I 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4283 
To require the Comptroller General to conduct a review of the basic training 
provided by United States Customs and Border Protection to Border 
Patrol agents to ensure that this training is being conducted as efficiently 
and cost-effectively as possible. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 9, 2005 
Mr. ROGERS of Alabama (for himself, Mr. MEEK of Florida, and Mr. MCCAUL 
of Texas) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Homeland Security 
A BILL 
To require the Comptroller General to conduct a review 
of the basic training provided by United States Customs 
and Border Protection to Border Patrol agents to ensure 
that this training is being conducted as efficiently and 
cost-effectively as possible. 
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 ‘‘Review to Ensure High 
Quality Cost-Effective Training for Border Patrol Agents 
Act of 2005’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) United States Customs and Border Protec-
tion within the Department of Homeland Security is 
authorized to hire and train 2,000 new Border Pa-
trol agents for each of the next five years in order 
to strengthen security along United States borders. 
(2) Congress has requested United States Cus-
toms and Border Protection to provide information 
regarding the funding and resource needs of the De-
partment to meet this goal. To date, Congress has 
not received a satisfactory explanation of the costs 
to train new Border Patrol agents. 
(3) It is critical to United States security that 
the Border Patrol has a sufficient number of trained 
agents on active duty to secure United States bor-
ders. 
(4) It is also critical to the national economy 
that Border Patrol training and other Federal train-
ing programs be as cost-effective as possible. 
SEC. 3. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE REVIEW. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General 
of the United States shall conduct a review of the basic 
training provided by United States Customs and Border 
Protection to Border Patrol agents to ensure that this
training is being conducted as efficiently and cost-effec-
tively as possible. 
(b) CONTENTS OF REVIEW.—The review shall include 
the following: 
(1) An evaluation of the appropriateness of the 
length and content of the basic training curriculum 
provided by the Federal Law Enforcement Training 
Center to new Border Patrol agents. 
(2) An evaluation of the appropriateness and a 
detailed breakdown of the costs incurred by United 
States Customs and Border Protection and the Fed-
eral Law Enforcement Training Center to train one 
new Border Patrol agent. 
(3) A cost and effectiveness of training com-
parison with other similar law enforcement training 
programs provided by State and local agencies, non- 
profit organizations, universities, and the private 
sector. 
(4) Recommendations to increase the number of 
Border Patrol agents trained per year, and to reduce 
the per-agent costs of basic training— 
(A) through utilization of comparable 
training programs sponsored by State and local 
agencies, non-profit organizations, universities, 
and the private sector;
(B) by allowing Border Patrol agents to 
take proficiency tests, enroll in long distance 
learning programs, and waive such courses as 
Spanish language instruction or physical fit-
ness; or 
(C) by any other means the Comptroller 
General considers appropriate. 
(c) REPORT.—Not later than 90 days after the com-
pletion of the review required under subsection (a), the 
Comptroller General shall submit to Congress a report 
containing the findings and recommendations of the re-
view. 
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