Summary and Impacts
Original Text
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2107 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        S.2107

                     One Hundred Sixteenth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America


                          AT THE SECOND SESSION

           Begun and held at the City of Washington on Friday,
            the third day of January, two thousand and twenty


                                 An Act


 
To increase the number of CBP Agriculture Specialists and support staff 
in the Office of Field Operations of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 
                         and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
    This Act may be cited as the ``Protecting America's Food and 
Agriculture Act of 2019''.
SEC. 2. FINDING.
    Congress finds that--
        (1) it is in the national security interest of the United 
    States to ensure that the Nation's food supply is sufficiently 
    protected; and
        (2) a vital part of such protection is the availability of 
    adequate resources at the border to conduct inspections of incoming 
    food and agricultural goods.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
    In this Act:
        (1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
    ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
            (A) the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental 
        Affairs of the Senate;
            (B) the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 
        of the Senate;
            (C) the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of 
        Representatives; and
            (D) the Committee on Agriculture of the House of 
        Representatives.
        (2) CBP.--The term ``CBP'' means U.S. Customs and Border 
    Protection.
SEC. 4. ADDITIONAL U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION PERSONNEL.
    (a) CBP Agriculture Specialists.--The Commissioner of U.S. Customs 
and Border Protection may hire, train, and assign 240 new CBP 
Agriculture Specialists above the current attrition level during every 
fiscal year until the total number of CBP Agriculture Specialists 
equals and sustains the requirements identified each year in the 
Agriculture Resource Allocation Model.
    (b) Mission and Operational Support Staff.--
        (1) In general.--The Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border 
    Protection may hire, train, and assign support staff to support CBP 
    Agriculture Specialists.
        (2) CBP agriculture technicians.--The Commissioner of U.S. 
    Customs and Border Protection may hire, train, and assign 200 new 
    CBP Agriculture Technicians during each fiscal year until the total 
    number of CBP Agriculture Technicians equals and sustains the 
    requirements identified each year in the Mission and Operational 
    Support Resource Allocation Model.
    (c) CBP Agriculture Canine Teams.--The Commissioner of U.S. Customs 
and Border Protection may hire, train, and assign 20 new CBP 
agriculture canine teams during each of the first 3 fiscal years 
beginning after the date of the enactment of this Act.
    (d) Traffic Forecasts.--In calculating the number of CBP 
Agriculture Specialists needed at each port of entry through the 
Agriculture Resource Allocation Model, the Office of Field Operations 
shall--
        (1) rely on data collected regarding the inspections and other 
    activities conducted at each such port of entry; and
        (2) consider volume from seasonal surges, other projected 
    changes in commercial and passenger volumes, the most current 
    commercial forecasts, and other relevant information.
    (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--
        (1) CBP agriculture specialists.--There is authorized to be 
    appropriated to carry out subsection (a)--
            (A) $29,900,000 for fiscal year 2020;
            (B) $36,100,000 for fiscal year 2021; and
            (C) $40,500,000 for fiscal year 2022.
        (2) CBP agriculture technicians.--There is authorized to be 
    appropriated to carry out subsection (b)--
            (A) $11,000,000 for fiscal year 2020;
            (B) $25,000,000 for fiscal year 2021; and
            (C) $38,000,000 for fiscal year 2022.
        (3) CBP agriculture canine teams.--There is authorized to be 
    appropriated to carry out subsection (c)--
            (A) $3,500,000 for fiscal year 2020;
            (B) $7,400,000 for fiscal year 2021; and
            (C) $12,200,000 for fiscal year 2022.
        (4) Training.--There is authorized to be appropriated for 
    training costs associated with the new CBP personnel and canine 
    teams hired pursuant to subsections (a), (b), and (c) $6,000,000 
    for each of the fiscal years 2020, 2021, and 2022.
SEC. 5. GAO STUDY, BRIEFING, AND REPORT.
    (a) Study.--The Comptroller General of the United States, after 
consultation with the appropriate congressional committees, shall 
conduct a review of the efforts of the Department of Homeland Security, 
the Department of Agriculture, and other Federal agencies to address 
risks to the agricultural supply that analyzes--
        (1) interagency coordination and the distribution of 
    responsibilities among Federal agencies with respect to the 
    inspection of agricultural commodities entering the United States;
        (2) the effectiveness of such inspection responsibilities among 
    Federal agencies; and
        (3) the training provided to, and working conditions of, CBP 
    Agriculture Specialists.
    (b) Briefing.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall brief the 
appropriate congressional committees regarding the results of the study 
conducted pursuant to subsection (a).
    (c) Report.--Not later than 90 days after the briefing required 
under subsection (b), the Comptroller General shall complete the study 
required under subsection (a) and make the results of the study 
available to the public.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.

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