Modernized Law Enforcement Officers Protection Act of 2015

Bill: 114-hr-1454
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Speier, Jackie [D-CA-14]
Introduced: 2015-03-18
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures

Department of Justice

Firearms and explosives

Law enforcement officers
Latest action: action_date: 2015-04-21
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.

Summaries:
action_date: 2015-03-18
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Modernized Law Enforcement Officers Protection Act of 2015</b></p> <p>Amends the federal criminal code to expand the definition of "armor piercing ammunition" to include a projectile that may be used in a handgun and that is determined by the Attorney General to be capable of penetrating body armor.</p> <p>Requires the Attorney General to: (1) promulgate standards for the uniform testing of projectiles against the Body Armor Exemplar (body armor that the Attorney General determines meets minimum standards for the protection of law enforcement officers), taking into account variations in performance related to the type of handgun used, the length of the barrel, the amount and kind of powder used, and the projectile's design; and (2) assess and, as appropriate, modify the standards every three years or more frequently if warranted by technological advances.</p>

tv_txt: I 114th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 1454 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES March 18, 2015 Ms. Speier (for herself, Ms. Bass , Mr. Blumenauer , Ms. Brown of Florida , Mr. Cartwright , Mr. Cicilline , Ms. Clarke of New York , Mr. Farr , Ms. Frankel of Florida , Mr. Grijalva , Mr. Honda , Mr. Israel , Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney of New York , Ms. Norton , Mr. Rangel , Mr. Takano , and Ms. Castor of Florida ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary A BILL To modify the definition of armor piercing ammunition to better capture its capabilities.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Modernized Law Enforcement Officers Protection Act of 2015 . 2. Armor piercing ammunition (a) Expansion of definition Section 921(a)(17)(B) of title 18, United States Code, is amended— (1) in clause (I), by striking or at the end; (2) in clause (ii), by striking the period and inserting ; and ; and (3) by adding at the end the following: (iii) a projectile that— (I) may be used in a handgun; and (II) the Attorney General determines, under section 926(d), to be capable of penetrating body armor. . (b) Determination of capability of projectiles To penetrate body armor (1) In general Section 926 of such title is amended by adding at the end the following: (d) (1) The Attorney General, in consultation with Director of Operational Test and Evaluation of the Department of Defense, shall promulgate standards for the uniform testing of projectiles against the Body Armor Exemplar. (2) The standards promulgated under paragraph (1) shall take into account, among other factors, variations in performance that are related to the type of handgun used, the length of the barrel of the handgun, the amount and kind of powder used to propel the projectile, and the design of the projectile. (3) In paragraph (1), the term Body Armor Exemplar means body armor that the Attorney General determines meets minimum standards for the protection of law enforcement officers. . (2) Timing of promulgation of standards The Attorney General shall promulgate the standards required by section 926(d) of title 18, United States Code, within 1 year after the date of the enactment of this section. (3) Assessment and modification of standards The Attorney General shall assess the standards every 3 years, or more frequently if the Attorney General finds that technological advances warrant doing so, and shall modify the standards as appropriate.