PRESS RELEASE

May 21, 2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Debra Kelman Loew
212.794-3577

TRAVEL BUSINESS ROUNDTABLE APPLAUDS LEGISLATION EXTENDING DEADLINE FOR VISA WAIVER PROGRAM COUNTRIES TO COMPLY WITH NEW PASSPORT REQUIREMENTS

Washington, D.C. — House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) introduced a bill (H.R. 4417) last night that would extend by one year the October 26, 2004 statutory deadline requiring people traveling under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) to present biometric passports upon entry to the United States. Committee Ranking Member John Conyers (D-MI) and representatives Henry Hyde (R-IL), Tom Lantos (D-CA), Christopher Cox (R-CA), John Hostettler (R-IN), and Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) are original co-sponsors of the legislation. The Travel Business Roundtable (TBR) and other industry organizations have been seeking an extension of this deadline to ensure that the countries are able to comply.

Last month, Secretary of State Colin Powell and Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge testified before Chairman Sensenbrenner’s committee, urging Congress to extend the deadline for two years because reports from the VWP countries indicate that though they are working to comply, they will not be ready to meet the October deadline.

In addition to the legislation just introduced in the House, the Senate has also taken action to extend the biometrics deadline. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Senators Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) and Edward Kennedy (D-MA), among others, recently introduced legislation (S. 2324) requesting that the deadline be extended until November 30, 2006.

"We applaud Chairman Sensenbrenner and the other Members of Congress who have taken the lead in addressing this important issue, and we are confident that the House and Senate will reach an agreement soon on the length of this extension," notes Jonathan Tisch, Chairman of the Travel Business Roundtable (TBR) and Chairman and CEO of Loews Hotels. "Given that these countries represent some of our strongest allies, it is very important that we send a message that the U.S. is not rolling up the welcome mat and that we are not 'fortress America.' We are encouraged by this new legislation."

Speaking at the joint TBR/U.S. Chamber of Commerce tourism summit last week, Secretary Powell declared, “We must continue to be a welcoming society even as we take measures to secure our borders.” The theme of his remarks was “Secure Borders, Open Doors.”

In the meantime, the Department of Homeland Security recently announced that all visitors traveling under the VWP will be processed through the US-VISIT program. This screening system, which has been in place since January 5, 2004 at airports and seaports and captures a traveler’s biometric information in the form of inkless finger scans and a digital photograph, takes an average of 15 seconds per traveler to complete. While testifying before Congress last month, Secretary Ridge assured the Committee that the system would continue to function quickly and accurately, even with the addition of 13 million VWP travelers to the process.

Visa Waiver Program (VWP) countries include: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

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