Political Quotes

“when Congress passed the North American Free-Trade Agreement [NAFTA] it imposed a $6.50 fee for the arrival of each passenger aboard a commercial vessel or aircraft coming in from outside the customs territory of the United States. NAFTA also imposed a $6.50 fee on passengers arriving in the United States from The Caribbean, Mexico, and Canada. The language of the NAFTA implementing language relating to this fee was drafted inappropriately with the result that the Customs Service claims authority to collect the fee each time a cruise ship enters a port during the course of a single journey. I believe this interpretation was never intended by the drafters of NAFTA and the legislation I am introducing today would correct this error. The Customs Service interpretation is particularly harmful to one of Alaska's most important industries--tourism.”