II

105TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. 1787

To authorize additional appropriations for United States Customs Service

personnel and technology in order to expedite the flow of legal commercial

and passenger traffic at United States land borders.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

MARCH 17, 1998

Mr. GRAMM (for himself, Mrs. HUTCHISON, Mr. GRASSLEY, Mr. D’AMATO,

Mr. KYL, Mr. GORTON, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mr. BINGAMAN, Mrs. BOXER,

Mrs. MURRAY, Mr. MCCAIN, and Mr. DOMENICI) introduced the following

bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance

A BILL

To authorize additional appropriations for United States

Customs Service personnel and technology in order to

expedite the flow of legal commercial and passenger traffic at United States land borders.

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

3 SECTION 1. AUTHORIZATION FOR UNITED STATES CUS4 TOMS SERVICE.

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—In order to enhance border inves6 tigative resources on the Southwest border, enhance inves7 tigative resources for anticorruption efforts, intensify ef-
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1 forts against drug smuggling and money-laundering orga2 nizations, process cargo, reduce commercial and passenger

3 traffic waiting times, and open all primary lanes during

4 peak hours at certain ports on the Southwest and North5 ern borders, in addition to any other amount appropriated,

6 there are authorized to be appropriated for salaries, ex7 penses, and equipment for the United States Customs

8 Service for purposes of carrying out this section—

9 (1) $161,248,584 for fiscal year 1999;

10 (2) $185,751,328 for fiscal year 2000; and

11 (3) such sums as may be necessary in each fis12 cal year thereafter.

13 (b) FISCAL YEAR 1999.—Of the amounts authorized

14 to be appropriated under subsection (a)(1) for fiscal year

15 1999, $48,404,000 shall be available until expended for

16 acquisition and other expenses associated with implemen17 tation and full deployment of narcotics enforcement and

18 cargo processing technology along the Southwest border,

19 including—

20 (1) $6,000,000 for 8 Vehicle and Container In21 spection Systems (VACIS);

22 (2) $11,000,000 for 5 mobile truck x-rays with

23 transmission and backscatter imaging;

24 (3) $12,000,000 for the upgrade of 8 fixed-site

25 truck x-rays from the present energy level of
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1 450,000 electron volts to 1,000,000 electron volts

2 (1–MeV);

3 (4) $7,200,000 for 8 1–MeV pallet x-rays;

4 (5) $1,000,000 for 200 portable contraband de5 tectors (busters) to be distributed among ports

6 where the current allocations are inadequate;

7 (6) $600,000 for 50 contraband detection kits

8 to be distributed among all Southwest border ports

9 based on traffic volume;

10 (7) $500,000 for 25 ultrasonic container in11 spection units to be distributed among all ports re12 ceiving liquid-filled cargo and to ports with a haz13 ardous material inspection facility;

14 (8) $2,450,000 for 7 automated targeting sys15 tems;

16 (9) $360,000 for 30 rapid tire deflator systems

17 to be distributed to those ports where port runners

18 are a threat;

19 (10) $480,000 for 20 Portable Treasury En20 forcement Communications System (TECS) termi21 nals to be moved among ports as needed;

22 (11) $1,000,000 for 20 remote watch surveil23 lance camera systems at ports where there are sus24 picious activities at loading docks, vehicle queues,
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1 secondary inspection lanes, or areas where visual

2 surveillance or observation is obscured;

3 (12) $1,254,000 for 57 weigh-in-motion sensors

4 to be distributed among the ports with the greatest

5 volume of outbound traffic;

6 (13) $180,000 for 36 AM radio ‘‘Welcome to

7 the United States’’ stations, with 1 station to be lo8 cated at each border crossing;

9 (14) $1,040,000 for 260 inbound vehicle

10 counters to be installed at every inbound vehicle

11 lane;

12 (15) $950,000 for 38 spotter camera systems to

13 counter the surveillance of Customs inspection ac14 tivities by persons outside the boundaries of ports

15 where such surveillance activities are occurring;

16 (16) $390,000 for 60 inbound commercial truck

17 transponders to be distributed to all ports of entry;

18 (17) $1,600,000 for 40 narcotics vapor and

19 particle detectors to be distributed to each border

20 crossing; and

21 (18) $400,000 for license plate reader auto22 matic targeting software to be installed at each port

23 to target inbound vehicles.

24 (c) FISCAL YEAR 2000 AND THEREAFTER.—Of the

25 amount authorized to be appropriated under subsection
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1 (a) (2) and (3) for fiscal year 2000 and each fiscal year

2 thereafter, $4,840,400 shall be for the maintenance and

3 support of the equipment and training of personnel to

4 maintain and support the equipment described in sub5 section (b), based on an estimate of 10 percent of the cost

6 of such equipment.

7 (d) NEW TECHNOLOGIES: USE OF FUNDS.—

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Commissioner of Cus9 toms may use the amounts authorized to be appro10 priated for equipment under this section for equip11 ment other than the equipment specified in sub12 section (b) if such other equipment—

13 (A)(i) is technologically superior to the

14 equipment specified in subsection (b); and

15 (ii) will achieve at least the same results at

16 a cost that is the same or less than the equip17 ment specified in subsection (b); or

18 (B) can be obtained at a lower cost than

19 the equipment authorized in paragraphs (1)

20 through (18).

21 (2) TRANSFER OF FUNDS.—Notwithstanding

22 any other provision of this section, the Commissioner

23 of Customs may reallocate an amount not to exceed

24 10 percent of the amount specified in any of para25 graphs (1) through (18) of subsection (b) for equip-
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1 ment specified in any other of such paragraphs (1)

2 through (18).

3 (e) PEAK HOURS AND INVESTIGATIVE RESOURCE

4 ENHANCEMENT.—Of the amounts authorized to be appro5 priated under subsection (a) for fiscal years 1999 and

6 2000, $112,844,584 in fiscal year 1999 and $180,910,928

7 for fiscal year 2000 shall be for—

8 (1) a net increase of 535 inspectors and 60 spe9 cial agents for the Southwest border and 375 inspec10 tors for the Northern border, in order to open all

11 primary lanes on the Southwest and Northern bor12 ders during peak hours and enhance investigative re13 sources;

14 (2) a net increase of 285 inspectors and canine

15 enforcement officers to be distributed at large cargo

16 facilities as needed to process and screen cargo (in17 cluding rail cargo) and reduce commercial waiting

18 times on the Southwest border;

19 (3) a net increase of 360 special agents, 40 in20 telligence analysts, and additional resources to be

21 distributed among offices that have jurisdiction over

22 major metropolitan drug or narcotics distribution

23 and transportation centers for intensification of ef24 forts against drug smuggling and money-laundering

25 organizations;
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1 (4) a net increase of 50 positions and additional

2 resources to the Office of Internal Affairs to enhance

3 investigative resources for anticorruption efforts;

4 and

5 (5) the costs incurred as a result of the increase

6 in personnel hired pursuant to this section.

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