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This bill would direct the Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) to improve the planning, documentation, and management of certain programs to acquire border security technology. It would compile a plan for the testing and evaluation of these processes to relevant congressional committees.

DHS would be required to develop a plan that complies with federal acquisition policies that are enforced by the Comptroller General.

This legislation would not authorize any additional appropriations to carry out the tasks required of DHS, meaning the agency must use existing funding to comply with this legislation.
","official_title":"To strengthen accountability for deployment of border security technology at the Department of Homeland Security, and for other purposes.","short_title":"Border Security Technology Accountability Act of 2015","popular_title":null,"short_summary":"Border Security Technology Accountability Act of 2015\n\n(Sec. 2) Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to: (1) ensure that each border security technology acquisition program that is determined to be a major acquisition program has an acquisition program baseline approved by the relevant acquisition decision authority; (2) document that each such program is meeting the cost, schedule, and performance thresholds specified in such baseline in compliance with relevant departmental acquisition policies and the Federal Acquisition Regulation; and (3) have a plan for each such program to meet program implementation objectives by managing contractor performance.\n\nDirects: (1) the Under Secretary for Management and the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection to ensure that border security technology acquisition program managers adhere to relevant internal control standards identified by the Comptroller General, and (2) the Commis...","summarized":true,"cost":500000,"cost_commentary":"The CBO estimates that implementing this legislation would cost less than $500,000 and that the DHS is already undertaking activities required of it in this legislation.","impact":"DHS administrators, relevant congressional committees, and the Comptroller General.","argument_for":"It should be a given that a federal agency must comply with federal acquisition policies, but considering that acquisitions by DHS have been found to be at high risk of waste, fraud, and abuse this bill would increase accountability and transparency.","argument_against":"Cost overruns happen in all federal agencies, they aren’t a problem specific to DHS. 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Does DHS Need to Comply With Federal Acquisition Policies In Obtaining Border Security Technology?