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Directs U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to expand and better manage staffing at ports of entry by hiring additional officers (1,000 above attrition each fiscal year, subject to appropriations) until staffing meets a workload-based model, allows hiring of non-law-enforcement support staff, and strengthens data and forecasting rules for staffing decisions. It also requires CBP to produce a rapid report on needed ports-of-entry upgrades and detection equipment to stop illegal opioids and related drugs, and to increase transparency and advance notice about temporary duty assignments and staffing changes. Requires regular reporting and audits: CBP must add specific items to its annual staffing report, provide advance notice and briefings when moving employees between ports, and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) must review and report if hiring targets are not met. The bill focuses on staffing methodology, officer safety and equipment, and operational transparency at ports of entry.
Subject to appropriations, the CBP Commissioner must hire, train, and assign 1,000 new CBP officers above the current attrition level during every fiscal year until the total number of CBP officers equals and sustains the requirements identified each year in the Workload Staffing Model.
The CBP Commissioner is authorized to hire, train, and assign support staff, including technicians and Enterprise Services mission support, to perform non‑law enforcement administrative functions that support the new CBP officers hired under the hiring requirement.
When calculating needed CBP officers at each port of entry using the Workload Staffing Model, the Commissioner shall rely on data collected about inspections and other activities conducted at each port of entry.
The Commissioner shall consider seasonal surges, other projected changes in commercial and passenger volumes, the most current commercial forecasts, and other relevant information when calculating staffing needs.
The Commissioner shall consider historical volume and forecasts from before the COVID–19 pandemic and consider the pandemic's impact on international travel when calculating staffing needs.
Primary effect: CBP operations and personnel. CBP leadership must change how they calculate staffing, expand hiring efforts, and produce new reports. Frontline port-of-entry officers should see increased staffing levels over time (if funding is provided), plus potential new non‑law-enforcement support hires that could reduce inspector workload. Officer safety may improve through required identification of protective equipment and detection tools for opioids and related substances.
Operational impacts: Ports of entry may require infrastructure upgrades and new detection equipment; implementation could mean procurement cycles, training needs, and temporary disruptions while equipment is installed and personnel assigned. Advance-notice and briefing requirements aim to reduce operational vulnerabilities when staff are moved, benefiting continuity of inspections and trade facilitation.
Stakeholder impacts: Trade and travel stakeholders (commercial carriers, commercial motor vehicle operators, and port authorities) could experience changes in inspection patterns or throughput during implementation. The federal budget will be affected if appropriations are provided to meet hiring goals; absent appropriations, the bill's hiring goals could create pressure for future budget requests. GAO oversight increases external accountability for hiring and staffing performance.
Equity and community effects: Improved detection of illegal opioids at entry points may reduce drug flows that affect communities, but changes in inspection operations may temporarily affect cross-border commerce and travel times. The bill places most obligations on a federal agency and does not impose new requirements on states or local governments.
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Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Introduced May 8, 2025 by Gary C. Peters · Last progress May 8, 2025
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Introduced in Senate