# Plain Language Summary: State Border Security Reimbursement Act of 2023

This bill proposes that the federal government reimburse states for money they've spent on border security over the past ten years. The bill's main argument is that border security is fundamentally a federal responsibility, but states—particularly Texas—have had to spend their own taxpayer money on it because the federal government hasn't done enough. According to the bill, Texas alone has spent over $3.2 billion on border security since 2008, with spending increasing significantly over time (from $110 million in 2008-2009 to nearly $800 million proposed for 2022-2023).

The bill creates a specific rule: any state that has spent more than $2.5 billion on border security and enforcement in the ten years before this law passes would qualify for full reimbursement. Based on the numbers presented, this would primarily affect Texas. States would have six months to submit detailed accounting of all their border security expenses that weren't already funded by the federal government, and then the federal government would have one year to pay them back.

The core complaint behind this bill is that people living in border states are essentially paying twice for the same service—once through federal taxes and again through state taxes. Supporters argue this is unfair because border security is a federal responsibility, and states shouldn't have to shoulder the financial burden when the federal government isn't adequately funding it. If passed, this would shift billions of dollars from the federal budget to reimburse state spending that has already occurred.

State Border Security Reimbursement Act of 2023

Crenshaw, Dan

State Border Security Reimbursement Act of 2023 This bill requires the federal government to reimburse eligible states for their border security expenses. To be eligible, a state must have expended more than $2.5 billion on border security and enforcement in the 10 years before this bill's enactment. If such a state provides by a certain deadline an accounting of all of its nonfederally funded border security expenses, the federal government must reimburse the full amount.