NBTA: Caleb Tiller, +1 703-684-0836, ext. 138
Canadian Alliance: Tanya Racz, +1 403-444-6430

Alexandria, VA and Calgary, AB (October 2, 2006) -- The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) and the Canadian Alliance of Business Travel lauded provisions of the 2007 Homeland Security spending bill related to the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI). The WHTI provisions of the bill, which passed both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, will keep the United States moving toward better border security while moving away from WHTI deadlines that would have jeopardized economic security for the nation and its Western Hemisphere neighbors.

Arising out of the 9/11 Commission recommendations, WHTI will require all U.S. citizens and visitors to present a passport or acceptable substitute document for entry into the United States from any country in the Western Hemisphere. The measure was set to roll out over a series of dates from January 8, 2007 through January 1, 2008. The confusion surrounding varying dates for differing modes of transportation, the lack of an effective plan for communicating the changes, and the absence to date of a widely available, affordable alternative to the passport combined to make WHTI a threat to the economic activity generated by business travel between the United States and other Western Hemisphere nations.

NBTA President & CEO, Suzanne Fletcher said, “The changes to WHTI passed in the 2007 Homeland Security appropriations bill ameliorate the travel industry’s concerns with WHTI by postponing the deadline for land and sea border crossings to June 1, 2009. NBTA is pleased the Congress came to a resolution that will protect the intent of the program to secure our nation’s borders without significantly damaging the free conduct of commerce. The additional time should be used to effectively communicate the new rules and to develop workable, secure alternatives to the passport for entering the United States from some of our most important trading partners, such as Canada.”

The requirements of WHTI stipulate that approved alternative documents can be used in lieu of a passport for entry into the United States. One such alternative document, the People Access Security Service (PASS Card), was jointly announced earlier this year by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of State (DOS). The PASS Card promises to be a new generation of biometric identification which will be available in much the same way passports are available, but for a significantly reduced cost. However, the PASS Card initiative has not been fully formulated to date, and details about its availability, its imbedded technology, and its usage have not been fully hashed out by the federal agencies.

NBTA believes that the new WHTI deadline for land and sea crossings will provide DHS and DOS a larger window of time to fully develop a robust and successful PASS card program. Land crossings are of significant importance for businesses located near the U.S. borders with Canada and Mexico. Airlines have already done significant work to prepare their travelers for the January 8, 2007 deadline, thus eliminating much of the concern surrounding the air travel requirement.

NBTA and its affiliate, the Canadian Alliance of Business Travel, have been lobbying for a year to change the WHTI deadline. Efforts have included meetings with key supporters such as Reps. John Sweeney (R-NY) and Louise Slaughter (D-NY), submitting comments on U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, advocacy including meetings with and letters to Department of Homeland Security officials, and supporting the Canadian/American Border Trade Alliance, a group working on WHTI and other border issues impacting business. NBTA and the Canadian Alliance have also worked with DOS and DHS, ensuring the groups’ members are informed about WHTI and that the departments understand the concerns of the business travel community. The associations look forward to continuing this relationship with DOS and DHS, as well as relevant agencies in Canada.

About the Canadian Alliance
The Canadian Alliance of Business Travel is the premiere professional travel management association in Canada. The alliance is dedicated to providing an educational environment for corporate travel executives to exchange best practices and collectively foster strategies for success within the business travel industry. We are committed to providing integral benchmarking data and educational exchanges for companies in Canada and abroad. The Canadian Alliance is the Canadian affiliate of the U.S.-based National Business Travel Association (NBTA). For more on the Canadian Alliance, see www.canadian-alliance.travel.

About NBTA
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.

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