Sen. Cruz Introduces Border Airport Fairness Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Ranking Member Ted Cruz (R-Texas) introduced the Border Airport Fairness Act, legislation that would designate a user fee airport within 30 miles of a land border as a port of entry (POE). 

Upon introducing this legislation, Sen. Cruz said:

“I’m proud to reintroduce this legislation to ensure that our border airports receive the designation they deserve and to ensure they’re spared significant duplicative government costs. As the Commerce Committee constructs the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill this Congress, I look forward to working with my colleagues to advance solutions that level the playing field for airports across the country.”

BACKGROUND:

Currently, user fee airports like the Valley International Airport (VIA) in Harlingen, Texas and Plattsburgh International Airport (PBG) are the only two Primary Commercial Service airports in close proximity to a U.S. border and land crossing that are not ports of entry and are not international or landing rights airports. This designation means that these airports must pay potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars to staff the airport with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents. While these existing airports, and other potential future airports, qualify as ports of entry under the CBP’s criteria through their association with the nearest land border crossing, they have not received this designation­—resulting in increased costs for these airports and travelers who fly in and out of these airports.

To read the full text of the bill, click here.

 

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