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Cross-Border Trade Enhancement Act of 2016

Public Law 114-279 · H.R. 875 · 114th Congress · began in the House

Signed by Barack Obama (D) on Dec 16, 2016 · Foreign Trade and International Finance

Sponsor: Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX-28)

Cosponsors (2): Rep. Will Hurd,

Passage votes

  • HouseVoice vote
  • SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes

The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

Cross-Border Trade Enhancement Act of 2016

(Sec. 2) This bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to authorize the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to enter into agreements with certain entities for the CBP to provide customs, agricultural processing, border security, or inspection-related immigration services at federal-owned land, or sea or air ports of entry, subject to payment of a fee to reimburse the CBP for providing such services. The bill prescribes requirements for the termination of CBP services and the imposition of a penalty after notice and demand for payment of fees not timely paid by an entity. The CBP and the General Services Administration may enter into an agreement with an entity to accept donations of:

• personal property, money, or nonpersonal services for use in the purchase and installation of furniture and other equipment at new or existing sea or air ports of entry or new or existing federal-owned land ports of entry; or

• real property or money for use in the construction or maintenance of such facilities.

The CBP shall establish, and make available to the public, criteria for evaluating a proposal to enter into agreements to accept donations.

CBP and the Government Accountability Office shall report annually to specified congressional committees on CBP fee agreements and donations.

(Sec. 3) Modifies CBP reporting requirements under the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 to include reporting on reimbursable fee agreements with CBP.

(Sec. 4) The bill amends the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013, and the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014, to repeal:

• CBP authority to enter into reimbursable fee agreements for a period of up to five years, and

• the partnership pilot program allowing CBP to enter into partnerships with the private sector and government entities at ports of entry for certain CBP services and to accept certain donations.

(Sec. 5) The bill amends the Anti-Border Corruption Act of 2010 to permit the CBP to waive certain polygraph examination requirements for certain qualifying applicants for law enforcement positions with CBP.

Committees

The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

Data notes

A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.

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Related bills

2 bills the Library of Congress relates to this one.

  • S. 208Related bill

    Secure the Border First Act of 2015

  • S. 461Identical billRelated bill

    Cross-Border Trade Enhancement Act of 2016

Data notes

Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 18 actions.

  1. Dec 16, 2016Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 114-279.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Dec 14, 2016FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  4. Dec 12, 2016FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  5. Dec 10, 2016FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
  6. Dec 7, 2016CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate, read twice.
  7. Dec 6, 2016FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  8. FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.
  9. FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 875.
  10. FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
  11. FloorFloor · Mr. Boustany moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
  12. Mar 16, 2015CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security.
  13. Feb 27, 2015CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Trade.
  14. CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture, and Research.
  15. Feb 25, 2015CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security.
  16. Feb 12, 2015CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management.
  17. Feb 11, 2015CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, the Judiciary, Homeland Security, and Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as…
  18. IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
Data notes

Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.

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Amendments

No amendments to this bill are on record.

Data notes

Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.

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Official record

The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.