Border Workforce Improvement Act
The Border Workforce Improvement Act would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to conduct a focused staffing assessment of its southern border operations. Within 90 days of enactment, DHS must perform a study in coordination with CBP, ICE, and USCIS to evaluate current staffing models, overtime reliance, workload drivers, and both internal and external factors affecting workloads. The assessment must identify capability gaps in human resources, technology, and risk management, and propose solutions that may require action by Congress. Then, within 180 days after the assessment is complete, DHS must deliver a report to Congress detailing the study’s findings and outlining how to implement its recommendations. The bill defines the relevant congressional committees that should receive the report. In short, the bill is a planning and oversight measure aimed at diagnosing and addressing staffing and capability gaps at the southern border, potentially paving the way for future reforms or funding decisions.
Key Points
- 1Short title: The Border Workforce Improvement Act.
- 2Mandated study timeline: A staffing assessment is due within 90 days after enactment.
- 3Scope of the assessment:
- 4- Review existing staffing models and how overtime and temporary detail assignments fill gaps.
- 5- Identify workload drivers and factors (inside and outside DHS) affecting staffing, proposing solutions that may require congressional action.
- 6- Identify critical gaps in human resources, new technology integration, and risk management across CBP, ICE, and USCIS.
- 7Reporting requirement: A comprehensive report with findings and an implementation plan is due to Congress within 180 days after the assessment is complete.
- 8Congressional oversight: Specifies the relevant committees in the House (Appropriations and Homeland Security) and the Senate (Appropriations and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs) that will receive the report.
- 9Funding/implementation: The bill outlines assessment and reporting but does not itself authorize funding; any actions or reforms would depend on separate appropriations or legislative changes.