Vicente Gonzalez: “today H.R. 4868 will, in part, designate San Antonio's International Airport as a point of entry. Later today in this…”

“today H.R. 4868 will, in part, designate San Antonio's International Airport as a point of entry. Later today in this Chamber we will congratulate Mexico on its recent democratic elections, making this airport designation a timely one due to the City of San Antonio's close cultural and business relationship with Mexico. This airport designation is important to my city so that it can further develop its business ties with Mexico that have already expanded since the approval of NAFTA. However, significant barriers exist for the private aircraft operator that result in extra time and cost due to interim stops that must be made for Customs processing before coming to San Antonio. Both business and trade leaders have indicated that business will be helped if San Antonio could receive noncommercial aircraft from Mexico on short notice. Several of San Antonio's large corporations have expanded business trade with Mexico and fly private aircraft into Mexico on a regular basis. Finally, San Antonio is well equipped to handle a point-of-entry flight, as U.S. Customs has a significant presence at the San Antonio International Airport. In closing, I want to express special thanks to all members of the Committee on Ways and Means for making this a reality for San Antonio and their assistance.”