WASHINGTON, June 2 (UPI) -- New York lawmakers have unveiled a bill to delay implementation of tougher rules for citizens re-entering the country from Canada.
Democratic Rep. Louise M. Slaughter and GOP Rep. John M. McHugh on Thursday rolled out their proposal, dubbed the Protecting American Commerce and Travel, or PACT, Act at the Peace Bridge frontier crossing in Buffalo, N.Y. They were joined by local business leaders.
"This bipartisan bill is a common-sense solution to a critical problem our northern border communities are facing," Slaughter said. "First and foremost, it is critical that we delay the deadline for implementation," added McHugh.
The so-called Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative is a congressionally mandated plan to end the long-standing practice by which U.S. and Canadian citizens can cross the border in either direction with effectively little more than a driver's license as identification.
The current law says passports -- or unspecified other secure document establishing identity and citizenship -- must be shown after Jan. 1, 2008. But there has been growing concern among businesses and lawmakers on the northern border that the Department of state and Department of Homeland Security, responsible for implementing the changes and ensuring the availability of a cheap, easy to obtain alternative to the passport, will not be ready in time.
That concern was fuelled by the release this week of a Government Accountability Office assessment of progress on the issue. The GAO concluded that the two departments "have a long way to go to implement their proposed plans, and the time to get the job done is slipping by."
The PACT Act will move back the deadline to Sept. 15, 2009.
