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CIVIC HERALD
HR 993 · 119th Congress · HouseIn committee

Emerging Innovative Border Technologies Act

In plain language: People living near or traveling across U.S. borders would face more advanced electronic monitoring, including artificial intelligence, autonomous drones, high-powered camera towers, and underground tunnel detectors. The measure directs border authorities to set up dedicated teams to test commercial tech, buy effective tools faster, and phase out aging surveillance gear. It also requires officials to evaluate how these scanning and tracking systems affect privacy in border communities and report their findings and spending to Congress each year.

Provisional: our plain-language summary, pending review.

Provisionalunreviewed: impact, provisions, stakeholders, summary
People affected—The text specifies internal administrative planning and agency coordination; it contains no quantifiable measure of individuals directly affected.
Fiscal magnitude—The bill mandates reporting and authorizes innovation teams but contains no appropriations, authorizations of appropriations, or specific dollar figures.
Reach18provisional · pending reviewrigor: heuristic llm
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Issues

What this bill touches.

Security vs. privacy−15Enforcement & security−20

The sign shows the bill's direction on each issue (+ toward, − away); the number is its magnitude. Color never encodes good or bad, and never party.

Who it affects

Who it helps · who it burdens.

Who it helps

  • Border communitiesGains formal oversight protection as the required technology plan must explicitly assess the privacy and security impacts of emerging surveillance and border technologies on border residents under Sec. 2(b)(8).provisional
  • U.S. Customs and Border ProtectionReceives explicit statutory authority to operate Innovation Teams to research, pilot, and adapt emerging commercial technologies for border security operations under Sec. 2(c)(1).provisional
  • Border security and defense technology vendorsStands to gain increased procurement and partnership opportunities, as the bill directs DHS and CBP to create incentives for private sector innovation and establish protocols to transition commercial technologies into permanent government programs of record under Sec. 2(b)(10) and Sec. 2(c)(1)-(2).provisional

Who it burdens

  • U.S. Customs and Border ProtectionMust produce a comprehensive 180-day technology deployment plan, establish formal operating procedures and metrics for Innovation Teams, and submit annual progress reports to congressional committees under Sec. 2(a), (b), and (c)(2)-(3).provisional

Dollar-level funding (FEC sector totals) is coming in a later phase.

What it does

The provisions, in plain language.

  1. Requires the Department of Homeland Security to submit a plan to Congress within 180 days to identify, test, and deploy emerging technologies—including artificial intelligence, radar, sensors, and drones—for border security, including assessments of privacy impacts on border communities and costs to phase out outdated systems.

    Sec. 2(a)-(b)provisional

  2. Authorizes Customs and Border Protection to operate Innovation Teams to research, test, and adapt commercial technologies for border security operations and evaluate potential unintended or negative consequences.

    Sec. 2(c)(1)provisional

  3. Requires Customs and Border Protection to establish operating procedures, performance goals, estimated costs, and timelines for its Innovation Teams to move successful technologies into permanent agency programs.

    Sec. 2(c)(2)provisional

  4. Requires Customs and Border Protection to report to Congress within 180 days and annually thereafter on Innovation Team operations, newly tested technologies, and progress in adopting successful tools into standard use.

    Sec. 2(c)(3)provisional

How your members of Congress line up

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Timeline

How it moved.

  1. Mar 11, 2025Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
  2. Mar 10, 2025Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  3. Mar 10, 2025On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 406 - 9 (Roll no. 65). (text: CR H1052-1053)
  4. Mar 10, 2025Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 406 - 9 (Roll no. 65). (text: CR H1052-1053)
  5. Feb 5, 2025Introduced in House
  6. Feb 5, 2025Introduced in House

The original text

Read it for yourself.

Read the original text →

Sources & provenance

Congress.govrefreshed 9 days ago

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