I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7074 

To affirm the State of Texas’s right to implement operational protections 

along the southern border, to authorize the State to construct a physical 

border wall in areas where the international border is not adequately 

protected with physical barriers, and to allow reimbursement from the 

Federal Government. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 22, 2024 

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas introduced the following bill; which was referred to 

the Committee on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

To affirm the State of Texas’s right to implement operational 

protections along the southern border, to authorize the 

State to construct a physical border wall in areas where 

the international border is not adequately protected with 

physical barriers, and to allow reimbursement from the 

Federal Government. 

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 ‘‘State of Texas Oper5 ational Protections Act’’ or the ‘‘STOP Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 Congress finds the following: 

3 (1) Certain sections of the southern border 

4 within the State of Texas lack sufficient protection 

5 posing a significant threat to the safety and security 

6 of the State’s residents. 

7 (2) The Department of Justice stated that the 

8 Federal Government has the primary authority to 

9 regulate immigration and manage United States 

10 international borders. 

11 (3) Due to the lack of action by the Federal 

12 Government, the State of Texas has been forced to 

13 continually appropriate funds and provide protec14 tions to secure the southern border of the United 

15 States. 

16 (4) Since 2021, there have been over 6.7 million 

17 illegal crossings at the southern border, which has 

18 impacted Texans throughout the State. 

19 (5) The Governor of Texas must have the capa20 bility to act and defend the State from the ongoing 

21 invasion at the southern border. 

22 SEC. 3. STATE OPERATIONAL PROTECTIONS. 

23 (a) The State of Texas reserves the right to imple24 ment operational protections along the international bor25 der, including physical barriers, increased law enforcement 

26 presence, surveillance technologies, and other measures 


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1 deemed necessary to enhance border security and stop ille2 gal crossings. 

3 (b) The Texas Department of Public Safety shall col4 laborate with Federal, State, and local authorities to co5 ordinate and implement operational protections in a man6 ner consistent with State and Federal laws. 

7 SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION FOR BORDER WALL CONSTRUC8 TION. 

9 (a) The State of Texas is hereby authorized to plan, 

10 design, and construct physical barriers, including but not 

11 limited to walls, fences, and other structures, along sec12 tions of the international border that are deemed vulner13 able to illegal entry or other security risks by the Governor 

14 of Texas. 

15 (b) The Texas Department of Public Safety, in co16 ordination with relevant State agencies, is tasked with 

17 identifying the specific areas in need of enhanced border 

18 security measures. 

19 SEC. 5. REIMBURSEMENT. 

20 (a) The State of Texas may seek reimbursement from 

21 the Federal Government for costs associated with con22 structing physical barriers, as well as implementing oper23 ational protections along the international border. 

24 (b) The Texas Department of Public Safety shall sub25 mit requests for reimbursement to appropriate Federal 


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1 agencies and work diligently to secure Federal funds to 

2 offset the expenses incurred by the State in carrying out 

3 the provisions of this Act. 

4 SEC. 6. EFFECTIVE DATE. 

5 This Act shall take effect 60 days after enactment 

6 of this Act. 

Æ 


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