[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4186 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4186

          To repeal the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 14, 2007

  Mr. Stupak introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Homeland Security

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
          To repeal the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The United States and Mexico share a 1,933 mile border 
        and the United States and Canada share a 5,525 mile border.
            (2) Canada and Mexico are the United States' most important 
        trading partners. In 2006, trade between the United States and 
        Canada totaled $533,700,000,000 in exports and imports, while 
        trade between the United States and Mexico reached 
        $331,300,000,000. Much of this day-to-day trade consists of 
        intra-company shipments.
            (3) Canadian travelers spent a record $13,200,000,000 in 
        the United States in 2006. During this same time period, United 
        States residents made 13,800,000 overnight trips to Canada and 
        took an additional 13,700,000 same-day car trips to Canada. The 
        vast majority of these travelers entered the United States or 
        Canada through a land port of entry.
            (4) Studies estimate that the cost of delays and compliance 
        requirements at the border could range from $7,500,000,000 to 
        $13,200,000,000 annually.
            (5) Only 21 percent of United States citizens hold 
        passports.
            (6) Since the implementation of the air regulations 
        component of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, wait 
        times for obtaining a passport have gone from four to six weeks 
        to as much as 14 weeks. The Department of State cannot keep up 
        with passport demands despite hiring more employees, opening an 
        additional regional office, and increasing working hours.
            (7) The United States is working in concert with the 
        Government of Canada and the Government of Mexico to facilitate 
        the safe and efficient movement of people and goods across the 
        shared borders.
            (8) Since September 11, 2001, the primary mission of United 
        States Customs and Border Protection has been to prevent the 
        entry into the United States of terrorists and the instruments 
        of terrorism.
            (9) The number of Border Patrol agents has roughly doubled 
        in size since President George W. Bush took office. The Border 
        Patrol currently employs 14,819 officers and an additional 
        3,000 officers will likely join the force during the 2008 
        fiscal year.
            (10) On October 30, 2001, the Foreign Terrorist Tracking 
        Task Force was created to provide Federal law enforcement 
        agencies with the best possible information to prevent foreign 
        terrorists and their supporters from entering the United 
        States.
            (11) The Terrorism Screening Center was established in 2004 
        to consolidate all Federal terrorist watch lists into one 
        database to help Federal law enforcement agencies identify, 
        screen, and track known and suspected terrorists.
            (12) Law enforcement agencies use advanced technology, such 
        as sensors, mobile night vision scopes, remote video 
        surveillance systems, and unmanned aerial vehicles, to increase 
        their presence on the United States border.
            (13) Studies by the Canadian Tourism Commission and other 
        groups have suggested that United States businesses and 
        communities stand to lose hundreds of millions of dollars if 
        the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative requirements 
        significantly interfere with existing trade and tourism.

SEC. 2. REPEAL OF WESTERN HEMISPHERE TRAVEL INITIATIVE.

    Section 7209 of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention 
Act of 2004 (8 U.S.C. 1185 note; Public Law 108-458) (commonly referred 
to as the ``Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative'') is amended--
            (1) by striking subsections (b) and (c); and
            (2) by redesignating subsection (d) as subsection (b).
                                 <all>