[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8146 Referred in Senate (RFS)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8146
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 20, 2024
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To require a report by the Attorney General on the impact the border
crisis is having on law enforcement at the Federal, State, local, and
Tribal level.
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 ``Police Our Border Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds as follows:
(1) Our Federal, State, local, and Tribal law enforcement
officers put their lives on the line each day in order to
protect our country and serve their communities.
(2) According to the National Law Enforcement Officer
Memorial Fund, 136 law enforcement officers died in the line-
of-duty in 2023.
(3) Congress should do everything in its power to support
law enforcement officers at every level and in every part of
our nation.
(4) The southwest border crisis created by the Biden
Administration has made every state a border state.
(5) The Biden border crisis has placed a burden on law
enforcement agencies across the nation and has placed a
significant strain on the resources that are critical to
keeping communities safe.
(6) Law enforcement officers in every state are put in
life-threatening scenarios as a direct result of the open
borders.
(7) Law enforcement has been forced to deal with the influx
of fentanyl and many officers are exposed to the drug while on
duty.
(8) It is in the best interest of law enforcement officers
and the communities they serve for Congress to pass, and the
President to sign into law, strong border security legislation,
and for the President to utilize long standing authorities,
including under section 212(f) of the Immigration and
Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(f)), to secure the southern
border.
SEC. 3. REPORT.
Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act,
the Attorney General shall submit to Congress a report on the impact
the Biden border crisis is having on law enforcement officers at the
Federal, State, local, and Tribal level, including--
(1) the estimated dollar amount of all resources devoted to
addressing the Biden border crisis, and the extent to which
such resources are not available to law enforcement agencies;
(2) the exposure of law enforcement officers to fentanyl
resulting from encounters with illegal aliens at the border and
in the United States, and the nationality of each such alien;
(3) injuries to law enforcement officers based on a
connection to the Biden border crisis or exposure to fentanyl;
(4) the morale of law enforcement officers;
(5) the recruiting impact on hiring law enforcement as a
result of the Biden border crisis;
(6) estimated dollar amount States expended on local law
enforcement efforts to investigate, intercept, and process,
which includes the entire evidence lifecycle, from collection
and analysis to storage and final destruction, fentanyl
trafficked from the United States border; and
(7) how many law enforcement officers have been reassigned
and local resources reallocated to investigate, intercept, and
process, which includes the entire evidence lifecycle, from
collection and analysis to storage and final destruction,
fentanyl trafficked from the United States border.
Passed the House of Representatives May 16, 2024.
Attest:
KEVIN F. MCCUMBER,
Clerk.