[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3891 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3891
To amend the Northern Border Security Review Act to require an annual
report and update the northern border threat analysis, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 10, 2025
Mr. Stauber (for himself, Mr. Langworthy, Mr. Bergman, Mr. Tiffany, Ms.
Tenney, Ms. Stefanik, and Mrs. Hinson) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Northern Border Security Review Act to require an annual
report and update the northern border threat analysis, 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. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Northern Border Security and
Staffing Reform Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND SENSE OF CONGRESS.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) Between 2002 and 2011, U.S. Customs and Border
Protection (CBP) roughly doubled their staffing levels, and
according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office
Workload Staffing Model that calculates the number of CBP
officers estimated to carry out the CBP mission at each air,
sea, and land port of entry in the United States, states that
the current staffing gap between the model results and the
current staffing levels indicates a nationwide staffing
shortage of 5,800 CBP officers.
(2) The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008 (Public Law
110-161) made Customs and Border Protection Officers eligible
for the 1.7 percent enhanced law enforcement officer (LEO)
retirement system, which allows law enforcement officers to
retire at age 50 with 20 years of service, or at any age with
25 years of service.
(3) On April 30, 2024, then-Senior Official Performing the
Duties of the Commissioner Troy A. Miller testified before the
Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives
that ports of entry face a 400 percent increase in retirements
in 2028.
(4) This retirement surge would disproportionately affect
ports of entry along the northern border.
(5) A 400 percent retirement surge would leave ports of
entry along the northern border understaffed and unable to
protect the American people from threats.
(6) Ports of entry along the northern border face unique
staffing challenges due to their harsh winters, isolated
locations, limited economic opportunities, and scarce housing
markets. These factors make it difficult for northern ports of
entry to recruit and retain officers who are not from its
region.
(b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that U.S.
Customs and Border Protection must begin a hiring surge of qualified
recruits at ports of entry along the northern border to avoid the
disastrous effects of the impending retirement surge, future retirement
surges, and current staffing shortage.
SEC. 3. NORTHERN BORDER THREAT ANALYSIS UPDATE.
(a) In General.--The Northern Border Security Review Act (Public
Law 114-267) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a), in the matter preceding paragraph
(1), by striking ``180 days after the date of enactment of this
Act'' and inserting ``not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of the Northern Border Security and Staffing
Reform Act and every five years thereafter'';
(2) in subsection (b)--
(A) by redesignating paragraphs (3) through (6) as
paragraphs (7) through (10), respectively; and
(B) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following
new paragraphs:
``(3) the current number of U.S. Customs and Border
Protection officers and agents deployed along the northern
border compared with the projected demand over the following
years for such officers and agents;
``(4) the future retirement surges of such officers and
agents, associated risks, and plans for mitigation of such
risks;
``(5) any housing challenges along the northern border for
such officers and agents;
``(6) the development of local recruiting plans to promote
the hiring of new U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers
and agents local to areas close to northern ports of entry;'';
(3) by redesignating subsection (c) as subsection (d);
(4) by inserting after subsection (b) the following new
subsection:
``(c) Additional Elements.--The Secretary of Homeland Security
shall also include in each threat analysis required under subsection
(a) the following:
``(1) A plan, and any updates thereto, to address future
retirement surges, staffing challenges, and staffing shortages
along the northern border.
``(2) An assessment of the feasibility of the use of
various recruitment and retention tools, including direct hire
authority, recruitment, retention, and relocation bonuses,
additional pay authorities, and student loan repayment programs
to address staffing shortages along the northern border.''; and
(5) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
``(e) Definition.--In this section, the term `local recruiting
plans' means plans designed to motivate, recruit, hire, assist, and
mentor local qualified candidates to apply for and have a career in
U.S. Customs and Border Protection at nearby ports of entry.''.
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