I 
113TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1536 
To establish the Office of Agriculture Inspection within the Department 
of Homeland Security, which shall be headed by the Assistant Commis-
sioner for Agriculture Inspection, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 12, 2013 
Ms. HAHN introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Homeland Security, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, 
for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case 
for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
committee concerned 
A BILL 
To establish the Office of Agriculture Inspection within the 
Department of Homeland Security, which shall be headed 
by the Assistant Commissioner for Agriculture Inspec-
tion, 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 ‘‘Safeguarding Amer-
ican Commerce and Agriculture Act of 2013’’. 
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SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE OFFICE OF AGRICUL-
TURAL INSPECTION. 
Title IV of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 
U.S.C. 201 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 
421 the following: 
‘‘SEC. 421a. OFFICE OF AGRICULTURAL INSPECTION. 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established within 
U.S. Customs and Border Protection an Office of Agri-
culture Inspection, which shall be headed by an Assistant 
Commissioner. 
‘‘(b) AGRICULTURE SPECIALIST CAREER TRACK.— 
The Secretary— 
‘‘(1) shall identify appropriate career paths for 
customs and border protection agriculture special-
ists, including the education, training, experience, 
and assignments necessary for career progression 
within U.S. Customs and Border Protection; 
‘‘(2) shall publish information on the career 
paths identified under paragraph (1); and 
‘‘(3) may establish criteria by which appro-
priately qualified customs and border protection 
technicians may be promoted to customs and border 
protection agriculture specialists. 
‘‘(c) EDUCATION, TRAINING, AND EXPERIENCE.— 
The Secretary shall provide customs and border protection 
agriculture specialists the opportunity to acquire the edu-
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cation, training, and experience necessary to qualify for 
promotion within U.S. Customs and Border Protection. 
‘‘(d) AGRICULTURE SPECIALIST RECRUITMENT AND 
RETENTION.—Not later than 270 days after the date of 
the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall develop 
a plan to more effectively recruit and retain qualified cus-
toms and border protection agriculture specialists. The 
plan shall include— 
‘‘(1) numerical goals for recruitment and reten-
tion; and 
‘‘(2) the use of recruitment incentives, as ap-
propriate and permissible under existing laws and 
regulations. 
‘‘(e) EQUIPMENT SUPPORT.—Not later than 270 
days after the date of the enactment of this section, the 
Secretary shall— 
‘‘(1) determine the minimum equipment and 
other resources that are necessary at U.S. Customs 
and Border Protection agriculture inspection sta-
tions and facilities to enable customs and border 
protection agriculture specialists to fully and effec-
tively carry out their mission; 
‘‘(2) complete an inventory of the equipment 
and other resources available at each U.S. Customs 
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and Border Protection agriculture inspection station 
and facility; 
‘‘(3) identify the necessary equipment and other 
resources that are not currently available at agri-
culture inspection stations and facilities; and 
‘‘(4) develop a plan to address any resource de-
ficiencies identified under paragraph (3). 
‘‘(f) INTERAGENCY ROTATION PROGRAM.—The Sec-
retary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of Agri-
culture are authorized to enter into an agreement that— 
‘‘(1) establishes an interagency rotation pro-
gram; and 
‘‘(2) provides for personnel of the Animal and 
Plant Health Inspection Service of the Department 
of Agriculture to take rotational assignments within 
U.S. Customs and Border Protection and vice versa 
for the purposes of strengthening working relation-
ships between agencies and promoting interagency 
experience. 
‘‘(g) REPORT.—Not later than 270 days after the 
date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary of 
Homeland Security shall submit a report to the Committee 
on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the 
Senate and the Committee on Homeland Security of the 
House of Representatives that describes— 
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‘‘(1) the status of the implementation of the ac-
tion plans developed by the Animal and Plant 
Health Inspection Service-U.S. Customs and Border 
Protection Joint Task Force on Improved Agri-
culture Inspection; 
‘‘(2) the findings of the Secretary under para-
graphs (1), (2), and (3) of subsection (e); 
‘‘(3) the plan described in paragraph (e)(4); 
‘‘(4) the implementation of the remaining re-
quirements under such subsection (e); and 
‘‘(5) any additional legal authority that the Sec-
retary determines to be necessary to effectively carry 
out the agriculture inspection mission of the Depart-
ment of Homeland Security. 
‘‘(h) ADMINISTRATION.—The Secretary shall carry 
out this section acting through the Commissioner of U.S. 
Customs and Border Protection in consultation with the 
Assistant Commissioner for Agricultural Inspection.’’. 
Æ 
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