[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2281 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2281

 To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to reauthorize the Border 
   Enforcement Security Task Force program within the Department of 
               Homeland Security, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 2, 2017

 Mr. Vela (for himself, Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, Mr. Richmond, Ms. 
 McSally, Mr. Correa, and Ms. Barragan) introduced the following bill; 
        which was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to reauthorize the Border 
   Enforcement Security Task Force program within the Department of 
               Homeland Security, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Border Enforcement Security Task 
Force Reauthorization Act of 2017''.

SEC. 2. MODIFIED INSTRUCTIONS.

    (a) Updated Considerations for the Establishment of Units.--
Paragraph (2) of section 432(c) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 
U.S.C. 240(c)) is amended--
            (1) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking 
        ``the Secretary shall consider'' and inserting ``the Secretary 
        shall apply risk-based criteria that takes into 
        consideration''; and
            (2) in subparagraph (A), by inserting before the semicolon 
        the following: ``, including threats posed by transnational 
        criminal organizations'';
            (3) in subparagraph (C), by striking ``and'' after the 
        semicolon;
            (4) in subparagraph (D), by striking the period at the end 
        and inserting ``; and''; and
            (5) by adding at the end the following new subparagraphs:
                    ``(E) the extent to which the BEST unit would 
                advance the Department's homeland and border security 
                strategic priorities and related objectives; and
                    ``(F) whether departmental Joint Task Force 
                operations as established pursuant to section 708 and 
                other joint cross-border initiatives would be enhanced, 
                improved, or otherwise assisted by the BEST unit to be 
                established.''.
    (b) Updated Report Elements.--Subsection (e) of section 432 of the 
Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 240) is amended to read as 
follows:
    ``(e) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this section and annually thereafter for the following 
five years, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report that 
includes the following:
            ``(1) A description of the effectiveness of BEST in 
        enhancing border security, disrupting and dismantling 
        transnational criminal organizations, and reducing drug 
        trafficking, arms smuggling, illegal alien trafficking and 
        smuggling, violence, and kidnapping along and across the 
        international borders of the United States, as measured by 
        crime statistics, including violent deaths, incidents of 
        violence, and drug-related arrests.
            ``(2) An assessment of how BEST enhances information-
        sharing, including the dissemination of homeland security 
        information, among Federal, State, local, tribal, and foreign 
        law enforcement agencies.
            ``(3) A description of how BEST advances the Department's 
        homeland and border security strategic priorities and 
        effectiveness of BEST in achieving related objectives.
            ``(4) An assessment of BEST's joint operational efforts 
        with departmental Joint Task Force operations established 
        pursuant to section 708 and other joint cross-border 
        initiatives.''.
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