Integrating New Technologies to Empower Law Enforcement at Our Borders Act
Bill: H.R.6794 | Sponsor: Rep. Slotkin, Elissa (D-MI)
Policy area: Immigration

Summary:
Integrating New Technologies to Empower Law Enforcement at Our Borders Act
This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security to report to Congress a plan to identify and deploy emerging and advanced technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence, automation, and optical radar) to achieve greater situational awareness along the northern and southern U.S. borders between ports of entry. The report shall contain information including assessments of (1) how Customs and Border Protection is currently using such technologies, (2) how such technologies can address border security capability gaps, and (3) the cost of acquiring such technologies.

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 Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Integrating New Technologies to 
Empower Law Enforcement at Our Borders Act''.

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 varied terrain.
            (5) Emerging technologies present an opportunity to reduce 
        current strains on manpower while improving situational 
        awareness along the northern and southern borders.
            (6) U.S. Customs and Border Protection is currently testing 
        a number of emerging technology programs 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 and development 
        stage to wide-scale implementation along both the northern and 
        southern borders.

SEC. 3. COMPREHENSIVE PLAN TO ACHIEVE GREATER SITUATIONAL AWARENESS 
              ALONG THE NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN BORDERS OF THE UNITED 
              STATES.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 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 integrate 
emerging and advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence, 
machine-learning, automation, fiber-optic sensing technology, 
nanotechnology, optical and cognitive radar, modeling and simulation 
technology, hyperspectral and LIDAR sensors, imaging, identification, 
and categorization systems, and other similar emerging and advanced 
technologies, to achieve greater situational awareness 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 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 capability gaps 
        can be addressed through the integration and deployment of such 
        technologies.
            (3) Cost estimates for the acquisition and maintenance, as 
        the case may be, of technologies referred to in such 
        subsection.
            (4) Metrics to measure how technologies referred 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 improvements 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 utilized.
            (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 technology 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 coordinating 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 situational 
                awareness; and
                    (B) incentivize the private sector to develop 
                technologies that will help meet mission needs to 
                address gaps in situational awareness.
    (c) Definition.--In this section, the term ``situational 
awareness'' has the meaning given such term in section 1092(a) of the 
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 (Public Law 
114-328; 6 U.S.C. 223).
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