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) in-
troduced 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. Cus-
toms and Border Protection personnel in rural or remote 
areas, and for other purposes. 
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 ‘‘U.S. Customs and Bor-
der Protection Rural and Remote Hiring and Retention 
Strategy Act of 2019’’. 
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SEC. 2. STRATEGY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Home-
land Security, acting through the Chief Human Capital 
Officer of the Department of Homeland Security and the 
Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 
shall issue a strategy and implementation plan, including 
benchmarks, to improve the hiring and retention of indi-
viduals by the Commissioner in rural or remote areas. 
(b) CONSIDERATIONS.—The strategy required under 
subsection (a) shall take into consideration the following: 
(1) Feedback from individuals who are U.S. 
Customs and Border Protection candidates or new 
hires at locations in rural or remote areas, including 
feedback on the quality of life in such areas for new 
hires and their families. 
(2) Feedback from U.S. Customs and Border 
Protection personnel, other than new hires, who are 
stationed at locations in rural or remote areas, in-
cluding feedback on the quality of life in such areas 
for such personnel and their families. 
(3) An assessment of existing Federal pro-
grams, including financial incentives and other com-
pensation-based flexibilities, regarding how to most 
effectively aid spouses and families of individuals 
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who are candidates or new hires in a rural or remote 
area. 
(4) An assessment of Department of Homeland 
Security internship programs and the usefulness of 
such programs in improving hiring by the Secretary 
of Homeland Security in rural or remote areas. 
(c) PLAN.—The implementation plan required under 
subsection (a) shall— 
(1) include a pilot or other program, as appro-
priate, to address hiring challenges faced by U.S. 
Customs and Border Protection in rural or remote 
areas; and 
(2) enhance strategic recruiting efforts of U.S. 
Customs and Border Protection through relation-
ships with institutions of higher education (as such 
term is defined in section 102 of the Higher Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002)), veterans 
transition and employment centers, and job place-
ment programs in regions that could assist in filling 
positions in rural or remote areas. 
(d) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Beginning on the date 
that is one year after the date of issuance of the strategy 
and implementation plan required under subsection (a) 
and for four years thereafter, the Secretary of Homeland 
Security shall report to the Committee on Homeland Secu-
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rity of the House of Representatives and the Committee 
on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the 
Senate on the extent to which such strategy and imple-
mentation plan has improved the hiring and retention by 
U.S. Customs and Border Protection of employees in rural 
or remote areas. 
(e) RURAL OR REMOTE AREAS DEFINED.—For pur-
poses of this section, the term ‘‘rural or remote areas’’ 
means areas within the United States that are not within 
an area defined and designated as urbanized areas by the 
Bureau of the Census in the most recently completed de-
cennial census. 
Æ 
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