[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 915 Engrossed Amendment Senate (EAS)]
In the Senate of the United States,
September 22 (legislative day, September 21), 2012.
Resolved, That the bill from the House of Representatives (H.R.
915) entitled ``An Act to establish a Border Enforcement Security Task
Force program to enhance border security by fostering coordinated
efforts among Federal, State, and local border and law enforcement
officials to protect United States border cities and communities from
trans-national crime, including violence associated with drug
trafficking, arms smuggling, illegal alien trafficking and smuggling,
violence, and kidnapping along and across the international borders of
the United States, and for other purposes.'', do pass with the
following
AMENDMENT:
Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Jaime Zapata Border Enforcement
Security Task Force Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND DECLARATION OF PURPOSES.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) overriding
mission is to lead a unified national effort to protect the
United States. United States Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE) is the largest investigative agency within
DHS and is charged with enforcing a wide array of laws,
including laws related to securing the border and combating
criminal smuggling.
(2) Mexico's northern border with the United States has
experienced a dramatic surge in border crime and violence in
recent years due to intense competition between Mexican drug
cartels and criminal smuggling organizations that employ
predatory tactics to realize their profits.
(3) Law enforcement agencies at the United States northern
border also face challenges from transnational smuggling
organizations.
(4) In response, DHS has partnered with Federal, State,
local, tribal, and foreign law enforcement counterparts to
create the Border Enforcement Security Task Force (BEST)
initiative as a comprehensive approach to addressing border
security threats. These multi-agency teams are designed to
increase information-sharing and collaboration among the
participating law enforcement agencies.
(5) BEST teams incorporate personnel from ICE, United
States Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Drug
Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATFE), the Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI), the United States Coast Guard (USCG), and
the U.S. Attorney's Office (USAO), along with other key
Federal, State and local law enforcement agencies.
(6) Foreign law enforcement agencies participating in BEST
include Mexico's Secretaria de Seguridad Publica (SSP), the
Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), the Ontario Provincial
Police (OPP), and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
SEC. 3. BORDER ENFORCEMENT SECURITY TASK FORCE.
(a) In General.--Subtitle C of title IV of the Homeland Security
Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 231 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the
following:
``SEC. 432. BORDER ENFORCEMENT SECURITY TASK FORCE.
``(a) Establishment.--There is established within the Department a
program to be known as the Border Enforcement Security Task Force
(referred to in this section as `BEST').
``(b) Purpose.--The purpose of BEST is to establish units to
enhance border security by addressing and reducing border security
threats and violence by--
``(1) facilitating collaboration among Federal, State,
local, tribal, and foreign law enforcement agencies to execute
coordinated activities in furtherance of border security, and
homeland security; and
``(2) enhancing information-sharing, including the
dissemination of homeland security information among such
agencies.
``(c) Composition and Establishment of Units.--
``(1) Composition.--BEST units may be comprised of
personnel from--
``(A) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement;
``(B) U.S. Customs and Border Protection;
``(C) the United States Coast Guard;
``(D) other Department personnel, as appropriate
``(E) other Federal agencies, as appropriate;
``(F) appropriate State law enforcement agencies;
``(G) foreign law enforcement agencies, as
appropriate;
``(H) local law enforcement agencies from affected
border cities and communities; and
``(I) appropriate tribal law enforcement agencies.
``(2) Establishment of units.--The Secretary is authorized
to establish BEST units in jurisdictions in which such units
can contribute to BEST missions, as appropriate. Before
establishing a BEST unit, the Secretary shall consider--
``(A) whether the area in which the BEST unit would
be established is significantly impacted by cross-
border threats;
``(B) the availability of Federal, State, local,
tribal, and foreign law enforcement resources to
participate in the BEST unit;
``(C) the extent to which border security threats
are having a significant harmful impact in the
jurisdiction in which the BEST unit is to be
established, and other jurisdictions in the country;
and
``(D) whether or not an Integrated Border
Enforcement Team already exists in the area in which
the BEST unit would be established.
``(3) Duplication of efforts.--In determining whether to
establish a new BEST unit or to expand an existing BEST unit in
a given jurisdiction, the Secretary shall ensure that the BEST
unit under consideration does not duplicate the efforts of
other existing interagency task forces or centers within that
jurisdiction.
``(d) Operation.--After determining the jurisdictions in which to
establish BEST units under subsection (c)(2), and in order to provide
Federal assistance to such jurisdictions, the Secretary may--
``(1) direct the assignment of Federal personnel to BEST,
subject to the approval of the head of the department or agency
that employs such personnel; and
``(2) take other actions to assist Federal, State, local,
and tribal entities to participate in BEST, including providing
financial assistance, as appropriate, for operational,
administrative, and technological costs associated with the
participation of Federal, State, local, and tribal law
enforcement agencies in BEST.
``(e) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date on which BEST
is established under this section, and annually thereafter for the
following 5 years, the Secretary shall submit a report to Congress that
describes the effectiveness of BEST in enhancing border security and
reducing the drug trafficking, arms smuggling, illegal alien
trafficking and smuggling, violence, and kidnapping along and across
the international borders of the United States, as measured by crime
statistics, including violent deaths, incidents of violence, and drug-
related arrests.''.
(b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents under section 1(b)
of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 101(b)) is amended by
inserting after the item relating to section 431 the following:
``Sec. 432. Border Enforcement Security Task Force.''.
Attest:
Secretary.
112th CONGRESS
2d Session
H.R. 915
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AMENDMENT