Assemblyman Billy Jones (D-Plattsburgh) & Assemblywoman Monica Wallace (D-Cheektowaga) announced that they are introducing legislation to address some of the safety concerns that have arisen due to the passage of the “Green Light Bill.” (A.3675)

“As a representative for the North Country, I understand how important it is that we keep our borders safe and secure, while simultaneously allowing for the flow of goods between our borders to ensure economic development,” said Jones. “This law tied the hands of our federal officers, which poses a risk to the safety of those in these communities. Further it has resulted in a moratorium on Trusted Traveler Programs, like NEXUS, posing significant hardship to our international business partners.”

Jones and Wallace are working together to amend the legislation to allow federal agents the access they need to do their jobs and protect the border. This amendment would create an exception allowing access to DMV records by Customs and Border agents in the course of their duties issuing trusted traveler documents and securing the border. The amendment would also allow access by agents working in the field in connection with ongoing criminal investigations relating to human trafficking, drug trafficking, and other forms of international criminal activity.

“It is critical that we amend this legislation to address the concerns being raised by federal agents. We rely upon Customs and Border Protection agents to keep our borders safe, and to the extent that this legislation is interfering with their ability to do that, it needs to be fixed,” said Wallace. “Moreover, the Western New York economy relies on safe and efficient travel across the Canadian border. We can’t have legislation that threatens to interfere with that important economic relationship.”

“While the Governor has offered to make exceptions to these regulations with regard to the Trusted Traveler Programs, we must continue to ensure our law enforcement agencies can do their jobs, protect our borders and enforce the law. This regulation must be modified to maintain the safety of our border communities,” said Jones.