United States Customs and Border Protection Authorization Act

Bill: 113-hr-3846
Sponsor: Rep. Miller, Candice S. [R-MI-10]
Introduced: 2014-01-10 in the House
Policy area: Foreign Trade and International Finance
Subjects: Aviation and airports
Border security and unlawful immigration
Canada
Caribbean area
Child safety and welfare
Congressional oversight
Criminal justice information and records
Customs enforcement
Department of Homeland Security
Detention of persons
Drug trafficking and controlled substances
Executive agency funding and structure
Federal officials
Foreign language and bilingual programs
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Government ethics and transparency, public corruption
Government information and archives
Latin America
Law enforcement officers
Mexico
Refugees, asylum, displaced persons
Smuggling and trafficking
Technology assessment
Terrorism
Transportation safety and security
Travel and tourism
Visas and passports

Summary:
action_date: 2014-01-10
text: 
United States Customs and Border Protection Authorization Act - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 with respect to the establishment in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

action_date: 2014-07-28
text: 
United States Customs and Border Protection Authorization Act - (Sec. 2) Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish formally, in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) (formerly the U.S. Customs Service), headed by the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
 
Establishes in the CBP: 
 
 
a Deputy Commissioner;
 
the U.S. Border Patrol;
 
an Office of Air and Marine Operations;
 
an Office of Field Operations, including a National Targeting Center;
 
an Office of Intelligence and Investigative Liaison;
 
an Office of International Affairs; and
 
an Office of Internal Affairs.
 
 
Requires the CBP Commissioner to establish, and update triennially, certain standard operating procedures for CBP personnel.
 
Directs the CBP Commissioner to require all CBP agents and officers to participate in a specified amount of continuing education to maintain an understanding of federal legal rulings, court decisions, and departmental policies, procedures, and guidelines.
 
Requires the CBP Commissioner to ensure that:
 
 
 adequate access to food and water is provided as soon as possible to individuals apprehended and detained between a U.S. port of entry, and 
 
detainee rights are provided at CBP processing centers.
 
 
Directs the CBP Commissioner to publish wait times at the 20 U.S. airports with the highest volume of international travel and make this information available to the public on the CBP website.
 
(Sec. 4) Makes technical conforming amendments.
 
Declares that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) shall be maintained as a distinct entity within DHS.
 
Removes the Office for Domestic Preparedness from within the Directorate of Border and Transportation Security and establishes it simply within DHS.
 
Transfers all functions of the Under Secretary for Border and Transportation Security to the DHS Secretary.
 
Authorizes the DHS Secretary (currently, the Under Secretary) to impose disciplinary action on any employee of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and CBP who willfully deceives Congress or agency leadership on any matter.
 
(Sec. 5) Directs the CBP Commissioner to report to Congress on: 
 
 
the number of contract management acquisition and procurement personnel (including by position) assigned to the CBP Office of Technology Innovation and Acquisition;
 
the CBP Business Transformation Initiative;
 
unaccompanied alien children apprehended at U.S. borders;
 
the CBP strategy for the Unmanned Aerial Systems program;
 
CBP efforts to evaluate technologies to provide a biometric exit capability at airports;
 
current CBP capacity to hire, train, and deploy additional CBP officers;
 
the development and implementation of CBP metrics for measuring the status of security of U.S. international borders at and between U.S. ports of entry; and
 
supervisor-approved personal searches conducted in the previous year by CBP personnel.
 
 
Requires the CBP Commissioner to:
 
 
make public information collected on migrant deaths occurring along the U.S.-Mexico border available to the public, and
 
assess CBP's physical infrastructure and technology needs at the 20 busiest land ports of entry.
 
 
(Sec. 6) Directs the DHS Secretary, in coordination with the Secretary of State, to:
 
 
 engage with the appropriate Canadian and Mexican Government officials to assess the specific needs of Central American countries to maintain the security of their international borders and determine the support they need from the United States, Canada, and Mexico to meet those needs;
 
engage with appropriate officials of the Caribbean countries to establish a program to assess the specific needs of those countries to address the unique challenges of maritime border security; and
 
engage with appropriate Mexican officials to assess the specific needs to help secure Mexico's southern border from undocumented aliens, drugs, weapons and other contraband.
 
 
(Sec. 7) Directs the CBP Commissioner to give priority consideration to an application for port of entry status submitted by any commercial airport that has served at least 100,000 deplaned international passengers in the previous calendar year.
 
(Sec. 8) Prohibits the DHS Secretary from entering into or renewing an agreement with a foreign country government for a CBP administered trusted traveler program unless that government certifies that it:
 
 
routinely submits information about lost and stolen passports of its citizens and nationals to INTERPOL's Stolen and Lost Travel Document database, or
 
makes such information available to the United States through another comparable means of reporting.
 
 
(Sec. 9) Expresses the sense of Congress that the Foreign Language Award Program (FLAP) incentivizes CBP officers and agents to attain and maintain competency in a foreign language.
 
(Sec. 10) Declares that no additional appropriations are authorized to carry out this Act. Requires this Act to be carried out using amounts otherwise available.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-07-29
text: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2014-07-28
text: Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
action_date: 2014-07-28
text: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H6899-6904)
action_date: 2014-07-28
text: Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.(text: CR H6899-6904)
action_date: 2014-07-28
text: DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 3846.
action_date: 2014-07-28
text: Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H6899-6908)
action_date: 2014-07-28
text: Mrs. Miller (MI) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
action_date: 2014-07-24
text: Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 415.
action_date: 2014-07-24
text: Committee on Ways and Means discharged.
action_date: 2014-07-24
text: Committee on Ways and Means discharged.
action_date: 2014-07-24
text: Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Homeland Security. H. Rept. 113-555, Part I.
action_date: 2014-07-24
text: Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Homeland Security. H. Rept. 113-555, Part I.
action_date: 2014-06-11
text: Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
action_date: 2014-06-11
text: Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
action_date: 2014-05-20
text: Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee (Amended) by Voice Vote .
action_date: 2014-05-20
text: Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
action_date: 2014-01-15
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security.
action_date: 2014-01-10
text: Referred to the Committee on Homeland Security, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, 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.
action_date: 2014-01-10
text: Referred to the Committee on Homeland Security, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, 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.
action_date: 2014-01-10
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2014-01-10
text: Introduced in House