Washington, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) issued the following statement after the Boots on the Border Act, legislation he has sponsored along with U.S. Sens. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) was approved by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee:

“Putting more boots on the border is a key step toward securing our border and getting our Border Patrol agents the manpower they need to get the job done. Resources have been stretched too thin for too long and CBP has been hampered by frustratingly slow hiring due to bureaucratic hurdles. This bill will help fix personnel problems so we can actually hire the qualified people we need to keep our border secure,” said Johnson.

The legislation would help address hiring shortfalls at Customs and Border Protection (CBP) by waiving onerous and duplicative CBP polygraph hiring requirements for applicants with qualifying law enforcement or military experience.

Currently, over 1,700 Border Patrol agent positions and 1,000 CBP officer positions remain unfilled, according to the Department of Homeland Security. CBP is the only federal law enforcement agency with a congressionally mandated polygraph as a condition of employment. This, coupled with CBP’s necessarily thorough vetting process has contributed to only about one percent of applicants successfully being hired.

Specifically, the bill gives CBP the option to waive the current polygraph requirements for the following applicants:

Local or state law enforcement officers who:

• Have served for at least three years with no break in service
• Have statutory powers to arrest or apprehend a person in violation of the law
• Are not currently under investigation or previously found to have engaged in criminal activity or serious misconduct and
• Have successfully completed a polygraph as a condition of employment with their current law enforcement agency.

Federal law enforcement officers who:

• Have served for no less than three years with no break in service
• Have the authority to make arrests, conduct investigations, bear firearms, and serve warrants
• Are not currently under investigation or previously found to have engaged in criminal activity or serious misconduct and
• Hold a current/in-scope Tier 4 background investigation or Tier 5 single-scope background investigation as a condition of employment with their current law enforcement agency.

Transitioning members of the Armed Forces, veterans, or members of the Reserves of the National Guard who:

• Have served at least four years in the Armed Forces
• Have held a security clearance within the past five years
• Have undergone a current/in-scope Tier 4 background investigation or Tier 5 single-scope background investigation in the past five years
• Have received or are eligible to receive an honorable discharge and
• Have not engaged in criminal activity or serious misconduct under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

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