# 119-hr-1294: BEST Facilitation Act

119-hr-1294, BEST Facilitation Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Ciscomani, Juan [R-AZ-6] (R-AZ); status in_committee (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1294
- As of: 2026-04-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-1294
- Congress: 119
- Title: BEST Facilitation Act
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2025-02-13
- Sponsor: Rep. Ciscomani, Juan [R-AZ-6] (R-AZ)
- Cosponsors: 4
- Policy area: Immigration
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**Creates an Office of Field Operations Image Technician pilot program** that would add civilian image‑review staff and regional command centers to scan non‑intrusive inspection images at ports and crossings. The pilot sets job rules, training, supervision, and reporting requirements to test whether dedicated image analysts improve border screening and intelligence sharing. - Adds two civilian job grades, Image Technician 1 and Image Technician 2, fillable by existing CBP staff under competitive service rules; these are not law enforcement roles and cannot be contractors. - Would centralize image review in 5 regional command centers serving land, sea, air ports and international rail crossings, and requires reports to track effects on throughput, wait times, and seizures. - Requires Image Technician 2 to receive and report intelligence from the National Targeting Center. Supervisory CBP officers keep final release authority. Image technicians get annual and ad hoc training plus recurring assessments, and the pilot sunsets after 5 years.

## Cosponsors (4)

- Rep. Davis, Donald G. [D-NC-1] (D-NC), 2025-02-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1] (R-PA), 2025-06-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Vindman, Eugene Simon [D-VA-7] (D-VA), 2025-09-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Vasquez, Gabe [D-NM-2] (D-NM), 2025-12-19T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Pilot adds CBP image tech jobs: benefit, low. This bill would start a five-year pilot at CBP. It would create Image Technician 1 and 2 jobs and open five regional command centers at land, rail, air, and sea ports. Techs would review X-ray and similar images for drugs, weapons, hidden goods, or people. They would recommend release or more inspe…
- Training and oversight for image techs: mixed, low. If enacted, image techs would get yearly training and extra training as needed. Topics would include privacy, civil rights, image analysis, finding contraband, and tactics used by smugglers. Supervisors would also receive added training. Techs would take yearly assessments on accuracy and speed. CB…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act
- 119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025
- 119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025
- 119-hr-2902: SOAR Act of 2025
- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-6766: Essential Caregivers Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-1294 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1294)

## Related
- [119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9237)
- [119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4669)
- [119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4206)
- [119-hr-2902: SOAR Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2902)
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-6766: Essential Caregivers Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6766)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1294 (as of 2026-04-21).