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Montana lawmakers hear bipartisan push to restore summer hours at northern ports of entry
Summary
Rep. Paul Tuss urged the House committee to endorse a resolution asking federal partners to restore pre-pandemic summer hours at northern Montana ports of entry, citing more than $1.2 billion in annual exports and cross-border family ties; the Canadian consul general said Ottawa is looking into the issue.
Representative Paul Tuss introduced House Joint Resolution 20 on behalf of House District 27, asking Montanas federal delegation to encourage increased hours at northern ports of entry shared with Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. Tuss said the crossings support communities across the state and more than $1.2 billion in annual exports.
"Let's send our congressional delegation in Montana a strong bipartisan message that our state's long and productive relationship with Canada is important, and we support increasing the hours of operation at our ports of entry," Tuss told the committee. He pointed to the Port of Wildhorse north of Havre as an example where U.S. hours did not return to pre-COVID summer schedules, while the Canadian side resumed extended hours.
Karli Johnson of the Montana Farm Bureau Federation testified in support, saying timely port operations are critical for agricultural inputs and humane livestock handling. "Having ports of entry open is an important, is important for getting those critical inputs across in a timely manner and then also for the shipment of livestock," Johnson said.
Members asked for specifics about the hours and local economic impact. Tuss said summer hours historically ran roughly 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and that the mismatch between U.S. and Canadian schedules can force travelers and commerce to detour to other crossings, sometimes many miles away.
Sylvain Fabbi, Canadas consul general for five U.S. states including Montana, was present and told the panel that the issue of small-crossing hours has been raised at ministerial levels. "These issues of border crossings have been talked about not only between Montana and Canada," Fabbi said, adding that discussions involving state and provincial leaders are ongoing.
The committee concluded the hearing on HJ 20 after testimony and member questions. No committee vote was recorded during the hearing; the matter will proceed according to committee rules and scheduling.
