[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 39 (Tuesday, March 5, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H787-H788]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
IMPROVING TRAVEL FOR FAMILIES ACT
Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
pass the bill (H.R. 5969) to direct the Secretary of Homeland Security
to revise certain regulations to permit certain children to accompany
their parents or legal guardians through Global Entry airport lanes,
and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 5969
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Improving Travel for
Families Act''.
SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF GLOBAL ENTRY TO CERTAIN CHILDREN.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Homeland Security shall
revise section 235.12 of title 8, Code of Federal
Regulations, to permit a child who is 10 years old or younger
who is not a member of Global Entry in accordance with such
section and who is traveling with such child's parent or
legal guardian who is a member of Global Entry in accordance
with such section to accompany such parent or legal guardian
through a Global Entry lane upon arrival at an international
airport in the United States.
(b) Appointments.--The Secretary of Homeland Security shall
take such actions as may be necessary to permit a parent or
legal guardian of up to four children described in subsection
(a) who is applying for membership in Global Entry on behalf
of such children to schedule a single appointment for an
interview relating to such membership for all such children.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Tennessee (Mr. Green) and the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Carter)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Tennessee.
General Leave
Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their
remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 5969.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Tennessee?
There was no objection.
Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5969, the Global Entry
program, which is managed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, grants
expedited clearance for preapproved, low-risk travelers.
Millions of users are enrolled in the Global Entry program and Global
Entry kiosks are deployed at many major airports throughout the United
States. However, issues can arise when families are traveling with
minor children who are not enrolled in the Global Entry program.
Because Global Entry benefits are member specific, young children who
are not enrolled in the program are not currently allowed to join their
parents in the Global Entry line.
H.R. 5969 would rectify this by allowing children ages 10 and younger
to join their Global Entry-enrolled parents or guardian through the
Global Entry lane.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Luttrell for his work on this very
important bill. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 5969, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CARTER of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5969 aims to make Global Entry more family friendly
by allowing children ages 10 or under to accompany their parents or
legal guardians through Global Entry lanes when clearing customs in the
United States.
We would like to see all families with young children stay together
throughout the customs process, and this bill would make travel more
family friendly without compromising security.
This bill also makes it possible for parents to schedule interviews
for Global Entry for their kids as groups as opposed to the current
format which schedules appointments separately--a logistical nightmare
for parents.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
[[Page H788]]
Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Luttrell), the sponsor of the bill.
Mr. LUTTRELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to advocate for the passage
of our bill, H.R. 5969, the Improving Travel for Families Act.
Global Entry has been a critical asset in expediting clearance for
preapproved, low-risk travelers upon arrival in the United States.
Reduced wait times and access to expedited entry into the United States
are all the benefits of Global Entry membership.
Global Entry began as a small pilot program in 2008 with availability
in just three airports. Today, the Global Entry program offers
expedited preapproved travel clearance for millions of travelers and is
available in over 60 U.S. airports.
Our bill would improve international travel for families by allowing
children ages 10 and younger who are not currently enrolled in the
Global Entry program to accompany their parents and guardians who are
in the program in the designated precleared lanes upon arrival at
international airports in the United States.
Additionally, the bill would streamline the Global Entry application
process by permitting parents or guardians to schedule a single
application appointment for up to four young children at a time, rather
than having to book multiple individual appointments, thereby reducing
the interview appointment backlog.
These small, but meaningful, advancements will be a marked
improvement on the Global Entry program. Under current law, only
preapproved Global Entry travelers, regardless of age, are permitted to
utilize dedicated lanes and kiosks. This creates a major inconvenience
for Global Entry-enrolled parents who are traveling with young children
who are not currently enrolled.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Green, Congressman Glenn Ivey, and the
members and staff of the Homeland Security Committee for working with
me and my staff on this important bill.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support this sensible
legislative measure that will afford law-abiding Americans the
opportunity to travel with their children.
Mr. CARTER of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may
consume to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Ivey).
Mr. IVEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5969, the Improving
Travel for Families Act. I am proud to cosponsor this bipartisan
legislation with my friend and Homeland Security Committee colleague
from Texas, Representative Morgan Luttrell.
This bill aims to make the CBP Global Entry program more friendly for
family travel at our international airports by allowing children ages
10 or under to accompany their parent or guardian through Global Entry
when clearing customs in the United States.
The bill also makes it possible for parents to schedule interviews
for Global Entry for their kids as a group. It will do all of this
without risking the security of children, as Global Entry approval
requires multiple steps, including a background check.
As a father of six, I know how difficult the logistics can be for
families traveling with young children.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense,
bipartisan legislation that will make travel more friendly for families
without compromising security.
Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I have no more speakers. I am
prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.
{time} 1515
Mr. CARTER of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of
my time to close.
Mr. Speaker, I commend the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Luttrell) for
introducing this bill, and I commend the gentleman from Maryland (Mr.
Ivey) for cosponsoring this bill aimed at improving the travel
experience for families. I believe this bill will help families
traveling with young children eliminate some of the difficulties that
they may experience along the way.
I am happy to support this bill, and I urge all Members of the House
to do the same.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my
time to close.
I again urge my colleagues to support H.R. 5969. I, of course, thank
again Mr. Luttrell for his excellent work on the bill.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Green) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 5969, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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