H.R. 4159

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4159 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4159

To require the Secretary of Defense to issue regulations requiring that 
optional combat boots worn by members of the Armed Forces wear be made 
in America, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

June 26, 2025

Ms. Budzinski (for herself, Mr. Bost, and Mr. Golden of Maine) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To require the Secretary of Defense to issue regulations requiring that 
optional combat boots worn by members of the Armed Forces wear be made 
in America, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. REGULATIONS APPLICABLE TO COMBAT FOOTWEAR OF MEMBERS OF ALL 
BRANCHES OF THE ARMED FORCES.

(a) In General.--Not later than 730 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall issue regulations 
prohibiting any member of the armed forces from wearing optional combat 
boots as part of a required uniform unless the optional combat boots 
are entirely manufactured in the United States and entirely made of--
(1) materials grown, reprocessed, reused, or produced in 
the United States; and
(2) components that are manufactured entirely in the United 
States and entirely made of materials described in paragraph 
(1).
(b) Availability Exemption.--
(1) In general.--A Secretary concerned may make a 
determination described in subsection (c) of section 4862 of 
title 10, United States Code, with respect to optional combat 
boots designed for a specific use and a specific need of the 
Department of Defense in the same manner as an article or item 
under subsection (a) of such section.
(2) Applicability.--If a Secretary concerned makes a 
determination described in paragraph (1) with respect to 
optional combat boots designed for a specific use and a 
specific need of the Department of Defense, the Secretary 
concerned may waive the prohibition under subsection (a) with 
respect to such optional combat boots designed for a specific 
use to the extent necessary to meet such need.
(c) Medical Exemption.--The prohibition under subsection (a) shall 
not apply to the wearing of optional combat boots by a member of the 
armed forces if such optional combat boots are medically necessary to 
meet a unique physiological need of such member of the armed forces.
(d) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Armed forces; secretary concerned.--The terms ``armed 
forces'' and ``Secretary concerned'' have the meanings given 
such terms, respectively, in section 101(a) of title 10, United 
States Code.
(2) Optional combat boots.--The term ``optional combat 
boots'', with respect to a member of the armed forces, means 
combat boots not furnished to such member of the armed forces 
by the Secretary of Defense.
(3) Required uniform.--The term ``required uniform'' means 
a uniform a member of the armed forces is required to wear as a 
member of the armed forces.
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