Text of Senate Amendment 6235

Quick facts

Record: Senate Floor
Section type: Amendments
Chamber: Senate
Date: June 24, 2026
Congress: 119th Congress
Why this source matters: This section came from the Senate floor portion of the record.

Linked context

People mentioned: Lankford, James
Committees: Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Committee on Finance, Committee on Foreign Relations

Readable version of the official text

SA 6235. Mr. LANKFORD submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 4784, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2027 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the end of subtitle E of title X, add the following:

SECTION 1270A. COLLABORATION INVOLVING SCANNED IMAGES FROM

CERTAIN PORTS OF ENTRY.

(a) Short Title.—This section may be cited as the

“Strengthening Security Through Joint Cargo Scanning Act”.

(b) Definitions.—In this section:

(1) Appropriate congressional committees.—The term

“appropriate congressional committees” means—

(A) the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental

Affairs of the Senate;

(B) the Committee on Finance of the Senate;

(D) the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate;

(E) the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of

Representatives;

(F) the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of

Representatives;

(G) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of

Representatives; and

(H) the Committee on Appropriations of the House of

Representatives.

(2) Program.—The term “Program” means the pilot program

authorized under subsection (c).

(3) Secretary.—The term “Secretary” means the Secretary

of Homeland Security.

Secretary of State, may establish, pursuant to a bilateral

agreement with a foreign government, a 5-year pilot program

to improve border security in the United States through the

analysis of manifest data and images of cargo and conveyances

captured by non-intrusive scanning technologies deployed at

designated foreign ports of entry.

(d) Program Participants.—The Program may be staffed by

approved law enforcement officers from—

(1) U.S. Customs and Border Protection;

(2) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement;

(3) any other Federal law enforcement agency, as

appropriate, that has been designated as a Program

participant by the Secretary; and

(4) appropriate law enforcement agencies of foreign

government that are members of a vetted unit established by

the United States Government.

(e) Program Location.—The United States Government, to the

greatest extent practicable, shall carry out the analysis

function of the Program at the National Targeting Center

operated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

(f) Manifest Data.—To the greatest extent practicable, the

Program shall allow for the sharing of manifest data from the

designated foreign ports of entry with U.S. Customs and

Border Protection for the purpose of carrying out the

Program.

(g) Prohibition on Foreign Participation.—The Program

shall require participating foreign governments to prohibit—

(1) the handling of, access to, and analysis of any

manifest data or images generated from non-intrusive

inspection technologies by any law enforcement officer of the

foreign government;

(2) the processing of data to carry out the Program through

any hardware or software that does not meet the requirements

established by the Secretary, in consultation with the

Secretary of State; and

(3) the acquisition of hardware, software, or commercial

off-the-shelf solutions by the United States Government or a

participating foreign government that is produced by any

entity designated on the entity list administered by the

Bureau of Industry and Security of the Department of

Commerce.

(h) Participating Ports of Entry.—The Program shall

designate 5 ports of entry in the participating foreign

country through which cargo and conveyances are transported

from a participating foreign country to the United States,

including at least 1 international rail crossing and 2 land

ports of entry.

(i) Privacy, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties.—The

Secretary, or the designee of the Secretary, shall specify

training requirements for all United States Government

personnel who participate in the Program to guarantee the

protection of civil rights, civil liberties, and privacy of

all individuals within the jurisdiction of the United States,

in accordance with Federal law.

(j) Quarterly Congressional Briefings.—Not later than 90

days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and every

90 days thereafter, the Secretary, or the Secretary's

designee, shall brief the appropriate congressional

committees regarding the implementation of this Act.

(k) Bilateral Agreement.—

(1) Submission.—Not later than 30 days after the execution

of any bilateral agreement to carry out the Program, the

Secretary, or the Secretary's designee, shall submit to the

appropriate congressional committees—

(A) an unredacted copy of such agreement; and

(B) a written description of the elements and scope of the

Program.

(2) Briefing.—Not later than 7 days after submitting the

report required under paragraph (1), the Secretary, or the

Secretary's designee, shall brief the appropriate

congressional committees regarding the implementation of the

agreement referred to in paragraph (1).

(3) Form.—The agreement and written description contained

in the report submitted pursuant to paragraph (1) and the

briefing provided pursuant to paragraph (2) may be in

classified form to protect national security or to comply

with any applicable Federal law.

(l) Semiannual Report.—

(1) In general.—Not later than 180 days after the date of

the enactment of this Act, and every 180 days thereafter

while the Program is operational, the Secretary shall submit

a report to the appropriate congressional committees that

includes, with respect to the reporting period—

(A) the number of United States Government law enforcement

personnel who are authorized to participate in the Program,

disaggregated by Federal department or agency;

(B) the name and type of ports of entry that are authorized

participate in the Program;

through the ports of entry that are authorized to participate

in the Program, disaggregated by—

(i) the direction of travel (whether into the United States

from a participating foreign

country or away from the United States to a participating

foreign country); and

(ii) by port of entry;

(D) the total number and percentage of total cargo and

conveyances that were scanned by non-intrusive inspection

technology at ports of entry authorized to participate in the

Program, disaggregated by port of entry;

(E) the total number and percentage of manifests and

underlying manifest data analyzed by law enforcement

personnel under the Program;

(F) the number of identified anomalies in the images

generated by non-intrusive inspection technologies at ports

of entry authorized to participate in the Program,

disaggregated by port of entry;

(G) the number of anomalies in the manifests and underlying

manifest data analyzed by law enforcement personnel under the

Program, disaggregated by originating port of entry of such

cargo and conveyance;

(H) the total number of seizures of contraband, persons

seeking to unlawfully enter the United States, or illicitly

concealed merchandise, including illicit drugs or terrorist

weapons, resulting from the analysis of images captured by

non-intrusive inspection technologies at a participating port

of entry under the Program, disaggregated by originating port

of entry; and

(I) the total number of seizures of contraband, persons

seeking to unlawfully enter the United States, or illicitly

concealed merchandise, including illicit drugs or terrorist

weapons, resulting from the analysis of manifest data by law

enforcement personnel of a participating foreign country,

disaggregated by originating port of entry.

(2) Form.—The report required under paragraph (1) shall be

submitted in an unclassified format, but may include a

classified annex.

(m) Assessment.—

(1) In general.—Not later than 180 days after the

termination of the Program, the Comptroller General of the

United States shall submit a report to the appropriate

congressional committees containing an assessment of the

Program, including—

(A) the methodology used by the Secretary and the

participating foreign government to identify participating

ports of entry;

(B) whether the Program strengthened the security of the

United States borders;

contraband, persons seeking to unlawfully enter the United

States, or illicitly concealed merchandise, including illicit

drugs or terrorist weapons at participating ports of entry;

(D) any security concerns regarding the deployment of any

United States Government-owned hardware or software assets in

the participating foreign country;

(E) any security concerns regarding the access to data

under the Program by participating foreign government law

enforcement personnel;

(F) whether the Program meaningfully increased throughput

at participating ports of entry;

(G) the impact of the Program on United States businesses

and foreign businesses that carry out international trade at

participating ports of entry;

(H) whether additional measures could ensure that the

Program facilitates the seizure of contraband, persons

seeking to unlawfully enter the United States, or illicitly

concealed merchandise, including illicit drugs or terrorist

weapons, at participating ports of entry; and

(I) whether additional measures could ensure that the

Program mitigates any impacts referred to in subparagraph

(G).

(2) Access to data.—The Comptroller General shall have

ongoing access to any data necessary to complete the

assessment required under paragraph (1) on time.

(3) Quarterly briefings by comptroller general.—Not less

frequently than once every 90 days while the Program is

operational, the Comptroller General, or the Comptroller

General's designee, shall brief the appropriate congressional

committees regarding the progress towards completing the

assessment required under paragraph (1).

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