Government Relations Report Ron Steeves First Vice-President The United States midterm elections were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2018. Although at the time of printing a number of Congressional races have yet to be declared, it is clear that the Republicans have retained their majority in the Senate, while the Democrats have flipped the House of Representatives. So, what do these results mean for our Canadian Snowbird Visa initiative? In the short term, the Republicans still maintain control of both the House and Senate until the beginning of January, when the new session of Congress convenes. During this time, CSA representatives will continue to work on increasing the number of co-sponsors for our bills and push for floor votes to be held in both the House and Senate. While it is still possible that our bills can be passed during the lame-duck session of Congress, it remains unlikely. Further, while our bill sponsor in the House of Representatives − Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY-21) − won her re-election bid securing a third term, there is currently a recount underway in Florida to determine if our bill sponsor in the Senate − Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) − will hold onto his seat. In the long term, a split Congress may result in further gridlock on Capitol Hill, making it more difficult to pass our Canadian Snowbird Visa legislation. However, if the Republicans and Democrats can reach a compromise regarding a comprehensive immigration reform bill or a series of smaller immigration bills, we will work to have a Canadian Snowbird Visa provision included. We will also work on having stand-alone bills introduced in both the House and Senate during the next session of Congress, in order to increase the chances of passage. The impact of the recent midterm elections on Canadian snowbirds extends beyond the composition of the United States Congress and passage of our Canadian Snowbird Visa. As we discussed in issue 106 of CSANews, the 10 per cent cap on property assessment increases for non-homestead properties in Florida, such as vacation properties owned by Canadians, was scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2019. Without reauthorization of the cap, yearly assessments could increase by any amount for non-homestead property. The Florida House of Representatives and Senate passed bipartisan legislation earlier this year to ensure that this measure would be placed on the state ballot for the midterm elections. We are pleased to announce that Florida voters passed Amendment 2, making the 10 per cent cap on the annual increase of non-homestead property tax assessments permanent. While Florida still maintains a two-tier property tax system in which nonresidents pay more than residents, making the 10 per cent property assessment cap permanent is a step in the right direction. The CSA head office continues to field a number of questions from our members related to the recent legalization of recreational marijuana in Canada and the effect that it will have on Canadians travelling to the United States. On September 21, 2018, and later revised on October 9, 2018, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a statement regarding Canada’s legalization of marijuana and crossing the border. The statement, in part, reads: A Canadian citizen working in or facilitating the proliferation of the legal marijuana industry in Canada, coming to the U.S. for reasons unrelated to the marijuana industry, will generally be admissible to the U.S. However, if a traveler is found to be coming to the U.S. for reasons related to the marijuana industry, they may be deemed inadmissible. While this statement appears to ease the concerns of Canadian travellers who are employed in the Canadian cannabis industry or who own stocks in Canadian cannabis companies, it is still important to remember that entry into the United States is always made at the discretion of the U.S. customs official processing your admission at the port of entry. In addition, despite the growing number of U.S. states legalizing both recreational and medicinal marijuana, under U.S. federal law the sale, possession, production and distribution of marijuana remain illegal. Canadian travellers who disclose to a U.S. customs official that they have previously used or currently use marijuana may be denied entry or banned from entering the United States. The full U.S. CBP statement can be accessed here: www.cbp.gov/newsroom/ speeches-and-statements/cbp-statementcanadas-legalization-marijuana-andcrossing-border. CSANews | WINTER 2018 | 11
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