H.R. 399: Secure Our Borders First Act of 2015
On 1/16/15, Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee Mike McCaul introduced H.R. 399, the “Secure Our Borders First Act.” This bill is significantly different from the bill Chairman McCaul introduced last year, which focused on defining appropriate metrics and developing border security strategies. It garnered bipartisan support and passed out of his Committee unanimously (see AILA’s summary of H.R. 1417, Border Security Results Act of 2013). H.R. 399, by contrast, significantly increases spending on the border by defining sector-by-sector minimum technology and fencing requirements and includes an impossible-to-attain “operational control” goal of preventing 100 percent of unlawful entries and contraband. The bill further prevents political appointees within DHS from reviewing data and evaluating metrics and imposes penalties (including no bonus pay or salary increases) on those appointees if DHS cannot achieve the bill’s requirements. The bill does not include any measures to permit border community participation in planning and does not address CBP accountability.
For more information, visit: http://homeland.house.gov/secure-our-borders#Bill
On January 26, 2015, the Congressional Budget Office released it cost estimate for H.R. 399.