{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.flake.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=A7FA844B-D287-43F6-A129-884C5E533FFE", "Flake, Heitkamp Introduce CBP HiRe Act", "2016-12-05", "2016", "2016-12", "Republican", "House", "AZ", "Jeff Flake", "F000444", "www.flake.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Sens. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) today introduced the Customs and Border Protection Hiring and Retention (CBP HiRe) Act. The bill aims to boost manpower at strained ports of entry along the U.S. border by giving CBP new tools to eliminate recruitment and retention obstacles that have left the agency nearly 1,000 CBP officers short of congressionally-mandated staffing levels.\r\nIn 2014, Flake helped secure congressional funding for the hiring of 2,000 additional CBP officers to address understaffed U.S. ports of entry and increase trade opportunities with Mexico and Canada. Two years later, half of those CBP officer positions remain unfilled due to high attrition rates, a lengthy hiring process, and difficulty finding applicants willing to work in remote locations.\r\nHeitkamp, the ranking member on the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs subcommittee that oversees the federal workforce, has long been working to address challenges border security officials face in recruiting and retaining quality officers to help keep communities safe. In July, Heitkamp introduced her Flexible HIRE Act which aims to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the federal hiring process so that federal agencies, particularly those located in rural or remote areas, can better attract and maintain personnel. Additionally, Heitkamp\u2019s bipartisan Northern Border Security Review Act \u2013 which has passed both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives \u2013 would work to assess the comprehensive security challenges along the nation\u2019s 5,500-mile long Northern Border and help make sure more remote and rural areas receive the resources they need to recruit and retain workers to help keep communities safe.\r\nBuilding on the success of the Flake-McSally-McCain Border Jobs for Veterans Act signed into law last year, the Flake-Heitkamp CBP HiRe Act would continue the effort to resolve CBP\u2019s recruitment and retention problems with:\r\n \r\nRetention Incentives - Currently, 13 percent of CBP\u2019s attrition is to other federal agencies and departments within DHS. Permitting the use of retention incentives would allow CBP to compete with employment opportunities at other federal agencies and keep CBP Officers in their current positions.\r\n \r\n \r\nSpecial Salary Rate Pilot - Finding applicants willing to accept employment in remote locations has been a challenge for the agency. This legislation would create a two year pilot program that would allow CBP to use their existing budget to offer a special salary rate to recruit and retain officers in these hard-to-fill remote locations.\r\n \r\n \r\nEliminating Disincentives for Polygraph Testing - Prospective applicants fear long-term career damage if they fail to pass the agency\u2019s rigorous polygraph exam. Under this legislation, CBP would be prohibited from disclosing an applicant\u2019s polygraph results with another federal agency.\r\n \r\n \r\nGreater Transparency in the Hiring Process - The CBP\u2019s lengthy hiring process has discouraged candidates from applying to the agency. Requiring CBP to disclose at the beginning of the application process a list of disqualifiers would ensure that agency does not needlessly utilize time and resources vetting unqualified candidates unsuitable for employment.\r\n \r\n\u201cArizona can\u2019t afford for its ports to go on strained and understaffed. By tackling CBP\u2019s hiring problems head-on, this bill will help strengthen border security and facilitate the cross-border trade that is critical to Arizona\u2019s economy,\u201d said Flake.\r\n\u201cIn my visits with border security officials and personnel in Portal last month and Pembina last year, a key concern I heard over and over from agents on the ground was about their abilities to both attract and retain quality workers to best protect our communities \u2013 and it\u2019s those challenges that our bipartisan bill would work to address. This effort expands on my work in the U.S. Senate to make it easier to hire and retain federal employees, like border patrol agents, at remote locations such as at the Northern Border. And my bipartisan bill to assess threats to the Northern Border and examine employee recruitment and retention issues is expected to soon be signed into law. Our border patrol agents work to keep our borders protected, and they need to have the resources and support to keep our communities safe,\u201d said Heitkamp.\r\nBackground: \r\n \r\nOn October 17, Flake sent a letter to Department of Homeland Secretary Jeh Johnson requesting additional information on CBP\u2019s polygraph examinations. The signed letter can be viewed here.\r\n \r\n \r\nOn June, 29, during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Flake sought answers from Johnson on several border and immigration-related issues impacting Arizona, including the hiring rate of CBP officers. Video of Flake and Johnson\u2019s exchange can be viewed here.\r\n \r\n \r\nOn May 11, Flake hosted a meeting with DHS officials, local port authorities, and other cross-border trade stakeholders to discuss the critical need to fully staff ports of entry.\r\n \r\n \r\nOn Oct. 19, 2015, the Border Jobs for Veterans Act was signed into law. This bill was sponsored by Flake and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Rep. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.) to help put veterans to work as CBP officers at understaffed U.S. ports of entry by requiring the Department of Defense and DHS to cooperate on efforts to recruit and expedite the hiring of outgoing U.S. military service members.\r\n \r\n \r\nSupporters of the CBP HiRe Act include: Fresh Produce Association of the Americas, Border Trade Alliance, Nogales-Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce, Greater Nogales Santa Cruz Port Authority, Arizona-Mexico Commission, Douglas International Port Authority, Greater Yuma Economic Development Corporation, Transportation and Trade Corridor Alliance, Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, San Luis Industrial Park Association, and Douglas Regional Economic Development Corporation.\r\n \r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.flake.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=A7FA844B-D287-43F6-A129-884C5E533FFE"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.221980132162571, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}