[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 39 (Tuesday, March 5, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H787-H788]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   IMPROVING TRAVEL FOR FAMILIES ACT

  Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 5969) to direct the Secretary of Homeland Security 
to revise certain regulations to permit certain children to accompany 
their parents or legal guardians through Global Entry airport lanes, 
and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 5969

       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 ``Improving Travel for 
     Families Act''.

     SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF GLOBAL ENTRY TO CERTAIN CHILDREN.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary of Homeland Security shall 
     revise section 235.12 of title 8, Code of Federal 
     Regulations, to permit a child who is 10 years old or younger 
     who is not a member of Global Entry in accordance with such 
     section and who is traveling with such child's parent or 
     legal guardian who is a member of Global Entry in accordance 
     with such section to accompany such parent or legal guardian 
     through a Global Entry lane upon arrival at an international 
     airport in the United States.
       (b) Appointments.--The Secretary of Homeland Security shall 
     take such actions as may be necessary to permit a parent or 
     legal guardian of up to four children described in subsection 
     (a) who is applying for membership in Global Entry on behalf 
     of such children to schedule a single appointment for an 
     interview relating to such membership for all such children.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Tennessee (Mr. Green) and the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Carter) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Tennessee.


                             General Leave

  Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their 
remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 5969.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Tennessee?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5969, the Global Entry 
program, which is managed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, grants 
expedited clearance for preapproved, low-risk travelers.
  Millions of users are enrolled in the Global Entry program and Global 
Entry kiosks are deployed at many major airports throughout the United 
States. However, issues can arise when families are traveling with 
minor children who are not enrolled in the Global Entry program. 
Because Global Entry benefits are member specific, young children who 
are not enrolled in the program are not currently allowed to join their 
parents in the Global Entry line.
  H.R. 5969 would rectify this by allowing children ages 10 and younger 
to join their Global Entry-enrolled parents or guardian through the 
Global Entry lane.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Luttrell for his work on this very 
important bill. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 5969, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CARTER of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5969 aims to make Global Entry more family friendly 
by allowing children ages 10 or under to accompany their parents or 
legal guardians through Global Entry lanes when clearing customs in the 
United States.
  We would like to see all families with young children stay together 
throughout the customs process, and this bill would make travel more 
family friendly without compromising security.
  This bill also makes it possible for parents to schedule interviews 
for Global Entry for their kids as groups as opposed to the current 
format which schedules appointments separately--a logistical nightmare 
for parents.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

[[Page H788]]

  

  Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Luttrell), the sponsor of the bill.
  Mr. LUTTRELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to advocate for the passage 
of our bill, H.R. 5969, the Improving Travel for Families Act.
  Global Entry has been a critical asset in expediting clearance for 
preapproved, low-risk travelers upon arrival in the United States. 
Reduced wait times and access to expedited entry into the United States 
are all the benefits of Global Entry membership.
  Global Entry began as a small pilot program in 2008 with availability 
in just three airports. Today, the Global Entry program offers 
expedited preapproved travel clearance for millions of travelers and is 
available in over 60 U.S. airports.
  Our bill would improve international travel for families by allowing 
children ages 10 and younger who are not currently enrolled in the 
Global Entry program to accompany their parents and guardians who are 
in the program in the designated precleared lanes upon arrival at 
international airports in the United States.
  Additionally, the bill would streamline the Global Entry application 
process by permitting parents or guardians to schedule a single 
application appointment for up to four young children at a time, rather 
than having to book multiple individual appointments, thereby reducing 
the interview appointment backlog.
  These small, but meaningful, advancements will be a marked 
improvement on the Global Entry program. Under current law, only 
preapproved Global Entry travelers, regardless of age, are permitted to 
utilize dedicated lanes and kiosks. This creates a major inconvenience 
for Global Entry-enrolled parents who are traveling with young children 
who are not currently enrolled.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Green, Congressman Glenn Ivey, and the 
members and staff of the Homeland Security Committee for working with 
me and my staff on this important bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support this sensible 
legislative measure that will afford law-abiding Americans the 
opportunity to travel with their children.
  Mr. CARTER of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may 
consume to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Ivey).
  Mr. IVEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5969, the Improving 
Travel for Families Act. I am proud to cosponsor this bipartisan 
legislation with my friend and Homeland Security Committee colleague 
from Texas, Representative Morgan Luttrell.
  This bill aims to make the CBP Global Entry program more friendly for 
family travel at our international airports by allowing children ages 
10 or under to accompany their parent or guardian through Global Entry 
when clearing customs in the United States.
  The bill also makes it possible for parents to schedule interviews 
for Global Entry for their kids as a group. It will do all of this 
without risking the security of children, as Global Entry approval 
requires multiple steps, including a background check.
  As a father of six, I know how difficult the logistics can be for 
families traveling with young children.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense, 
bipartisan legislation that will make travel more friendly for families 
without compromising security.
  Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I have no more speakers. I am 
prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1515

  Mr. CARTER of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of 
my time to close.
  Mr. Speaker, I commend the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Luttrell) for 
introducing this bill, and I commend the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. 
Ivey) for cosponsoring this bill aimed at improving the travel 
experience for families. I believe this bill will help families 
traveling with young children eliminate some of the difficulties that 
they may experience along the way.
  I am happy to support this bill, and I urge all Members of the House 
to do the same.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my 
time to close.
  I again urge my colleagues to support H.R. 5969. I, of course, thank 
again Mr. Luttrell for his excellent work on the bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Green) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 5969, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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