Do you love technology? Even if you don't, you will have to accept the fact that it is deeply embedded in our society and our passports are the next victims of that. In fact, there are many changes currently being studied by the government to apply to the new passports and regulations. Read the msnbc.com article below and be one of the first to know how it all works:
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By Rob Lovitt
The document clock is ticking.
Come June 1, you’re going to need a passport (or other government-approved document) to enter the United States, regardless of where you’re coming from, where you call home or what mode of transportation you’re using.
Unless, that is, you don’t.
Between little-publicized loopholes and last-minute legislative efforts, the new rules not only include exceptions but are also part of a process that’s seen more flip-flops than a shift lead in a sandal factory. And at the risk of belaboring the analogy, there’s still time for another shoe to drop.
The bottom line is that determining what ID to carry the next time you cross the border is not unlike shopping for shoes: one size clearly doesn’t fit all.
WHTI: Five years and counting
It’s been a long, tortuous path since the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) was unveiled back in 2004. As part of the proposal, a birth certificate and driver’s license would no longer be considered valid ID for travelers (including U.S. citizens) returning from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda or the Caribbean. Instead, a passport or other “WHTI-compliant” document would be required.
In the years since, the regulations have spawned angry debates, much confusion and a series of deadlines and delays that have exacerbated both. It all came to a head in 2007 when the Passport Office found itself swamped with applications in advance of the then-pending January 2008 deadline. Amid horror stories of months-long delays and missed vacations, Congress voided that deadline and set the current date of June 1, 2009.
That deadline once appeared to be in question. In March, Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) stated that although she supports the initiative’s intent, she doesn’t believe the necessary infrastructure is in place to implement it successfully. Raising concerns about chaos at the border and a further decline in cross-border tourism and commerce, she’s planning to introduce legislation that will postpone the impending deadline until June 1, 2010.
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