I 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4940 

To increase the number of U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers 

and support staff, to require reports that identify staffing, infrastructure, 

and equipment needed to enhance security at ports of entry, and for 

other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 6, 2018 

Mr. VELA (for himself, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. PAYNE, Ms. 

BARRAGA ́N, Mrs. DEMINGS, Mr. CORREA, Ms. JACKSON LEE, and Miss 

RICE of New York) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 

the Committee on Homeland Security, and in addition to the Committees 

on Ways and Means, and Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 

as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To increase the number of U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers and support staff, to require reports that 

identify staffing, infrastructure, and equipment needed 

to enhance security at ports of entry, and for other 

purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Border and Port Secu5 rity Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. ADDITIONAL U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTEC2 TION PERSONNEL. 

3 (a) OFFICERS.—The Commissioner of U.S. Customs 

4 and Border Protection shall every fiscal year hire, train, 

5 and assign not fewer than 500 new officers above the level 

6 as of September 30 of the immediately preceding fiscal 

7 year until the total number of officers equals the require8 ments identified each year in the Workload Staffing Model 

9 developed by the Commissioner. 

10 (b) AGRICULTURAL SPECIALISTS.—The Commis11 sioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection shall every 

12 fiscal year hire, train, and assign not fewer than 100 new 

13 agricultural specialists above the level as of September 30 

14 of the immediately preceding fiscal year until the total 

15 number of officers equals the requirements identified each 

16 year in the Agriculture Resource Allocation Model devel17 oped by the Commissioner. 

18 (c) INVESTIGATORS.—The Commissioner of U.S. 

19 Customs and Border Protection shall every fiscal year 

20 hire, train, and assign 30 new full-time investigators with21 in the Office of Professional Responsibility of U.S. Cus22 toms and Border Protection until the total number of in23 vestigators enables the Office to fulfill its mission propor24 tionate to the number of new personnel hired in accord25 ance with subsections (a) and (b). 


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1 (d) SUPPORT STAFF.—The Commissioner of U.S. 

2 Customs and Border Protection is authorized to hire, 

3 train, and assign support staff, including technicians, to 

4 perform non-law enforcement administrative functions to 

5 support the new officers hired pursuant to subsection (a). 

6 (e) TRAFFIC FORECASTS.—In calculating the number 

7 of officers needed at each land, air, and maritime port of 

8 entry through the Workload Staffing Model, the Office of 

9 Field Operations of U.S. Customs and Border Protection 

10 shall— 

11 (1) rely on data collected regarding the inspec12 tions and other activities conducted at each such 

13 port of entry; and 

14 (2) consider volume from seasonal surges, other 

15 projected changes in commercial and passenger vol16 umes, the most current commercial forecasts, and 

17 other relevant information. 

18 (f) AMENDMENT.—Subparagraph (A) of section 

19 411(g)(5) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 

20 U.S.C. 211(g)(5)) is amended— 

21 (1) by striking ‘‘model’’ and inserting ‘‘mod22 els’’; 

23 (2) by inserting ‘‘agricultural specialists,’’ be24 fore ‘‘and support personnel’’; and 


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1 (3) by inserting before the period at the end the 

2 following: ‘‘, and information concerning the 

3 progress made toward meeting officer, agriculture 

4 specialist, and support staff hiring targets, while ac5 counting for attrition’’. 

6 (g) GAO REPORT.—If by September 30, 2020, the 

7 Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection has 

8 not hired at least 500 additional officers authorized under 

9 subsection (a) or at least 50 additional agriculture special10 ists authorized under subsection (b), and in any subse11 quent fiscal year in which the staffing levels specified in 

12 the Workload Staffing Model or Agriculture Resource Al13 location Model for the Office of Field Operations have not 

14 been achieved, the Comptroller General of the United 

15 States shall— 

16 (1) conduct a review of U.S. Customs and Bor17 der Protection hiring policies and processes to iden18 tify factors contributing to such levels not being 

19 achieved and any other issues related to hiring by 

20 U.S. Customs and Border Protection; 

21 (2) consider attrition levels within the Office of 

22 Field Operations to identify associated factors con23 tributing to attrition within the workforce of such 

24 Office; and 


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1 (3) submit to the Committee on Homeland Se2 curity of the House of Representatives and the Com3 mittee on Homeland Security and Governmental Af4 fairs of the Senate a report that describes the re5 sults of the review and consideration under para6 graphs (1) and (2), respectively, and that contains 

7 recommendations to enhance the likelihood of achiev8 ing such staffing levels. 

9 SEC. 3. PORTS OF ENTRY INFRASTRUCTURE ENHANCE10 MENT REPORT. 

11 Not later than 90 days after the date of the enact12 ment of this Act, the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and 

13 Border Protection shall submit to the Committee on 

14 Homeland Security of the House of Representatives and 

15 the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental 

16 Affairs of the Senate a report that identifies— 

17 (1) infrastructure improvements at ports of 

18 entry that would enhance the ability of U.S. Cus19 toms and Border Protection officers to detect, inter20 dict, disrupt, and prevent fentanyl, other synthetic 

21 opioids, and other narcotics and psychoactive sub22 stances and associated contraband from entering the 

23 United States, including a description of cir24 cumstances in which effective technology in use at 


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1 certain ports of entry cannot be implemented at 

2 other ports of entry; 

3 (2) detection equipment that would improve the 

4 ability of such officers to identify such drugs and 

5 other dangers that are being illegally transported 

6 into the United States; and 

7 (3) safety equipment that would protect such 

8 officers from accidental exposure to such drugs or 

9 other dangers associated with the inspection of po10 tential drug traffickers. 

11 SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

12 There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

13 this Act $82,775,000 in fiscal year 2018 and $93,095,000 

14 for each of the fiscal years 2019 through 2024. 

Æ 


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