119-hr993

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 993 Referred in Senate

    (RFS) ]

<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 993

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 March 11 (legislative day, March 10), 2025

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security 
 and Governmental Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

 AN ACT

 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.

 Passed the House of Representatives March 10, 2025.

 Attest:

 KEVIN F. MCCUMBER,

 Clerk.