Washington, D.C., 2013-06-27 — /travelprnews.com/ — The U.S. Travel Association today urged U.S. senators to approve S. 744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act. As part of an historic opportunity to enact meaningful immigration reform, the legislation includes significant measures to improve the visa process and facilitation of air travelers coming to the United States.
“The Senate immigration bill will enhance U.S. security while encouraging more travel to and within the United States,” said Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association. “We urge the Senate to approve this historic legislation that will help deliver the economic benefits of travel – more jobs, more growth and more tax revenue – to communities nationwide.”
Provisions authored by Senator Dean Heller (R-NV) and recently added to the Senate immigration bill require the Secretary of Homeland Security to reduce average primary processing wait times at high-volume international airports and land entry checkpoints by 50 percent by the end of fiscal year 2014. The bill establishes the goal of screening all air passengers being processed at high-volume international airports within 30 minutes under normal operating circumstances by the end of fiscal year 2016. The legislation also requires U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to examine the use of non-law enforcement personnel for administrative duties to reduce agency costs and free up CBP officer time for passenger processing. The bill further requires a report on how the Department of Homeland Security intends to implement a biometric entry and exit system for the 10 highest-volume airports.
“Travel adds $2.0 trillion per year to the U.S. economy and is America’s No. 1 services export,” said Dow. “By encouraging more travel, the Senate immigration bill will provide a welcome shot in the arm to America’s economic recovery.”
The legislation further includes important travel-facilitation provisions previously agreed to by the Senate Judiciary Committee. U.S. Travel also commends Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Pat Leahy (D-VT), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Mike Lee (R-UT) and Mazie Hirono (D-HI) for their leadership and for inclusion of the following pro-travel provisions:
The U.S. Travel Association is the national, non-profit organization representing all components of the travel industry that generates $2.0 trillion in economic output and supports 14.6 million jobs. U.S. Travel’s mission is to increase travel to and within the United States.
Contact:
Cathy Keefe (202) 408-2183
Visit www.ustravel.org.
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