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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 10265 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                               H. R. 10265

   To establish the Department of Homeland Security Northern Border 
                Mission Center, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 29, 2024

Mr. Suozzi (for himself and Mr. Pappas) introduced the following bill; 
        which was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
   To establish the Department of Homeland Security Northern Border 
                Mission Center, 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 ``Securing our Northern Border Act''.

SEC. 2. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY NORTHERN BORDER MISSION CENTER.

    (a) Establishment.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish the Department of 
Homeland Security Northern Border Mission Center.
    (b) Purpose.--The purpose of the Center shall be to serve as the 
Department's forward deployed centralized operations support center for 
domain awareness, information sharing, intelligence, training, and 
stakeholder engagement with Federal, State, tribal, local, and 
international government partners along the northern border of the 
United States.
    (c) Location.--The Center shall be placed along the northern border 
at a location that is collocated with an existing U.S. Border Patrol 
sector headquarters, an Air and Marine Operations branch, and a United 
States Coast Guard air station, and other existing Department 
activities.
    (d) Components.--
            (1) In general.--The Center shall collocate personnel and 
        activities of--
                    (A) U.S. Customs and Border Protection;
                    (B) the United States Coast Guard;
                    (C) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's 
                Homeland Security Investigations; and
                    (D) other components and offices of the Department 
                that the Secretary determines to be necessary, 
                including to support the training, technology testing, 
                and development described in subsection (e).
            (2) Additional personnel.--Additional Federal, State, 
        tribal, local, and international government partners may be 
        collocated as the Secretary determines to be necessary and 
        appropriate to support the operations described in this 
        section.
    (e) Functions.--
            (1) In general.--The Center shall perform the functions 
        described in this subsection in addition to any other functions 
        assigned by the Secretary. In carrying out these functions, the 
        Center shall support the Department's northern border security 
        operations.
            (2) Northern border strategy.--The Center, in collaboration 
        with relevant offices and components of the Department, shall--
                    (A) serve as a coordination mechanism for 
                operational components for the implementation of the 
                Department of Homeland Security Northern Border 
                Strategy and any successor strategy and support 
                appropriate offices of the Department in the evaluation 
                and updating of the Department of Homeland Security 
                Northern Border Strategy and any successor strategy; 
                and
                    (B) support the development of best practices and 
                policies for personnel at the northern border to 
                support such implementation.
            (3) Training.--The Center shall serve as a training 
        location to support the delivery of training or exercises for 
        Department personnel and Federal, State, tribal, local, and 
        international government partners.
            (4) Resource and technological needs and challenges.--The 
        Center, in collaboration with relevant offices and components 
        of the Department, shall--
                    (A) identify resource and technological needs or 
                challenges affecting security along the northern 
                border; and
                    (B) serve as a testing ground and demonstration 
                location for the testing of border security technology, 
                including determining such technology's suitability and 
                performance in the northern border and maritime 
                environments.
            (5) Air and marine operations.--
                    (A) Quick reaction capabilities.--In support of the 
                Center, U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Air and 
                Marine Operations shall establish and maintain 
                capability that is collocated with the Center and 
                available for quick deployment in support of the 
                northern border missions, U.S. Customs and Border 
                Protection, and the Department, including missions in 
                the Great Lakes region.
                    (B) Northern border domain awareness.--In order to 
                coordinate with the Center and support its operations, 
                the Air and Marine Operations Center shall collocate 
                personnel and resources with the Center to enhance the 
                Department's capabilities to--
                            (i) support air and maritime domain 
                        awareness and information sharing efforts along 
                        the northern border;
                            (ii) provide dedicated monitoring of 
                        northern border systems; and
                            (iii) lead, in coordination with other U.S. 
                        Customs and Border Protection components, 
                        Federal, State, tribal, local, and 
                        international governments, and private sector 
                        partners, the Center's efforts to track and 
                        monitor legitimate cross-border traffic 
                        involving unmanned aircraft and unmanned 
                        aircraft systems.
            (6) Counter-unmanned aircraft systems.--
                    (A) In general.--Pursuant to policies established 
                by the Secretary, consistent with section 210G of the 
                Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 124n), the 
                Center shall support counter-unmanned aircraft systems 
                operations along the northern border to respond to the 
                increased use of unmanned aircraft systems.
                    (B) Rule of construction.--Nothing in this section 
                may be construed to provide additional authority 
                related to detection, mitigation, research, 
                development, or testing of unmanned aircraft systems or 
                counter-unmanned aircraft systems.
            (7) Privacy and civil rights.--The Center, in collaboration 
        with the Chief Privacy Officer and the Office for Civil Rights 
        and Civil Liberties of the Department, shall ensure that 
        operations and practices of the Center comply with the privacy 
        and civil rights policies of the Department and its components, 
        and as necessary, ensure there are resources or personnel 
        available to support the Center's mission onsite.
            (8) Noncontiguous northern border.--The Center, in 
        collaboration with relevant offices and components of the 
        Department, shall identify the specific challenges that exist 
        along the noncontiguous international land border with Canada 
        and the maritime border with Russia, including resource, 
        technological challenges, and domain awareness.
    (f) Annual Reporting.--Not later than 180 days after the 
establishment of the Center, and annually thereafter, the Secretary 
shall submit a report, that may include a classified annex or a 
sensitive but unclassified annex, to the Committee on Homeland Security 
and Governmental Affairs of the Senate, the Committee on Foreign 
Relations of the Senate, the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation of the Senate, the Committee on Homeland Security of the 
House of Representatives, the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House 
of Representatives, and the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure of the House of Representatives that describes the 
activities of the Center during the most recently concluded fiscal 
year, including--
            (1) personnel levels;
            (2) additional resources that are needed to support the 
        operations of the Center and northern border operations of the 
        Department; and
            (3) any additional assets or authorities that are needed to 
        increase security and domain awareness along the northern 
        border.
    (g) Temporary Duty Assignments.--The Secretary shall submit a 
quarterly report to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental 
Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Homeland Security of the 
House of Representatives regarding temporary duty assignments of U.S. 
Border Patrol agents during the reporting period, including--
            (1) the number of agents on temporary duty assignment;
            (2) the duration of the temporary duty assignment;
            (3) the sectors from which the agents were assigned; and
            (4) the sectors to which the agents were assigned.
    (h) Report on Large Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operations.--Not 
later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary of Homeland Security shall submit a report to the Committee 
on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate, the 
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, the 
Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives, and the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 
Representatives on the Department's operation of large unmanned 
aircraft systems. The report shall include information on existing 
large unmanned aircraft systems, as well as recommendations on how to 
enable the operations of large unmanned aircraft systems based at the 
Center established pursuant to subsection (a) of this section.
    (i) Rules of Construction.--
            (1) Authority to establish center.--The Center established 
        pursuant to subsection (a) shall be established separate and 
        distinct from the Secretary's authorities under section 708 of 
        the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 348).
            (2) Commandant authority.--Nothing in this section shall be 
        construed to affect, impinge, or alter any authority of the 
        Commandant of the Coast Guard under title 14 or title 46, 
        United States Code, or limit the Commandant's discretion and 
        ability to deploy Coast Guard assets and personnel.
    (j) Sunset.--This section shall cease to be effective beginning on 
October 1, 2027.
    (k) No Additional Funds.--No additional funds are authorized to be 
appropriated for the purpose of carrying out this section.
    (l) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Center.--The term ``Center'' means the Department of 
        Homeland Security Northern Border Mission Center established 
        pursuant to subsection (a).
            (2) Department.--The term ``Department'' means the 
        Department of Homeland Security.
            (3) Northern border.--The term ``northern border'' means--
                    (A) the international border between the United 
                States and Canada; and
                    (B) the maritime border between Alaska and the 
                Russian Federation.
            (4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Homeland Security.
                                 <all>
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