,i  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #abcc  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,february #ad1       
#bjai,mrs4 ,demings 7for herself and    
,mr4 ,thompson of ,mississippi7         
introduced the following bill2 which was
 referred to the ,committee on ,homeland
 ,security1 and in addition to the      
,committee on the ,judiciary1 for a     
period to be subsequently determined by 
the ,speaker1 in each case for          
consideration of such provisions as fall
 within the jurisdiction of the         
committee concerned  ,a ,,bill  ,to     
amend the ,homeland ,security ,act of   
#bjjb to establish a fund for private   
landowners1 and for other purposes4  #a4
 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as
 the ,borderland ,takings ,defense ,fund
 ,act4  #b4 ,defense fund for private   
landowners  7a7 ,in general ,subtitle ,h
 of title ,,viii of the ,homeland       
,security ,act of #bjjb 7#f ,u4,s4,c4   
#dea et seq47 is amended by adding at   
the end the following new section3      

#hij;,b4 ,defense fund for private      
landowners  7a7 ,establishment  7#a7 ,in
 general ,the ,secretary shall establish
 a fund to assist eligible property     
owners whose property the ,federal      
,government seeks to condemn or acquire 
for the purpose of constructing or      
installing additional physical barriers 
or roads between ports of entry along   
the land border with ,mexico4  7#b7     
,administration  7,a7 ,appointment ,the 
,officer for ,civil ,rights and ,civil  
,liberties of the ,department shall     
appoint an individual to serve as the   
administrator of the fund established   
pursuant to paragraph 7#a74  7,b7       
,qualifications ,the individual         
appointed under subparagraph 7,a7 to    
serve as the administrator of the fund  
shall be an individual who--  7i7 has at
 least three years of relevant          
experience in pro bono legal assistance2
 and  7ii7 to the maximum extent        
practicable1 has a demonstrated record  
of advocacy on behalf of litigants in   

actions brought by or against the       
,federal ,government4  7b7 ,prohibition 
,notwithstanding section #ajb of the    
,illegal ,immigration ,reform and       
,immigrant ,responsibility ,act of #aiif
 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aajc note71 the         
,secretary may not take such actions1   
such as the removal of obstacles1 to    
construct or install additional physical
 barriers or roads between ports of     
entry along the land border with ,mexico
 until--  7#a7 the fund described in    
subsection 7a7 is established and made  
available to eligible property described
 in such subsection2 and  7#b7 such     
property owners are provided information
 on how to access legal support through 
such fund4  7c7 ,eligibility ,to be     
eligible for assistance through the fund
 referred to in subsection 7a71 a       
property owner shall--  7#a7 own        
property along the land border with     
,mexico that-- 7,a7 is subject to the   
condemnation or acquisition referred to 
in such subsection2 or  7,b7 is         

determined by the ,administrator to be  
at risk of such action2 and  7#b7 7,a7  
be the head of a low-income household2  
or  7,b7 if such property owner is not  
the head of a low-income household1 be  
determined by the administrator of the  
fund to be in need of such assistance   
but lacking adequate resources to secure
 representation against the ,federal    
,government4  7d7 ,outreach ,the        
,secretary1 acting through the          
administrator of the fund1 shall-- 7#a7 
implement a targeted outreach strategy  
to identify and communicate with        
eligible property owners whose property 
the ,federal ,government seeks to       
condemn or acquire for the purpose of   
constructing or installing additional   
physical barriers or roads between ports
 of entry along the land border with    
,mexico2 and  7#b7 submit to the        
,committee on ,homeland ,security of the
 ,house of ,representatives and the     
,committee on ,homeland ,security and   
,governmental ,affairs of the ,senate a 

copy of such targeted outreach strategy4
  7e7 ,definitions ,in this section3    
7#a7 ,low-income household ,the term    
low-income household means a household--
  7,a7 in which one or more individuals 
are receiving-- 7i7 assistance under a  
,state program funded under part ,a of  
title ,,iv of the ,social ,security ,act
 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #fja et seq472  7ii7    
supplemental security income payments   
under title ,,xvi of the ,social        
,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #acha et  
seq472  7iii7 supplemental nutrition    
assistance program benefits under the   
,food and ,nutrition ,act of #bjjh 7#g  
,u4,s4,c4 #bjaa et seq472 or  7iv7      
payments under-- 7,i7 section #acae1    
#aeba1 #aeda1 or #aedb of title #ch1    
,united ,states ,code2 or  7,,ii7       
section #cjf of the ,veterans' and      
,survivors' ,pension ,improvement ,act  
of #aigh 7#ch ,u4,s4,c4 #aeba note2     
,public ,law #ie-ehh72 or  7,b7 that has
 an income that1 as determined by the   
,state in which such household is       

located1 does not exceed the greater    
of--  7i7 an amount equal to #aej       
percent of the poverty level for such   
,state2 and  7ii7 an amount equal to #fj
 percent of the median income for such  
,state4  7#b7 ,property ,the term       
property means land1 including an estate
 or interest in land1 including an      
easement or right of way in land4  7f7  
,authorization of appropriations ,in    
addition to any amounts otherwise       
authorized to be appropriated for such  
purpose1 there is authorized to be      
appropriated #bj1jjj1jjj for each of    
fiscal years #bjai through #bjbe to     
carry out this section4  4  7b7         
,clerical amendment ,the table of       
contents in section #a7;b7 of the       
,homeland ,security ,act of #bjjb is    
amended by inserting after the item     
relating to section #hij;,a the         
following new item3  ,sec4 #hij;,b4     
,defense fund for private landowners4  4