Securing Our Borders and Wilderness Act

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4872 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4872

   To amend the Wilderness Act to authorize U.S. Customs and Border 
 Protection to conduct certain activities to secure the international 
       land borders of the United States, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 25, 2023

  Mr. Johnson of Louisiana (for himself, Mr. Moylan, and Mr. Lamborn) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
    Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Homeland 
Security, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 
   each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the 
                jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend the Wilderness Act to authorize U.S. Customs and Border 
 Protection to conduct certain activities to secure the international 
       land borders of the United States, 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 ``Securing Our Borders and Wilderness 
Act''.

SEC. 2. U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION ACCESS TO WILDERNESS AREAS.

    Section 4(d) of the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1133) is amended by 
adding at the end the following:
            ``(8) U.S. customs and border protection access.--
                    ``(A) Permissible activities.--Notwithstanding any 
                other provision of this Act, the Commissioner of U.S. 
                Customs and Border Protection may conduct the following 
                activities within a wilderness area for the purpose of 
                securing the international land borders of the United 
                States:
                            ``(i) Access structures, installations, and 
                        roads.
                            ``(ii) Execute search and rescue 
                        operations.
                            ``(iii) Use motor vehicles, motorboats, and 
                        motorized equipment.
                            ``(iv) Conduct patrols on foot and on 
                        horseback.
                            ``(v) Notwithstanding any other law or 
                        regulation relating specifically to use of 
                        aircraft in a wilderness area or in the 
                        airspace above a wilderness area, use aircraft, 
                        including approach, landing, and takeoff.
                            ``(vi) Deploy tactical infrastructure and 
                        technology.
                            ``(vii) Construct and maintain roads and 
                        physical barriers.
                    ``(B) Protection of wilderness character.--Any 
                activity conducted by the Commissioner of U.S. Customs 
                and Border Protection under subparagraph (A) shall be 
                carried out in a manner that, to the extent possible, 
                protects the wilderness character of the area.''.
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