WASHINGTON D.C. ––House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Mark E. Green, MD (R-TN) issued the following statement applauding House passage of H.R. 495, H.R. 706, H.R. 901, and H.R. 1692 this week. These bills were previously passed by the House of Representatives in the 118th Congress:
 
“I was glad to work with my colleagues in the House to pass critical legislation that will strengthen and streamline DHS’ ability to secure the homeland,” Chairman Green said. “These bills put forward by the Homeland Security Committee address the deadly threat of cross-border tunnels used by cartels, make necessary improvements to DHS’ biodefense capabilities, safeguard sensitive information from our adversaries, and reauthorize DHS’ authority to purchase cutting-edge technology. I urge my colleagues in the Senate to advance these mission-critical bills to President Trump’s desk.”

On the “Subterranean Border Defense Act,” Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ) said, “Passage of this bill is a massive win for our security. With border crossings thankfully going down since January, it’s safe to assume this will drive threats underneath our border through these tunnels. This legislation will ensure Congress has sufficient knowledge and oversight in regard to this dynamic threat. Effective border security is created by overlapping deterrents, and I’m grateful to Chairman Green, Rep. Correa, and my colleagues for supporting this bill.”

On the “DHS Biodetection Improvement Act” and the “Research Security and Accountability in DHS Act,” Rep. Dale Strong (R-AL) said, “The threats we face today are increasingly complex and evolving. We must stay one step ahead of our adversaries. These will improve the effectiveness of DHS’s mission to protect our national security and safeguard our interests.” 

On the ‘‘PATHS Act,” Rep. Michael Guest (R-MS) said, “From prototypes to help Customs and Border Protection (CBP) detect threats and illicit goods hidden inside vehicles at the border, to research to adapt machine learning practices that can identify supply chain anomalies to prevent the importation of goods that rely on forced labor, to a project conducted by the University of Southern Mississippi to develop sensors for unmanned maritime vehicles for DHS and United States Coast Guard use––the applicability and usefulness of this authority cannot be overstated. The authority expired on September 30, 2024. I am proud to lead this reauthorization effort and am pleased that the House of Representatives has passed this important bill.”

Background:
 
H.R. 495, the “Subterranean Border Defense Act,” was introduced by Rep. Eli Crane.

• This legislation would require U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to report annually to Congress on the implementation of their strategic plan to identify and remediate illegal cross-border tunnels into the United States.

H.R. 706, the “DHS Biodetection Improvement Act,” was introduced by Subcommittee on Emergency Management and Technology Chairman Dale Strong.

• This legislation directs the DHS to assess how it has utilized Department of Energy national laboratories and sites for research and development in carrying out DHS missions and to report to Congress a strategy for how DHS will conduct biodetection research and development in coordination with such laboratories and sites.

H.R. 901, the “Research Security and Accountability in DHS Act,” was introduced by Chairman Strong.

• This legislation requires DHS’ Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) to develop a process to safeguard sensitive information in research and development projects across all components of the Department to limit unauthorized access to, and disclosure of, sensitive information.

H.R. 1692, the “Producing Advanced Technologies for Homeland Security Act,’’ or the ‘‘PATHS Act,” was introduced by Subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement Chairman Michael Guest.

• This legislation will reauthorize DHS’ use of Other Transaction Authority (OTA) for three years. This bill requires DHS to provide notification to Congress to explain all uses or extensions of the transaction authority involving artificial intelligence technology. To improve transparency, this legislation will decrease the threshold for what defines a ‘covered contract award’ under the DHS Contract Reporting Act from $4 million to $1 million. This will require DHS to report transactions valued at $1 million or more on its public website. 

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