H.R. 506: Security First Act

119th Congress · introduced 2025-01-16 · Immigration · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence.

federal

What does this mean?

Official title

Security First Act

Plain summary

Security First Act This bill reauthorizes the Operation Stonegarden program from FY2025 through FY2028 and addresses other border security issues. (Operation Stonegarden provides grants to enhance the border security capabilities of state, local, and tribal governments.) From FY2025 through FY2028, 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 2024, and (2) whether certain criminal gangs and 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.

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What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Security First Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Gonzales, Tony [R-TX-23] · 15 cosponsors

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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-119hr506.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/119/hr>

Record fed-us-cong119-hr506 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong119 · updated 2026-11-03 by psicol fed-bills