Provisions of Rep. Slaughter's WHTI Bill Included in Department of Homeland Security Authorization Act

Provisions of Rep. Slaughter's WHTI Bill Included in Department of Homeland Security Authorization Act

Rep. Louise M. Slaughter (D-NY-28), Chairwoman of the House Rules Committee, today announced that the Department of Homeland Security Authorization Act (HR 1684) included language she authored that will begin to fix the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI). The Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee included the WHTI provisions in the bill which passed the House last night by a vote of 296 - 126.

"I am pleased that the House has taken an important first step toward fixing the Bush Administration's ill-conceived WHTI proposal. The provisions I authored will require the Department of Homeland Security to take the time to implement common-sense border policies that work for Western New York," said Rep. Slaughter. "We won't sit idly by while the local economies of Western New York are severely damaged by disastrous proposals like WHTI."

"I will continue to fight for smart implementation of WHTI, and today's action will not be the last opportunity to correct its many flaws. I would also like to thank Chairman Bennie Thompson for including my language in his amendment," Slaughter continued. "He understands the northern border and the potential impact of WHTI on Western New York's economy. Without his vision and hard work as Chair of the Homeland Security Committee, important provisions like these may have been overlooked."

The WHTI provisions Rep. Slaughter secured in the Homeland Security Authorization Act come from her H.R. 1061, the Protecting American Commerce and Travel Act (ACT).

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