[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 24 (Friday, February 9, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S709-S710]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 1509. Mr. TUBERVILLE submitted an amendment intended to be 
proposed to amendment SA 1388 submitted by Mrs. Murray (for herself and 
Mr. Schumer) and intended to be proposed to the bill H.R. 815, to amend 
title 38, United States Code, to make certain improvements relating to 
the eligibility of veterans to receive reimbursement for emergency 
treatment furnished through the Veterans Community Care program, and 
for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

        At the appropriate place, insert the following:

     SEC. __. ANTI-BORDER CORRUPTION ACT REAUTHORIZATION.

       (a) Hiring Flexibility.--Section 3 of the Anti-Border 
     Corruption Act of 2010 (6 U.S.C. 221; Public Law 111-376) is 
     amended by striking subsection (b) and inserting the 
     following new subsections:
       ``(b) Waiver Requirement.--Subject to subsection (c), the 
     Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection shall 
     waive the application of subsection (a)(1)--
       ``(1) to a current, full-time law enforcement officer 
     employed by a State or local law enforcement agency who--
       ``(A) has continuously served as a law enforcement officer 
     for not fewer than three years;
       ``(B) is authorized by law to engage in or supervise the 
     prevention, detection, investigation, or prosecution of, or 
     the incarceration of any person for, any violation of law, 
     and has statutory powers for arrest or apprehension; and
       ``(C) is not currently under investigation, has not been 
     found to have engaged in criminal activity or serious 
     misconduct, has not resigned from a law enforcement officer 
     position under investigation or in lieu of termination, and 
     has not been dismissed from a law enforcement officer 
     position;
       ``(2) to a current, full-time Federal law enforcement 
     officer who--
       ``(A) has continuously served as a law enforcement officer 
     for not fewer than three years;
       ``(B) is authorized to make arrests, conduct 
     investigations, conduct searches, make seizures, carry 
     firearms, and serve orders, warrants, and other processes;
       ``(C) is not currently under investigation, has not been 
     found to have engaged in criminal activity or serious 
     misconduct, has not resigned from a law enforcement officer 
     position under investigation or in lieu of termination, and 
     has not been dismissed from a law enforcement officer 
     position; and
       ``(D) holds a current Tier 4 background investigation or 
     current Tier 5 background investigation; or
       ``(3) to a member of the Armed Forces (or a reserve 
     component thereof) or a veteran, if such individual--
       ``(A) has served in the Armed Forces for not fewer than 
     three years;
       ``(B) holds, or has held within the past five years, a 
     Secret, Top Secret, or Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented 
     Information clearance;
       ``(C) holds, or has undergone within the past five years, a 
     current Tier 4 background investigation or current Tier 5 
     background investigation;
       ``(D) received, or is eligible to receive, an honorable 
     discharge from service in the Armed Forces and has not 
     engaged in criminal activity or committed a serious military 
     or civil offense under the Uniform Code of Military Justice; 
     and

[[Page S710]]

       ``(E) was not granted any waivers to obtain the clearance 
     referred to in subparagraph (B).
       ``(c) Termination of Waiver Requirement; Snap-Back.--The 
     requirement to issue a waiver under subsection (b) shall 
     terminate if the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border 
     Protection (CBP) certifies to the Committee on Homeland 
     Security of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
     Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate that 
     CBP has met all requirements pursuant to section 107 of the 
     Secure the Border Act of 2023 relating to personnel levels. 
     If at any time after such certification personnel levels fall 
     below such requirements, the Commissioner shall waive the 
     application of subsection (a)(1) until such time as the 
     Commissioner re-certifies to such Committees that CBP has so 
     met all such requirements.''.
       (b) Supplemental Commissioner Authority; Reporting; 
     Definitions.--The Anti-Border Corruption Act of 2010 is 
     amended by adding at the end the following new sections:

     ``SEC. 5. SUPPLEMENTAL COMMISSIONER AUTHORITY.

       ``(a) Nonexemption.--An individual who receives a waiver 
     under section 3(b) is not exempt from any other hiring 
     requirements relating to suitability for employment and 
     eligibility to hold a national security designated position, 
     as determined by the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border 
     Protection.
       ``(b) Background Investigations.--An individual who 
     receives a waiver under section 3(b) who holds a current Tier 
     4 background investigation shall be subject to a Tier 5 
     background investigation.
       ``(c) Administration of Polygraph Examination.--The 
     Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection is 
     authorized to administer a polygraph examination to an 
     applicant or employee who is eligible for or receives a 
     waiver under section 3(b) if information is discovered before 
     the completion of a background investigation that results in 
     a determination that a polygraph examination is necessary to 
     make a final determination regarding suitability for 
     employment or continued employment, as the case may be.

     ``SEC. 6. REPORTING.

       ``(a) Annual Report.--Not later than one year after the 
     date of the enactment of this section and annually thereafter 
     while the waiver authority under section 3(b) is in effect, 
     the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection shall 
     submit to Congress a report that includes, with respect to 
     each such reporting period, the following:
       ``(1) Information relating to the number of waivers granted 
     under such section 3(b).
       ``(2) Information relating to the percentage of applicants 
     who were hired after receiving such a waiver.
       ``(3) Information relating to the number of instances that 
     a polygraph was administered to an applicant who initially 
     received such a waiver and the results of such polygraph.
       ``(4) An assessment of the current impact of such waiver 
     authority on filling law enforcement positions at U.S. 
     Customs and Border Protection.
       ``(5) An identification of additional authorities needed by 
     U.S. Customs and Border Protection to better utilize such 
     waiver authority for its intended goals.
       ``(b) Additional Information.--The first report submitted 
     under subsection (a) shall include the following:
       ``(1) An analysis of other methods of employment 
     suitability tests that detect deception and could be used in 
     conjunction with traditional background investigations to 
     evaluate potential applicants or employees for suitability 
     for employment or continued employment, as the case may be.
       ``(2) A recommendation regarding whether a test referred to 
     in paragraph (1) should be adopted by U.S. Customs and Border 
     Protection when the polygraph examination requirement is 
     waived pursuant to section 3(b).

     ``SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS.

       ``In this Act:
       ``(1) Federal law enforcement officer.--The term `Federal 
     law enforcement officer' means a `law enforcement officer', 
     as such term is defined in section 8331(20) or 8401(17) of 
     title 5, United States Code.
       ``(2) Serious military or civil offense.--The term `serious 
     military or civil offense' means an offense for which--
       ``(A) a member of the Armed Forces may be discharged or 
     separated from service in the Armed Forces; and
       ``(B) a punitive discharge is, or would be, authorized for 
     the same or a closely related offense under the Manual for 
     Court-Martial, as pursuant to Army Regulation 635-200, 
     chapter 14-12.
       ``(3) Tier 4; tier 5.--The terms `Tier 4' and `Tier 5', 
     with respect to background investigations, have the meaning 
     given such terms under the 2012 Federal Investigative 
     Standards.
       ``(4) Veteran.--The term `veteran' has the meaning given 
     such term in section 101(2) of title 38, United States 
     Code.''.
       (c) Polygraph Examiners.--Not later than September 30, 
     2025, the Secretary shall increase to not fewer than 150 the 
     number of trained full-time equivalent polygraph examiners 
     for administering polygraphs under the Anti-Border Corruption 
     Act of 2010, as amended by this section.
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