IIB 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 993 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
MARCH 11 (legislative day, MARCH 10), 2025 
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and 
Governmental Affairs 
AN ACT 
To require the Secretary of Homeland Security to develop 
a plan to identify, integrate, and deploy new, innovative, 
disruptive, or other emerging or advanced technologies 
to enhance, or address capability gaps in, border security 
operations, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Emerging Innovative 
Border Technologies Act’’. 
SEC. 2. INNOVATIVE AND EMERGING BORDER TECH-
NOLOGY PLAN. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Home-
land Security, acting through the Commissioner of U.S. 
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Under 
Secretary for Science and Technology 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 plan to identify, integrate, and de-
ploy new, innovative, disruptive, or other emerging or ad-
vanced technologies that may incorporate artificial intel-
ligence, machine-learning, automation, fiber-optic sensing 
technology, nanotechnology, optical and cognitive radar, 
modeling and simulation technology, hyperspectral and 
LIDAR sensors, imaging, identification, and categoriza-
tion systems, or other emerging or advanced technologies, 
to enhance, or address capability gaps in, border security 
operations. 
(b) CONTENTS.—The plan required under subsection 
(a) shall include the following: 
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(1) Information regarding how CBP utilizes 
CBP Innovation Team authority under subsection 
(c) and other mechanisms to carry out the purposes 
specified in subsection (a). 
(2) An assessment of the contributions directly 
attributable to such utilization. 
(3) Information regarding the composition of 
each CBP Innovation Team, and how each such 
Team coordinates and integrates efforts with the 
CBP acquisition program office and other partners 
within CBP and the Department of Homeland Secu-
rity. 
(4) Identification of technologies used by other 
Federal departments or agencies not in use by CBP 
that could assist in enhancing, or addressing capa-
bility gaps in, border security operations. 
(5) An analysis of authorities available to CBP 
to procure technologies referred to subsection (a), 
and an assessment as to whether additional or alter-
native authorities are needed to carry out the pur-
poses specified in such subsection. 
(6) An explanation of how CBP plans to scale 
existing programs related to emerging or advanced 
technologies into programs of record. 
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(7) A description of each planned security-re-
lated technology program, including objectives, goals, 
and timelines for each such program. 
(8) An assessment of the privacy and security 
impact on border communities of security-related 
technology. 
(9) An assessment of CBP legacy border tech-
nology programs that could be phased out and re-
placed by technologies referred to in subsection (a), 
and cost estimates relating to such phase out and 
replacement. 
(10) Information relating to how CBP is coordi-
nating with the Department of Homeland Security’s 
Science and Technology Directorate to carry out the 
following: 
(A) Research and develop new, innovative, 
disruptive, or other emerging or advanced tech-
nologies to carry out the purposes specified in 
subsection (a). 
(B) Identify security-related technologies 
that are in development or deployed by the pri-
vate and public sectors that may satisfy the 
mission needs of CBP, with or without adapta-
tion. 
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(C) Incentivize the private sector to de-
velop technologies that may help CBP meet 
mission needs to enhance, or address capability 
gaps in, border security operations. 
(D) Identify and assess ways to increase 
opportunities for communication and collabora-
tion with the private sector, small and dis-
advantaged businesses, intra-governmental enti-
ties, university centers of excellence, and Fed-
eral laboratories to leverage emerging tech-
nology and research within the public and pri-
vate sectors. 
(11) Information on metrics and key perform-
ance parameters for evaluating the effectiveness of 
efforts to identify, integrate, and deploy new, inno-
vative, disruptive, or other emerging or advanced 
technologies to carry out the purposes specified in 
subsection (a). 
(12) An identification of recent technological 
advancements in the following: 
(A) Manned aircraft sensor, communica-
tion, and common operating picture technology. 
(B) Unmanned aerial systems and related 
technology, including counter-unmanned aerial 
system technology. 
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(C) Surveillance technology, including the 
following: 
(i) Mobile surveillance vehicles. 
(ii) Associated electronics, including 
cameras, sensor technology, and radar. 
(iii) Tower-based surveillance tech-
nology. 
(iv) Advanced unattended surveillance 
sensors. 
(v) 
Deployable, 
lighter-than-air, 
ground surveillance equipment. 
(D) Nonintrusive inspection technology, in-
cluding non-X-ray devices utilizing muon to-
mography and other advanced detection tech-
nology. 
(E) Tunnel detection technology. 
(F) Communications equipment, including 
the following: 
(i) Radios. 
(ii) Long-term evolution broadband. 
(iii) Miniature satellites. 
(13) Any other information the Secretary deter-
mines relevant. 
(c) CBP INNOVATION TEAM AUTHORITY.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—The Commissioner of CBP 
is authorized to maintain one or more CBP Innova-
tion Teams to research and adapt commercial tech-
nologies that are new, innovative, disruptive, or oth-
erwise emerging or advanced that may be used by 
CBP to enhance, or address capability gaps in, bor-
der security operations and urgent mission needs, 
and assess potential outcomes, including any nega-
tive consequences, of the introduction of emerging or 
advanced technologies with respect to which docu-
mented capability gaps in border security operations 
are yet to be determined. 
(2) OPERATING PROCEDURES, PLANNING, STRA-
TEGIC GOALS.—The Commissioner of CBP shall re-
quire each team maintained pursuant to paragraph 
(1) to establish the following: 
(A) Operating procedures that include 
specificity regarding roles and responsibilities 
within each such team and with respect to De-
partment of Homeland Security and non-Fed-
eral partners, and protocols for entering into 
agreements to rapidly transition such tech-
nologies to existing or new programs of record 
to carry out the purposes specified in subsection 
(a). 
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(B) Planning and strategic goals for each 
such team that includes projected costs, time 
frames, metrics, and key performance param-
eters relating to the achievement of identified 
strategic goals, including a metric to measure 
the rate at which technologies described in sub-
section (a) are transitioned to existing or new 
programs of record in accordance with subpara-
graph (A). 
(3) REPORTING.—Not later than 180 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act and annually 
thereafter, the Commissioner of CBP 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 in-
formation relating to the activities of CBP Innova-
tion Teams, including information regarding the fol-
lowing: 
(A) Copies of operating procedures and 
protocols under paragraph (2)(A) and planning 
and strategic goals required under paragraph 
(2)(B). 
(B) Descriptions of the technologies piloted 
by each such team over the immediately pre-
ceding fiscal year, including information regard-
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ing which such technologies are determined suc-
cessful and an identification of documented ca-
pability gaps that are addressed. 
(C) Information on the status of efforts to 
rapidly transition technologies determined suc-
cessful to existing or new programs of record. 
Passed the House of Representatives March 10, 
2025. 
Attest: 
KEVIN F. MCCUMBER, 
Clerk. 
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