CATCH Fentanyl Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
The CATCH Fentanyl Act directs the Department of Homeland Security to test new inspection technologies at land ports of entry. Within 1 year after enactment, the Homeland Security Secretary, acting through the CBP Innovation Team and coordinating with CBP Office of Field Operations and the DHS Science and Technology Directorate, must begin pilot projects to improve inspection of cars, trucks, cargo containers, and other conveyances at U.S. land borders. The technologies are meant to help CBP personnel detect contraband, illegal drugs, illegal weapons, human smuggling, and threats in inbound and outbound traffic alongside imaging equipment, radiation portal monitors, and chemical detectors. CBP must test and collect data on at least five types of nonintrusive inspection technology enhancements, including at least one category such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, high-performance computing, quantum information sciences including quantum sensing, or other emerging technologies. The pilots must evaluate detection accuracy, inspection efficiency and wait times, aging equipment improvements, ALARA safety, integration into existing systems, and deployment feasibility.
Who Benefits and How
CBP officers at land ports benefit from pilots that could improve contraband, fentanyl, weapon, and human-smuggling detection without opening every vehicle or container. Technology providers benefit from opportunities to test AI, machine learning, high-performance computing, quantum sensing, and other inspection enhancements. Border communities and travelers benefit if inspection efficiency reduces long wait times. DHS Science and Technology benefits from a field-testing role tied to operational inspection systems. Public-safety agencies benefit if the pilots improve detection of illegal drugs and weapons before they enter or leave the country.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The Homeland Security Secretary, CBP Innovation Team, Office of Field Operations, and DHS Science and Technology Directorate must design, run, and evaluate the pilots within the statutory timeline. CBP port operators must integrate pilots with existing imaging equipment, radiation portal monitors, and chemical detectors. Technology vendors must demonstrate safety, integration, deployment feasibility, and detection performance. Travelers, truckers, and cargo carriers may experience pilot-related inspection changes at selected land ports. Congress must receive enough data to assess which technologies meaningfully improve inspection capabilities.
Key Provisions
- Directs DHS to begin land-port inspection technology pilots within 1 year.
- Requires coordination among the CBP Innovation Team, CBP Office of Field Operations, and DHS Science and Technology Directorate.
- Tests technologies for detecting contraband, illegal drugs, illegal weapons, human smuggling, and threats.
- Requires data collection on at least five nonintrusive inspection technology enhancements.
- Includes AI, machine learning, high-performance computing, quantum sensing, and other emerging technology categories.
- Requires evaluation of detection accuracy, wait-time efficiency, equipment improvement, ALARA safety, integration, and deployment feasibility.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Requires DHS, through the CBP Innovation Team and with CBP field operations and the DHS Science and Technology Directorate, to launch land-port pilot projects within 1 year testing at least five nonintrusive-inspection technology enhancements such as AI, machine learning, high-performance computing, quantum sensing, and other emerging technologies to improve detection of contraband, illegal drugs including fentanyl, illegal weapons, human smuggling, and threats.
Key Policy Areas
Border Security, Drug Enforcement, Technology, Homeland Security
Primary Purpose
Requires DHS, through the CBP Innovation Team and with CBP field operations and the DHS Science and Technology Directorate, to launch land-port pilot projects within 1 year testing at least five nonintrusive-inspection technology enhancements such as AI, machine learning, high-performance computing, quantum sensing, and other emerging technologies to improve detection of contraband, illegal drugs including fentanyl, illegal weapons, human smuggling, and threats.
Policy Domains
House resolution provisions
Identified Gains
- CBP officers at land ports
- Inspection technology providers
- Border communities
- Travelers at land ports
- DHS Science and Technology Directorate
- Public-safety agencies
Identified Costs
- Secretary of Homeland Security
- CBP Innovation Team
- Office of Field Operations
- Technology vendors
- Truckers and cargo carriers
- Congress
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
ReportedAdditional sponsors: Mr. Garcia of California, Mr. Baumgartner, Mr. Guest, …
Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the …
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 187.
Reported by the Committee on Homeland Security. H. Rept. 119-229.
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
Ordered to be Reported by Voice Vote.
Subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement Discharged
Introduced in House
Referred to the Subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement.
Referred to the House Committee on Homeland Security.
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
CBP Innovation Team, CBP officers at land ports, Secretary of Homeland Security
Positive-direction: CBP officers at land ports
Negative-direction: CBP Innovation Team, Secretary of Homeland Security
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "cbp"
- → U.S. Customs and Border Protection
- "dhs"
- → Department of Homeland Security
- "sandt"
- → DHS Science and Technology Directorate
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology