WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives has overwhelmingly voted to delay implementation of a rule requiring anyone entering the U.S. — Americans included — to show a valid passport.

Rep. Louise M. Slaughter of New York, chairwoman of the House Rules Committee, said that the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) would not take affect anytime before June 2009. The bill passed by a vote of 268 to 150.

In addition to delaying WHTI, the bill also included language authored by Rep. Slaughter to withhold $100 million from the funds required by the Department of Homeland Security to implement WHTI until DHS has determined if drivers’ licences can be enhanced to meet the WHTI’s requirements.

Additionally, DHS must submit a report to Congress on the success of the driver’s license pilot program, and reveal its overall WHTI roadmap before being allowed to put the proposed WHTI documentary requirements into place.

DHS must also fully test its proposed “passport card” — a smaller and cheaper alternative to a passport — before making it publicly available and develop for land implementation.

“After over two and a half years of fighting against WHTI, I am pleased to see that Congress overwhelmingly rebuked the Administration today by delaying the implementation of the flawed program until mid-2009,” said Rep. Slaughter. “We sent a clear signal that we don’t trust the Administration to get WHTI done right.”

The Canadian Trucking Alliance reportedly brokered a deal with U.S. officials to allow FAST-approved truckers show their FAST card in lieu of a passport, but that would still have left thousands of other drivers scrambling to get valid passport for U.S. entry.

Slaughter has vocally supported Canadian exporters and truckers in their efforts to get U.S. officials to back down from redundant and expensive border security protocols.

She unsuccessfully joined trucking and trade groups in lobbying the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture to scrap its latest inspection fee on southbound. The levy, which took effect June 1, requires carriers to fork over an additional $5.25 (or an extra $105 for an annual transponder) to cross the border into the U.S.