Title: Securing America's Ports Act
Policy area: Immigration

Summary:
Securing America's Ports Act
This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to report to Congress a plan to scan all commercial and passenger vehicles entering the United States at a land port of entry using large-scale non-intrusive inspection systems, such as X-ray and gamma-ray imaging systems. The plan shall include elements such as (1) an inventory of such systems currently in use, (2) the estimated costs of achieving a 100% scanning rate, and (3) the anticipated impact that increasing the scanning rate will have on wait times at land ports of entry. DHS shall periodically report to Congress on the progress in implementing the plan.
DHS shall also carry out a pilot program to research and develop technology enhancements to inspection areas at land ports of entry.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5273 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 5273

  To require the Secretary of Homeland Security to develop a plan to 
    increase to 100 percent the rates of scanning of commercial and 
 passenger vehicles entering the United States at land ports of entry 
along the border using large-scale non-intrusive inspection systems to 
            enhance border security, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 26, 2019

     Ms. Torres Small of New Mexico (for herself and Mr. Crenshaw) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                           Homeland Security

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To require the Secretary of Homeland Security to develop a plan to 
    increase to 100 percent the rates of scanning of commercial and 
 passenger vehicles entering the United States at land ports of entry 
along the border using large-scale non-intrusive inspection systems to 
            enhance border security, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Securing America's Ports Act''.

SEC. 2. LARGE-SCALE NON-INTRUSIVE INSPECTION SCANNING PLAN.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary 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 increase to 100 percent the rates of scanning of 
commercial and passenger vehicles entering the United States at land 
ports of entry along the border using large-scale non-intrusive 
inspection systems to enhance border security.
    (b) Baseline Information.--At a minimum, the plan required under 
subsection (a) shall include the following information regarding large-
scale non-intrusive inspection systems operated by U.S. Customs and 
Border Protection at land ports of entry in fiscal year 2019:
            (1) An inventory of large-scale non-intrusive inspection 
        systems in use at land ports of entry.
            (2) For each system identified in the inventory required 
        under paragraph (1), the following information:
                    (A) The scanning technology of such system.
                    (B) The location of such system at the land port of 
                entry that specifies whether in use in pre-primary, 
                primary, or secondary inspection area, or some 
                combination thereof.
                    (C) The percentage of commercial and passenger 
                vehicles scanned by such system.
                    (D) Seizure data related to scanned commercial and 
                passenger vehicles.
            (3) The total number of commercial and passenger vehicles 
        entering at the land port of entry where each system is in use, 
        and information on average wait times at peak and non-peak 
        travel times, by lane type if applicable.
    (c) Elements.--The plan required under subsection (a) shall include 
the following information:
            (1) Benchmarks for achieving incremental progress towards 
        100 percent scanning with corresponding projected incremental 
        improvements in scanning rates by fiscal year and rationales 
        for the specified timeframes for each land port of entry.
            (2) Estimated costs, together with an acquisition plan, for 
        achieving the 100 percent scanning rate within the timeframes 
        specified in paragraph (1), including total acquisition, 
        operations, and maintenance costs for large-scale non-intrusive 
        inspection systems, as well as associated costs for any 
        necessary infrastructure enhancements or configuration changes 
        at each port of entry.
            (3) Any anticipated impacts, as identified by the 
        Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, on the 
        total number of commercial and passenger vehicles entering at 
        land ports of entry where such systems are in use, and average 
        wait times at peak and non-peak travel times, by lane type if 
        applicable, as scanning rates are increased.
            (4) Any anticipated impacts, as identified by the 
        Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, on land 
        ports of entry border security operations as a result of 
        implementation actions, including any changes to the number of 
        U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers or their duties and 
        assignments.
    (d) Research and Development.--In furtherance of the plan required 
under subsection (a), the Secretary of Homeland Security shall carry 
out a one-year pilot program to research and develop technology 
enhancements and refinements to the operational configuration of pre-
primary, primary, and secondary inspection areas of land ports of 
entry. Such pilot program shall include consideration of large-scale 
emerging non-intrusive inspection systems and modeling the use of such 
systems that takes into account the variations in infrastructure, 
configurations, and sizes of land ports of entry.
    (e) Annual Report.--Not later than one year after the submission of 
the plan required under subsection (a) and annually thereafter until 
such time as U.S. Customs and Border Protection has achieved 100 
percent scanning of commercial and passenger vehicles entering the 
United States at land ports of entry along the border using large-scale 
non-intrusive inspection systems in accordance with such plan, the 
Secretary of Homeland Security shall report to the Committee on 
Homeland Security of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate on progress 
implementing the plan. Each such report at a minimum shall include the 
following information:
            (1) An inventory of large-scale non-intrusive inspection 
        systems operated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection at land 
        ports of entry.
            (2) For each system identified in the inventory required 
        under paragraph (1), the following information:
                    (A) The scanning technology of such system.
                    (B) The location of such system at the land port of 
                entry that specifies whether in use in pre-primary, 
                primary, or secondary inspection area, or some 
                combination thereof.
                    (C) The percentage of commercial and passenger 
                vehicles scanned by the system.
                    (D) Seizure data related to scanned commercial and 
                passenger vehicles.
            (3) The total number of commercial and passenger vehicles 
        entering at the land port of entry where each system is in use, 
        and information on average wait times at peak and non-peak 
        travel times, by lane type if applicable.
            (4) Progress with respect to the benchmarks specified in 
        subsection (c)(1), and an explanation if any of such benchmarks 
        are not achieved as planned.
            (5) A comparison of actual costs (including information on 
        any awards of associated contracts) to estimated costs set 
        forth in subsection (c)(2).
            (6) Any realized impacts, as identified by the Commissioner 
        of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, on land ports of entry 
        operations as a result of implementation actions, including any 
        changes to the number of U.S. Customs and Border Protection 
        officers or their duties and assignments.
            (7) Any proposed changes to the plan and an explanation for 
        such changes, including changes made in response to any 
        Department of Homeland Security research and development 
        findings, including findings resulting from the pilot program 
        under subsection (d), or changes in terrorist or transnational 
        criminal organizations tactics, techniques, or procedures.
            (8) Any challenges to implementing the plan or meeting the 
        benchmarks, and plans to mitigate any such challenges.
    (f) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Large-scale non-intrusive inspection system.--The term 
        ``large-scale non-intrusive inspection system'' means a 
        technology, including x-ray and gamma-ray imaging systems, 
        capable of scanning an entire commercial or passenger vehicle 
        in one pass to provide an image of the presence of any 
        contraband.
            (2) Scanning.--The term ``scanning'' means a non-physical 
        inspection of a commercial or passenger vehicle by a U.S. 
        Customs and Border Protection officer in which images are 
        generated of the contents of the vehicle through a technology, 
        including x-ray and gamma-ray imaging systems, for analysis by 
        U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
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