S.Amdt. 1275

1. Rewrites section 1106

   Replaces

   In S. 744 · Reported to Senate

   Struck: SEC. 1106. EQUIPMENT AND TECHNOLOGY.

   Struck: (a) Enhancements.--The Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, working through U.S. Border Patrol, shall--

   Struck: (1) deploy additional mobile, video, and agent-portable surveillance systems, and unarmed, unmanned aerial vehicles in the Southwest border region as necessary to provide 24-hour operation and surveillance;

   Struck: (2) operate unarmed unmanned aerial vehicles along the Southern border for 24 hours per day and for 7 days per week;

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   Struck: (3) deploy unarmed additional fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters along the Southern border;

   Struck: (4) acquire new rotorcraft and make upgrades to the existing helicopter fleet;

   Struck: (5) increase horse patrols in the Southwest border region; and

   Struck: (6) acquire and deploy watercraft and other equipment to provide support for border-related maritime anti-crime activities.

   Struck: (b) Limitation.--

   Struck: (1) In general.--Notwithstanding paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (a), and except as provided in paragraph (2), U.S. Border Patrol may not operate unarmed, unmanned aerial vehicles in the San Diego and El Centro Sectors, except within 3 miles of the Southern border.

   Inserted: SEC. 1106. ACHIEVING PERSISTENT SURVEILLANCE.

   Inserted: (a) Analysis of Operational Requirements.--

   Inserted: (1) In general.--As part of the Comprehensive Southern Border Security Strategy under section 5, and in order to achieve the goal of persistent surveillance, the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection shall undertake a sector by sector analysis of the border to determine what specific technologies are most effective in identifying illegal cross-border traffic for each particular Border Patrol sector and station along the border.

   Inserted: (2) Requirements.--The analysis conducted under paragraph (1) shall--

   Inserted: (A) include a comparison of the costs and benefits for each type of technology;

   Inserted: (B) estimate total life cycle costs for each type of technology; and

   Inserted: (C) identify specific performance metrics for assessing the performance of the technologies.

   Inserted: (b) Enhancements.--In order to achieve surveillance over the southwest border 24 hours per day for 7 days per week and using the analysis conducted under subsection (a), the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection shall--

   Inserted: (1) deploy additional mobile, video, and man-portable surveillance systems;

   Inserted: (2) ensure, to the extent practicable, that all aerial assets, including assets owned before the date of enactment of this Act, are outfitted with advanced sensors that can be used to detect cross-border activity and deploy agents, including infrared cameras, radars, or other technologies as appropriate;

   Inserted: (3) deploy tethered aerostat systems, including systems to detect low flying aircraft across the entire border, as well as systems to detect the movement of people and vehicles;

   Inserted: (4) operate unarmed unmanned aerial vehicles equipped with advanced sensors in every Border Patrol sector to ensure 24 hours per day coverage for 7 days a week, unless--

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   Inserted: (A) severe or prevailing weather precludes operations in a given sector;

   Inserted: (B) the Secretary determines that national security requires unmanned aerial vehicles to be deployed elsewhere; or

   Inserted: (C) the governor of a State requests that the Secretary deploy unmanned aerial vehicles to assist with disaster recovery efforts or other law enforcement activities; and

   Inserted: (5) deploy unarmed additional fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters.

   Inserted: (c) Limitation.--

   Inserted: (1) In general.--Notwithstanding subsection (b), Border Patrol may not operate unarmed, unmanned aerial vehicles in the San Diego and El Centro Sectors, except within 3 miles of the Southern border.

   (2) Exception.--The limitation under this subsection shall not restrict the maritime operations of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

   Inserted: (d) Fleet Consolidation.--In acquiring technological assets under subsection (b), the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection shall, to the greatest extent practicable, implement a plan for streamlining the fleet of aircraft, helicopters, aerostats, and unmanned aerial vehicles of U.S. Customs and Border Protection to generate savings in maintenance costs and training costs for pilots and other personnel needed to operate the assets.

   ([struck: c][inserted: e]) Authorization of Appropriations.--In addition to amounts otherwise authorized to be appropriated, there is authorized to [struck: be ]appropriated to U.S. Customs and Border Protection such sums as may be necessary to carry out subsection (a) during fiscal years 2014 through 2018.

   Original wording

   Strike section 1106 and insert the following:

Read automatically from the Congressional Record. Check the original before relying on it.

As printed