TRASHED Border Act

Bill: 118-hr-6208
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Tiffany, Thomas P. [R-WI-7]
Introduced: 2023-11-02
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Border security and unlawful immigration

Civil actions and liability

Congressional oversight

Environmental assessment, monitoring, research

Forests, forestry, trees

Land use and conservation

Solid waste and recycling
Latest action: action_date: 2024-01-24
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Forestry.

Summaries:

tv_txt: I 118th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 6208 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES November 2, 2023 Mr. Tiffany introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources , 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 direct the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to submit to Congress a report on the amount of waste collected on certain Federal land along the southern border of the United States, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Trash Reduction And Suppressing Harm from Environmental Degradation at the Border Act or the TRASHED Border Act . 2. Policies and procedures to reduce trash along the southern border (a) In general Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary concerned, in coordination with the Secretary of Homeland Security, shall establish and implement policies and protocols to prevent and mitigate environmental degradation on covered Federal lands caused by aliens without lawful immigration status— (1) crossing the southern border; or (2) being housed, or otherwise illegally encroaching or camping, on National Forest System lands or lands under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior. (b) Protocols In developing the policies and protocols under subsection (a), the Secretary concerned shall consider policies and seek to implement best practices with respect to— (1) reducing trash accumulation, particularly in ecologically sensitive areas— (A) on covered Federal lands; or (B) where aliens without lawful immigration status are being housed, or are otherwise illegally encroaching or camping, on National Forest System lands or lands under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior; (2) address the destruction of sensitive natural and archeological resources; and (3) address the destruction of wildlife habitat. 3. Transparency and accountability in trash accumulation on the southern border (a) In general Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and for each fiscal year thereafter, the Secretary concerned shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the amount of waste collected in the following areas: (1) Covered Federal lands. (2) Sites on National Forest System lands or lands under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior— (A) on which aliens without lawful immigration status are being housed, or are otherwise illegally encroaching or camping; or (B) used for the illegal cultivation of narcotics, including the cultivation of cannabis, by aliens without lawful immigration status. (b) Contents of report Each report submitted under subsection (a) shall include the following with respect to areas covered by the report: (1) The total amount of waste collected (in pounds) by employees and contractors of Federal agencies and the cost of collecting such waste, including a breakdown by agency, region, or other unit the Secretary concerned determines appropriate in illustrating the distribution of waste. (2) Suggestions on how to reduce environmental degradation caused by waste. (3) Data provided by Federal, State, and local agencies, nonprofit and volunteer organizations, and individuals with respect to— (A) the amount of waste collected; and (B) the number of waste collection events. (4) The total number of acres of wildlife habitat impacted by waste. (5) The discovery of any unauthorized trails or roads. (6) The number of wildfires started as a result of unauthorized human activity, including fires started by aliens without lawful immigration status. (7) Any other information the Secretary concerned determines appropriate to demonstrate the amount of waste found or collected. (c) Collection data (1) In general In developing the reports required under subsection (a), the Secretary concerned shall— (A) collaborate in information gathering with State, local, nonprofit, and volunteer organizations and individuals assisting in waste collection efforts; and (B) to the maximum extent practicable, verify the information provided by such organizations and individuals. (2) Protection of data The Secretary concerned shall take precautions to ensure the privacy of organizations and individuals submitting data for the purposes of this Act and prevent the disclosure of personal identifiable information to the public. (d) Dates for submission Except for the first report submitted in accordance with subsection (a), the Secretary concerned shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees each fiscal year report not later than 90 days after the last day of the fiscal year covered by the report. 4. Penalties and fines (a) In general An alien without lawful immigration status who, while on covered Federal land, carries out an activity prohibited under applicable fire and sanitation regulations shall be subject to penalties and fines. (b) Penalties doubled Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary concerned shall promulgate rules and regulations to double the penalties and fines for prohibited activities referred to in subsection (a) carried out on covered Federal lands. (c) Enforcement The Secretary concerned shall enforce existing regulations regarding penalties and fines, specifically regarding applicable fire and sanitation regulations on covered Federal land. (d) Report Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and for each fiscal year thereafter, the Secretary concerned shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report detailing the total amount collected in penalties and fines under subsection (a). 5. Definitions In this Act: (1) Applicable fire and sanitation regulations The term applicable fire and sanitation regulations means the following provisions of the Code of Federal Regulations, as in effect on the date of the enactment of this Act: (A) With respect to lands under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior— (i) sections 2.13 and 2.14 of title 36; (ii) sections 423.29, 423.31, 423.34, 8365.1–1, 8365.1–7, 8365.2–1, 8365.2–3, 9212.1, and 9212.2 of title 43; and (iii) sections 26.34, 27.94, and 27.95 of title 50. (B) With respect to National Forest System lands, sections 261.5 and 261.11 of title 36. (2) Appropriate congressional committees The term appropriate congressional committees means— (A) the Committees on Natural Resources, Agriculture, Homeland Security, and the Judiciary of the House of Representatives; and (B) the Committees on Energy and Natural Resources, Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs, and the Judiciary of the Senate. (3) Covered federal lands The term covered Federal lands means land— (A) owned by the United States; (B) located in a unit that shares an exterior boundary with the southern border; and (C) administered by— (i) the National Park Service; (ii) the Bureau of Land Management; (iii) the United States Fish and Wildlife Service; (iv) the Bureau of Reclamation; or (v) the Forest Service. (4) Secretary concerned The term Secretary concerned means— (A) the Secretary of the Interior, with respect to lands under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior; and (B) the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, with respect to National Forest System lands. (5) Southern border The term southern border means the international land border between the United States and Mexico. (6) Waste The term waste means any refuse, garbage, rubbish, trash, debris, or litter left or created by humans and disposed of— (A) without authorization from the Federal agency administering the area where the waste is found; or (B) outside of a waste collection receptacle.