Northern Border Reopening Transparency Act

I 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 3770 To require a report on easing restrictions on or reopening the United States- Canada border to essential and non-essential travel, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JUNE 8, 2021 Mr. JACOBS of New York introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Foreign Affairs, and the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consider- ation of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned A BILL To require a report on easing restrictions on or reopening the United States-Canada border to essential and non- essential travel, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Northern Border Re- 4 opening Transparency Act’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:52 Jul 03, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3770.IH H3770 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 3770 IH SEC. 2. REPORT ON EASING RESTRICTIONS ON OR REOPEN- 1 ING THE UNITED STATES-CANADA BORDER 2 TO ESSENTIAL AND NON-ESSENTIAL TRAVEL. 3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 days after the 4 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Home- 5 land Security, in consultation with the Secretary of State 6 and the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and 7 Prevention of the Department of Health and Human Serv- 8 ices, shall submit to the Committee on Homeland Security 9 and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 10 Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security 11 and Governmental Affairs and the Committee on Foreign 12 Relations of the Senate a report on considerations relating 13 to easing restrictions on or reopening the United States- 14 Canada border to essential and non-essential travel, in- 15 cluding information relating to any correspondence or 16 communications between the Department of Homeland 17 Security and— 18 (1) the Department of State; 19 (2) any other Federal department or agency; 20 and 21 (3) counterparts of the Government of Canada. 22 (b) ADDITIONAL MATTERS.—The report required 23 under subsection (a) shall also include information relat- 24 ing to— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:52 Jul 03, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3770.IH H3770 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 3770 IH (1) the report required pursuant to the January 1 21, 2021, Executive Order on ‘‘Promoting COVID– 2 19 Safety in Domestic and International Travel’’, in 3 which President Biden directed members of the Cab- 4 inet to submit within 14 days a plan to implement 5 appropriate public health measures at land ports of 6 entry; and 7 (2) the Department of Homeland Security’s de- 8 liberations and input regarding easing restrictions 9 on or reopening the United States-Canada border, 10 including relating to— 11 (A) establishment of a bilateral plan for re- 12 storing travel between the United States and 13 Canada; 14 (B) consideration of a family travel exemp- 15 tion for the United States similar to what has 16 been implemented in Canada; 17 (C) policies for property owners to travel 18 to Canada; 19 (D) ensuring reasonable transit for United 20 States citizens and Canadian citizens through 21 United States-Canada boundary waters; and 22 (E) unilaterally so easing or reopening 23 such border. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:52 Jul 03, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3770.IH H3770 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 3770 IH (c) EXCEPTION.—This section shall not apply if be- 1 fore the date specified in subsection (a) the United States- 2 Canada border is reopened and functioning in the same 3 manner and to the same extent as such border was open 4 prior to the COVID–19 pandemic. 5 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:52 Jul 03, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H3770.IH H3770 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS