I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1598 

To require the Secretary of Homeland Security to issue a strategy to improve 

hiring and retention of U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel 

in rural or remote areas, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 7, 2019 

Ms. TORRES SMALL of New Mexico (for herself and Mr. HURD of Texas) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 

Homeland Security 

A BILL 

To require the Secretary of Homeland Security to issue 

a strategy to improve hiring and retention of U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel in rural or remote 

areas, 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 ‘‘U.S. Customs and Bor5 der Protection Rural and Remote Hiring and Retention 

6 Strategy Act of 2019’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. STRATEGY. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year after the 

3 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Home4 land Security, acting through the Chief Human Capital 

5 Officer of the Department of Homeland Security and the 

6 Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 

7 shall issue a strategy and implementation plan, including 

8 benchmarks, to improve the hiring and retention of indi9 viduals by the Commissioner in rural or remote areas. 

10 (b) CONSIDERATIONS.—The strategy required under 

11 subsection (a) shall take into consideration the following: 

12 (1) Feedback from individuals who are U.S. 

13 Customs and Border Protection candidates or new 

14 hires at locations in rural or remote areas, including 

15 feedback on the quality of life in such areas for new 

16 hires and their families. 

17 (2) Feedback from U.S. Customs and Border 

18 Protection personnel, other than new hires, who are 

19 stationed at locations in rural or remote areas, in20 cluding feedback on the quality of life in such areas 

21 for such personnel and their families. 

22 (3) An assessment of existing Federal pro23 grams, including financial incentives and other com24 pensation-based flexibilities, regarding how to most 

25 effectively aid spouses and families of individuals 


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1 who are candidates or new hires in a rural or remote 

2 area. 

3 (4) An assessment of Department of Homeland 

4 Security internship programs and the usefulness of 

5 such programs in improving hiring by the Secretary 

6 of Homeland Security in rural or remote areas. 

7 (c) PLAN.—The implementation plan required under 

8 subsection (a) shall— 

9 (1) include a pilot or other program, as appro10 priate, to address hiring challenges faced by U.S. 

11 Customs and Border Protection in rural or remote 

12 areas; and 

13 (2) enhance strategic recruiting efforts of U.S. 

14 Customs and Border Protection through relation15 ships with institutions of higher education (as such 

16 term is defined in section 102 of the Higher Edu17 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002)), veterans 

18 transition and employment centers, and job place19 ment programs in regions that could assist in filling 

20 positions in rural or remote areas. 

21 (d) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Beginning on the date 

22 that is one year after the date of issuance of the strategy 

23 and implementation plan required under subsection (a) 

24 and for four years thereafter, the Secretary of Homeland 

25 Security shall report to the Committee on Homeland SecuVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:57 Mar 12, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1598.IH H1598

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1 rity of the House of Representatives and the Committee 

2 on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the 

3 Senate on the extent to which such strategy and imple4 mentation plan has improved the hiring and retention by 

5 U.S. Customs and Border Protection of employees in rural 

6 or remote areas. 

7 (e) RURAL OR REMOTE AREAS DEFINED.—For pur8 poses of this section, the term ‘‘rural or remote areas’’ 

9 means areas within the United States that are not within 

10 an area defined and designated as urbanized areas by the 

11 Bureau of the Census in the most recently completed de12 cennial census. 

Æ 


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