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Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act of 1998

Public Law 105-181 · S. 1605 · 105th Congress · began in the Senate

Signed by Bill Clinton (D) on Jun 16, 1998 · Crime and Law Enforcement

Sponsor: Sen. Ben Campbell (R-CO)

Cosponsors (20): Sen. Patrick Leahy,

Passage votes

  • HouseUnanimous consent
  • SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes

The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act of 1998 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance to: (1) make grants to States, local governments, and Indian tribes to purchase armor vests for use by State, local, and tribal law enforcement officers; and (2) give preferential consideration to applications from jurisdictions that have the greatest need, have or will institute a mandatory wear policy, and have a violent crime rate at or above the national average or have not received specified grants under the Local Law Enforcement Block Grant program (makes local governments receiving funding under such program ineligible for a grant under this Act unless the chief executive officer of such local government certifies that it considered or will consider using funding received under such program for costs of armor vests but does not expect to use such funds for that purpose).

Provides that a qualifying State, unit of local government, or Indian tribe may not receive less than .5 percent nor more than five percent of the total amount appropriated in each fiscal year for such grants, and that a State, together with grantees within the State, may not receive more than 20 percent of the total amount appropriated in each fiscal year for such grants.

Limits the portion of program costs provided by such grant to 50 percent. Authorizes the use of funds appropriated by the Congress for the activities of any agency of an Indian tribal government or the Bureau of Indian Affairs performing law enforcement functions on Indian lands for the non-Federal share of a matching requirement funded under this Act. Requires that at least half of the funds available under this Act be awarded to local governments with fewer than 100,000 residents.

Sets forth application requirements.

Authorizes appropriations.

Expresses the sense of the Congress that entities receiving assistance under this Act should, in expending such assistance, purchase only American-made equipment and products.

Committees

The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

  • Judiciary Committee · House · discharged from, referred toSubcommittee: Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee
  • Judiciary Committee · Senate · markup by, referred to, reported by
Data notes

A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 19 actions.

  1. Jun 16, 1998Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 105-181.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Jun 4, 1998PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
  4. May 15, 1998Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to House amendments by Unanimous Consent.
  5. May 12, 1998FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  6. FloorFloor · The title of the measure was amended to that of similar measure H.R. 2829. Agreed to without objection.
  7. FloorFloor · A similar measure H.R. 2829 was laid on the table without objection.
  8. FloorFloor · On passage Passed without objection.
  9. FloorFloor · The House struck all after the enacting clause and inserted in lieu thereof the provisions of a similar measure H.R. 2829. Agreed to without objection.
  10. FloorFloor · Considered by unanimous consent.
  11. FloorFloor · Mr. McCollum asked unanimous consent to discharge from committee and consider.
  12. CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from House Judiciary Committee
  13. Mar 19, 1998CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee
  14. Mar 12, 1998CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Judiciary Committee
  15. Mar 11, 1998FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
  16. Feb 26, 1998CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Judiciary Committee
  17. CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Judiciary Committee
  18. Feb 4, 1998CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee
  19. IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the Senate
Data notes

Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.

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Official record

The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.