[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4309 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4309

    To require the Secretary of Transportation and the Secretary of 
Commerce to submit to Congress reports on the commercial and passenger 
  vehicle traffic at certain points of entry, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            December 6, 2007

  Mr. Rodriguez (for himself, Mr. Ortiz, Mr. Reyes, Mr. Cuellar, Mr. 
Grijalva, Mr. Hinojosa, and Mr. Filner) introduced the following bill; 
       which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and 
                             Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To require the Secretary of Transportation and the Secretary of 
Commerce to submit to Congress reports on the commercial and passenger 
  vehicle traffic at certain points of entry, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Border Wait Times Study Act''.

SEC. 2. PURPOSES.

    The purposes of this Act are--
            (1) to analyze the traffic patterns of commercial and 
        passenger vehicles at international land ports of entry along 
        the northern and southern borders of the United States;
            (2) to analyze the volume and wait times of commercial and 
        passenger vehicles entering and exiting the United States at 
        such land ports of entry since 2000;
            (3) to analyze how staffing levels affect wait times at 
        such land ports of entry since 2000; and
            (4) to analyze the impact of paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) 
        on the economic impact on commerce in international border 
        communities, border States, and the United States.

SEC. 3. STUDY OF TRAFFIC PATTERNS AT LAND PORTS OF ENTRY.

    (a) Study Required.--The Secretary of Transportation, in 
consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security, shall conduct a 
study of the traffic patterns of commercial and passenger vehicles 
entering and exiting the United States at international land ports of 
entry along the northern and southern borders.
    (b) Matters Covered.--The study required under subsection (a) shall 
include an analysis of--
            (1) traffic volume and wait times of commercial and 
        passenger vehicles at international land ports of entry along 
        the northern and southern borders of the United States since 
        2000; and
            (2) how staffing levels at such ports of entry for the 
        United States along these boarders has affected wait times 
        since 2000.
    (c) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation shall submit to 
Congress a report on the findings of the study required under 
subsection (a).

SEC. 4. STUDY ON THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF TRAFFIC AT LAND PORTS OF ENTRY.

    (a) Study Required.--The Secretary of Commerce, in consultation 
with the Secretary of Homeland Security, shall conduct a study 
regarding of the negative economic impact, if any, on the United States 
of wait times at the international land ports of entry referred to in 
section 3.
    (b) Matters Covered.--The study required under subsection (a) shall 
include an analysis of such economic impact--
            (1) with respect to the volume of commercial and passenger 
        vehicles since 2000; and
            (2) on the United States, including on border States and 
        communities.
    (c) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Commerce shall submit to 
Congress a report on the findings of the study required under 
subsection (a).
                                 <all>