,i  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #aeih  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,march #g1 #bjai ,ms4
 ,torres ,small of ,new ,mexico 7for    
herself and ,mr4 ,hurd of ,texas7       
introduced the following bill2 which was
 referred to the ,committee on ,homeland
 ,security  ,a ,,bill  ,to require the  
,secretary of ,homeland ,security to    
issue a strategy to improve hiring and  
retention of ,u4,s4 ,customs and ,border
 ,protection personnel in rural or      
remote areas1 and for other purposes4   
#a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited
 as the ,u4,s4 ,customs and ,border     
,protection ,rural and ,remote ,hiring  
and ,retention ,strategy ,act of #bjai4 
#b4 ,strategy  7a7 ,in general ,not     
later than one year after the date of   
the enactment of this ,act1 the         
,secretary of ,homeland ,security1      
acting through the ,chief ,human        
,capital ,officer of the ,department of 
,homeland ,security and the             
,commissioner of ,u4,s4 ,customs and    

,border ,protection1 shall issue a      
strategy and implementation plan1       
including benchmarks1 to improve the    
hiring and retention of individuals by  
the ,commissioner in rural or remote    
areas4  7b7 ,considerations ,the        
strategy required under subsection 7a7  
shall take into consideration the       
following3 7#a7 ,feedback from          
individuals who are ,u4,s4 ,customs and 
,border ,protection candidates or new   
hires at locations in rural or remote   
areas1 including feedback on the quality
 of life in such areas for new hires and
 their families4  7#b7 ,feedback from   
,u4,s4 ,customs and ,border ,protection 
personnel1 other than new hires1 who are
 stationed at locations in rural or     
remote areas1 including feedback on the 
quality of life in such areas for such  
personnel and their families4  7#c7 ,an 
assessment of existing ,federal         
programs1 including financial incentives
 and other compensation-based           
flexibilities1 regarding how to most    

effectively aid spouses and families of 
individuals who are candidates or new   
hires in a rural or remote area4  7#d7  
,an assessment of ,department of        
,homeland ,security internship programs 
and the usefulness of such programs in  
improving hiring by the ,secretary of   
,homeland ,security in rural or remote  
areas4  7c7 ,plan ,the implementation   
plan required under subsection 7a7      
shall--  7#a7 include a pilot or other  
program1 as appropriate1 to address     
hiring challenges faced by ,u4,s4       
,customs and ,border ,protection in     
rural or remote areas2 and  7#b7 enhance
 strategic recruiting efforts of ,u4,s4 
,customs and ,border ,protection through
 relationships with institutions of     
higher education 7as such term is       
defined in section #ajb of the ,higher  
,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 
#ajjb771 veterans transition and        
employment centers1 and job placement   
programs in regions that could assist in
 filling positions in rural or remote   

areas4  7d7 ,report to ,congress        
,beginning on the date that is one year 
after the date of issuance of the       
strategy and implementation plan        
required under subsection 7a7 and for   
four years thereafter1 the ,secretary of
 ,homeland ,security shall report to the
 ,committee on ,homeland ,security of   
the ,house of ,representatives and the  
,committee on ,homeland ,security and   
,governmental ,affairs of the ,senate on
 the extent to which such strategy and  
implementation plan has improved the    
hiring and retention by ,u4,s4 ,customs 
and ,border ,protection of employees in 
rural or remote areas4  7e7 ,rural or   
remote areas defined ,for purposes of   
this section1 the term rural or remote  
areas means areas within the ,united    
,states that are not within an area     
defined and designated as urbanized     
areas by the ,bureau of the ,census in  
the most recently completed decennial   
census4