This bill would require the federal government to reimburse States for certain border security expenses. A State is eligible if it spent more than $2.5 billion on border security and enforcement in support of federal efforts during the ten years before the law takes effect. Eligible Governors must submit an accounting of non-federally funded border security expenses and the total sum within 180 days. The federal government must reimburse those expenses within one year after the State submits the application.
The bill text also includes findings stating that border security is primarily a federal responsibility, that the State of Texas has spent more than $3,208,000,000 on border security across several biennia, and that citizens of border States are being taxed twice for the same purpose.
If your State spent more than $2.5 billion on border security in the ten years before this law, your Governor could apply for federal reimbursement of those non-federal expenses. The bill does not describe how reimbursed money must be used or any effects on individual taxes or services. For people in States that did not meet the spending threshold, the bill does not provide any benefits.
The bill says eligible States "shall have all associated expenses reimbursed." The text does not set a federal fund source, a spending cap, or an overall federal cost estimate. No appropriation language or funding mechanism is provided in the bill text. No publicly available information on the total federal cost is included in the bill text provided.
The bill’s findings say proponents view border security as mainly a federal duty. They point to Texas spending of billions of dollars and say that States and their taxpayers have taken on costs that should be federal responsibilities. Proponents present reimbursement as a way to relieve that burden.
No publicly available information on opponents' views is included in the bill text or the provided metadata.