H.R. 163: Security First Act

118th Congress · introduced 2023-01-09 · Immigration · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2023-01-09 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Gonzales, Tony [R-TX-23] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement. 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

Security First Act

Plain summary

Security First Act This bill reauthorizes the Operation Stonegarden program from FY2024 through FY2027 and addresses other border security issues. (Operation Stonegarden provides grants to enhance the border security capabilities of state, local, and tribal governments.) From FY2024 through FY2027, the money from unreported monetary instruments seized from individuals crossing the U.S.-Mexico border and transferred into the Department of the Treasury general fund shall be made available without further appropriation to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to fund Operation Stonegarden. DHS must report to Congress on (1) DHS hiring practices from 2018 to 2021, and (2) whether certain Mexican drug cartels meet the criteria to be designated as foreign terrorist organizations. DHS must also periodically report to Congress about the technology needed to secure the U.S.-Mexico land border.

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

Security First Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Gonzales, Tony [R-TX-23] · 22 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Monica De La Cruz (R-TX), Jake Ellzey (R-TX), Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), Ashley Hinson (R-IA), Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL), John H. Rutherford (R-FL), Brian J. Mast (R-FL), Dan Newhouse (R-WA), Stephanie I. Bice (R-OK), Young Kim (R-CA), Ken Calvert (R-CA), Byron Donalds (R-FL), Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ), James C. Moylan (R-GU), Eric A. "Rick" Crawford (R-AR), David G. Valadao (R-CA), Aaron Bean (R-FL), Randy Feenstra (R-IA), Clay Higgins (R-LA), Thomas H. Kean, Jr. (R-NJ)

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)

Appropriation: Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
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).
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-118hr163.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/118/hr>

Record fed-us-cong118-hr163 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong118 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong118