H.R. 4940: Border and Port Security Act

115th Congress · introduced 2018-02-06 · Foreign Trade and International Finance · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture, and Research.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2018-02-06 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Vela, Filemon [D-TX-34] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture, and Research. 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

Border and Port Security Act

Plain summary

Border and Port Security Act This bill requires U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), every fiscal year, to hire, train, and assign at least 500 new officers above the level as of September 30 of the immediately preceding fiscal year until the total number of officers equals the requirements identified each year in the Workload Staffing Model developed by the CBP. The CBP shall, every fiscal year, hire, train, and assign specified levels of new agricultural specialists, full-time investigators within its Office of Professional Responsibility, and support staff, including technicians, to perform non-law enforcement administrative functions. In calculating the number of officers needed at each port of entry through the Workload Staffing Model, the Office of Field Operations of the CBP shall: (1) rely on data collected regarding the inspections and other activities conducted at each such port of entry; and (2) consider volume from seasonal surges, other projected changes in commercial and passenger volumes, the most current commercial forecasts, and other relevant information. The bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require CBP's annual report on staffing to include information on how many agricultural specialists are assigned to each field office and port of entry and information concerning the progress made toward meeting officer, agricultural specialist, and support staff hiring targets, while accounting for attrition. The CBP must also report on infrastructure and equipment needed to prevent the illegal transportation of opioids and other drugs through U.S. ports of entry.

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

Border and Port Security Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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Alternatives

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

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Vela, Filemon [D-TX-34] · 22 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-CA), J. Luis Correa (D-CA), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), William R. Keating (D-MA), James P. McGovern (D-MA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Debbie Dingell (D-MI), Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX)

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 (3)

Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Fiscal year: The 12-month period a government uses for its budget. The federal fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30 and is named for the calendar year in which it ends. Most states use July 1 to June 30.
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-115hr4940.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/115/hr>

Record fed-us-cong115-hr4940 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong115 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong115