Border agency gets fast track to test new spy and detection tech.
H.R. 993 — Emerging Innovative Border Technologies Act · Filed by J. Correa (D-CA) · 2 cosponsors · Introduced Feb 5, 2025 · Passed chamber
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What it does
The bill tells the Department of Homeland Security to make a plan. It must be done in 180 days. The plan covers new technologies to watch the border. These include AI, drones, sensors, and tunnel detection systems. The border agency will set up teams to test new tech from companies. The teams will move tech into real use fast. The agency must report to Congress each year. Reports will say which tech was tried, which worked, and how fast it moved.
Who it affects
Border patrol agents will use the new tech. People who live near the border may be watched by drones and sensors. Companies that make border tech will have a chance to sell products.
One thing to notice
The bill says the border agency must check if new tech could cause harm. But the bill does not say the agency must stop using tech if checks find problems.
From the analysis of the bill text, linked under Primary records below.
Where it stands
2 cosponsors: 1 Democrats, 1 Republicans.
- Feb 5, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Feb 5, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Homeland Security and Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement”
- Mar 10, 2025 — Passed the House · Congress.gov: “Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection”
- Mar 10, 2025 — Floor vote scheduled · Congress.gov: “Mr. Green (TN) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Money around this bill
1 groups reported lobbying about this bill. They filed 1 reports from Jun 2026 to Jun 2026.
Those reports show $100,000 in lobbying spending. Each report lists about 25 bills. So that money was not all for this bill.
More groups named this bill than 0% of bills with any report.
J. Correa, who sponsored the bill, received $697,279 from PACs for the 2026 election.
- National Fraternal Order of Police — $100,000 in 1 report
Lobbying is legal. These reports show who lobbied about this bill, not what changed.
Words to know
- Department of Homeland Security — The federal agency that protects U.S. borders and handles security.
- AI — Artificial intelligence; computer programs that learn and make decisions.
- drones — Aircraft without pilots that can fly and watch areas.
- sensors — Devices that detect movement, heat, or other signs of people.
- lobbying — Trying to influence lawmakers about a bill. Companies and groups pay people to do this.
- PACs — Groups that collect money and give it to candidates for office.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (7,167 characters) on Jul 25, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 14,358 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
Money — Senate Lobbying Disclosure Act filings whose specific-issue field names this bill for quarters ending Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. A filing's amount is reported whole beside the median number of bills a filing names; it is never divided across them. PAC receipts are FEC-reported contributions to the sponsor's candidate committee in the 2026 cycle.
As of — lobbying records through Jul 24, 2026 · page rendered 2026-09-19.
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