WASHINGTON, D.C. —  House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Mark E. Green, MD (R-TN) released the following statement after the president signed into law three pieces of legislation originally advanced by the Committee in the 118th Congress, H.R. 8663, H.R.4467and S. 3959:

“My Committee has worked tirelessly to secure the homeland from the deadly drugs pouring across our open borders, increase DHS’s accountability to the American people, and ensure existing government programs and contracts are purposeful and efficient. I am proud to see this Committee’s diligence pay off. I applaud the Senate for passing and the president for signing into law H.R. 8663, H.R. 4467, and the Senate companion to our bill, H.R. 5840. There is still much work to do, and this Committee will continue our work in the 119th Congress to ensure DHS succeeds in its homeland security mission and makes America safe once again.”

Background:

H.R. 8663, the “DETECT Fentanyl and Xylazine Act of 2024,” introduced by Representative Nick LaLota (R-NY)

• This legislation will provide DHS’ Science and Technology Directorate with the authority to do research, development, testing, evaluation, and cost benefit analysis to improve the safety, effectiveness, and efficiency of drug detection equipment and reference libraries used by Federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies.

H.R. 4467, the “DHS Border Services Contracts Review Act,” introduced by Representative Josh Brecheen (R-OK)

• This bill directs the Under Secretary for Management (USM) of the Department of Homeland Security to assess active contracts for covered services performed by contractor personnel along the United States land border with Mexico. It also requires the USM to provide a strategy to improve the procurement and delivery of services through contracts to achieve best value for the Department and ensure no lapse in services occurs; submit a report to Congress with recommendations on active contracts used for border support services; and brief Congress on implementation plan status.

S.3959, the “Transportation Security Screening Modernization Act,” introduced by Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS)

• The House companion bill, H.R. 5840, was introduced by Representative Garret Graves (R-LA); an Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute was offered by Chairman Green at a Committee markup in September.
• This bill directs the TSA Administrator to streamline the credentialing process to allow individuals to enroll in any security threat assessment program based on one background check, permit an individual to undergo a streamlined renewal process, align an individual’s credentials expiration dates, and reduce any duplicative costs on individuals seeking credentials.

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