H.R. 3891

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3891 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3891

To amend the Northern Border Security Review Act to require an annual 
report and update the northern border threat analysis, and for other 
purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

June 10, 2025

Mr. Stauber (for himself, Mr. Langworthy, Mr. Bergman, Mr. Tiffany, Ms. 
Tenney, Ms. Stefanik, and Mrs. Hinson) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To amend the Northern Border Security Review Act to require an annual 
report and update the northern border threat analysis, 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 ``Northern Border Security and 
Staffing Reform Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND SENSE OF CONGRESS.

(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) Between 2002 and 2011, U.S. Customs and Border 
Protection (CBP) roughly doubled their staffing levels, and 
according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office 
Workload Staffing Model that calculates the number of CBP 
officers estimated to carry out the CBP mission at each air, 
sea, and land port of entry in the United States, states that 
the current staffing gap between the model results and the 
current staffing levels indicates a nationwide staffing 
shortage of 5,800 CBP officers.
(2) The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008 (Public Law 
110-161) made Customs and Border Protection Officers eligible 
for the 1.7 percent enhanced law enforcement officer (LEO) 
retirement system, which allows law enforcement officers to 
retire at age 50 with 20 years of service, or at any age with 
25 years of service.
(3) On April 30, 2024, then-Senior Official Performing the 
Duties of the Commissioner Troy A. Miller testified before the 
Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives 
that ports of entry face a 400 percent increase in retirements 
in 2028.
(4) This retirement surge would disproportionately affect 
ports of entry along the northern border.
(5) A 400 percent retirement surge would leave ports of 
entry along the northern border understaffed and unable to 
protect the American people from threats.
(6) Ports of entry along the northern border face unique 
staffing challenges due to their harsh winters, isolated 
locations, limited economic opportunities, and scarce housing 
markets. These factors make it difficult for northern ports of 
entry to recruit and retain officers who are not from its 
region.
(b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that U.S. 
Customs and Border Protection must begin a hiring surge of qualified 
recruits at ports of entry along the northern border to avoid the 
disastrous effects of the impending retirement surge, future retirement 
surges, and current staffing shortage.

SEC. 3. NORTHERN BORDER THREAT ANALYSIS UPDATE.

(a) In General.--The Northern Border Security Review Act (Public 
Law 114-267) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a), in the matter preceding paragraph 
(1), by striking ``180 days after the date of enactment of this 
Act'' and inserting ``not later than 180 days after the date of 
the enactment of the Northern Border Security and Staffing 
Reform Act and every five years thereafter'';
(2) in subsection (b)--
(A) by redesignating paragraphs (3) through (6) as 
paragraphs (7) through (10), respectively; and
(B) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following 
new paragraphs:
``(3) the current number of U.S. Customs and Border 
Protection officers and agents deployed along the northern 
border compared with the projected demand over the following 
years for such officers and agents;
``(4) the future retirement surges of such officers and 
agents, associated risks, and plans for mitigation of such 
risks;
``(5) any housing challenges along the northern border for 
such officers and agents;
``(6) the development of local recruiting plans to promote 
the hiring of new U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers 
and agents local to areas close to northern ports of entry;'';
(3) by redesignating subsection (c) as subsection (d);
(4) by inserting after subsection (b) the following new 
subsection:
``(c) Additional Elements.--The Secretary of Homeland Security 
shall also include in each threat analysis required under subsection 
(a) the following:
``(1) A plan, and any updates thereto, to address future 
retirement surges, staffing challenges, and staffing shortages 
along the northern border.
``(2) An assessment of the feasibility of the use of 
various recruitment and retention tools, including direct hire 
authority, recruitment, retention, and relocation bonuses, 
additional pay authorities, and student loan repayment programs 
to address staffing shortages along the northern border.''; and
(5) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
``(e) Definition.--In this section, the term `local recruiting 
plans' means plans designed to motivate, recruit, hire, assist, and 
mentor local qualified candidates to apply for and have a career in 
U.S. Customs and Border Protection at nearby ports of entry.''.
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