I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 8230 
To require the Department of Homeland Security to develop a comprehensive 
plan to identify, deploy, and integrate emerging technologies to achieve 
greater situational awareness along the northern and southern borders 
of the United States. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 11, 2020 
Ms. SLOTKIN (for herself, Ms. STEFANIK, Mr. TAYLOR, and Ms. TORRES 
SMALL of New Mexico) introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Homeland Security 
A BILL 
To require the Department of Homeland Security to develop 
a comprehensive plan to identify, deploy, and integrate 
emerging technologies to achieve greater situational 
awareness along the northern and southern borders of 
the United States. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Integrating New Tech-
nologies to Empower Law Enforcement at Our Borders 
Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Our border security is directly tied to our 
national security. 
(2) U.S. Customs and Border Protection faces 
a daunting challenge in maintaining situational 
awareness along the United States northern and 
southern borders. 
(3) The United States northern border is the 
longest common non-militarized border between two 
countries. 
(4) The United States southern border is nearly 
2,000 miles long, stretching across rugged and var-
ied terrain. 
(5) Emerging technologies present an oppor-
tunity to reduce current strains on manpower while 
improving situational awareness along the northern 
and southern borders. 
(6) U.S. Customs and Border Protection is cur-
rently testing a number of emerging technology pro-
grams that will help improve situational awareness 
along the northern and southern borders. 
(7) Successfully integrating these technologies 
into a layered border defense requires a strategic 
plan for transitioning new programs from the testing 
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and development stage to wide-scale implementation 
along both the northern and southern borders. 
SEC. 3. COMPREHENSIVE PLAN TO ACHIEVE GREATER SIT-
UATIONAL AWARENESS ALONG THE NORTH-
ERN 
AND 
SOUTHERN 
BORDERS 
OF 
THE 
UNITED STATES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland 
Security shall develop and 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 plan to identify, deploy, and inte-
grate emerging and advanced technologies, such as artifi-
cial intelligence, machine-learning, automation, fiber-optic 
sensing technology, nanotechnology, optical and cognitive 
radar, modeling and simulation technology, hyperspectral 
and LIDAR sensors, imaging, identification, and cat-
egorization systems, and other similar emerging and ad-
vanced technologies, to achieve greater situational aware-
ness along the northern and southern borders of the 
United States between ports of entry. 
(b) CONTENTS.—The plan required under subsection 
(a) shall include the following: 
(1) An assessment of how U.S. Customs and 
Border Protection (CBP) is currently utilizing 
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emerging and advanced technologies referred to in 
such subsection to achieve situational awareness 
along the northern and southern borders of the 
United States. 
(2) An assessment of how border security capa-
bility gaps can be addressed through the integration 
and deployment of such technologies. 
(3) Cost estimates for the acquisition and main-
tenance, as the case may be, of technologies referred 
to in such subsection. 
(4) Metrics to measure how technologies re-
ferred to in such subsection will assist in supporting 
CBP’s mission. 
(5) An assessment of how metrics referred to in 
paragraph (4) can be used to facilitate improve-
ments in situational awareness at the northern and 
southern borders of the United States. 
(6) An assessment of how the integration of 
such technologies will support the improvement of 
multi-domain awareness capabilities. 
(7) An analysis of technologies used by other 
Federal departments and agencies not in use by 
CBP that could assist in improving situational 
awareness, and how such technologies would be uti-
lized. 
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(8) An analysis of authorities CBP can use to 
procure technologies referred to in such subsection, 
and whether additional or alternative authorities are 
needed. 
(9) An explanation of how CBP plans to scale 
existing programs related to emerging and advanced 
technologies and efficiently transition new tech-
nology systems into programs of record. 
(10) An assessment of CBP legacy technology 
programs that could be phased out and replaced by 
technologies referred to in such subsection and cost 
estimates relating to phasing out and replacing such 
programs. 
(11) Information relating to how CBP is coordi-
nating with the Department of Homeland Security’s 
Science and Technology Directorate to— 
(A) research and develop new technologies 
to meet mission needs and address gaps in situ-
ational awareness; and 
(B) incentivize the private sector to de-
velop technologies that will help meet mission 
needs to address gaps in situational awareness. 
(c) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘situa-
tional awareness’’ has the meaning given such term in sec-
tion 1092(a) of the National Defense Authorization Act 
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