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Owens-sponsored bill stops Homeland Security proposal to study charging fee at Ogdensburg, Massena international bridges

Posted 1/17/14

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a compromise short-term appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2014 that includes an amendment spiking a plan by the Department of Homeland Security to study …

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Owens-sponsored bill stops Homeland Security proposal to study charging fee at Ogdensburg, Massena international bridges

Posted

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a compromise short-term appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2014 that includes an amendment spiking a plan by the Department of Homeland Security to study imposing border entry fees.

The amendment, authored by North Country congressman Bill Owens (D-Plattsburgh), was proposed to protect cross-border trade with Canada and New York’s economy, Owens said at the time he highlighted the issue.

Believing the fee a bad idea that would hurt New York’s economy and the study of it a waste of taxpayer dollars, Owens authored an amendment that banned the expenditure of public money on a border fee collection study.

Owens and Rep. Peter Welch, a Democrat from Vermont, declared victory over the proposal.

“I am pleased our colleagues in congress listened and adopted our amendment to kill this study. I thank Congressman Welch for working with me to get the job done,” Owens said.

Pending the Senate’s passage of the measure and the president’s signing it into law, the Owens-authored and Welch-supported amendment will become public law.