WASHINGTON -- A top U.S. legislator wants to force officials to fully consider allowing Canadians and Americans to use driver's licences in lieu of passports to cross the border and exempt everyone under 17 from the new security rule.
Draft legislation obtained by The Canadian Press commits the U.S. to a pilot project with licences. It also ensures officials use the extra time Congress gave them, until June 1, 2009, to review the passport rule and ensure it won't cause havoc at land and sea crossings.
The bill, proposed by New York Democrat Louise Slaughter who chairs the powerful rules committee in the House of Representatives, will be introduced as early as next week with Republican backers.
Slaughter, whose district includes Buffalo and Niagara Falls, N.Y., has long backed Canada's concern the so-called Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) will seriously harm tourism and trade.
"It is critical that Congress push the Department of Homeland Security to fix WHTI and do so in a timely manner," said Slaughter, who's been circulating her bill among legislators to build bipartisan support.
"Unfortunately, the administration continues to pursue a plan that will be economically disastrous for both the United States and Canada."
Canadians already need a passport to fly into the United States, a security measure passed by Congress in light of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
And they were supposed to produce one at land and sea crossings by Jan. 1, 2008, until Congress extended the deadline last year.
But many U.S. legislators from both parties are still miffed, saying officials are determined to proceed as originally planned without properly considering alternatives and adverse effects on trade and tourism.
Canada has long advocated for more time to implement the rule and consider enhanced driver's licences that contain citizenship information. They'd likely cost less than passports and most people need to get them anyway.
Only 40 per cent of Canadians and some 27 per cent of Americans have passports.
Slaughter's bill, which has broad industry support, would force the State and Homeland Security departments to evaluate the pilot project, report back to Congress and submit it to the Government Accountability Office for an audit.
It also forces U.S. officials to do a sweeping analysis of the costs and benefits of requiring passports and their plan to introduce an alternative high-technology ID card for Americans.
The card, dubbed passport lite, would have to cost no more than US$20 and be available within 10 days after someone applies.
Canadian and American citizens under 17 years old would be exempt from the passport rule, an idea that's gained so much traction that sources say it will likely be announced by officials as a done deal in the coming weeks.
Older Americans without the proper ID would get a break for six months after the deadline goes into effect.
"She has created a good blueprint for how to make this work and I think it's got a very good chance," said Scotty Greenwood, executive director of the Canadian American Business Council.
-- Canadian Press
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