,i  #aagth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #gdei  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,april #g1 #bjbb,mr4 
,golden 7for himself and ,mr4 ,pfluger7 
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 and ,u4,s4 ,immigration and
 ,customs ,enforcement personnel in     
rural or remote areas1 and for other    
purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act  
may be cited as the ,,dhs ,rural and    
,remote ,hiring and ,retention ,strategy
 ,act of #bjbb4  #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 ,security1 the ,commissioner  
of ,u4,s4 ,customs and ,border          
,protection1 and the ,director of ,u4,s4

 ,immigration and ,customs ,enforcement1
 shall issue a strategy and             
implementation plan1 including          
benchmarks1 to improve the hiring and   
retention of individuals by ,u4,s4      
,customs and ,border ,protection and    
,u4,s4 ,immigration and ,customs        
,enforcement in rural or remote areas   
relating to employment in such 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 
or ,u4,s4 ,immigration and ,customs     
,enforcement 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 
and ,u4,s4 ,immigration and ,customs    
,enforcement 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 ,feedback from ,u4,s4   
,customs and ,border ,protection and    
,u4,s4 ,immigration and ,customs        
,enforcement personnel who have decided 
to separate from ,u4,s4 ,customs and    
,border ,protection and ,u4,s4          
,immigration and ,customs ,enforcement1 
as the case may be4  7#d7 ,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#e7 ,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 and retention         
challenges faced by ,u4,s4 ,customs and 
,border ,protection and ,u4,s4          
,immigration and ,customs ,enforcement  
in rural or remote areas2 and  7#b7     
enhance strategic recruiting efforts of 
,u4,s4 ,customs and ,border ,protection 
and ,u4,s4 ,immigration and ,customs    
,enforcement 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 and ,,gao ,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

 ,representatives1 the ,committee on    
,homeland ,security and ,governmental   
,affairs of the ,senate1 and the        
,comptroller ,general of the ,united    
,states on the extent to which such     
strategy and implementation plan has    
improved the hiring and retention by    
,u4,s4 ,customs and ,border ,protection 
and ,u4,s4 ,immigration and ,customs    
,enforcement of employees in rural or   
remote areas4  7e7 ,,gao assessment ,not
 later than #abj days after receiving   
each report required under subsection   
7d71 the ,comptroller ,general of the   
,united ,states shall submit to the     
committees referred to in such          
subsection an assessment of the         
effectiveness of ,u4,s4 ,customs and    
,border ,protection and ,u4,s4          
,immigration and ,customs ,enforcement  
actions described in each such report1  
including recommendations for           
improvements as the ,comptroller        
,general determines appropriate4  7f7   
,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   
census1 and includes areas along the    
northern and southern borders4