[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 135 (Friday, December 8, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2229]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              THE NORTHERN BORDER TRAVEL FACILITATION ACT

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                        HON. DONALD A. MANZULLO

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, December 8, 2006

  Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, I wish to express my strong support for 
the Northern Border Travel Facilitation Act. As Chairman of the Small 
Business Committee, I held a November 17, 2005, hearing on the 
implementation of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI). WHTI 
may mandate the use of a passport for all travel between the United 
States and Canada as early as January 1, 2008. In 2003 alone, there 
were 34.5 million visits by Canadians to the U.S., which had a $10.9 
billion impact on our economy. Thus, if handled incorrectly, the WHTI 
travel document requirements could have serious detrimental effect on 
the United States economy.
  Because of the cost and lack of speed in using a passport for 
frequent travelers across the U.S.-Canadian Border, the Department of 
Homeland Security (DHS) has approved other forms of travel documents 
for U.S. citizens to comply with WHTI that are not available to 
Canadian citizens. This means that Canadian citizens have no current 
options other than to use a passport at border crossings to comply with 
WHTI requirements.
  I believe that, in certain circumstances, Canadian provincial 
driver's licenses and U.S. state driver's licenses should be accepted 
as border crossing documents. I also believe that when children 
accompany a legal guardian across the United States-Canadian border, 
they should not have to provide separate travel documents from their 
guardian. After all, a parent should not have to suffer economic loss 
to verify that their three year old is not a terrorist. The Northern 
Border Travel Facilitation Act will accomplish both of these 
objectives.

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