S. 1312: Securing our Border Act

118th Congress · introduced 2023-04-26 · Immigration · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2023-04-26 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Scott, Tim [R-SC] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. 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

Securing our Border Act

Plain summary

Securing our Border Act This bill addresses issues concerning border security and immigration, including by transferring funds from the Internal Revenue Service to certain border-related projects. Specifically, the bill transfers certain funds previously appropriated for tax enforcement activities (e.g., collecting owed taxes and conducting criminal investigations) to fund (1) nonintrusive inspection systems along the northern border and southwest border of the United States, and (2) the construction of a border wall system along the southwest border. The bill also authorizes the U.S. Customs and Border Protection to pay recruitment, retention, and relocation bonuses, subject to various requirements and limitations. For example, a relocation bonus may not exceed 15% of the agent's annual basic bay and must be conditioned on the agent agreeing to serve for at least three years at the new duty station. The bill also modifies the treatment of non-U.S. nationals ( aliens under federal law) arriving by land from a country next to the United States. Specifically, if such an individual is not clearly entitled to admission into the United States, the Department of Justice must (1) return the individual to that neighboring country or a safe third country while removal proceedings are pending, or (2) detain the individual while the individual's asylum application is under consideration. (Current law authorizes DOJ to return the individual to the neighboring country but does not require such action or detention.)

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), 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

Securing our Border Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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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: Sen. Scott, Tim [R-SC] · 8 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Steve Daines (R-MT), Joni Ernst (R-IA), James Lankford (R-OK), Cynthia M. Lummis (R-WY), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Dan Sullivan (R-AK)

Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Scott, Tim [R-SC] reported raising $6.7 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

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 Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-118s1312.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/118/s>

Record fed-us-cong118-s1312 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong118 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong118