S. 693 — DHS Better Ballistic Body Armor Act

This section defines key terms used in the Act: (1) "ballistic resistant body armor" as torso ballistic protection containing soft ballistic panels, hard ballistic panels, or both, within a carrier that may be concealable under a uniform shirt or external over a uniform shirt; (2) "Department" as the Department of Homeland Security; and (3) "Secretary" as the Secretary of Homeland Security.

This section requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to direct Department components, when procuring ballistic resistant body armor for agents and officers, to acquire armor that (1) is designed to protect all body shapes with optimal individual fit and coverage (flat or shaped front panel); (2) is verified upon delivery to meet American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM International) fit standards; (3) features technology to prevent bullets from deflecting upward into the throat or spine; and (4) is certified by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) per its standards (including testing on female-shaped clay or gelatin molds, soft armor in female-shaped carriers, shots on shaping features, angled shots, and chest shots addressing neckline deflection risks), and listed on the NIJ Compliant Products List at the recommended protection level. It further requires heads of relevant component agencies to report to the Secretary not later than one year after enactment and annually thereafter for two years on body armor issued to female agents and officers—including numbers issued, units discontinued for noncompliance with these requirements, compliant units issued, and compliant percentages by duty station—with the Secretary to aggregate the data and submit it within 30 days to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and the House Committee on Homeland Security.

This section requires all agents and officers of any component of the Department whose duties require body armor to be issued body armor meeting the requirements of section 3(a), not later than three years after enactment.