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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3504 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 3504
To authorize the Land Port of Entry Community Infrastructure Program to
address deficiencies in community infrastructure supportive of land
ports of entry, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
December 16, 2025
Mr. Gallego (for himself and Mr. Cornyn) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security
and Governmental Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To authorize the Land Port of Entry Community Infrastructure Program to
address deficiencies in community infrastructure supportive of land
ports of entry, 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 ``Strong Ports, Strong Communities
Act''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Community infrastructure.--The term ``community
infrastructure'' means a project or facility that--
(A) is--
(i) a transportation project;
(ii) a water, wastewater,
telecommunications, electric, gas, or other
utility project; or
(iii) any other project directly supporting
a land port of entry or infrastructure that is
disproportionately impacted by the nearby
presence of a land port of entry, as designated
by the Secretary;
(B) is--
(i) owned by a State, Tribal, or local
government; or
(ii) a not-for-profit, member-owned utility
service; and
(C) is--
(i) focused on the modernization or
construction of a land port of entry; or
(ii) located within 25 miles of a land port
of entry and is supportive of, or
disproportionately impacted by the nearby
presence of, a land port of entry.
(2) Rural area.--The term ``rural area'' means a city,
town, or unincorporated area that has a population of not more
than 100,000 inhabitants.
(3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Homeland Security.
SEC. 3. LAND PORT OF ENTRY COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM.
(a) Funding Authorized.--The Secretary may award grants and
supplement funds available under existing Federal programs administered
by agencies other than the Department of Homeland Security to assist
State, Tribal, and local governments and not-for-profit, member-owned
utility services to address deficiencies in community infrastructure
supportive of a land port of entry.
(b) Eligibility Criteria; Project Categories.--The Secretary shall
establish criteria for determining which community infrastructure
projects are eligible for assistance under this section in the
following categories:
(1) Projects designed to improve the safety, efficiency,
and reliability of legitimate trade and travel across the
international borders of the United States, such as local
transportation or water infrastructure projects to support the
modernization or construction of a port of entry.
(2) Projects designed to enhance border security, as
measured by their predicted impact on illicit drug seizure
rates and other relevant metrics for securing the border at
ports of entry established pursuant to section 1092(c) of the
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 (6
U.S.C. 223(c)).
(3) Projects designed to enhance resilience of land ports
of entry and supportive infrastructure, including projects that
bolster the emergency preparedness of such ports and
infrastructure.
(4) Projects designed to enhance U.S. Customs and Border
Protection personnel family quality of life, as determined in
accordance with subsection (c)(3).
(5) Projects designed to address the direct impacts that
land ports of entry may have on surrounding communities, such
as projects related to transportation infrastructure, traffic
congestion, waste and wastewater infrastructure, pollution, and
environmental degradation.
(c) Additional Considerations.--In selecting community
infrastructure projects to receive financial assistance under this
section, the Secretary shall consider--
(1) infrastructure improvements identified in the U.S.
Customs and Border Protection's 2024 report entitled, ``Land
Port of Entry Modernization: Promoting Security, Travel, and
Trade'';
(2) infrastructure improvements identified in State capital
investment plans that directly support a land port of entry;
and
(3) for the purposes of determining whether a proposed
community infrastructure project will enhance family quality of
life--
(A) the impact of such project on alleviating port
of entry commuter workforce issues; and
(B) the benefit of local infrastructure funded by
such project that will support U.S. Customs and Border
Protection personnel and their dependents while
residing in the community in which such infrastructure
will be constructed.
(d) Standardization of Processes for Determining Project
Eligibility and Selection.--In accordance with the eligibility criteria
described in subsection (b) and the selection considerations described
in subsection (c), the Secretary shall develop and implement guidance
to standardize the process of identifying, validating, and prioritizing
community infrastructure projects.
(e) Interagency Consultation.--In assessing the merits and
viability of community infrastructure projects seeking financial
assistance under this section, the Secretary, to the extent possible,
shall consult with appropriate officials in the Department of
Transportation, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Housing
and Urban Development, the Department of Energy, the Department of
Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency, and other Federal
agencies with relevant expertise.
(f) Matching Requirement.--
(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), a
community infrastructure project may not receive financial
assistance under this section unless the recipient of such
assistance agrees to contribute not less than 30 percent of the
total funding for such project from non-Federal sources.
(2) Exceptions.--If a proposed community infrastructure
project will be carried out in a rural area or if the Secretary
determines such project is advantageous for reasons related to
homeland security, the Secretary--
(A) shall not penalize a State or local government
for offering to make a non-Federal contribution equal
to less than 30 percent of the total funding for such
project;
(B) may reduce the matching requirement for a State
or local government to an amount that is less than 30
percent of the cost of such project; or
(C) may waive the matching requirement entirely.
(g) Reimbursement.--If a State, Tribal, or local government or a
not-for-profit, member-owned utility service expends its own funds, on
or after November 15, 2021, and, within a reasonable amount of time,
seeks reimbursement for a community infrastructure project that meets
the eligibility criteria described in subsection (b) and the selection
considerations described in subsection (c), the Secretary may reimburse
such entity for up to 70 percent of the costs incurred for such project
unless such project qualifies for an adjusted matching requirement
authorized under subsection (f)(2).
SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated to the
Department of Homeland Security such sums as may be necessary for each
fiscal year to carry out the Land Port of Entry Community
Infrastructure Program authorized under section 3.
(b) Limitation.--The authority of the Secretary to award grants or
other funding under section 3 in any fiscal year is subject to the
availability of appropriations for such purpose in such fiscal year.
(c) Availability of Funds.--Amounts appropriated or otherwise made
available to carry out section 3 may remain available until expended.
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
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