H.R. 1561: Putting Our Resources Toward Security (PORTS) Act

112th Congress · introduced 2011-04-14 · Emergency Management · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Nutrition and Horticulture .

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2011-04-14 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Reyes, Silvestre [D-TX-16] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Nutrition and Horticulture . Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Putting Our Resources Toward Security (PORTS) Act

Plain summary

Putting Our Resources Toward Security (PORTS) Act - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security, between FY2012-FY2016, to increase the number of full-time Customs and Border Protection officers, agriculture specialists, and border security support personnel for U.S. ports of entry by not fewer than 5,000, 1,200, and 350, respectively, above the number of such personnel for which funds were made available during FY2010. Authorizes appropriations to the Administrator of the General Services Administration (GSA) for each of FY2012-FY2016 to make improvements to existing U.S. ports of entry to improve border security. Directs the Administrator to give priority to ports determined to be in most need of repair in accordance with required infrastructure assessment studies.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Putting Our Resources Toward Security (PORTS) Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Reyes, Silvestre [D-TX-16] · 27 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Henry Cuellar (D-TX), Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Michael T. McCaul (R-TX), Ken Calvert (R-CA), Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO)

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (2)

Appropriation: Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Securities: Financial investments that can be bought and sold, such as stocks and bonds.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-112hr1561.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/112/hr>

Record fed-us-cong112-hr1561 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong112 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong112