119-hr445

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 445 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 445

 To establish trust funds relating to border security, and for other 
 purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 January 15, 2025

 Mr. Moran (for himself, Mr. Ellzey, Mr. Self, Mr. Babin, Mr. Gooden, 
Mr. Nehls, and Mr. Weber of Texas) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security, and in addition to 
 the Committee on Financial Services, 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 establish trust funds relating to 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 ``Border Security Investment Act''.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF TRUST FUNDS RELATING TO BORDER SECURITY.

    (a) Additional Remittance Transfer Fees.--

Section 920 of the 
Electronic Fund Transfer Act (relating to remittance transfers) (15 
U.S.C. 1693o-1) is amended--

    (1) by redesignating subsection

    (g) as subsection

    (h) ; and

    (2) by inserting after subsection

    (f) the following:
 ``

    (g) Additional Remittance Fees.--
 ``

    (1) In general.--A remittance transfer provider that is a 
 money services business shall impose a fee on each person 
 sending a remittance transfer to a covered country in an amount 
 equal to 37 percent of the remittance transfer amount.
 ``

    (2) Transfer of fees.--All fees collected under this 
 subsection shall be submitted to the Department of the Treasury 
 for deposit in the general fund, in such form and in such 
 manner as the Secretary of the Treasury shall establish by 
 rule.
 ``

    (3) === Definitions. ===
-In this subsection:
 ``
        (A) Covered country.--With respect to a fiscal 
 year, the term `covered country' means each country 
 identified by the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and 
 Border Protection as one of the 5 countries that had 
 the most citizens or nationals unlawfully enter the 
 United States during the previous fiscal year.
 ``
        (B) Money services business.--The term `money 
 services business' has the meaning given that term 
 under 

section 1010.100 of title 31, Code of Federal 
 Regulations.''.

    (b) Border Security State Reimbursement Trust Fund.--

    (1) In general.--There is established in the Treasury a 
 trust fund, to be known as the ``Border Security State 
 Reimbursement Trust Fund'' (in this section referred to as the 
 ``Reimbursement Fund''), consisting of amounts transferred 
 under paragraph

    (2) and any amounts credited under paragraph

    (3) .

    (2) Transfer.--In the fiscal year that begins immediately 
 after the date of the enactment of this Act and each fiscal 
 year thereafter, the Secretary of the Treasury shall transfer 
 to the Reimbursement Fund, from the general fund of the 
 Treasury, an amount equal to fifty percent of the total amount 
 of remittance fees collected under subsection

    (g)

    (2) of 

section 920 of the Electronic Fund Transfer Act (relating to remittance 
 transfers; 15 U.S.C. 1693o-1) during the immediately preceding 
 fiscal year.

    (3) Investment of amounts.--
        (A) In general.--The Secretary of the Treasury 
 shall invest such portion of the Reimbursement Fund as 
 is not required to meet current withdrawals in 
 interest-bearing obligations of the United States or in 
 obligations guaranteed as to both principal and 
 interest by the United States.
        (B) Interest and proceeds.--The interest on, and 
 the proceeds from the sale or redemption of, any 
 obligations held in the Reimbursement Fund shall be 
 credited to the Reimbursement Fund.

    (4) Purpose; application.--
        (A) In general.--Amounts in the Reimbursement Fund 
 shall be available to the Secretary of Homeland 
 Security, without further appropriation, to reimburse 
 border States for expenditures incurred by such States 
 relating to border security enforcement measures.
        (B) Application.--Not later than 30 days after the 
 date of the enactment of this Act, a border State may 
 apply to the Secretary to receive amounts from the 
 Reimbursement Fund by submitting receipts, in such form 
 and manner as the Secretary deems appropriate, of 
 expenditures relating to border security enforcement 
 measures made during the immediately preceding fiscal 
 year.
            (C) Amount.--The Secretary shall promptly 
 distribute from the Reimbursement Fund, to any border 
 State that submits an application under subparagraph
        (B) , an amount equal to the proportion that the amount 
 expended by such a border State in the applicable 
 immediately preceding fiscal year bears to the total 
 amount expended in such fiscal year by all such border 
 States so submitting an application.
            (D) Border security enforcement measures.--In this 
 subparagraph, an expenditure by a border State shall be 
 deemed to be related to border security enforcement 
 measures if that expenditure directly or indirectly was 
 used for the mission of deterring unlawful crossings, 
 detecting unlawful activity and entry into the United 
 States, or for gaining operational control of the 
 southwest border.
            (c) Border Security Trust Fund.--

    (1) In general.--There is established in the Treasury a 
 trust fund, to be known as the ``Border Security Trust Fund'' 
 (in this section referred to as the ``Security Fund''), 
 consisting of amounts transferred under paragraph

    (2) and any 
 amounts credited under paragraph

    (3) .

    (2) Transfers.--In the fiscal year that begins immediately 
 after the date of the enactment of this Act and each fiscal 
 year thereafter, the Secretary of the Treasury shall transfer 
 to the Security Fund, from the general fund of the Treasury, an 
 amount equal to fifty percent of the total amount of remittance 
 fees collected under subsection

    (g)

    (2) of 

section 920 of the 
 Electronic Fund Transfer Act (relating to remittance transfers; 
 15 U.S.C. 1693o-1) during the immediately preceding fiscal 
 year.

    (3) Investment of amounts.--
        (A) In general.--The Secretary of the Treasury 
 shall invest such portion of the Security Fund as is 
 not required to meet current withdrawals in interest-
 bearing obligations of the United States or in 
 obligations guaranteed as to both principal and 
 interest by the United States.
        (B) Interest and proceeds.--The interest on, and 
 the proceeds from the sale or redemption of, any 
 obligations held in the Security Fund shall be credited 
 to the Security Fund.

    (4) === Purposes ===
-Amounts in the Security Fund shall be 
 available to the Secretary of Homeland Security, without 
 further appropriation, for the following purposes:
        (A) The deployment of technology intended to detect 
 and prevent unlawful crossings along the United States-
 Mexico border.
        (B) The installation of physical barriers at the 
 southern border.
            (C) Wages and salaries for U.S. Border Patrol 
 agents.
            (d) Rescission of Excess Amounts.--If the sum of the total funds in 
each of the Reimbursement Fund and the Security Fund is greater than 
$50,000,000,000, an amount equal to the funds in excess of 
$50,000,000,000 shall be--

    (1) permanently rescinded from such total funds; and

    (2) deposited in the general fund of the Treasury where 
 such funds shall be--
        (A) dedicated for the sole purpose of deficit 
 reduction; and
        (B) prohibited from use as an offset for other 
 spending increases or revenue reductions.

    (e) Effective Date.--This Act and the amendment made by this Act 
shall take effect and apply not later than 30 days after the date of 
the enactment of this Act.
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