Senator Eliot Shapleigh - El Paso, Texas

El Paso border crossing.

AUSTIN - One of the key bills border political and business leaders came to Austin on Wednesday to support has passed the Senate and is headed over to the House.

SB 2027, authored by Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso, authorizes the Department of Public Safety to work with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to develop an enhanced driver's license pilot project on the U.S.-Mexico border.

The new licenses would include proof of citizenship and other information that can easily be scanned at border ports of entry. The pilot project is modeled on pilot program legislation recently enacted in the state of Washington.

“I commend Senator Shapleigh for his proactive efforts to create mechanisms that facilitate business and goodwill, rather than some federal initiatives that wedge barricades against them,” Rio Grande Valley Partnership President and CEO Bill Summers told the Guardian. The RGVP passed a resolution in support of SB 2027 last week. 

The main purpose of the trip to Austin by Summers and other border leaders Wednesday was to protest plans by DHS to build a border wall. However, they also came to support SB 2027 and spoke to Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst about it.

Border business leaders, in particular, are pushing hard for the legislation because new federal mandates will require U.S. citizens who enter the country by land from Western Hemisphere countries to have a passport. The mandate, which already exists for air travelers, could take effect at land ports by early 2008. 

“We received word that Secretary Chertoff is pushing ahead to require any U.S. citizen returning from Mexico to have a passport.  For a family of 4 that means $400,” said Mike Allen, executive vice president of external affairs for the McAllen Economic Development Corporation and vice chairman of the Texas Border Coalition.

“This could be very serious for our state and trade with Mexico. We are receiving word from the governor’s office of Nuevo Leon as well as Chihuahua that this would definitely be harmful for business in Mexico.”

In the pilot program being introduced in the state of Washington the new licenses will include radio frequency ID chips and other advanced security features. They are thought to be not only less vulnerable to forgery but also, at about $40, less expensive than a $97 passport.

Chertoff gave his endorsement of the Washington pilot project at a news conference last month. “I'm quite sure other states that want to use the same technology and the same approach will be welcome to do so,” Chertoff said. “The whole idea here is giving a series of alternatives, as long as they meet the same basic standards.”

Shapleigh thanked the Texas Border Coalition for its support with SB 2027.

“Our border is the most vibrant region of the hemisphere with over 68 million legal crossings a year,” Shapleigh explained.

“With passport requirements coming soon, we need to make secure, fast crossings work for all who live and work in our region. SB 2027 is modeled on Washington State’s bill that puts passport and citizen information in driver’s licenses so Border residents need only one document to cross and return.”