118 HR 7402 IH: Operation Lone Star Reimbursement Act U.S. House of Representatives 2024-02-15 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

I118th CONGRESS2d SessionH. R. 7402IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESFebruary 15, 2024Mr. Williams of Texas introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the JudiciaryA BILLTo reimburse the State of Texas for expenses incurred for activities conducted relating to securing the southern international border of the United States, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Operation Lone Star Reimbursement Act.

2.

Findings

Congress finds the following:(1)The Federal Government is primarily responsible for securing the borders of the United States at and between ports of entry.(2)Due to the lack of action by the Federal Government, the State of Texas has been forced to continually appropriate funds to secure the southern border of the United States.(3)Texas has taken these actions to help maintain safety and security for all citizens across the United States by protecting against the criminal acts of—(A)human trafficking;(B)sex trafficking;(C)drug proliferation;(D)illicit movement of weapons and contraband;(E)criminal organizations; and (F)unlawful entry.(4)The amount the State of Texas spent on border security to combat these criminal acts was—(A)more than $800,000,000 in the years 2020 through 2021; and(B)more than $2,926,400,000 in the years 2022 through 2023.(5)The State of Texas plans to spend an additional $4,600,000,000 to secure the border in the years 2024 through 2025.

3.

Reimbursements for the State of Texas

(a)

Application for reimbursement

The Governor of Texas shall submit to the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of the Treasury an application for reimbursement, which shall include—(1)a list of expenses incurred by the State of Texas for activities conducted relating to securing the southern international border of the United States during the years 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024; and(2)the total amount of expenses incurred for such activities.(b)

Reimbursement

Not later than 60 days after the State of Texas submits an application for reimbursement pursuant to subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury shall pay to the State of Texas, out of any amounts in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, an amount equal to the total amount of expenses described in subsection (a)(2).