To streamline repairs and updates at America’s land ports of entry, U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) on Aug. 2 proposed a bipartisan bill that would turn those responsibilities over to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
“Each year, billions of dollars flow into our economy by way of land ports of entry,” Rep. Gonzales said. “These facilities are gateways to international commerce, so their upkeep is critical to the continued flow of trade and travel.”
The congressman sponsored the Reducing Excessive Vetting Authorities to Maintain our Ports (REVAMP) Act, H.R. 8640, with original cosponsor U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX).
If enacted, H.R. 8640 would remove the General Services Administration (GSA) from conducting minor repairs for low-cost projects at land ports of entry to speed up work at the ports, while allowing GSA to focus on larger-scale projects, according to a bill summary provided by Rep. Gonzales’ office.
“I am proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation that cuts red tape by allowing CBP to bypass GSA and conduct its own repairs at ports of entry,” said Rep. Gonzales. “The last thing our customs officers should have to worry about is arbitrary delays for basic facility maintenance.”
H.R. 8640 is companion legislation to the same-named S. 3903, which U.S. Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) introduced on March 22. U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) on March 28 signed on as a cosponsor.
According to the text of the bill, the CBP Commissioner would be required to establish procedures for how CBP may conduct maintenance and repair projects costing not more than $300,000 at any port of entry where the Office of Field Operations is working on projects involving existing infrastructure, property and capital.
The legislation has been endorsed by the National Treasury Employees Union, which represents 29,000 CBP Office of Field Operations employees.