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 cosponsors 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.
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 on 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. It should be noted that our bill sponsor in the House of Representatives, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY-21), won her re-election bid securing a third term. While our bill sponsor in the Senate, Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) lost his seat, the CSA does have a strong relationship with Senator-Elect Rick Scott who has long recognized the importance of Canadian tourism on the Sunshine State.
If you have any questions or comments related to our Canadian Snowbird Visa initiative, or any other issue, please contact the CSA office toll-free at 1-800-265-3200 or email us at csastaff@snowbirds.org.
