DHS Better Ballistic Body Armor Act

Bill: 118-s-4305
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Peters, Gary C. [D-MI]
Introduced: 2024-05-09
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Congressional oversight

Government information and archives

Military procurement, research, weapons development

Sex, gender, sexual orientation discrimination
Latest action: action_date: 2024-12-03
text: Held at the desk.

Summaries:
action_date: 2024-05-09
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><strong>DHS Better Ballistic Body Armor Act</strong></p><p>This bill requires ballistic resistant body armor issued to agents and officers of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to meet certain requirements related to fit, coverage, and testing on female body shapes. <em>Ballistic resistant body armor</em> means ballistic protection for the torso worn over or under clothing (e.g., bulletproof vests).&nbsp;</p><p>(Testing by the Federal Bureau of Investigation found that certain soft body armor, when worn by women, allowed projectiles to skip off the armor panel in the chest area and project into the unprotected throat area. New body armor models that mitigate this issue are now available and in use by some federal agencies.)</p><p>Under the bill, ballistic resistant body armor procured by DHS for agents and officers whose body shapes are most closely associated with female must</p><ul><li>be made to conform and provide the best possible coverage to individual wearers, allowing for either flat or shaped front panels;</li><li>have enhanced and advanced fit technology that stops bullets from skipping off the chest at an upward angle; and</li><li>have passed certain testing by the National Institute of Justice, including testing on female-shaped molds.&nbsp;</li></ul><p>Within three years of the bill’s enactment, all DHS agents and officers whose body shapes are most closely associated with female must be issued body armor that meets these requirements.</p>

action_date: 2024-12-02
action_desc: Passed Senate
text: <p><strong>DHS Better Ballistic Body Armor Act</strong></p><p>This bill requires ballistic resistant body armor issued to agents and officers of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to meet certain requirements related to fit, coverage, and testing on female body shapes. <em>Ballistic resistant body armor</em> means ballistic protection for the torso worn over or under clothing (e.g., bulletproof vests).&nbsp;</p><p>(Testing by the Federal Bureau of Investigation found that certain soft body armor, when worn by women, allowed projectiles to skip off the armor panel in the chest area and project into the unprotected throat area. New body armor models that mitigate this issue are now available and in use by some federal agencies.)</p><p>Under the bill, ballistic resistant body armor procured by DHS for its agents and officers must</p><ul><li>be made to conform and provide the best possible coverage to individual wearers, allowing for either flat or shaped front panels;</li><li>have enhanced and advanced fit technology that stops bullets from redirecting off the chest at an upward angle; and</li><li>have passed certain testing by the National Institute of Justice, including testing on female-shaped molds.&nbsp;</li></ul><p>Within three years of the bill’s enactment, all DHS agents and officers whose duties require body armor must be issued body armor that meets these requirements.</p>

tv_txt: 118th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 4305 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES AN ACT To improve the effectiveness of body armor issued to female agents and officers of the Department of Homeland Security, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the DHS Better Ballistic Body Armor Act . 2. Definitions In this Act: (a) Ballistic resistant body armor The term ballistic resistant body armor means torso ballistic protection containing either soft ballistic panels, hard ballistic panels, or a combination of both, contained within a carrier, which may be concealable for wear under a uniform shirt or external for wear over a uniform shirt, and holds panels and plates in position on the torso. (b) Department The term Department means the Department of Homeland Security. (c) Secretary The term Secretary means the Secretary of Homeland Security. 3. Procurement of ballistic resistant body armor to ensure the protection of the Department's female agents and officers (a) In general The Secretary shall require components of the Department, when procuring ballistic resistant body armor for agents and officers, to procure ballistic resistant body armor that— (1) is specifically designed to fully protect the body shapes of agents and officers; (2) is made to conform to the individual wearer and provide the best possible fit and coverage to allow for either a flat or shaped front panel; (3) is assessed and verified, upon delivery, to fit properly and have sufficient coverage in accordance with American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM International) standards for fit; (4) has enhanced and advanced fit and technology that stops a bullet from redirecting off the chest at an upward angle into the throat region or the spinal cord area; and (5) is certified by the National Institute of Justice (referred to in this paragraph as NIJ ), pursuant to the NIJ standard for ballistic resistant body armor, and listed on the associated NIJ Compliant Products List as successfully passing the ballistic resistant body armor standards in accordance with the applicable ballistic protection level recommended by the NIJ, including passing testing that uses, for each test sample— (A) ballistic testing on clay or gelatin molds to ensure better contact of nonplanar panels with clay or gelatin molds, as required by the body shapes of agents and officers; (B) soft body armor front panels contained in soft carriers on female-shaped clay or gelatin molds designed to fill the space behind the panel; (C) shots to be placed on shaping features; (D) angled shots; (E) an angled shot at the chest to address the concern of a bullet skipping into the neckline; and (F) any additional testing criteria recommended by the NIJ after the date of the enactment of this Act. (b) Annual reports (1) Issuance of ballistic resistant body armor Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for the following 2 years, the head of each relevant component agency of the Department shall submit a report to the Secretary regarding the ballistic resistant body armor issued to female agents and officers of such component agency, including, with respect to the reporting period— (A) the number of female agents and officers to whom ballistic resistant body armor was issued for performance of their official duties; (B) the number of ballistic resistant body armor units issued to female agents and officers, the use of which was discontinued due to noncompliance with the requirements described in subsection (a); (C) the number of ballistic resistant body armor units issued to female agents and officers that are compliant with the requirements described in subsection (a); and (D) the percentage of female agents and officers of such component agency who, as of the last day of the reporting period, have been issued ballistic resistant body armor that complies with the requirements described in subsection (a), disaggregated by duty station. (2) Aggregate report Not later than 30 days after receiving all of the reports required to be submitted under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall submit a report that aggregates all of the data contained in such reports to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives . 4. Effective date Not later than 3 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, all agents and officers of any component of the Department whose duties require body armor shall have been issued body armor that meets the requirements described in section 3(a).

Passed the Senate December 2, 2024. Secretary

tv_txt: II Calendar No. 492 118th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 4305 [Report No. 118–214] IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES May 9, 2024 Mr. Peters (for himself, Mrs. Britt , Mr. Ossoff , and Mr. Rounds ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs September 9, 2024 Reported by Mr. Peters , with an amendment Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic A BILL To improve the effectiveness of body armor issued to female agents and officers of the Department of Homeland Security, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the DHS Better Ballistic Body Armor Act . 2. Definitions In this Act: (a) Ballistic resistant body armor The term ballistic resistant body armor means torso ballistic protection containing soft ballistic panels, hard ballistic panels, or a combination of both, contained within a carrier, which may be concealable for wear under a uniform shirt or external for wear over a uniform shirt, and holds panels and plates in position on the torso. (b) Department The term Department means the Department of Homeland Security. (c) Secretary The term Secretary means the Secretary of Homeland Security. 3. Procurement of ballistic resistant body armor to ensure the protection of the Department's female agents and officers (a) In general The Secretary shall require components of the Department, when procuring ballistic resistant body armor for individuals whose body shapes are most closely associated with female agents and officers, to procure ballistic resistant body armor that— (1) is specifically designed to fully protect body shapes most closely associated with female agents and officers; (2) is made to conform to the individual wearer and provide the best possible fit and coverage to allow for either a flat or shaped front panel; (3) is assessed and verified, upon delivery, to fit properly and have sufficient coverage in accordance with American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM International) standards for fit; (4) has enhanced and advanced fit and technology that stops a bullet from skipping off the chest at an upward angle into the throat region or the spinal cord area; and (5) is certified by the National Institute of Justice (referred to in this paragraph as NIJ ), pursuant to the NIJ standard for ballistic resistant body armor, and listed on the associated NIJ Compliant Products List as successfully passing the ballistic resistant body armor standards in accordance with the applicable ballistic protection level recommended by the NIJ, including passing testing that uses— (A) ballistic testing on gender-specific clay or gelatin molds to ensure better contact of nonplanar panels with clay or gelatin molds; (B) soft body armor front panels contained in soft carriers on female-shaped clay or gelatin molds designed to fill the space behind the panel; (C) shots to be placed on shaping features; (D) angled shots; and (E) an angled shot at the chest that tests the concerns of bullet skipping into the neckline of each test sample to address the concern of a bullet skipping. (b) Annual reports (1) Issuance of ballistic resistant body armor Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for the following 2 years, the head of each relevant component agency of the Department shall submit a report to the Secretary regarding the ballistic resistant body armor issued to female agents and officers of such component agency, including, with respect to the reporting period— (A) the number of female agents and officers to whom ballistic resistant body armor was issued for performance of their official duties; (B) the number of ballistic resistant body armor units the use of which was discontinued due to noncompliance with the requirements described in subsection (a); (C) the number of ballistic resistant body armor units issued to female agents and officers that are compliant with the requirements described in subsection (a); and (D) the percentage of female agents and officers of such component agency who, as of the last day of the reporting period, have been issued and are regularly using ballistic resistant body armor that complies with the requirements described in subsection (a), disaggregated by duty station. (2) Aggregate report Not later than 30 days after receiving all of the reports required to be submitted under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall submit a report that aggregates all of the data contained in such reports to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives . 4. Effective date Not later than 3 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, all agents and officers of any component of the Department who have a body shape most closely associated with female agents and officers shall have been issued body armor that meets the requirements described in section 3(a).

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the DHS Better Ballistic Body Armor Act . 2. Definitions In this Act: (a) Ballistic resistant body armor The term ballistic resistant body armor means torso ballistic protection containing either soft ballistic panels, hard ballistic panels, or a combination of both, contained within a carrier, which may be concealable for wear under a uniform shirt or external for wear over a uniform shirt, and holds panels and plates in position on the torso. (b) Department The term Department means the Department of Homeland Security. (c) Secretary The term Secretary means the Secretary of Homeland Security. 3. Procurement of ballistic resistant body armor to ensure the protection of the Department's female agents and officers (a) In general The Secretary shall require components of the Department, when procuring ballistic resistant body armor for individuals whose body shapes are most closely associated with female agents and officers, to procure ballistic resistant body armor that— (1) is specifically designed to fully protect body shapes most closely associated with female agents and officers; (2) is made to conform to the individual wearer and provide the best possible fit and coverage to allow for either a flat or shaped front panel; (3) is assessed and verified, upon delivery, to fit properly and have sufficient coverage in accordance with American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM International) standards for fit; (4) has enhanced and advanced fit and technology that stops a bullet from skipping off the chest at an upward angle into the throat region or the spinal cord area; and (5) is certified by the National Institute of Justice (referred to in this paragraph as NIJ ), pursuant to the NIJ standard for ballistic resistant body armor, and listed on the associated NIJ Compliant Products List as successfully passing the ballistic resistant body armor standards in accordance with the applicable ballistic protection level recommended by the NIJ, including passing testing that uses, for each test sample— (A) ballistic testing on gender-specific clay or gelatin molds to ensure better contact of nonplanar panels with clay or gelatin molds; (B) soft body armor front panels contained in soft carriers on female-shaped clay or gelatin molds designed to fill the space behind the panel; (C) shots to be placed on shaping features; (D) angled shots; (E) an angled shot at the chest to address the concern of a bullet skipping into the neckline; and (F) any additional testing criteria recommended by the NIJ after the date of the enactment of this Act. (b) Annual reports (1) Issuance of ballistic resistant body armor Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for the following 2 years, the head of each relevant component agency of the Department shall submit a report to the Secretary regarding the ballistic resistant body armor issued to female agents and officers of such component agency, including, with respect to the reporting period— (A) the number of female agents and officers to whom ballistic resistant body armor was issued for performance of their official duties; (B) the number of ballistic resistant body armor units issued to female agents and officers, the use of which was discontinued due to noncompliance with the requirements described in subsection (a); (C) the number of ballistic resistant body armor units issued to female agents and officers that are compliant with the requirements described in subsection (a); and (D) the percentage of female agents and officers of such component agency who, as of the last day of the reporting period, have been issued ballistic resistant body armor that complies with the requirements described in subsection (a), disaggregated by duty station. (2) Aggregate report Not later than 30 days after receiving all of the reports required to be submitted under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall submit a report that aggregates all of the data contained in such reports to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives . 4. Effective date Not later than 3 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, all agents and officers of any component of the Department whose duties require body armor and who have a body shape most closely associated with female agents and officers shall have been issued body armor that meets the requirements described in section 3(a).

September 9, 2024 Reported with an amendment

tv_txt: II 118th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 4305 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES May 9, 2024 Mr. Peters (for himself and Mrs. Britt ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs A BILL To improve the effectiveness of body armor issued to female agents and officers of the Department of Homeland Security, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the DHS Better Ballistic Body Armor Act . 2. Definitions In this Act: (a) Ballistic resistant body armor The term ballistic resistant body armor means torso ballistic protection containing soft ballistic panels, hard ballistic panels, or a combination of both, contained within a carrier, which may be concealable for wear under a uniform shirt or external for wear over a uniform shirt, and holds panels and plates in position on the torso. (b) Department The term Department means the Department of Homeland Security. (c) Secretary The term Secretary means the Secretary of Homeland Security. 3. Procurement of ballistic resistant body armor to ensure the protection of the Department's female agents and officers (a) In general The Secretary shall require components of the Department, when procuring ballistic resistant body armor for individuals whose body shapes are most closely associated with female agents and officers, to procure ballistic resistant body armor that— (1) is specifically designed to fully protect body shapes most closely associated with female agents and officers; (2) is made to conform to the individual wearer and provide the best possible fit and coverage to allow for either a flat or shaped front panel; (3) is assessed and verified, upon delivery, to fit properly and have sufficient coverage in accordance with American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM International) standards for fit; (4) has enhanced and advanced fit and technology that stops a bullet from skipping off the chest at an upward angle into the throat region or the spinal cord area; and (5) is certified by the National Institute of Justice (referred to in this paragraph as NIJ ), pursuant to the NIJ standard for ballistic resistant body armor, and listed on the associated NIJ Compliant Products List as successfully passing the ballistic resistant body armor standards in accordance with the applicable ballistic protection level recommended by the NIJ, including passing testing that uses— (A) ballistic testing on gender-specific clay or gelatin molds to ensure better contact of nonplanar panels with clay or gelatin molds; (B) soft body armor front panels contained in soft carriers on female-shaped clay or gelatin molds designed to fill the space behind the panel; (C) shots to be placed on shaping features; (D) angled shots; and (E) an angled shot at the chest that tests the concerns of bullet skipping into the neckline of each test sample to address the concern of a bullet skipping. (b) Annual reports (1) Issuance of ballistic resistant body armor Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for the following 2 years, the head of each relevant component agency of the Department shall submit a report to the Secretary regarding the ballistic resistant body armor issued to female agents and officers of such component agency, including, with respect to the reporting period— (A) the number of female agents and officers to whom ballistic resistant body armor was issued for performance of their official duties; (B) the number of ballistic resistant body armor units the use of which was discontinued due to noncompliance with the requirements described in subsection (a); (C) the number of ballistic resistant body armor units issued to female agents and officers that are compliant with the requirements described in subsection (a); and (D) the percentage of female agents and officers of such component agency who, as of the last day of the reporting period, have been issued and are regularly using ballistic resistant body armor that complies with the requirements described in subsection (a), disaggregated by duty station. (2) Aggregate report Not later than 30 days after receiving all of the reports required to be submitted under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall submit a report that aggregates all of the data contained in such reports to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives . 4. Effective date Not later than 3 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, all agents and officers of any component of the Department who have a body shape most closely associated with female agents and officers shall have been issued body armor that meets the requirements described in section 3(a).