National Bombing Prevention Act of 2009



The National Bombing Prevention Act of 2009 (H.R.549) was introduced in the House on January 15, 2009, and would formally authorize the Office for Bombing Prevention. The House passed the bill by a voice vote on February 3, 2009, and was referred to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on February 4, 2009.

Details
The National Bombing Prevention Act of 2009 would formally authorize the Office for Bombing Prevention. According to the Speaker's page on Homeland Security legislation, the bill:
 * Formally authorizes the Office of Bombing Prevention in the Department of Homeland Security, which was administratively created in 2003 but has never formally been authorized by law.
 * Provides that the office has the primary responsibility for enhancing the nation’s ability to deter, detect, prevent, protect against, and respond to terrorist explosive attacks in the United States.
 * Requires the office to conduct an analysis of federal, state and local capabilities in preventing and protecting against a terrorist explosive attack.
 * Requires the office to maintain a national database on the capabilities of bomb squads, explosive detection teams, canine teams, tactic teams, and public safety dive teams around the nation.
 * Requires DHS to develop within 90 days of enactment, and then periodically update, a national strategy to prevent and prepare for terrorist explosive attacks in the United States.
 * Requires the department’s Science and Technology Directorate to ensure coordination and information sharing regarding research, development, testing, and evaluation activities relating to explosives, as well as the tools and technologies necessary to neutralize and disable explosive devices.

House action
Rep. Peter King (R-NY) introduced the National Bombing Prevention Act of 2009 on January 15, 2009. After suspending the rules, the House passed the bill without amendment on February 3, 2009, by a voice vote.

Senate action
The bill was received in the Senate on February 4, 2009, and then referred to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.