A4A Welcomes Passage Of The Bill

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill requiring U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to assess the impact future preclearance facilities will have on security, passengers, the economy and customs staffing at U.S. gateway airports.

The bill requires CBP to meet a number of requirements before establishing preclearance facilities at new locations. Notably, any new location must be served by U.S. carriers and CBP would be required to consult with stakeholders, including airlines, prior to entering into an agreement with a foreign government. Additionally, the legislation includes a “fix it here first” plan requiring CBP to address facilitation issues at U.S. gateways where customs wait times exceed those at facilities in foreign countries. In addition, the bill includes a requirement that CBP must consider and report on the economic, competitive and job impacts that new locations would have.

“(This) vote is an important win for the traveling public, ensuring that we focus on fixing lengthy customs lines at U.S. gateways first, before building and staffing additional preclearance facilities overseas,” said A4A President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio. “We thank Chairman McCaul (R-TX), Ranking Member Thompson (D-MS) and Representatives Meehan (R-PA), DeFazio (D-OR) and Miller (R-MI) for their commitment to restoring Congressional oversight, which will help connect people and goods, while further enhancing the overall travel experience for the customers we serve.”

FMI: http://homeland.house.gov/