[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8230 Introduced in House (IH)]
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116th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8230
To require the Department of Homeland Security to develop a
comprehensive plan to identify, deploy, and integrate emerging
technologies to achieve greater situational awareness along the
northern and southern borders of the United States.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 11, 2020
Ms. Slotkin (for herself, Ms. Stefanik, Mr. Taylor, and Ms. Torres
Small of New Mexico) introduced the following bill; which was referred
to the Committee on Homeland Security
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Department of Homeland Security to develop a
comprehensive plan to identify, deploy, and integrate emerging
technologies to achieve greater situational awareness along the
northern and southern borders of the United States.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Integrating New Technologies to
Empower Law Enforcement at Our Borders Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Our border security is directly tied to our national
security.
(2) U.S. Customs and Border Protection faces a daunting
challenge in maintaining situational awareness along the United
States northern and southern borders.
(3) The United States northern border is the longest common
non-militarized border between two countries.
(4) The United States southern border is nearly 2,000 miles
long, stretching across rugged and varied terrain.
(5) Emerging technologies present an opportunity to reduce
current strains on manpower while improving situational
awareness along the northern and southern borders.
(6) U.S. Customs and Border Protection is currently testing
a number of emerging technology programs that will help improve
situational awareness along the northern and southern borders.
(7) Successfully integrating these technologies into a
layered border defense requires a strategic plan for
transitioning new programs from the testing and development
stage to wide-scale implementation along both the northern and
southern borders.
SEC. 3. COMPREHENSIVE PLAN TO ACHIEVE GREATER SITUATIONAL AWARENESS
ALONG THE NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN BORDERS OF THE UNITED
STATES.
(a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall develop
and submit to the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental
Affairs of the Senate a plan to identify, deploy, and integrate
emerging and advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence,
machine-learning, automation, fiber-optic sensing technology,
nanotechnology, optical and cognitive radar, modeling and simulation
technology, hyperspectral and LIDAR sensors, imaging, identification,
and categorization systems, and other similar emerging and advanced
technologies, to achieve greater situational awareness along the
northern and southern borders of the United States between ports of
entry.
(b) Contents.--The plan required under subsection (a) shall include
the following:
(1) An assessment of how U.S. Customs and Border Protection
(CBP) is currently utilizing emerging and advanced technologies
referred to in such subsection to achieve situational awareness
along the northern and southern borders of the United States.
(2) An assessment of how border security capability gaps
can be addressed through the integration and deployment of such
technologies.
(3) Cost estimates for the acquisition and maintenance, as
the case may be, of technologies referred to in such
subsection.
(4) Metrics to measure how technologies referred to in such
subsection will assist in supporting CBP's mission.
(5) An assessment of how metrics referred to in paragraph
(4) can be used to facilitate improvements in situational
awareness at the northern and southern borders of the United
States.
(6) An assessment of how the integration of such
technologies will support the improvement of multi-domain
awareness capabilities.
(7) An analysis of technologies used by other Federal
departments and agencies not in use by CBP that could assist in
improving situational awareness, and how such technologies
would be utilized.
(8) An analysis of authorities CBP can use to procure
technologies referred to in such subsection, and whether
additional or alternative authorities are needed.
(9) An explanation of how CBP plans to scale existing
programs related to emerging and advanced technologies and
efficiently transition new technology systems into programs of
record.
(10) An assessment of CBP legacy technology programs that
could be phased out and replaced by technologies referred to in
such subsection and cost estimates relating to phasing out and
replacing such programs.
(11) Information relating to how CBP is coordinating with
the Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology
Directorate to--
(A) research and develop new technologies to meet
mission needs and address gaps in situational
awareness; and
(B) incentivize the private sector to develop
technologies that will help meet mission needs to
address gaps in situational awareness.
(c) Definition.--In this section, the term ``situational
awareness'' has the meaning given such term in section 1092(a) of the
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 (Public Law
114-328; 6 U.S.C. 223).
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