Rep. Crawford Introduces Legislation to Establish Bombing Prevention Office

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Sara Robertson (Sara.Robertson2@mail.house.gov)

Rep. Crawford Introduces Legislation to Establish Bombing Prevention Office

3/2/2022

Washington — On Monday, Representative Rick Crawford (AR-01) joined Rep. Malinowski (NJ-07) to introduce H.R. 6873, the Bombing Prevention Act of 2022. This legislation would establish the Office for Bombing Prevention (OBP) within the Department of Homeland Security to address terrorist explosive threats. 

By providing OBP with statuary authority, the office would be able to:

• Provide critical training, guidance, assessments, and planning assistance to Federal, State, local, private sector, and other entities who are on the front lines facing these threats on a daily basis. 
• Facilitate counter explosives information sharing and incident support and support security of explosives and explosive precursor chemicals outside of regulatory control.
• Coordinate the efforts of the Department of Homeland Security to counter the use of explosives and explosive devices while providing oversight of the Department’s efforts, including preparedness, funding and operational requirements, for explosives threats.

While the landscape of terrorist threats is changing, explosive devices are continually used in targeted attacks. These incidents cause fear, disrupt operations, and draw upon resources. For example, on Christmas Day 2020, a large IED-explosive was detonated in Nashville, and as recently as last week, some Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have been targeted with bomb threats.

“As a former Army Bomb Technician, I know firsthand the unique training and preparation it takes to recognize and react to potential bomb threats. The U.S. saw a 71 percent increase in domestic bombings in 2020, with over 15,000 total explosive-related threats and incidents per year, most of which at the hands of terrorist activity. Through the passage of the Bombing Prevention Act, I can confidently say we will be better equipped to prevent, detect, respond to, and mitigate the use of explosives and protect civilian lives. We must not wait for the next threat or major bomb detonation for us to realize the need for live-saving legislation like this bill,” said Rep. Crawford. 

Today, the Bombing Prevention Act was passed out of the House Homeland Security Committee. Rep. Crawford is hopeful that this legislation will come to the House floor for a vote in the coming months.  

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