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H.R.883 / 114th Congress

Emergency Port of Entry Personnel and Infrastructure Funding Act of 2015

Referred to the Subcommittee on Trade.

Official summary

Version 00 · Introduced in House · Feb 11, 2015

Emergency Port of Entry Personnel and Infrastructure Funding Act of 2015

Directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to hire, train, and assign to duty, by September 30, 2020: (1) 5,000 additional full-time U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers to serve on all inspection lanes and enforcement teams at U.S. land ports of entry on the northern and southern borders; and (2) 350 full-time support staff for all U.S. ports of entry.

Requires DHS to: (1) ensure that each CBP officer is equipped with a secure two-way communication and satellite-enabled device that allows CBP officers to communicate between ports of entry and inspection stations and with other law enforcement entities; and (2) establish a program for awarding grants for the purchase of identification and detection equipment and mobile, hand-held, two-way communication devices for state and local law enforcement officers serving on the southern border.

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Authorizes CBP to aid in the enforcement of federal customs, immigration, and agriculture laws by: (1) designing, constructing, and modifying U.S. ports of entry, living quarters for personnel, technology and equipment, and other structures and facilities; (2) acquiring land deemed necessary to carry out the CBP's duties under this Act; and (3) constructing additional ports of entry along the southern and northern borders. Directs CBP to give priority consideration to projects that will substantially reduce commercial and passenger vehicle and pedestrian crossing wait times, increase trade, travel efficiency, and the projected total annual volume, and enhance safety and security, at border facilities at one or more ports of entry on the same border.

Authorizes CBP and the General Services Administration, over a 10-year period, to enter into cost-sharing or reimbursement agreements, or accept donations of real or personal property or nonpersonal services, to facilitate the construction, alteration, operation, or maintenance of a new or existing facility or other infrastructure at a port of entry under their jurisdiction, custody, and control.

Directs DHS to: (1) develop a strategic plan for standardized collection of vehicle wait times at land ports of entry and update it to reflect new practices, timelines, tools, and assessments; (2) develop a standardized model for the allocation of CBP officers and support staff at land ports of entry; and (3) identify and adopt at least two new, outcome-based performance measures that support the trade facilitation goals of CBP.

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Who introduced it

Rep. O'Rourke, Beto [D-TX-16] · D–TX

Committees

  • Ways and Means Committee
  • Homeland Security Committee
  • Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
  • Appropriations Committee
2 cosponsorship records, including any withdrawals

Actions

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  1. Referred to the Subcommittee on Trade.

  2. Referred to the Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security.

  3. Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management.

  4. Referred to the Committee on Homeland Security, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Appropriations, and Transportation and Infrastructure, 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.

  5. Referred to the Committee on Homeland Security, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Appropriations, and Transportation and Infrastructure, 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.

  6. Referred to the Committee on Homeland Security, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Appropriations, and Transportation and Infrastructure, 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.

  7. Referred to the Committee on Homeland Security, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Appropriations, and Transportation and Infrastructure, 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.

  8. Referred to the Committee on Homeland Security, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Appropriations, and Transportation and Infrastructure, 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.

  9. Introduced in House

  10. Introduced in House

Bill text & related measures

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Related bills identified by Congress.gov

Source last updated: Dec 5, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.

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