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HR 5875 IH

To amend title 10, United States Code, to ensure that personal protective equipment undergoes survivability testing before full-scale production.

April 23, 2008

Mr. COURTNEY (for himself, Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania, Ms. DELAURO, Mr. GONZALEZ, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. HILL, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. KLEIN of Florida, Mr. LARSON of Connecticut, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mrs. TAUSCHER, Ms. SHEA-PORTER, Mr. HOLT, Mr. MURPHY of Connecticut, Mr. SHAYS, and Mr. SPRATT) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services

To amend title 10, United States Code, to ensure that personal protective equipment undergoes survivability testing before full-scale production.

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 `Providing Responsible Oversight and Testing of Equipment for Combat Troops Act of 2008' or the `PROTECT Act of 2008'.

SEC. 2. PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT TO UNDERGO SURVIVABILITY TESTING BEFORE FULL-SCALE PRODUCTION.

(a) Authority of Director of Operational Test and Evaluation- Section 139(b) of title 10, United States Code, is amended--

(1) by striking paragraph (3); and

(2) by redesignating paragraphs (4) through (7) as (3) through (6), respectively.

(b) Survivability Testing Required- Section 2366(e)(1) of title 10, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:

`(1) The term `covered system' means--

`(A) a vehicle, weapon platform, or conventional weapon system--

`(i) that includes features designed to provide some degree of protection to users in combat; and

`(ii) that is a major system within the meaning of that term in section 2302(5) of this title; or

`(B) any item of (or key component of) personal equipment designed to provide some degree of protection to the user in combat.'.