Jay Peak President Bill Stenger is praising a move by Congress to delay by a year the need for a passport to enter the United States from Canada.
Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy added a provision to the federal budget bill that was passed yesterday that would delay implementation of the passport rules until mid-2009.
Leahy’s office says President Bush is expected to sign the bill, despite the administration’s insistence on requiring passports next summer.
But starting at the end of next month, Americans will still need birth certificates or similar identification to enter the United States by land on the Canadian border.
Stenger says the delay gives officials the chance to do the right thing rather than the quickest thing.