Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - With the Peace Bridge as his backdrop during a visit to Buffalo on Thursday, Congressman Tim Kennedy (D, NY-26) calls on the House of Representatives to immediately pass his NEXUS for Families Act that should help with easement of traffic between the United States and Canadian border.
The push comes on the heels of the bill successfully passing unanimously through the House Committee on Homeland Security last month.
Kennedy emphasizes the urgent need to eliminate the bureaucratic hurdles families face when applying for NEXUS passes, a vital tool that currently helps over 2.2 million vetted travelers cross the border between the U.S. and Canada.
“Standing here today with the leaders who drive Western New York’s cultural and economic engines, the message to Washington is clear: It is time to pass the NEXUS for Families Act,” said Kennedy during Thursday's press conference alongside some of Western New York’s top economic, cultural, and tourism leaders. “Traveling with a family is difficult enough even without adding the burden of multiple visits to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facilities for individual NEXUS interviews. In our region, visits to and from Canada are a routine activity that fuels our local economy. By streamlining the application and interview process, we’re cutting red tape and encouraging the cross-border travel and tourism that our local businesses and attractions rely on. This is common-sense legislation, and the House must bring it to a vote.”
Under current regulations, parents must submit a separate application for each family member. This leads to a dysfunctional system where a child might receive approval while a parent is delayed, or vice versa. Families cannot currently interview together, and must bring even young children to CBP facilities for individual screening, resulting in multiple, highly inconvenient trips to enrollment centers.
The NEXUS for Families Act modernizes the process by requiring CBP to:
- Link family applications together, ensuring households are processed as a unit.
- Allow joint scheduling, so agents can conduct interviews for the entire household concurrently.
- Exempt children under age 14 from the interview process when appropriate, expediting approvals for all participating family members.
“For families in Western New York, crossing the border into Canada isn’t just an occasional trip. Whether visiting relatives, attending events, shopping, or supporting local tourism, families deserve a NEXUS application process that works for them, not against them," said State Assemblyman Jon Rivera. "Congressman Kennedy’s legislation takes a common-sense approach by reducing unnecessary paperwork, streamlining interviews, and making it easier for families to enroll and travel together."
The bill has bipartisan support and is cosponsored by Representatives John Mannion (D, NY-22), Claudia Tenney (R, NY-24) and Nick LaLota (R, NY-01).
Endorsing organizations of the bill across Erie and Niagara counties include:
- The AKG Art Gallery
- Aquarium of Niagara
- Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park
- Buffalo Bisons
- Buffalo Niagara Partnership
- Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy
- Buffalo Sports Commission
- Canadian American Business Council
- Destination Niagara
- Explore and More
- Graycliff
- Niagara Falls Mayor Rob Restaino
- New York State Restaurant Association
- Niagara Aerospace Museum
- Niagara Chamber of Commerce
- Shea’s Performing Arts Center
- Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Historic Site
- The Richardson Complex
- U.S. Travel
- Visit Buffalo.
The bill passed unanimously through the House Committee on Homeland Security last month
The bill passed unanimously through the House Committee on Homeland Security last month
