Operation Lone Star Reimbursement Act

119 HR 1222 IH: Operation Lone Star Reimbursement Act U.S. House of Representatives 2025-02-11 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. I119th CONGRESS1st SessionH. R. 1222IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESFebruary 11, 2025Mr. Williams of Texas (for himself, Mr. Crenshaw, Mr. Self, Mr. Weber of Texas, Mr. Babin, Mr. Ellzey, Mr. Gill of Texas, and Mr. Luttrell) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Homeland Security, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concernedA BILLTo reimburse the State of Texas for expenses incurred for activities conducted relating to securing the southern international border of the United States, and for other purposes.

1.Short titleThis Act may be cited as the Operation Lone Star Reimbursement Act.

2.FindingsCongress finds the following: (1)The Federal Government is primarily responsible for securing the borders of the United States at and between ports of entry. (2)Due to the lack of border action by the Federal Government from January 20, 2021, to January 19, 2025, the State of Texas has been forced to continually appropriate funds to secure the southern border of the United States. (3)Texas has taken these actions to help maintain safety and security for all citizens across the United States by protecting against the criminal acts of— (A)human trafficking; (B)sex trafficking; (C)drug proliferation; (D)illicit movement of weapons and contraband; (E)criminal organizations; and (F)unlawful entry. (4)In March 2021, the Governor of Texas launched Operation Lone Star to combat these threats, resulting in— (A)apprehension of over half a million illegal immigrants; (B)140,000 attempted illegal entries denied; (C)over 50,000 criminal arrests; (D)the seizure of half a billion lethal doses of fentanyl; and (E)construction of over 240 miles of border barriers. (5)The amount the State of Texas spent on border security to combat the crisis at Texas’ southern border was $11.1 billion of Texas taxpayer funding.

3.Reimbursements for the State of Texas (a)Application for reimbursementThe Governor of Texas shall submit to the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of the Treasury an application for reimbursement, which shall include— (1)a list of expenses incurred by the State of Texas for activities conducted relating to securing the southern international border of the United States during the years 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025; and (2)the total amount of expenses incurred for such activities. (b)Application reviewThe Secretary of Homeland Security must review the State of Texas’ application within 120 days after receival and determine what expenses that incurred are eligible for reimbursement and submit a report to Congress on the final decision. (c)ReimbursementNot later than 60 days after the Secretary of Homeland Security has submitted the reimbursement decision to Congress, the Secretary of the Treasury shall pay to the State of Texas, out of any amounts in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, an amount equal to the total amount of expenses determined reimbursable.