Legislation has been introduced in the Senate and the House to study the scope and impact of wait times at both southern and northern points of entry along the US borders, according to information from the office of Sen Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX).
Hutchison and Rep Ciro D Rodriquez (D-TX) introduced the bills in their respective governing bodies December 6.
According to the information, the study would provide the first set of comprehensive data and statistics on border wait times, and would help address the issue of increased wait times on the border.
The Border Wait Times Study Act, if approved, will direct studies by the Department of Commerce, and the Department of Transportation, in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security, to accurately analyze and provide empirical data for traffic patterns and volume of commercial and passenger vehicles at international land ports of entry. Additionally, it will document the economic impacts these wait times are having on the US and its border communities on the northern and southern borders. This legislation would require the study to be completed within six months of the enactment of the legislation.