[House Report 119-229]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
119th Congress } { Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
1st Session } { 119-229
=======================================================================
CONTRABAND AWARENESS TECHNOLOGY CATCHES
HARMFUL FENTANYL ACT
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August 15, 2025.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the
State of the Union and ordered to be printed
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Mr. Garbarino, from the Committee on Homeland Security,
submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 1569]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Homeland Security, to whom was referred
the bill (H.R. 1569) to establish a pilot program to assess the
use of technology to speed up and enhance the cargo inspection
process at land ports of entry along the border, having
considered the same, reports favorably thereon without
amendment and recommends that the bill do pass.
CONTENTS
Page
Purpose and Summary.............................................. 1
Background and Need for Legislation.............................. 2
Hearings......................................................... 2
Committee Consideration.......................................... 3
Committee Votes.................................................. 3
Committee Oversight Findings..................................... 3
C.B.O. Estimate, New Budget Authority, Entitlement Authority, and
Tax Expenditures............................................... 3
Federal Mandates Statement....................................... 5
Duplicative Federal Programs..................................... 5
Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives............ 5
Congressional Earmarks, Limited Tax Benefits, and Limited Tariff
Benefits....................................................... 5
Advisory Committee Statement..................................... 5
Applicability to Legislative Branch.............................. 5
Section-by-Section Analysis of the Legislation................... 5
PURPOSE AND SUMMARY
H.R. 1569, the ``Contraband Awareness Technology Catches
Harmful Fentanyl Act,'' or ``CATCH Fentanyl Act,'' establishes
a five-year pilot program within U.S. Customs and Border
Protection (CPB) to test technology enhancements for inspecting
vehicles and cargo at land ports of entry. The bill would
require CBP to evaluate the effectiveness of at least five
types of Non-Intrusive Inspection (NII) technology enhancements
that can be deployed at land ports of entry. Additionally, this
legislation increases Congressional oversight by requiring CBP
to report to Congress on the effectiveness of the technologies
in the program, any recommendations from the testing of
technologies, and a plan to utilize the technologies.
BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is at the forefront in
the fight against the opioid epidemic. CBP deploys NII
technology to detect illegal drugs, as well as currency,
contraband, and people being smuggled or trafficked into the
United States at ports of entry. Fentanyl is highly lethal and
as little as two milligrams is considered a potentially lethal
dose.\1\ From May 2022 to May 2023 alone, CBP seized
approximately 27,900 pounds of fentanyl.\2\ During this same
period, the United States suffered over 112,000 overdose
deaths, with the vast majority of those deaths attributed to
synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl.\3\ Fentanyl poisoning is
the leading cause of death in the United States for adults aged
18-45.
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\1\U.S. Drug Enforcement Admin., Facts About Fentanyl, https://
www.dea.gov/resources/facts-about-fentanyl (last visited May 13, 2025).
\2\U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Drug Seizure Statistics,
https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/stats/drug-seizure-statistics (last
visited May 13, 2025).
\3\Musa, US overdose deaths continue their rise, data shows, with
`devastating impact' on population. KDRV.com (October 11, 2023) https:/
/www.kdrv.com/news/us-overdose-deaths-continue-their-rise-data-shows-
with-devastating-impact-on-population/article_8935a784-1a88-524a-94cd-
c20417922dc8.html.
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It is evident from fentanyl seizures and overdose deaths
throughout the country that more needs to be done to stop
fentanyl at the border. H.R. 1569 will enhance CBP's efforts to
maximize screening capabilities at ports of entry and ensure
that our front-line officers have access to the most up-to-
date, effective, and efficient technology to detect and stop
fentanyl before it enters the United States.
HEARINGS
The Committee held the following hearings in the 119th
Congress that informed H.R. 1569:
On March 5, 2025, the Committee held a hearing entitled
``Countering Threats Posed by the Chinese Communist Party to
U.S. National Security.'' The Committee received testimony from
Dr. Michael Pillsbury, Senior Fellow, China Strategy, The
Heritage Foundation, who testified as a private citizen; Mr.
Craig Singleton, China Program Senior Director and Senior
Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies; the Honorable
Bill Evanina, Founder and CEO, the Evanina Group; and Dr. Rush
Doshi, Assistant Professor of Security Studies, Georgetown
University Walsh School of Foreign Service, C.V. Starr Senior
Fellow for Asia Studies and Director of the China Strategy
Initiative, Council on Foreign Relations, who testified as a
private citizen.
On March 25, 2025, the Subcommittee on Border Security and
Enforcement held a hearing entitled ``Part 1: Consequences of
Failure: How Biden's Policies Fueled the Border Crisis.'' The
Subcommittee received testimony from Ms. Lora Reis, Director,
Border Security and Immigration Center, The Heritage
Foundation, who testified as a private citizen; Mr. Ammon
Blair, Senior Fellow, Secure and Sovereign Texas Initiative,
Texas Public Policy Foundation; Mr. Jon Anfinsen, Executive
Vice President, National Border Patrol Council; and Mr. Aaron
Reichlin-Melnick, Senior Fellow, American Immigration Council.
COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION
The Committee met on April 9, 2025, a quorum being present,
to consider H.R. 1569 and ordered the measure to be favorably
reported to the House by voice vote.
COMMITTEE VOTES
Clause 3(b) of rule XIII requires the Committee to list the
recorded votes on the motion to report legislation and
amendments thereto.
No recorded votes were requested during consideration of
H.R. 1569.
COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS
In compliance with clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII, the
Committee advises that the findings and recommendations of the
Committee, based on oversight activities under clause 2(b)(1)
of rule X, are incorporated in the descriptive portions of this
report.
CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE ESTIMATE, NEW BUDGET AUTHORITY,
ENTITLEMENT AUTHORITY, AND TAX EXPENDITURES
With respect to the requirements of clause 3(c)(2) of rule
XIII and section 308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of
1974, and with respect to the requirements of clause 3(c)(3) of
rule XIII and section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of
1974, the Committee adopts as its own the estimate of any new
budget authority, spending authority, credit authority, or an
increase or decrease in revenues or tax expenditures contained
in the cost estimate prepared by the Director of the
Congressional Budget Office.
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
H.R. 1569 would require Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
to establish a pilot program to test technological enhancements
for inspecting vehicles and cargo at land ports of entry. The
bill would require CBP to evaluate the effectiveness of at
least five technologies, including artificial intelligence,
machine learning, and quantum information sciences, to detect
contraband and increase the efficiency of inspections. H.R.
1569 also would require CBP to report to the Congress on the
effectiveness of the technologies in the program and their
effect on privacy and civil rights and liberties.
Using information from CBP, CBO estimates that the agency
currently deploys three technologies that are compliant with
the bill's requirements and would need to evaluate two
additional types of technologies. Based on the costs of similar
projects, CBO estimates that CBP would incur additional costs
of about $8 million annually to procure, deploy, and evaluate
those technologies. Additionally, CBO estimates that it would
cost less than $500,000 to comply with the bill's reporting
requirements. In total, CBO estimates that implementing H.R.
1569 would cost $42 million over the 2025-2030 period. Any
related spending would be subject to the availability of
appropriated funds.
The costs of the legislation, detailed in Table 1, fall
within budget function 750 (administration of justice).
TABLE 1.--ESTIMATED INCREASES IN SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION UNDER H.R. 1569
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By fiscal year, millions of dollars--
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2025-
2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2030
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Estimated Authorization.......................... * 8 8 9 9 9 43
Estimated Outlays................................ * 7 8 9 9 9 42
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* = between zero and $500,000.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Jeremy Crimm.
The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy
Director of Budget Analysis.
Phillip L. Swagel,
Director, Congressional Budget Office.
FEDERAL MANDATES STATEMENT
The Committee adopts as its own the estimate of Federal
mandates prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget
Office pursuant to section 423 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform
Act of 1995.
DUPLICATIVE FEDERAL PROGRAMS
Pursuant to clause 3(c) of rule XIII, the Committee finds
that H.R. 1569 does not contain any provision that establishes
or reauthorizes a program known to be duplicative of another
Federal program.
STATEMENT OF GENERAL PERFORMANCE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
Pursuant to clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII, the objective of
H.R. 1569 is to establish a pilot program to assess the use of
technology to speed up and enhance the vehicle and cargo
inspection process at land ports of entry along the border.
CONGRESSIONAL EARMARKS, LIMITED TAX BENEFITS, AND LIMITED
TARIFF BENEFITS
In compliance with rule XXI, this bill, as reported,
contains no congressional earmarks, limited tax benefits, or
limited tariff benefits as defined in clause 9(d), 9(e), or
9(f) of rule XXI.
ADVISORY COMMITTEE STATEMENT
No advisory committees within the meaning of section 5(b)
of the Federal Advisory Committee Act were created by this
legislation.
APPLICABILITY TO THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
The Committee finds that H.R. 1569 does not relate to the
terms and conditions of employment or access to public services
or accommodations within the meaning of section 102(b)(3) of
the Congressional Accountability Act.
SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS OF THE LEGISLATION
Section 1. Short title
This section states that the Act may be cited as the
``Contraband Awareness Technology Catches Harmful Fentanyl
Act'' or the ``CATCH Fentanyl Act''.
Section 2. Definitions
This section contains definitions for various terms used
throughout the bill.
Section 3. Pilot projects allowing additional technology providers to
participate in inspecting cars, trucks, and cargo containers at
certain ports of entry
This section requires the Department of Homeland Security
(DHS), acting through the U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Innovation Team, and in coordination with the Office of Field
Operations and the DHS Science and Technology Directorate, to
implement, within one year after enactment, a pilot program to
improve the process for inspection at land ports of entry. This
section would require technologies tested and assessed under
the program be for the purpose of assisting CBP in detecting
contraband, human smuggling, illegal drugs and weapons or other
threats. This section requires the CBP Innovation Team, in
coordination with the DHS Science and Technology Directorate,
to test technology from not fewer than one of the following
categories: artificial intelligence, machine learning, high-
performance computing, quantum information sciences, and other
emerging technologies.
This section would require the pilot projects to identify
the most effective types of technology enhancements based on
their ability to: detect contraband and threats, address long
wait times, improve aging equipment, integrate into existing
infrastructure, incorporate automatic threat recognition, and
other measures identified by the CBP Innovation Team.
This pilot project would terminate five years after
enactment.
This section would require a report to Congress no later
than three years after enactment of this Act, and 180 days
after the termination of the pilot program which: analyze the
effectiveness of the technology used in the pilot program,
recommendations on the ability to utilize the technology, a
plan to utilize new technologies that meet the performance
goals, and a list of technologies owned and utilized by CBP for
cargo and vehicle inspection. The report would also be required
to include an analysis of quantitative performance measures for
the technologies. This section would require separate reports
on the potential privacy, civil liberties, and civil rights
impacts of technologies being tested under this pilot program.
This section would prohibit additional funds from being
authorized to carry out this Act.
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