Legislation on ports improvement advances in House

Legislation from U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) to streamline repair and maintenance projects at land ports of entry (LPOE) advanced out of committee in the U.S. House this week.

The legislation, the Reducing Excessive Vetting Authorities to Maintain our Ports (REVAMP) Act, passed out of the House Committee on Homeland Security on Wednesday. Gonzalez reintroduced the bipartisan, bicameral legislation in April. The legislation provides U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) with greater authority to conduct improvements on LPOEs without involving the General Services Administration (GSA), allowing the LPOEs to streamline lower-cost maintenance issues, and freeing the GSA to focus on larger-scale projects, Gonzalez said.

“Land Ports of Entry are not only critical to border communities, but they also bring in billions of dollars’ worth of trade to our economy. That is why our international bridges must be kept in the best shape possible,” Gonzalez said. “Currently, there is a backlog of maintenance and repairs to be conducted at these ports of entry—this bill would cut that red tape and streamline the process… It would provide CBP with the authority it needs to further address urgent maintenance projects more swiftly.”

Currently, the CBP and the GSA work closely with one another to design, construct and maintain LPOEs. But CBP is only authorized to conduct repairs under $100,000 without GSA authorization. Gonzalez’s legislation would raise the threshold to $300,000 and direct that amount to be tied to inflation. Additionally, the bill requires the Commissioner of CBP to consult with the Administrator of the GSA to establish proper procedures for such projects.

The bill was cosponsored by U.S. Reps. Lou Correa (D-CA), Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ), Henry Cuellar (D-TX), Monica De La Cruz (R-TX), and Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX).

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