[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4749 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4749

To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish the Office for 
  Bombing Prevention, to address terrorist explosive threats, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 17, 2007

  Mr. King of New York (for himself and Mr. Thompson of Mississippi) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                           Homeland Security

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish the Office for 
  Bombing Prevention, to address terrorist explosive threats, 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 ``National Bombing Prevention Act of 
2007''.

SEC. 2. BOMBING PREVENTION.

    (a) In General.--Subtitle A of title II of the Homeland Security 
Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 121 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the 
following new section:

``SEC. 210F. OFFICE FOR BOMBING PREVENTION.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall establish within the 
Protective Security Coordination Division of the Office of 
Infrastructure Protection of the Department an Office for Bombing 
Prevention (in this section referred to as `the Office').
    ``(b) Responsibilities.--The Office shall have the primary 
responsibility for enhancing the ability, and coordinating the efforts, 
of the United States to deter, detect, prevent, protect against, and 
respond to terrorist explosive attacks in the United States, including 
by--
            ``(1) serving as the lead agency of the Department for 
        ensuring that programs designed to counter terrorist explosive 
        attacks in the United States function together efficiently to 
        meet the evolving threat from explosives and improvised 
        explosive devices;
            ``(2) coordinating national and intergovernmental bombing 
        prevention activities to ensure those activities work toward 
        achieving common national goals;
            ``(3) conducting analysis of the capabilities and 
        requirements necessary for Federal, State, local, and tribal 
        governments to deter, prevent, detect, protect against, and 
        assist in any response to terrorist explosive attacks in the 
        United States by--
                    ``(A) maintaining a national analysis database on 
                the capabilities of bomb squads, explosive detection 
                canine teams, tactics teams, and public safety dive 
                teams; and
                    ``(B) applying the analysis derived from the 
                database described in subparagraph (A) in--
                            ``(i) evaluating progress toward closing 
                        identified gaps relating to national strategic 
                        goals and standards; and
                            ``(ii) informing decisions relating to 
                        homeland security policy, assistance, training, 
                        research, development efforts, testing and 
                        evaluation, and related requirements;
            ``(4) promoting secure information sharing of sensitive 
        material and promoting security awareness, including by--
                    ``(A) operating and maintaining a secure 
                information sharing system that allows the sharing of 
                critical information relating to terrorist explosive 
                attack tactics, techniques, and procedures;
                    ``(B) educating the public and private sectors 
                about explosive precursor chemicals;
                    ``(C) working with international partners, in 
                coordination with the Office for International Affairs 
                of the Department, to develop and share effective 
                practices to deter, prevent, detect, protect, and 
                respond to terrorist explosive attacks in the United 
                States; and
                    ``(D) executing national public awareness and 
                vigilance campaigns relating to terrorist explosive 
                threats, preventing explosive attacks, and activities 
                and measures underway to safeguard the United States;
            ``(5) assisting State, local, and tribal governments in 
        developing multi-jurisdictional improvised explosive devices 
        security plans for high-risk jurisdictions;
            ``(6) helping to ensure, in coordination with the Under 
        Secretary for Science and Technology and the Administrator of 
        the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the identification and 
        availability of effective technology applications through field 
        pilot testing and acquisition of such technology applications 
        by Federal, State, local, and tribal governments to deter, 
        prevent, detect, protect, and respond to terrorist explosive 
        attacks in the United States;
            ``(7) coordinating the efforts of the Department relating 
        to, and assisting departments and agencies of Federal, State, 
        local, and tribal governments, and private sector business in, 
        developing and implementing national explosives detection 
        training, certification, and performance standards;
            ``(8) ensuring the implementation of any recommendations in 
        the national strategy required under section 210G, including 
        developing, maintaining, and tracking progress toward achieving 
        objectives to reduce the vulnerability of the United States to 
        terrorist explosive attacks; and
            ``(9) developing, in coordination with the Administrator of 
        the Federal Emergency Management Agency, programmatic guidance 
        and permitted uses for bombing prevention activities funded by 
        homeland security assistance administered by the Department.
    ``(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            ``(1) In general.--There are authorized to be appropriated 
        to carry out this section--
                    ``(A) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2009;
                    ``(B) $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2010 
                through 2012; and
                    ``(C) such sums as may be necessary for each 
                subsequent fiscal year.
            ``(2) Availability.--Amounts made available pursuant to 
        paragraph (1) are authorized to remain available until 
        expended.

``SEC. 210G. NATIONAL STRATEGY.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall develop and periodically 
update a national strategy to prevent and prepare for terrorist 
explosive attacks in the United States.
    ``(b) Development.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the 
enactment of this section, the Secretary shall develop the national 
strategy required under subsection (a).
    ``(c) Reporting.--Not later than six months after the date of the 
submission of the report regarding each quadrennial homeland security 
review conducted under section 707, the Secretary shall submit to the 
Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives and the 
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate a 
report regarding the national strategy required under subsection (a), 
which shall include recommendations, if any, for deterring, preventing, 
detecting, protecting against, and responding to terrorist attacks in 
the United States using explosives or improvised explosive devices, 
including any such recommendations relating to coordinating the efforts 
of Federal, State, local, and tribal governments, emergency response 
providers, and the private sector.''.
    (b) Technical and Conforming Amendment.--The table of contents in 
section 1(b) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 101 et 
seq.) is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 210E 
the following new items:

``Sec. 210F. Office for Bombing Prevention.
``Sec. 210G. National strategy.''.

SEC. 3. EXPLOSIVES TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT AND TRANSFER.

    (a) In General.--Title III of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 
U.S.C. 181 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new 
sections:

``SEC. 318. EXPLOSIVES RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary, acting through the Under 
Secretary for Science and Technology, and in coordination with the 
Under Secretary for National Protection and Programs, the Attorney 
General, the Secretary of Defense, and the head of any other relevant 
Federal department or agency, shall ensure coordination and information 
sharing regarding nonmilitary research, development, testing, and 
evaluation activities of the Federal Government relating to the 
detection and prevention of, protection against, and response to 
terrorist attacks in the United States using explosives or improvised 
explosive devices, and the development of tools and technologies 
necessary to neutralize and disable explosive devices.
    ``(b) Leveraging Military Research.--The Secretary, acting through 
the Under Secretary for Science and Technology, and in coordination 
with the Under Secretary for National Protection and Programs, shall 
coordinate with the Secretary of Defense and the head of any other 
relevant Federal department or agency to ensure that, to the maximum 
extent possible, military policies and procedures, and research, 
development, testing, and evaluation activities relating to the 
detection and prevention of, protection against, and response to 
terrorist attacks using explosives or improvised explosive devices, and 
the development of tools and technologies necessary to neutralize and 
disable explosive devices, are adapted to nonmilitary uses.

``SEC. 319. TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary, acting through the Under 
Secretary for Science and Technology, and in coordination with the 
Under Secretary for National Protection and Programs, shall establish a 
technology transfer program to facilitate the identification, 
modification, and commercialization of technology and equipment for use 
by Federal, State, and local governmental agencies, emergency response 
providers, and the private sector to deter, prevent, detect, protect, 
and respond to terrorist attacks in the United States using explosives 
or improvised explosive devices.
    ``(b) Program.--The activities under the program established under 
subsection (a) shall include--
            ``(1) applying the analysis conducted under section 
        210F(b)(3) of the capabilities and requirements of bomb squad, 
        explosive detection canine teams, tactical teams, and public 
        safety dive teams of Federal, State, and local governments, to 
        determine the training and technology requirements for Federal, 
        State, and local governments, emergency response providers, and 
        the private sector;
            ``(2) identifying available technologies designed to deter, 
        prevent, detect, protect, or respond to terrorist attacks using 
        explosives or improvised explosive devices that have been, or 
        are in the process of being, developed, tested, evaluated, or 
        demonstrated by the Department, other Federal agencies, the 
        private sector, foreign governments, or international 
        organizations;
            ``(3) reviewing whether a technology described in paragraph 
        (2) may be useful in assisting Federal, State, or local 
        governments, emergency response providers, or the private 
        sector in detecting, deterring, preventing, or responding to 
        terrorist attacks using explosives or improvised explosive 
        devices; and
            ``(4) communicating to Federal, State, and local 
        governments, emergency response providers, and the private 
        sector the availability of any technology described in 
        paragraph (2), including providing the specifications of any 
        such technology, indicating whether any such technology 
        satisfies appropriate standards, and identifying grants, if 
        any, available from the Department to purchase any such 
        technology.
    ``(c) Working Group.--To facilitate the transfer of military 
technologies, the Secretary, acting through the Under Secretary for 
Science and Technology, in coordination with the Secretary of Defense, 
and in a manner consistent with protection of sensitive sources and 
methods, shall establish a working group to advise and assist in the 
identification of military technologies designed to deter, prevent, 
detect, protect, or respond to terrorist explosive attacks that are in 
the process of being developed, or are developed, by the Department of 
Defense or the private sector.''.
    (b) Technical and Conforming Amendment.--The table of contents in 
section 1(b) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 101 et 
seq.) is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 317 
the following new items:

``Sec. 318. Explosives research and development.
``Sec. 319. Technology transfer.''.
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