Improving Coordination for the Northern Border Act

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9481 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9481

  To establish the Northern Border Coordination Center, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 6, 2024

 Mr. Pappas (for himself, Ms. Tenney, and Mr. Molinaro) introduced the 
    following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Homeland 
                                Security

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To establish the Northern Border Coordination Center, 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 ``Improving Coordination for the 
Northern Border Act''.

SEC. 2. NORTHERN BORDER COORDINATION CENTER.

    (a) Establishment.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish the Northern 
Border Coordination Center.
    (b) Purpose.--The purpose of the Center shall be to serve as the 
Department's forward deployed centralized coordination center for 
operations, domain awareness, information sharing, intelligence, 
training, and stakeholder engagement with Federal, State, Tribal, 
local, and international government partners along the northern border 
of the United States. The Center shall be placed along the northern 
border at a location that is collocated with an existing U.S. Border 
Patrol sector headquarters, Air and Marine Operations branch, and 
United States Coast Guard air station, and other facility at which 
Department activities are carried out.
    (c) Functions.--The Center shall perform the functions described in 
this subsection in addition to any other functions assigned by the 
Secretary.
            (1) Northern border strategy.--The Center, in collaboration 
        with relevant offices and components of the Department, shall--
                    (A) serve as a coordination mechanism for 
                operational components for the implementation, 
                evaluation, and updating of the Northern Border 
                Strategy and any successor strategy; and
                    (B) support the development of best practices and 
                policies for personnel along the northern border to 
                support such implementation.
            (2) Training.--The Center shall serve as a training 
        location to support the delivery of training or exercises for 
        Department personnel and Federal, State, Tribal, local, and 
        international government partners.
    (d) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Center.--The term ``Center'' means the Northern Border 
        Coordination Center established pursuant to subsection (a).
            (2) Department.--The term ``Department'' means the 
        Department of Homeland Security.
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Homeland Security.
    (e) Limitation.--The Center established pursuant to subsection (a) 
shall be established separate and distinct from the Secretary's 
authorities under section 708 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 
U.S.C. 348).
                                 <all>