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WASHINGTON (AP) - Several business groups on Wednesday sought to delay a U.S. plan that would require people traveling between the U.S. and Canada to have passports or similar identification, saying the proposal was too impractical and costly.
Chamber of Commerce groups representing U.S. border states and Canadian provinces met with lawmakers to discuss ways to delay the plan. They said the new security requirements would dampen travel in both countries unless federal officials devote more time and money to speed up border traffic.
Canadians and Americans currently need a birth certificate or driver's license to cross the border. Under the plan announced by the U.S. in April, people who travel by air or sea from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Bermuda and South and Central America will have to show a passport or one of four other secure documents by Dec. 31, 2006.
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