NBTA Sees Progress on Travel Facilitation Issues

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. October 14, 2008

MARCH 7, 2007. The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) today expressed its support of several developments taking place in Washington that could have a positive impact on the future of business travel and the free flow of commerce:

o Expanding the types of secure documentation that will be accepted under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) for crossing land borders into the United States.

o Proposed enhancement of the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) to tighten security and expand the number of countries eligible to participate.

o Education of lawmakers on the importance of expanding the domestic Registered Traveler program to additional airports.

o Meeting with Commerce Department on importance of timely processing and easy application procedures for visas for travel to the United States.

Expanding documentation accepted for crossing U.S. border

The Protecting American Commerce and Travel (PACT) Act (H.R.1061), introduced by Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) and Rep. John McHugh (R-NY), would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to test the use of state drivers licenses as acceptable documentation for crossing into the United States under WHTI before fully implementing the new border rules. While DHS has said it will conduct such a test with Washington State, it has also said it will implement WHTI before the pilot is completed.

DHS recently solicited public comments related to the possible acceptance of drivers licenses as acceptable documentation for crossing U.S. land borders.

NBTA Executive Director & COO, Bill Connors, CTC, last week met with visiting Canadian Premiers Dalton McGuinty of Ontario, Shawn Graham of New Brunswick and Gary Doer of Manitoba at the Canadian Embassy in Washington.

Connors said, 'NBTA and its sister organization in Canada - the Canadian Alliance of Business Travel - understand the importance of cross-border land traffic to businesses on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border. We support the efforts of Representatives Slaughter and McHugh to ensure that the United States' border security measures do not harm our national economic security, and we applaud DHS for opening the discussion about drivers licenses as acceptable documentation.'

The Canadian Alliance, meanwhile, has arranged for the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to take part in Alliance events to educate corporate travel professionals on these and other important border issues.

Expanding, enhancing VWP

Senators George Voinovich (R-OH), Susan Collins (R-ME), Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) agreed upon legislative language to expand the VWP to consider the addition of more countries, which was passed by the Senate last week as part of the consideration of the '9/11 Implementation' bill. The VWP currently allows travelers from 27 nations to travel to the United States for 90 days or less for business or pleasure without undergoing a formal visa interview, enabling the free flow of commerce between the United States and its most important business and trade partners around the world. This legislation would allow the Secretary of Homeland Security to consider countries for admission and continued participation in the VWP if they meet a specified set of security criteria, including standards for visa refusal and overstay rates.

NBTA last week voiced its support of the measure on behalf of the business travel industry. Today, NBTA's Connors added, 'The nation has waited too long for the implementation of the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission with regard to travel and border safety. Now that the Congress is close to passing the remaining elements of the commission's recommendations into law, along with some key amendments, such as the Senate's VWP measure, a few sticky issues threaten to prevent the bill from becoming law. NBTA encourages all parties to avoid playing politics with this extremely important bill.'

Expanding Registered Traveler program

NBTA Executive Director Bill Connors last week spoke to a Registered Traveler Forum on Capitol Hill, educating Congressional offices on the value of Registered Traveler. Staffers from House and Senate offices representing California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New York, South Carolina and Wyoming heard from a panel of experts, which included Tom Blank, Executive Director of the Voluntary Credentialing Industry Coalition (VCIC); Colin McLaughlin, Vice President of the Registered Traveler program for Saflink Corporation; Steven Brill, Founder and CEO of Verified Identity Pass; Reggie Baumgardner, Airport Security Manager at Indianapolis Airport; and Deborah McElroy, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs for Airport Council International - North America. Panelists urged the lawmakers to make the program more widely available to frequent travelers.

Making it easier to get visas for travel to the United States

NBTA's Connors met last week with Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce, Ana Guevera, to discuss the importance to the national economy of timely processing of visas for travel to the United States, as well as other ways to promote the healthy conduct of commerce between nations.

Guevera commented, "It is important that the United States business community stays competitive in the global marketplace, and the Department of Commerce is pleased to continue working with NBTA on travel safety and travel facilitation issues."

The National Business Travel Association is the source for critical information on the business travel industry. For more than 35 years, NBTA has dedicated itself to the professional development of its members through advocacy, education and training, and networking opportunities. NBTA represents over 2,700 corporate and government travel managers and travel service providers, who collectively manage and direct more than $170 billion of expenditures within the business travel industry. For more on NBTA, visit www.nbta.org.