Ammendment offered to delay passport requirements

A plan to expand the types of documents U.S. citizens can use as an alternative to passports to meet requirements of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative has been launched in a tri-partisan effort by U.S. senators representing Canada border states.
Sen. Norm Coleman, along with Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., Susan Collins, R-Maine, Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, and James Jeffords, I-Vermont, Thursday introduced an amendment to the Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill to expand the types, availability, and affordability of documents citizens can use as an alternative to passports to meet the requirements of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative.
“It would be irresponsible, and potentially harmful to implement a program that is untested,” Coleman said in a statement. “By delaying implementation of the program, expanding the number of documents acceptable for travel and requiring a pilot program to test new documents and technologies, this amendment will minimize the potential negative impact on the folks who will be most affected by this initiative. For nearly two years, I have fought hard to employ a travel initiative that will strengthen our national security, while ensuring the free flow of commerce. This amendment will bring us one step closer to that reality.”
The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative will require all travelers, including U.S. citizens, to and from Canada, the Americas, and the Caribbean, to have a passport or other accepted document that establishes the bearer’s identity and nationality to enter or re-enter the United States. This is a change from prior travel requirements. The proposed changes were originally scheduled to go into effect by Dec. 31, 2007.
The Coleman amendment to the DHS appropriations bill adds additional elements to language in the bill secured by Senators Leahy, D-Vermont, and Stevens, R-Alaksa, during the Appropriation Committee’s consideration of the legislation. The Leahy-Stevens provisions, based in large part on Coleman’s prior work on WHTI, delay the implementation of the initiative by 18 months, or fewer if a number of conditions can be met ahead of time.
Coleman, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Peace Corps and Narcotics Affairs, has held two hearings on the implementation of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. He has also held sessions in northern Minnesota to explore the impact of the Initiative. Coleman had introduced a similar bipartisan amendment to the Immigration Reform Act of 2006, which was passed by the Senate.
WHTI amendment provisions:
* Deadline extension — Extends WHTI deadline to June 1, 2009, or earlier if appropriate passport cards are deployed, infrastructure put in place, and accommodations made for school groups to travel without a US government ID;
* Passport cards — waives the cost of a card for children under 18, and caps fees at $24, or $34 if proper justification is made,.
* Driver’s license pilot program — creates a voluntary pilot program for states that would like to offer their citizens the option of including citizenship information on a driver’s license.
* Frequent travel programs — expands frequent traveler programs like NEXUS for people who want to pay more and submit themselves to a background check in exchange for faster processing at the border.
* Requires the secretary of DHS to set up a 72-hour “day pass” program, or otherwise facilitate people who come to the border without documents.
* Public promotion strategy — requires an aggressive public education program shall to be conducted to ensure affected parties are made aware of changes in advance of implantation.
(Reprinted from Int’l Falls Daily Journal, July 17, 2006)