,,ii #aacth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #bcae ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,may #h1 #bjad ,mr4 ,schatz 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,scott1 and ,mr4 ,begich7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,homeland ,security and ,governmental ,affairs ,a ,,bill ,to expand the ,global ,entry ,program and strengthen the ,model ,ports of ,entry ,program1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,improving the ,nation's ,visitors' ,international ,travel ,experience ,act of #bjad or the ,,invite ,act of #bjad4 #b4 ,purposes ,the purposes of this ,act are-- 7#a7 to create a welcoming experience at ,united ,states ports of entry2 7#b7 to encourage international travelers to visit the ,united ,states2 and 7#c7 to support jobs and economic prosperity for the ,nation4 #c4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,appropriate congressional committees ,the term appropriate congressional committees means-- 7,a7 the ,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation of the ,senate2 7,b7 the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate2 7,c7 the ,committee on ,homeland ,security and ,governmental ,affairs of the ,senate2 7,d7 the ,committee on ,appropriations of the ,senate2 7,e7 the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce of the ,house of ,representatives2 7,f7 the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives2 7,g7 the ,committee on ,homeland ,security of the ,house of ,representatives2 and 7,h7 the ,committee on ,appropriations of the ,house of ,representatives4 7#b7 ,commissioner ,the term ,commissioner means the ,commissioner of ,u4,s4 ,customs and ,border ,protection4 7#c7 ,global entry program ,the term ,global ,entry ,program means the program described in section #bce4ab of title #h1 ,code of ,federal ,regulations4 7#d7 ,model ports of entry program ,the term ,model ,ports of ,entry ,program means the program established by the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security under section #gbe of the ,implementing ,recommendations of the #i_/aa ,commission ,act of #bjjg 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #ageb;a74 #d4 ,global ,entry ,program expansion 7a7 ,coordination ,the ,secretary of ,state and the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security shall explore the feasibility of-- 7#a7 7,a7 coordinating the enrollment and interview processes for individuals who-- 7i7 are nationals of countries with which the ,united ,states has a reciprocal trusted traveler program agreement2 and 7ii7 simultaneously apply for a ,united ,states visa and enroll in the ,global ,entry ,program2 and 7,b7 collecting a single application fee from such applicants2 and 7#b7 coordinating the passport application and ,global ,entry ,program enrollment processes for eligible ,united ,states citizens4 7b7 ,report ,not later than #f months after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,state and the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security shall jointly submit1 to the appropriate congressional committees1 a report that describes-- 7#a7 the status of bilateral negotiations to expand reciprocal trusted traveler programs such as the ,global ,entry ,program2 7#b7 barriers to the expansion of the ,global ,entry ,program2 7#c7 the number of ,united ,states citizens and nationals of other countries who are enrolled in the ,global ,entry ,program1 the ,,nexus ,program1 or the ,,sentri ,program2 7#d7 the feasibility of coordinating ,global ,entry ,program enrollment with the visa and passport application processes2 7#e7 if the ,secretaries determine that such coordination is infeasible1 the specific reasons for such determination2 and 7#f7 the resources needed and the next steps that the ,department of ,state and the ,department of ,homeland ,security would need to take to implement the coordinated ,global ,entry and visa and passport application process described in subsection 7a74 #e4 ,strengthening the ,model ,ports of ,entry ,program 7a7 ,in general ,section #gbe of the ,implementing ,recommendations of the #i_/aa ,commission ,act of #bjjg 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #ageb;a7 is amended-- 7#a7 in subsection 7a7-- 7,a7 in paragraph 7#a71 by striking and at the end2 7,b7 in paragraph 7#b71 by striking the period at the end and inserting 2 and2 and 7,c7 by adding at the end the following3 7#c7 modify the program1 to the extent determined to be necessary by the ,commissioner of ,u4,s4 ,customs and ,border ,protection1 including by expanding the program beyond the #bj airports at which the program was initially implemented4 2 7#b7 by redesignating subsection 7c7 as subsection 7e72 and 7#c7 by inserting after subsection 7b7 the following3 7c7 ,program metrics 7#a7 ,development ,to ensure the effectiveness of the ,model ,ports of ,entry ,program 7referred to in this subsection as the program71 the ,commissioner of ,u4,s4 ,customs and ,border ,protection shall develop metrics to measure the performance of the program1 including metrics to measure customer satisfaction among passengers using the ports of entry at the ,model ,ports of ,entry airports4 7#b7 ,report ,not later than #a year after the date of the enactment of the ,,invite ,act of #bjad1 the ,commissioner of ,u4,s4 ,customs and ,border ,protection shall submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees that includes-- 7,a7 a list of the program airports2 7,b7 an explanation of how the program has been implemented at each program airport2 7,c7 an analysis of the program's performance against the metrics established under paragraph 7#a7 to measure customer satisfaction2 7,d7 recommendations for improving public-private collaboration between ,u4,s4 ,customs and ,border ,protection1 airports1 and other industry stakeholders to improve the user experience at ,united ,states ports of entry2 and 7,e7 recommendations on whether the program should be expanded to more airports4 7d7 ,model ,ports of ,entry ,grant ,program 7#a7 ,establishment ,not later than #a year after the date of the enactment of the ,,invite ,act of #bjad1 the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security shall establish the ,model ,ports of ,entry ,grant ,program to award1 on a competitive basis1 up to #aj grants of an amount deemed appropriate by the ,commissioner to airports designated by the ,commissioner of ,u4,s4 ,customs and ,border ,protection to establish public-private sector collaboration to improve the international arrival process at ,united ,states airports4 7#b7 ,source of funding ,the funding for the grant program established under this subsection shall come from the operating budget of ,u4,s4 ,customs and ,border ,protection4 7#c7 ,matching grant ,the ,secretary may not make a grant to an airport under this subsection unless the airport agrees to match the grant funding with an equal amount of non-,federal funds4 7#d7 ,use of funds ,grants received under the subsection-- 7,a7 shall be used to improve the grantee's international passenger processing facility in accordance with the objectives of the ,model ,ports of ,entry ,program through activities such as-- 7i7 the installation of informational television monitors2 7ii7 improvements to queue management2 and 7iii7 the use of technology that will improve the entry process2 7,b7 shall be used to provide a more efficient and welcoming international arrival process to facilitate and promote business and tourist travel to the ,united ,states2 and 7,c7 may not be used to replace funding for airport improvement projects paid for with-- 7i7 passenger facility charges authorized under section #djaag of title #di1 ,united ,states ,code2 or 7ii7 grants received through the ,airport ,improvement ,program under subchapter ,i of chapter #dga of such title #di4 7#e7 ,working groups 7,a7 ,establishment ,grantees shall establish public-private partnership working groups with ,u4,s4 ,customs and ,border ,protection4 7,b7 ,other members ,working groups established under this paragraph may include representatives of the travel and tourism industry1 including-- 7i7 the air passenger sector2 7ii7 the hotel sector2 7iii7 the theme park sector2 7iv7 the rental car sector 7v7 the tour operator sector2 7vi7 the travel distribution sector2 7vii7 the retail sector2 7viii7 the ,state tourism authority2 7ix7 the local convention and visitors authority2 7x7 local cultural interest groups2 and 7xi7 the event management sector4 7,c7 ,collaboration ,the working groups established under this paragraph shall-- 7i7 support ongoing collaborative efforts to share best practices for improving the international arrivals process2 and 7ii7 provide recommendations for overall facility design enhancements and the integration of public and cultural art into port of entry facilities at ,united ,states airports4 7,d7 ,federal advisory committee act ,the provisions of the ,federal ,advisory ,committee ,act 7#e ,u4,s4,c4 ,app47 shall not apply to working groups established under this paragraph4 7#f7 ,administration and selection criteria ,the ,commissioner of ,u4,s4 ,customs and ,border ,protection shall-- 7,a7 administer the ,model ,ports of ,entry ,grant ,program2 and 7,b7 establish the criteria for selecting grantees4 7#g7 ,metrics ,the ,commissioner of ,u4,s4 ,customs and ,border ,protection shall establish metrics to determine the effectiveness of the ,model ,ports of ,entry ,grant ,program4 4 7b7 ,report ,not later than #b years after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,commissioner shall submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees that includes-- 7#a7 a description of the status of the ,model ,ports of ,entry ,grant ,program2 7#b7 a description of the metrics ,u4,s4 ,customs and ,border ,protection will use to measure the effectiveness of the ,model ,ports of ,entry ,grant ,program2 7#c7 an analysis comparing the results of the ,model ,ports of ,entry ,grant ,program with the metrics established pursuant to section #gbe7;d77#f7 of the ,implementing ,recommendations of the #i_/aa ,commission ,act of #bjjg1 as added by subsection 7a77#c72 7#d7 recommendations on whether the ,model ,ports of ,entry ,grant ,program should be made available on a competitive basis to additional airports2 and 7#e7 a description of the improvements the ,commissioner intends to make to the ,model ,ports of ,entry ,grant ,program4 #f4 ,u4,s4 ,customs and ,border ,protection wait time metrics 7a7 ,annual report ,not later than #a year after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 and annually thereafter1 the ,commissioner shall submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees that-- 7#a7 includes data on average passenger wait times and peak wait times for each month at each port of entry2 7#b7 provides an analysis of the performance of ,u4,s4 ,customs and ,border ,protection against the metrics developed pursuant to section #ega7;a7 of the ,department of ,homeland ,security ,appropriations ,act1 #bjad 7division ,f of ,public ,law #aac-gf72 and 7#c7 provides an update on the development and implementation of operational work plans that support the goal of reducing passenger processing times at air1 land1 and sea ports of entry in accordance with section #ega7;b7 of such ,act4 7b7 ,public dissemination of wait times ,the ,commissioner shall-- 7#a7 prominently post the latest information on wait times for processing arriving international passengers at ,united ,states airports and land ports of entry on the ,u4,s4 ,customs and ,border ,protection website so that such information is easily accessible to website visitors2 and 7#b7 continuously update the information described in paragraph 7#a7 during the hours in which the air and land ports are open and receiving customers4 #g4 ,report on efforts to leverage technology in the international arrivals process ,not later than #a year after date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,commissioner shall submit a report to ,congress that-- 7#a7 describes efforts to develop new technologies and procedures to improve the passenger screening process at ,united ,states ports of entry2 7#b7 lists the ,department of ,homeland ,security components for which each technology is being developed2 and 7#c7 identifies methods for more effectively processing inbound international travelers to the ,united ,states while strengthening security4 #h4 ,increasing the transparency of ,department of ,homeland ,security customer service enhancements 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security shall collect and analyze traveler feedback-- 7#a7 to develop customer service best practices across all relevant component agencies2 7#b7 to ensure a welcoming environment2 and 7#c7 to improve the image of the ,united ,states around the world4 7b7 ,use of traveler feedback ,the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security shall-- 7#a7 coordinate the collection of all traveler feedback across all relevant component agencies to improve the transparency of customer service enhancements2 7#b7 publicly report the feedback described in paragraph 7#a7 on a quarterly basis2 and 7#c7 analyze and utilize such feedback to develop customer service best practices throughout the ,department of ,homeland ,security1 which shall include cultural sensitivity and diversity training4 7c7 ,monthly report ,the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security shall report all ,u4,s4 ,customs and ,border ,protection traveler feedback to the ,department of ,transportation for publication in its monthly ,air ,travel ,consumer ,report4 7d7 ,,info center staffing ,the ,commissioner shall ensure that the ,u4,s4 ,customs and ,border ,protection ,,info ,center is adequately staffed in order to limit caller wait times to shorter than #aj minutes4