# Plain Language Summary: Border Weather Resiliency Act of 2024

This bill requires the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency to figure out how severe weather and water-related disasters are affecting their ability to do their job at the borders. The bill asks them to look back at the past five years and assess the damage that hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, extreme heat, winter storms, and other dangerous weather have caused to their personnel, equipment, buildings, and technology. They also need to evaluate how these weather events have affected the safety of border agents and the people they're inspecting.

Within six months of the bill becoming law, the Department of Homeland Security must report to Congress with their findings about what weather-related problems have occurred and what they've already done to address them. Then, within a year, they need to develop a comprehensive strategy to protect their people, equipment, and operations from future weather disasters. This strategy must include a cost-benefit analysis showing whether the proposed solutions are worth the expense. The department is required to consult with weather experts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, state governors with international borders, tribal governments near the borders, and organizations representing border patrol agents when developing this plan.

The bill also requires the Border Protection Commissioner to establish specific safety protocols and procedures within a year to protect agents and equipment during severe weather. These protocols must help the agency continue operating during disasters while keeping people safe. Importantly, the bill specifies that no new federal funding is being provided to carry out these requirements—the agency must work within its existing budget.