By Bradford Arick | Posted: Fri 10:57 AM, Dec 02, 2016

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Valley News Live): The Northern Border Security Review Act will head to President Obama’s desk to be signed into law.

The Act, co-sponsored by Sen. Heitkamp, is to help assess and strengthen American security along the northern border. It unanimously passed in the U.S. House of Representatives, and now heads to the president’s desk.

“Effectively protecting our nation’s 5,500-mile long Northern Border requires accurate assessments of the threats we face so we can make sure we have the robust security force our communities need to stay safe,” said Heitkamp. “In North Dakota, the Northern Border touches so many of our communities, and after visiting the border on multiple occasions – including Portal earlier this month – and meeting with border security officials about their growing challenges on the ground, I wanted to do everything I could to make a difference. Now, Congress has passed my bipartisan bill to do just that. When this bill is signed into law, it will help our dedicated forces along the border get the support they need to address serious threats and technology gaps on the Northern Border, and meet the challenges they face in attracting and retaining good employees to work in remote border areas like Portal, and across the country.”

Sen. Heitkamp’s office reports she’s been working since 2013 to better protect the northern border, and has been meeting with border security officials at Pembina among other places.

At 5,500 miles long, including 1,500 miles between Alaska and Canada, the Northern Border has 120 border crossings, many of which are small and in rural areas.

Approximately 300,000 people and $910 million in trade cross the Northern Border every day, representing the largest bilateral flow of goods and people in the world.

http://www.valleynewslive.com/conten...404280846.html