Emerging Innovative Border Technologies Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 993 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 993

  To require the Secretary of Homeland Security to develop a plan to
 identify, integrate, and deploy new, innovative, disruptive, or other
  emerging or advanced technologies to enhance, or address capability
      gaps in, border security operations, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 5, 2025

  Mr. Correa (for himself and Mr. Luttrell) 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
 identify, integrate, and deploy new, innovative, disruptive, or other
  emerging or advanced technologies to enhance, or address capability
      gaps in, border security operations, 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 ``Emerging Innovative Border
Technologies Act''.

SEC. 2. INNOVATIVE AND EMERGING BORDER TECHNOLOGY PLAN.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security, acting
through the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
and the Under Secretary for Science and Technology of the Department 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 identify, integrate,
and deploy new, innovative, disruptive, or other emerging or advanced
technologies that may incorporate 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, or other emerging or advanced technologies, to
enhance, or address capability gaps in, border security operations.
    (b) Contents.--The plan required under subsection (a) shall include
the following:
            (1) Information regarding how CBP utilizes CBP Innovation
        Team authority under subsection (c) and other mechanisms to
        carry out the purposes specified in subsection (a).
            (2) An assessment of the contributions directly
        attributable to such utilization.
            (3) Information regarding the composition of each CBP
        Innovation Team, and how each such Team coordinates and
        integrates efforts with the CBP acquisition program office and
        other partners within CBP and the Department of Homeland
        Security.
            (4) Identification of technologies used by other Federal
        departments or agencies not in use by CBP that could assist in
        enhancing, or addressing capability gaps in, border security
        operations.
            (5) An analysis of authorities available to CBP to procure
        technologies referred to subsection (a), and an assessment as
        to whether additional or alternative authorities are needed to
        carry out the purposes specified in such subsection.
            (6) An explanation of how CBP plans to scale existing
        programs related to emerging or advanced technologies into
        programs of record.
            (7) A description of each planned security-related
        technology program, including objectives, goals, and timelines
        for each such program.
            (8) An assessment of the privacy and security impact on
        border communities of security-related technology.
            (9) An assessment of CBP legacy border technology programs
        that could be phased out and replaced by technologies referred
        to in subsection (a), and cost estimates relating to such phase
        out and replacement.
            (10) Information relating to how CBP is coordinating with
        the Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology
        Directorate to carry out the following:
                    (A) Research and develop new, innovative,
                disruptive, or other emerging or advanced technologies
                to carry out the purposes specified in subsection (a).
                    (B) Identify security-related technologies that are
                in development or deployed by the private and public
                sectors that may satisfy the mission needs of CBP, with
                or without adaptation.
                    (C) Incentivize the private sector to develop
                technologies that may help CBP meet mission needs to
                enhance, or address capability gaps in, border security
                operations.
                    (D) Identify and assess ways to increase
                opportunities for communication and collaboration with
                the private sector, small and disadvantaged businesses,
                intra-governmental entities, university centers of
                excellence, and Federal laboratories to leverage
                emerging technology and research within the public and
                private sectors.
            (11) Information on metrics and key performance parameters
        for evaluating the effectiveness of efforts to identify,
        integrate, and deploy new, innovative, disruptive, or other
        emerging or advanced technologies to carry out the purposes
        specified in subsection (a).
            (12) An identification of recent technological advancements
        in the following:
                    (A) Manned aircraft sensor, communication, and
                common operating picture technology.
                    (B) Unmanned aerial systems and related technology,
                including counter-unmanned aerial system technology.
                    (C) Surveillance technology, including the
                following:
                            (i) Mobile surveillance vehicles.
                            (ii) Associated electronics, including
                        cameras, sensor technology, and radar.
                            (iii) Tower-based surveillance technology.
                            (iv) Advanced unattended surveillance
                        sensors.
                            (v) Deployable, lighter-than-air, ground
                        surveillance equipment.
                    (D) Nonintrusive inspection technology, including
                non-X-ray devices utilizing muon tomography and other
                advanced detection technology.
                    (E) Tunnel detection technology.
                    (F) Communications equipment, including the
                following:
                            (i) Radios.
                            (ii) Long-term evolution broadband.
                            (iii) Miniature satellites.
            (13) Any other information the Secretary determines
        relevant.
    (c) CBP Innovation Team Authority.--
            (1) In general.--The Commissioner of CBP is authorized to
        maintain one or more CBP Innovation Teams to research and adapt
        commercial technologies that are new, innovative, disruptive,
        or otherwise emerging or advanced that may be used by CBP to
        enhance, or address capability gaps in, border security
        operations and urgent mission needs, and assess potential
        outcomes, including any negative consequences, of the
        introduction of emerging or advanced technologies with respect
        to which documented capability gaps in border security
        operations are yet to be determined.
            (2) Operating procedures, planning, strategic goals.--The
        Commissioner of CBP shall require each team maintained pursuant
        to paragraph (1) to establish the following:
                    (A) Operating procedures that include specificity
                regarding roles and responsibilities within each such
                team and with respect to Department of Homeland
                Security and non-Federal partners, and protocols for
                entering into agreements to rapidly transition such
                technologies to existing or new programs of record to
                carry out the purposes specified in subsection (a).
                    (B) Planning and strategic goals for each such team
                that includes projected costs, time frames, metrics,
                and key performance parameters relating to the
                achievement of identified strategic goals, including a
                metric to measure the rate at which technologies
                described in subsection (a) are transitioned to
                existing or new programs of record in accordance with
                subparagraph (A).
            (3) Reporting.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
        the enactment of this Act and annually thereafter, the
        Commissioner of CBP 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
        information relating to the activities of CBP Innovation Teams,
        including information regarding the following:
                    (A) Copies of operating procedures and protocols
                under paragraph (2)(A) and planning and strategic goals
                required under paragraph (2)(B).
                    (B) Descriptions of the technologies piloted by
                each such team over the immediately preceding fiscal
                year, including information regarding which such
                technologies are determined successful and an
                identification of documented capability gaps that are
                addressed.
                    (C) Information on the status of efforts to rapidly
                transition technologies determined successful to
                existing or new programs of record.
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