What This Bill Does
This bill asks U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to create staffing models that show how many workers are needed for border security jobs. The CBP Commissioner must work with other Department of Homeland Security leaders to develop and use these models within one year of the bill becoming law.
Who It Affects
U.S. Customs and Border Protection and its divisions (U.S. Border Patrol, Air and Marine Operations, and Office of Field Operations), the Department of Homeland Security, Congress, and the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General.
Key Provisions
• The CBP Commissioner must develop a workload staffing model for the U.S. Border Patrol and Air and Marine Operations by one year after the bill becomes law (Sec. 2(a)).
• The staffing models must consider frontline worker activities, different work environments, current and future buildings and equipment, and support needed to ensure field workers have adequate resources (Sec. 2(b)(18)).
• CBP must create written procedures for a workforce tracking system that records actual work hours and activities, and train workers on how to use it (Sec. 2(b)(19)).
• The Secretary of Homeland Security must report to Congress one year after the bill becomes law and every year after that about progress implementing these staffing models (Sec. 2(c)).
• The Department of Homeland Security Inspector General must review the staffing models within 120 days and provide feedback to the Secretary and Congress (Sec. 2(d)).
What Changes
If this becomes law, CBP will be required to use data-based staffing models instead of whatever methods it currently uses to determine how many workers it needs. CBP will also be required to create and use a system to track worker hours and activities across its border and air/marine operations divisions.
Important Definitions
None defined in bill text.
I
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION H. R. 2557
To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to improve U.S. Customs
and Border Protection (CBP) identification of staffing needs, and for
other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
APRIL 10, 2023
Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana introduced the following bill; which was referred
to the Committee on Homeland Security
A BILL
To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to improve
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) identifica-
tion of staffing needs, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
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tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
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This Act may be cited as the ‘‘CBP Workload Staff-
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ing Model Act’’.
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•HR 2557 IH
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF WORKLOAD STAFFING MOD-
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ELS FOR U.S. BORDER PATROL AND AIR AND
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MARINE OPERATIONS OF U.S. CUSTOMS AND
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BORDER PROTECTION.
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(a) IN GENERAL.—The Commissioner of U.S. Cus-
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toms and Border Protection shall, in coordination with the
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Under Secretary for Management, Chief Human Capital
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Officer, and Chief Financial Officer of the Department of
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Homeland Security, develop and implement, by not later
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than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act,
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a workload staffing model for each of the following:
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(1) The U.S. Border Patrol.
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(2) Air and Marine Operations.
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(b) RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE COMMISSIONER OF
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CBP.—Subsection (c) of section 411 of the Homeland Se-
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curity Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 211) is amended—
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(1) by redesignating paragraphs (18) and (19)
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as paragraphs (20) and (21), respectively; and
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(2) by inserting after paragraph (17) the fol-
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lowing new paragraphs:
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‘‘(18) implement a staffing model that includes
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consideration for essential frontline operator activi-
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ties and functions, variations in operating environ-
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ments, present and planned infrastructure, present
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and planned technology, and required operations
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support levels for the U.S. Border Patrol, Air and
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•HR 2557 IH
Marine Operations, and the Office of Field Oper-
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ations, to manage and assign personnel of such enti-
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ties to ensure field and support posts possess ade-
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quate resources to carry out duties specified in this
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section;
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‘‘(19) develop standard operating procedures
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for a workforce tracking system within the U.S.
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Border Patrol, Air and Marine Operations, and the
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Office of Field Operations, train the workforce of
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each of such entities on the use, capabilities, and
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purpose of such system, and implement internal con-
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trols to ensure timely and accurate scheduling and
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reporting of actual completed work hours and activi-
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ties;’’.
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(c) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the date
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of the enactment of this Act with respect to subsection
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(a) and paragraphs (18) and (19) of section 411(c) of the
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Homeland Security Act of 2002 (as amended by sub-
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section (b)), and annually thereafter with respect to such
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paragraphs (18) and (19), the Secretary of Homeland Se-
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curity shall submit to the Committee on Homeland Secu-
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rity of the House of Representatives and the Committee
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on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the
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Senate a status update on the implementation of this Act
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and such paragraphs (18) and (19), and status updates
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•HR 2557 IH
on such paragraphs (18) and (19), as well as all relevant
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workload staffing models. Such status updates shall in-
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clude information on data sources and methodology used
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to generate such staffing models.
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(d) INSPECTOR GENERAL REVIEW.—Not later than
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120 days after the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and
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Border Protection develops a workload staffing model pur-
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suant to subsection (a), the Inspector General of the De-
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partment of Homeland Security shall review such model
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and provide feedback to the Secretary of Homeland Secu-
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rity and the Committee on Homeland Security of the
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House of Representatives and the Committee on Home-
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land Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate re-
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garding the degree to which such model is responsive to
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Inspector
General
recommendations,
including
rec-
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ommendations from the Inspector General’s February
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2019 audit, and as appropriate, any further recommenda-
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tions to improve such model.
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Æ
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