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Montana resolution asks federal partners to restore longer hours at northern ports of entry
Summary
Representative Paul Tuss introduced House Joint Resolution 20 asking Montana's federal delegation to seek expanded hours at northern U.S.–Canada ports of entry, citing trade and travel disruptions where U.S. and Canadian hours differ.
Representative Paul Tuss introduced House Joint Resolution 20 on behalf of House District 27, asking Montana's federal delegation to press for increased hours of operation at the state's northern ports of entry shared with the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia.
Tuss told the committee that “Montana and Canada share 13 points of entry or border crossings over 545 miles,” and said cross‑border hours matter to Montana’s economy and family travel. He said Montana exports “more than 1,200,000,000 of exports flow annually from our state to our neighbors to the north,” and that some U.S. ports did not return to pre‑COVID summer schedules, creating confusion and lost economic activity.
Karli Johnson of the Montana Farm Bureau Federation, a proponent, said the ports are important both for inputs such as fertilizer and for transporting livestock. “Having ports of entry open is an important, is important for getting those critical inputs across in a timely manner,” Johnson said, and urged the committee to give the resolution a do‑pass recommendation.
Members of the committee asked for specifics about hours at affected crossings. Tuss said the Port of Wildhorse north of Havre previously kept winter hours of “8 to 5” and switched to “summer hours” around May 1 or May 15, during which he said hours expanded to “8 to 9” (summer evenings). He said the mismatch — where the Canadian side maintained extended summer hours but the U.S. side did not — produced travel and commerce problems for northern Montana communities.
Sylvain Fabbi, the Consul General of Canada responsible for five U.S. states including Montana, appeared in the gallery and told the committee Canadian and state leaders were discussing the issue with federal officials. Fabbi said the province and national governments “are looking into” the differing hours and that Montana’s governor had raised the matter with Canada’s public‑safety minister.
The hearing closed with the sponsor urging committee support so Montana can send a “strong bipartisan message” to its congressional delegation. The committee moved on to other agenda items after the hearing concluded.
