Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Body Armor Safety Act of 2022”.
Body Armor Safety Act of 2022
A BILL
To ensure body armor complies with safety standards, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Limitation on importation
In general— The President shall take such steps as may be necessary to ensure that no body armor for law enforcement use may be imported into the customs territory of the United States unless it meets the applicable requirements of and receives recognition of compliance from the Compliance Testing Program of the National Institute of Justice as described in section 232 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 162).
Definitions— In this section:
The term “customs territory of the United States” has the meaning given the term in General Note 2 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States.
The term “body armor” means ballistic-resistant or stab-resistant panels or plates designed to protect the torso and worn in a carrier against the body.
Sec. 3 Criminal penalty
In general— Chapter 47 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
“1041. Fraud in connection with body armor
“(a) Forgery—Whoever forges, counterfeits, or falsely alters any National Institute of Justice Standard certificate, validation, mark, or any other recognition of compliance with respect to any body armor shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both.
“(b) Misleading claims of compliance—Whoever engages in any conduct with intent to convey false or misleading claims of compliance with respect to any body armor such that recognition of compliance may reasonably be believed to have been issued by the National Institute of Justice or its Compliance Testing program shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both.
“(c) Body armor defined—In this section, the term “body armor” means ballistic-resistant or stab-resistant panels or plates designed to protect the torso and worn in a carrier against the body.”
Clerical amendment— The table of sections for chapter 47 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
Sec. 4 Limitation on evaluations and testing
Section 232 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 162) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“(h) Limitation—Law enforcement technology products manufactured at any company on the Entity List of the Export Administration Regulations of the Bureau of Industry Security may not be tested or evaluated or otherwise certified, validated, marked, or recognized as in compliance with standards established and maintained by the Office in accordance with the National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995 (Public Law 104–113).”