Official Summaries

Emerging Innovative Border Technologies Act

This bill requires U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Science and Technology Directorate of the Department of Homeland Security to develop a plan to identify, integrate, and deploy emerging and innovative technologies to improve border security operations. Such technologies may incorporate artificial intelligence, machine-learning, automation, fiber-optic sensing technology, nanotechnology, optical and cognitive radar, modeling and simulation technology, hyperspectral and LIDAR sensors, and imaging, identification, and categorization systems. 

The bill authorizes CBP to establish one or more Innovation Teams to research and adapt commercial technologies that may be used by CBP.

The plan must describe how the Innovation Teams have been implemented and also detail

• goals and timelines for adoption of qualifying technologies,
• metrics and key performance parameters for determining the plan's effectiveness,
• which technologies used by other federal agencies CBP may also utilize,
• which existing authorities CBP may use to procure technologies,
• how CBP legacy border technology programs may be replaced,
• the expected privacy and security impact of security-related technology on border communities, and
• recent technological advancements in specified technologies.

CBP must provide the plan to Congress within 180 days of the bill’s enactment. The bill also requires CBP to annually report to Congress regarding the activities of the Innovation Teams.

Current Full Text

[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.