[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 1628]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 IMPROVE THE QUALITY AND STATE OF OUR INFRASTRUCTURE AND PROTOCOLS AT 
                             PORTS OF ENTRY

  (Mr. HIGGINS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, the Peace Bridge in my western New York 
district is the second busiest border crossing between the United 
States and Canada, making it essential that people and goods are able 
to move quickly and efficiently across the bridge. The second phase of 
a cargo preinspection pilot project at the Peace Bridge recently 
concluded and is currently under evaluation.
  While I have confidence that the bill will call for expansion of 
preinspection at the Peace Bridge, the pilot revealed several 
challenges which create delays and require immediate attention.
  Internet speeds on the Canadian side of the bridge exceed those on 
the American side, enabling faster screening. Radiation detectors on 
the American side are older and often inaccurate, resulting in false 
negatives that create delays. Finally, empty trucks are not required to 
provide a manifest, resulting in unnecessary secondary inspections for 
empty vehicles.
  Last week, I wrote to Secretary Jeh Johnson highlighting the urgent 
need to rectify these issues. We must improve the quality and state of 
the infrastructure and protocols at ports of entry across the country.

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