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Committee Home  |  Events  |  Meeting Agendas & Summaries  |  Resources  |  Roster MLC Midwest-Canada Relations Committee Meeting Agendas & Summaries Midwest – Canada Relations Committee Sunday, July 13, 2008 ~ 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Rushmore Plaza Civic Center ~ Rapid City, South Dakota Agenda Presiding: Ontario Speaker Steve Peters, Co-Chair Indiana Senator Joseph Zakas, Co-Chair Manitoba Speaker George Hickes, Co-Vice Chair Update on key agreements under the SPP and consideration of the opportunities for involvement of elected state and provincial leaders in SPP activities Opportunities for State and Provincial Involvement in the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP). The SPP was established by the leaders of Canada, Mexico and the United States in 2005, in recognition of the strong economic and cultural ties between the three countries. One of the roles of the SPP working groups is to identify impediments to the trading relationship between the three countries, and to recommend regulatory and policy actions that can be taken to improve the efficiency and safety of the cross-border relationship. The states and provinces were not given a formal role in this process. Mr. Charles J. Skuba, Chief of Staff for Market Access and Compliance, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce Long-Range Border Strategies – Is a Seamless Border Possible? One panelist will discuss the development and implementation of the open border system within the European Union. The other panelist will focus on how and whether Canada and the U.S. can develop a more seamless border, while still respecting the need for security. Mr. Frank Schmiedel, Justice and Home Affairs, European Union – Delegation of the European Commission Professor William P. Anderson, Director, Cross-Border Transportation Studies Institute, University of Windsor WHTI: Next Steps Forward in the Implementation Process An update on the status of implementation of WHTI. The session will focus on how people are complying with the documentation requirements of WHTI and the success of efforts by the Department of Homeland Security to publicize the new requirements of the law. Mr. Ross Lyle, Assistant Port Director (Great Falls, Montana), U.S. Customs and Border Protection Adoption of the Enhanced Driver’s License in Michigan One of the sponsors of Michigan’s recently-passed enhanced driver’s license (EDL) legislation will discuss how the legislation was developed, points of debate over the bill and the status of a memorandum of agreement with the Department of Homeland Security to accept the EDL in lieu of a passport for crossing the border. Rep. Bill Huizenga, Michigan Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative February 29 to March 1, 2008 The Midwest-Canada Relations Committee participated in a CSG-sponsored national meeting on the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative in Detroit, Michigan from February 29-March 1, 2008. WHTI and the economic integration of the states and provinces were among the topics discussed at the Midwest-Canada Relations Committee meeting that was held during the Midwestern Legislative Conference Annual Meeting in August 2007. WHTI Agenda Midwest Canada Committee Agenda August 2007 Meeting The Midwest-Canada Relations Committee met on August 26, 2007, in conjunction with the 62nd Annual Meeting of the Midwestern Legislative Conference in Traverse City, Michigan. Agenda February 2006 Meeting The MLC Midwest-Canada Relations Committee will meet on February 17-18 in Chicago.  Committee members can download a preliminary agenda and registration form here. Agenda August 2006 Meeting The MLC Midwest-Canada Relations Committee met on August 20, 2006, in conjunction with the 61st Annual Meeting of the Midwestern Legislative Conference in Chicago, Illinois.   Agenda Summary   For more information, contact: Ilene K. Grossman last updated: July 24, 2008

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