Border Security Health Initiative Act

To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish a program to prioritize efforts to secure the international borders of the United States, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Border Security Health Initiative Act 2. Program (a) In general Subtitle C of title IV of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 ( 6 U.S.C. 231 et seq. 434. Border security prioritization (a) Establishment of program To ensure the prioritization of efforts to secure the international borders of the United States, the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of the Department, shall establish a program to decrease the number of Border Patrol agents who are removed from border security operations for the purpose of accompanying to medical treatment facilities ill or injured individuals interdicted by the Border Patrol. (b) Program requirements The program established in accordance with subsection (a) shall place appropriate medical personnel from the Department at Border Patrol stations along the Southwest border to ensure Border Patrol agents are able to prioritize securing the international borders of the United States. . (b) Clerical amendment The table of contents in section 1(b) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 433 the following new item: Sec. 434. Border security prioritization. . 3. Report Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act and two years thereafter, the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, in coordination with the Chief Medical Officer of the Department of Homeland Security, shall submit to the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate a report on implementation of the program established pursuant to section 434 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, as added by section 2 of this Act, including a list of Border Patrol stations within which such program is operational, statistics on Border Patrol agent hours spent on border security operations that would have otherwise been spent accompanying to medical treatment facilities ill or injured detainees, and an estimation of efficiencies and costs savings gained from implementation of such program versus treating at local medical treatment facilitates ill or injured detainees.

Summary: Border Security Health Initiative Act This bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to establish a program to decrease the number of Border Patrol agents who are removed from border security operations for the purpose of accompanying to medical treatment facilities ill or injured individuals interdicted by the Border Patrol. Such program shall place appropriate medical personnel from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) at Border Patrol stations along the southwest border to ensure that Border Patrol agents are able to prioritize securing the international borders of the United States. The CBP, in coordination with the Chief Medical Officer of DHS, shall submit a report on implementation of such program, including a list of Border Patrol stations within which the program is operational, statistics on Border Patrol agent hours spent on border security operations that would have otherwise been spent accompanying ill or injured detainees to medical treatment facilities, and an estimation of efficiencies and cost savings from such program.