Senate Calls for Study of Border Procedures
News article in the July 12, 2009. The Buffalo News

The U.S. Senate passed legislation lastweek calling for a study on ways to speedup the screening process for Amtrack passengers boarding trains that cross theU.S.-Canadian border.

The bill was co-sponsored by threeDemocratic senators: Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten E. Gillebrand, both of New York and Patrick J. Leahy of Vermont,

It was written by Sen. Bernard Sanders of Vermont, an independent.

The measure would require the U.S.Department of Homeland Security to conduct in-depth examination of itsscreening processes for travelers crossing borderby rail.

That now can take more than an hour, sigunifleantly increasing the travel time to Canadian destinations, such asToronto and Montreal.

The House of Representatives already has passed its version of the Department of Homeland Security appropriation bill.

The legislation will now go to a conference committee before being forwarded to President Obama for his signature.

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