House OKs $10 Million for Highway Watch Program
By Sean McNally, Senior Reporter
This story appears in the June 25 print edition of Transport Topics. Click here to subscribe today.
The House of Representatives on June 15 passed a $37.4 billion fiscal 2008 spending plan for the Department of Homeland Security, which included $10 million for Highway Watch but delayed the start of a proposal to require passports for travel to Canada and other parts of the Western Hemisphere.
House Majority Leader Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said in a statement the overall package was “a crucial priority,” and it contained millions of dollars for freight and transportation initiatives.
The bill earmarked $10 million to the Transportation Security Administration for “trucking industry grants,” which typically are issued to American Trucking Associations for Highway Watch.
That figure was $1 million more than what DHS had requested but $2 million less than what the program had been obligated in the 2007 fiscal year.
In making the cut, the committee said it “urges” the department to “maximize the use of effective Internet-based training tools to meet the demand for the program while lowering costs.”
ATA has created an online version of Highway Watch training (12-11, p. 4), which Dawn Apple, its director of training, recruiting and outreach, told Transport Topics was “one of several options that drivers can select to complete their training.”
On June 14, the Senate Appropriations Committee voted to approve $16 million for Highway Watch as part of its $37.6 billion DHS package. The bill has not yet been voted on by the full Senate.
The House bill also directs DHS to delay the start of its Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which would require travelers going from the United States to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean to use a passport, or other secure document, when crossing the border.
U.S. truck drivers would not be required to carry a passport if enrolled in the Free and Secure Trade, or FAST, border program, DHS said.
Rep. Steven LaTourette (R-Ohio), who sponsored the House amendment, said it “simply asks DHS to slow down and get it right this time.”
Under LaTourette’s change, DHS would be forced to push back the start date from its current projection of January 2008 to June 2009. The Senate panel also added a similar provision to its version the DHS funding package.
On June 20, DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff said the department would soon publish its full WHTI proposal and said it would start requiring the secure documents on Jan. 31, 2008, with full implementation coming later in the summer.
DHS said it would require travelers to have a valid passport or to cross the border beginning Jan. 31, 2008. Canadian truckers enrolled in FAST also would not have to carry a passport, but Mexican drivers would still need a passport and a visa to cross the border.
However, if a DHS spending bill including the later implementation date is signed into law, DHS would have to comply.
President Bush has threatened to veto the DHS spending bill, citing concerns about its overall size and other provisions.
The House’s bill also adds billions of dollars for cargo and freight screening at ports and airports.
“This bill makes a critical commitment improving port security . . . providing $400 million for port security grants,” Hoyer said, $190 million more than last year and what was requested for 2008.
In addition, Hoyer said the package has $849 million for “explosive detection systems at our airports and providing funding to double the amount of cargo screened on passenger aircraft.”
The bill also increased funding for C-TPAT $27 million more than last year to $61.1 million for 250 additional Customs and Border Patrol officers dedicated to “commercial operations and C-TPAT validation, verifying that ‘trusted’ shippers have in place necessary security measures.”
C-TPAT, or the Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism, is a program run by DHS where companies can reduce wait times at border entries by registering with the agency by bringing their security plans in line with CBP guidelines.
The Senate panel’s bill recommends spending $400 million for port security, $62.3 million on the C-TPAT program, and a total of $605.4 million on airport and air cargo security.
