[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 59 (Tuesday, May 12, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H3067-H3068]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                BULLETPROOF VEST PARTNERSHIP ACT OF 1998

  Mr. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee 
on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration of the Senate 
bill (S. 1605) to establish a matching grant program to help States, 
units of local government, and Indian tribes to purchase armor vests 
for use by law enforcement officers, and ask for its immediate 
consideration.
  The Clerk read the title of the Senate bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  The Clerk read the Senate bill, as follows:

                                S. 1605

       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 ``Bulletproof Vest Partnership 
     Act of 1998''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSE.

       (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
       (1) the number of law enforcement officers who are killed 
     in the line of duty would significantly decrease if every law 
     enforcement officer in the United States had the protection 
     of an armor vest while performing their hazardous duties;
       (2) the Federal Bureau of Investigation estimates that more 
     than 30 percent of the almost 1,182 law enforcement officers 
     killed by a firearm in the line of duty could have been saved 
     if they had been wearing body armor;
       (3) the Federal Bureau of Investigation estimates that the 
     risk of fatality to law enforcement officers while not 
     wearing an armor vest is 14 times higher than for officers 
     wearing an armor vest;
       (4) the Department of Justice estimates that approximately 
     150,000 State, local, and tribal law enforcement officers, 
     nearly 25 percent, are not issued body armor;
       (5) the Executive Committee for Indian Country Law 
     Enforcement Improvements reports that violent crime in Indian 
     country has risen sharply, despite decreases in the national 
     crime rate, and has concluded that there is a ``public safety 
     crisis in Indian country''; and

[[Page H3068]]

       (6) many State, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies, 
     especially those in smaller communities and rural 
     jurisdictions, need assistance in order to provide body armor 
     for their officers.
       (b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to save lives of 
     law enforcement officers by helping State, local, and tribal 
     law enforcement agencies provide those officers with armor 
     vests.

     SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Armor vest.--The term ``armor vest'' means body armor 
     that has been tested through the voluntary compliance testing 
     program operated by the National Law Enforcement and 
     Corrections Technology Center of the National Institute of 
     Justice (NIJ), and found to comply with the requirements of 
     NIJ Standard 0101.03, or any subsequent revision of that 
     standard.
       (2) Body armor.--The term ``body armor'' means any product 
     sold or offered for sale as personal protective body covering 
     intended to protect against gunfire, stabbing, or other 
     physical harm.
       (3) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of 
     the Bureau of Justice Assistance of the Department of 
     Justice.
       (4) Indian tribe.--The term ``Indian tribe'' has the same 
     meaning as in section 4(e) of the Indian Self-Determination 
     and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 450b(e)).
       (5) Law enforcement officer.--The term ``law enforcement 
     officer'' means any officer, agent, or employee of a State, 
     unit of local government, or Indian tribe authorized by law 
     or by a government agency to engage in or supervise the 
     prevention, detection, or investigation of any violation of 
     criminal law, or authorized by law to supervise sentenced 
     criminal offenders.
       (6) State.--The term ``State'' means each of the several 
     States of the United States, the District of Columbia, the 
     Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, 
     American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 
     Islands.
       (7) Unit of local government.--The term ``unit of local 
     government'' means a county, municipality, town, township, 
     village, parish, borough, or other unit of general government 
     below the State level.

     SEC. 4. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.

       (a) Grant Authorization.--The Director may make grants to 
     States, units of local government, and Indian tribes in 
     accordance with this Act to purchase armor vests for use by 
     State, local, and tribal law enforcement officers.
       (b) Applications.--Each State, unit of local government, or 
     Indian tribe seeking to receive a grant under this section 
     shall submit to the Director an application, in such form and 
     containing such information as the Director may reasonably 
     require.
       (c) Uses of Funds.--Grant awards under this section shall 
     be--
       (1) distributed directly to the State, unit of local 
     government, or Indian tribe; and
       (2) used for the purchase of armor vests for law 
     enforcement officers in the jurisdiction of the grantee.
       (d) Preferential Consideration.--In awarding grants under 
     this section, the Director may give preferential 
     consideration, where feasible, to applications from 
     jurisdictions that--
       (1) have a violent crime rate at or above the national 
     average, as determined by the Federal Bureau of 
     Investigation; and
       (2) have not been providing each law enforcement officer 
     assigned to patrol or other hazardous duties with body armor.
       (e) Minimum Amount.--Unless all applications submitted by 
     any State, unit of local government, or Indian tribe for a 
     grant under this section have been funded, each State, 
     together with grantees within the State (other than Indian 
     tribes), shall be allocated in each fiscal year under this 
     section not less than 0.75 percent of the total amount 
     appropriated in the fiscal year for grants pursuant to this 
     section, except that the United States Virgin Islands, 
     American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands shall 
     each be allocated 0.25 percent.
       (f) Maximum Amount.--A qualifying State, unit of local 
     government, or Indian tribe may not receive more than 5 
     percent of the total amount appropriated in each fiscal year 
     for grants under this section, except that a State, together 
     with the grantees within the State may not receive more than 
     20 percent of the total amount appropriated in each fiscal 
     year for grants under this section.
       (g) Matching Funds.--The portion of the costs of a program 
     provided by a grant under this section may not exceed 50 
     percent, unless the Director determines a case of fiscal 
     hardship and waives, wholly or in part, the requirement under 
     this subsection of a non-Federal contribution to the costs of 
     a program.
       (h) Allocation of Funds.--Not less than 50 percent of the 
     funds awarded under this section in each fiscal year shall be 
     allocated to units of local government, or Indian tribes, 
     having jurisdiction over areas with populations of 100,000 or 
     less.
       (i) Reimbursement.--Grants under this section may be used 
     to reimburse law enforcement officers who have previously 
     purchased body armor with personal funds during a period in 
     which body armor was not provided by the State, unit of local 
     government, or Indian tribe.

     SEC. 5. APPLICATIONS.

       Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this 
     Act, the Director shall promulgate regulations to carry out 
     this Act, which shall set forth the information that must be 
     included in each application under section 4(b) and the 
     requirements that States, units of local government, and 
     Indian tribes must meet in order to receive a grant under 
     section 4.

     SEC. 6. PROHIBITION OF PRISON INMATE LABOR.

       Any State, unit of local government, or Indian tribe that 
     receives financial assistance provided using funds 
     appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may not 
     purchase equipment or products manufactured using prison 
     inmate labor.

     SEC. 7. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

       In the case of any equipment or product authorized to be 
     purchased with financial assistance provided using funds 
     appropriated or otherwise made available under this Act, it 
     is the sense of Congress that entities receiving the 
     assistance should, in expending the assistance, purchase only 
     American-made equipment and products.

     SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION FOR APPROPRIATIONS.

       There is authorized to be appropriated $25,000,000 for each 
     of fiscal years 1999 through 2003 to carry out this Act.


                     Motion Offered by Mr. McCollum

  Mr. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I offer a motion.
  The Clerk read as follows:
  Mr. McCollum moves to strike all after the enacting clause of Senate 
1605 and insert, in lieu thereof, H.R. 2829 as passed by the House.
  The motion was agreed to.
  The Senate bill was ordered to be read a third time, was read the 
third time, and passed, and a motion to reconsider was laid on the 
table.
  The title of the Senate bill was amended so as to read: ``A bill to 
establish a matching grant program to help State and local 
jurisdictions purchase armor vests for use by law enforcement 
departments.''.
  A similar House bill (H.R. 2829) was laid on the table.

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