Rep. LaMonica McIver Introduces Her 1st Bill: ‘Better Body Armor Act’

NEW JERSEY — U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver of New Jersey has introduced her first bill since being elected to the House of Representatives: the “Better Ballistic Body Armor Act.”

McIver recaptured her seat in New Jersey’s 10th District during November’s general election. She was first elected to the position as part of a special election in September to replace the late Rep. Donald Payne Jr.

Since then, McIver has participated in votes on several bills – and now has introduced one of her own.

McIver, who serves on the House Homeland Security Committee, said the proposed federal law would increase the availability of protective body armor such as bulletproof vests to help ensure “better fits” for women agents in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

It’s not a cosmetic decision, the congresswoman said. Ill-fitting body armor for women and people with varying body types can potentially have lethal consequences, and can cause bullets and shrapnel to ricochet off agents’ chest plates and into their necks or spines.

“When we ask our nation’s DHS agents to put themselves in harm’s way for our country, we should make sure they have the right equipment to stay safe,” McIver said.

“Regardless of gender or body type, these DHS agents are doing the same challenging work, but with uniforms made exclusively to fit traditional male bodies, they’re open to more harm,” she continued. “This is a fixable problem with a clear solution: let’s pass this bipartisan bill to provide the right protective gear to everyone who serves.”

In addition to requiring the DHS to provide more sufficient body armor for all who serve, this bill would also beef up reporting standards, so that there is a “clearer record of how many women are receiving compliant ballistic resistant body armor,” McIver said.

The Better Ballistic Body Armor Act has picked up a Republican co-sponsor, Rep. Mike Ezell of Mississippi. A companion bill has been introduced in the Senate.

The 10th District includes the following municipalities: Caldwell, East Orange, Essex Fells, Irvington, Montclair (part), Newark (part), Orange, Verona, West Orange in Essex County; Jersey City (part) in Hudson County; Cranford, Garwood, Hillside, Kenilworth, Linden (part), Roselle, Roselle Park, Union Township in Union County.

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