Making Travel Easier: Kennedy Announces Passage of NEXUS for Families Act Through Homeland Security Committee

Kennedy-Sponsored Legislation Requires Customs & Border Protection to Link NEXUS Applications for Families Together, Prevents Tedious Repeated Visits for NEXUS Interviews

Families can be Forced to Return to CBP Facility Multiple Times for Each Member's Interviews, Adding Unnecessary Burden for Travelers

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressman Tim Kennedy (NY-26) announced that H.R.9382, the NEXUS for Families Act, has passed unanimously through the Committee on Homeland Security today, moving one step closer to eliminating the bureaucratic hurdles families face when applying for NEXUS passes. While NEXUS currently helps over 2.2 million vetted travelers cross the border between the United States and Canada, the existing process creates unnecessary obstacles for families. Under the current regulations, parents must submit separate applications for every family member, meaning a child might receive approval while a parent is delayed, or vice versa. Families cannot currently interview together and must bring even children to CBP facilities for individual screening, resulting in multiple, inconvenient trips to enrollment centers. Kennedy's legislation modernizes and streamlines the process by requiring CBP to link family applications together.

"Travel with a family is difficult enough even without adding the further burden of multiple visits for individual NEXUS interviews," said Congressman Kennedy. "In Western New York, visits to and from Canada are a routine activity that is made easier with a NEXUS pass. By streamlining the application and interview process, we're cutting red tape and encouraging cross-border travel and tourism that bolsters our local economy. This legislation is common sense, and I will continue to advocate for passage through the House of Representatives."

With this bill, an individual will be able to link family applications and schedule joint interviews for the entire household, allowing agents to conduct those interviews concurrently. The bill also allows agents to exempt children under age 14 from the interview process entirely, expediting approvals for all participating family members. By addressing these bottlenecks, the legislation resolves the current dysfunction where family members receive staggered approvals and ensures they can navigate the application process and travel together.

Kennedy's legislation is endorsed by AKG Art Gallery, Aquarium of Niagara, Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park, Buffalo Bisons, Buffalo Niagara Partnership, Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy, Buffalo Sports Commission, Canadian American Business Council, Destination Niagara, Explore and More, Graycliff, Mayor of Niagara Falls, New York State Restaurant Association, Niagara Aerospace Museum, Niagara Chamber of Commerce, Shea's Performing Arts Center, Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Historic Site, The Richardson Complex, U.S. Travel, and Visit Buffalo.

Kennedy is a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security and serves as the ranking member on the Emergency Management and Technology Subcommittee.

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