Text of Senate Amendment 6235

On 2026-06-24, Senator James Lankford (R-OK) delivered a floor speech titled "Text Of Senate Amendment 6235" in the Senate.

Text of Senate Amendment 6235

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026)] [Senate] [Pages S3401-S3402] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] SA 6235. Mr. LANKFORD submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 4784, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2027 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows: At the end of subtitle E of title X, add the following: SECTION 1270A. COLLABORATION INVOLVING SCANNED IMAGES FROM CERTAIN PORTS OF ENTRY. (a) Short Title.--This section may be cited as the ``Strengthening Security Through Joint Cargo Scanning Act''. (b) Definitions.--In this section: (1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term ``appropriate congressional committees'' means-- (A) the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate; (B) the Committee on Finance of the Senate; (C) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate; (D) the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; (E) the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives; (F) the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives; (G) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives; and (H) the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives. (2) Program.--The term ``Program'' means the pilot program authorized under subsection (c). (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Homeland Security. (c) In General.--The Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of State, may establish, pursuant to a bilateral agreement with a foreign government, a 5-year pilot program to improve border security in the United States through the analysis of manifest data and images of cargo and conveyances captured by non-intrusive scanning technologies deployed at designated foreign ports of entry. (d) Program Participants.--The Program may be staffed by approved law enforcement officers from-- (1) U.S. Customs and Border Protection; (2) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; (3) any other Federal law enforcement agency, as appropriate, that has been designated as a Program participant by the Secretary; and (4) appropriate law enforcement agencies of foreign government that are members of a vetted unit established by the United States Government. (e) Program Location.--The United States Government, to the greatest extent practicable, shall carry out the analysis function of the Program at the National Targeting Center operated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. (f) Manifest Data.--To the greatest extent practicable, the Program shall allow for the sharing of manifest data from the designated foreign ports of entry with U.S. Customs and Border Protection for the purpose of carrying out the Program. (g) Prohibition on Foreign Participation.--The Program shall require participating foreign governments to prohibit-- (1) the handling of, access to, and analysis of any manifest data or images generated from non-intrusive inspection technologies by any law enforcement officer of the foreign government; (2) the processing of data to carry out the Program through any hardware or software that does not meet the requirements established by the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of State; and (3) the acquisition of hardware, software, or commercial off-the-shelf solutions by the United States Government or a participating foreign government that is produced by any entity designated on the entity list administered by the Bureau of Industry and Security of the Department of Commerce. (h) Participating Ports of Entry.--The Program shall designate 5 ports of entry in the participating foreign country through which cargo and conveyances are transported from a participating foreign country to the United States, including at least 1 international rail crossing and 2 land ports of entry. (i) Privacy, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties.--The Secretary, or the designee of the Secretary, shall specify training requirements for all United States Government personnel who participate in the Program to guarantee the protection of civil rights, civil liberties, and privacy of all individuals within the jurisdiction of the United States, in accordance with Federal law. (j) Quarterly Congressional Briefings.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and every 90 days thereafter, the Secretary, or the Secretary's designee, shall brief the appropriate congressional committees regarding the implementation of this Act. (k) Bilateral Agreement.-- (1) Submission.--Not later than 30 days after the execution of any bilateral agreement to carry out the Program, the Secretary, or the Secretary's designee, shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees-- (A) an unredacted copy of such agreement; and (B) a written description of the elements and scope of the Program. (2) Briefing.--Not later than 7 days after submitting the report required under paragraph (1), the Secretary, or the Secretary's designee, shall brief the appropriate congressional committees regarding the implementation of the agreement referred to in paragraph (1). (3) Form.--The agreement and written description contained in the report submitted pursuant to paragraph (1) and the briefing provided pursuant to paragraph (2) may be in classified form to protect national security or to comply with any applicable Federal law. (l) Semiannual Report.-- (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and every 180 days thereafter while the Program is operational, the Secretary shall submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees that includes, with respect to the reporting period-- (A) the number of United States Government law enforcement personnel who are authorized to participate in the Program, disaggregated by Federal department or agency; (B) the name and type of ports of entry that are authorized participate in the Program; (C) the total amount of cargo and conveyances flowing through the ports of entry that are authorized to participate in the Program, disaggregated by-- (i) the direction of travel (whether into the United States from a participating foreign [[Page S3402]] country or away from the United States to a participating foreign country); and (ii) by port of entry; (D) the total number and percentage of total cargo and conveyances that were scanned by non-intrusive inspection technology at ports of entry authorized to participate in the Program, disaggregated by port of entry; (E) the total number and percentage of manifests and underlying manifest data analyzed by law enforcement personnel under the Program; (F) the number of identified anomalies in the images generated by non-intrusive inspection technologies at ports of entry authorized to participate in the Program, disaggregated by port of entry; (G) the number of anomalies in the manifests and underlying manifest data analyzed by law enforcement personnel under the Program, disaggregated by originating port of entry of such cargo and conveyance; (H) the total number of seizures of contraband, persons seeking to unlawfully enter the United States, or illicitly concealed merchandise, including illicit drugs or terrorist weapons, resulting from the analysis of images captured by non-intrusive inspection technologies at a participating port of entry under the Program, disaggregated by originating port of entry; and (I) the total number of seizures of contraband, persons seeking to unlawfully enter the United States, or illicitly concealed merchandise, including illicit drugs or terrorist weapons, resulting from the analysis of manifest data by law enforcement personnel of a participating foreign country, disaggregated by originating port of entry. (2) Form.--The report required under paragraph (1) shall be submitted in an unclassified format, but may include a classified annex. (m) Assessment.-- (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the termination of the Program, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees containing an assessment of the Program, including-- (A) the methodology used by the Secretary and the participating foreign government to identify participating ports of entry; (B) whether the Program strengthened the security of the United States borders; (C) whether the Program increased the interdiction of contraband, persons seeking to unlawfully enter the United States, or illicitly concealed merchandise, including illicit drugs or terrorist weapons at participating ports of entry; (D) any security concerns regarding the deployment of any United States Government-owned hardware or software assets in the participating foreign country; (E) any security concerns regarding the access to data under the Program by participating foreign government law enforcement personnel; (F) whether the Program meaningfully increased throughput at participating ports of entry; (G) the impact of the Program on United States businesses and foreign businesses that carry out international trade at participating ports of entry; (H) whether additional measures could ensure that the Program facilitates the seizure of contraband, persons seeking to unlawfully enter the United States, or illicitly concealed merchandise, including illicit drugs or terrorist weapons, at participating ports of entry; and (I) whether additional measures could ensure that the Program mitigates any impacts referred to in subparagraph (G). (2) Access to data.--The Comptroller General shall have ongoing access to any data necessary to complete the assessment required under p