The Cargo Security Innovation Act would require the Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), working with the Secretary of Transportation, to create a pilot project to test advanced law enforcement and cargo security technologies at intermodal transportation hubs and rail yards with high levels of cargo theft. The pilot would use grants to fund eligible consortia made up of private transportation entities (such as hub owners or motor, rail, water, or air carriers), rail police officers when applicable, and at least one State or local law enforcement agency. The Administrator must designate up to 6 pilot sites within 1 year, ensure geographic and operational diversity, and may place no more than 1 pilot site in any single State. The pilot may not deploy technology produced by a "foreign entity of concern" as defined in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Grants may pay for technology acquisition and deployment, personnel training, interoperability with Federal data, oversight and technical evaluation, and other necessary activities. Grant recipients must keep records to allow audits.
The Administrator must deliver to Congress a report no later than 2 years after technology is first deployed at a pilot site. That report must describe technologies used, evaluate their effectiveness at reducing cargo theft, list outcomes and lessons learned, include a cost-benefit analysis, provide related technology data in machine-readable form, and offer recommendations for scaling or changing the pilot. Each pilot site ends 3 years after technology is first deployed there. Within 1 year after all pilot sites end, the Comptroller General must submit a GAO evaluation of the pilot.
No publicly available information on authorized funding amounts, appropriations, or estimated costs is included in the bill text provided. The bill authorizes grants and specifies allowable uses, but does not set dollar amounts or budget language.
The bill directs TSA to establish a focused pilot to evaluate whether advanced law enforcement and cargo security technologies reduce cargo theft. It creates grant authority for local consortia, sets reporting requirements to Congress, and requires a GAO evaluation after the pilot ends.
No publicly available information in the bill text or provided metadata describes opponents' views or formal objections.