Committee adopts committee report for Customs and Biosecurity division bill, sending it for full House consideration

The committee adopted a committee report recommending passage of Senate Bill 24-48, which would establish a Division of Customs and Biosecurity in the Department of Finance to enforce laws at ports of entry and perform inspections and clearances for containers, cargo and baggage.

Representative John Paulo Sablan said the measure aligns statutory authority with an existing executive order and that the Division of Customs provided a supporting comment; he also reported ongoing work to coordinate with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and to formalize a memorandum of agreement. After discussion, a motion to adopt a committee report for SB 24-48 was moved, seconded and carried by voice vote; the bill will be forwarded to the full House with the committee’s report.

The committee did not record a roll-call tally in the transcript. Implementation details and any interagency memoranda with USDA or federal partners were discussed as follow-ups.