Additional Resources | Congress / Budget

Capitol Hill: Leahy bill kills WHTI passport requirement

Legislation authored by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) that would prevent implementation of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative requirement that passports be presented at the northern border has been included in a multi-agency budget bill headed for the president’s desk. George Bush is expected to sign the bill, despite administration opposition to the Leahy provisions. The Leahy bill, co-sponsored by Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK), delays implementation of the land-crossing phase of WHTI until June 2009, and lays down seven conditions which must be remedied before passport requirements can be applied.

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Congress passed the bi-partisan Open Government Act, sponsored by Reps. Henry Waxman (D-CA), Todd Platts (R-PA) and William Clay (D-MO), which is designed to reduce red tape within the Freedom Of Information Act. The legislation creates an independent ombudsman to resolve citizen disputes and creates a tracking system for the public to monitor the status of such requests.

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According to an analysis prepared by Input, the Reston, VA-based market research firm, the recently-passed $679 billion Defense Department FY 2008 budget authorization bill will mandate re-prioritized technology spending. The authorization bill included The Acquisition Improvement and Accountability Act of 2007 which significantly reforms the bidding and contracting process.

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