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U.S. Official Says Passport Plan on Schedule
Jun 12, 2006 - Linknet Places in the News Hotelbewertungen - Hotelbewertungen und Hotelinformationen. Toronto Wedding Photographer - International Wedding Photographer Broadcast Internet radio to every FM radio in your home or office. California Traffic School - traffic school that is fun, low cost, effective. U.S. Official Says Passport Plan on Schedule by Rick HendershotIn the 2004 intelligence reform act Congress told the U.S. administration that passports or similar identification must be required of all travelers entering the U.S. by Dec. 31, 2007. A subsequent regulation by the administration declared that persons entering by air or boat would require this identification by the end of 2006 -- roughly six months from now. Many in the U.S. are sceptical that these deadlines can be met, but Paul Rosenzweig, acting assistant secretary of Homeland Security, told a congressional committee that the Dec 31, 2007 target is achievable. The sceptics point to the fact that there are two quite different bills that have to be merged -- one in the House and another in the Senate. Some legislators and lobby groups have tried to get extensions to the deadlines, arguing that the plan is not far enough along yet. Many fear disruptions in cross border traffic, and massive delays as border authorities deal with travelers who do not the correct identification. The cost of passports in the U.S. starts at around $100 -- a figure many see as deterring the kind of casual traffic back and forth over the Canadian and Mexican borders that now exists. But there is no consensus at all about alternatives to the standard passport, and there have been no decisions made about the technology to be deployed. However Rosenzweig assured the committee members that the technology decision would not be a difficult one, calling it "commonplace", and said it would be made within weeks. There is also considerable concern that the earlier date for air and boat travelers will cause serious complications. Many air travelers already have passports, but cruise ships have not required them in the past. Many cruises are already booked for early 2007 and there is concern some of these travelers will end up without acceptable identification documents. Cruise destinations such as Alaska may be the hardest hit by these new regulations. Meanwhile, the Canadian government recently accepted the U.S. moves as inevitable. Instead of lobbying to change or delay the measures, Canadian authorities are working towards a smooth implementation that will have the least detrimental impact on the massive amount of movement back and forth across the U.S. - Canada border. As compared to U.S. travelers, a larger percentage of Canadian travelers already have passports. So while there is serious concern that Canadian travelers will be disadvantaged, the greater concern is that U.S. travelers will be less likely to travel to Canada if a passport is required to re-enter the U.S. It is also feared there will also be less casual traveling back and forth across the border unless an inexpensive, easily implemented system of identification is found.
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