Rep. Rick Larsen of Washington’s second congressional district has introduced the Ensuring Exclave Communities are Listened to and their Voices are Examined Act. According to an email letter from Rep. Larsen’s office, “The EXCLAVE Act would require federal government agencies to consult with exclave communities like Point Roberts before finalizing certain regulations that would hinder the residents’ ability to cross the border and access essential services.”
Rep. Larsen has been working on this bill since 2024, when the CDC introduced new rules around dogs crossing the border, which did not take into consideration how it would impact dog owners who live in Point Roberts.
The bill is bipartisan and is also sponsored by Rep. Pete Stauber (MN-08), who said of a similarly isolated Minnesotan exclave, “Minnesotans choose to live in the Angle because of its unrivaled beauty and geographic isolation, but that same isolation can mean that federal actions have significant consequences for the people who live there.”
The bill has garnered support from many local organizations.
Mark Robbins, president of the Point Roberts Taxpayers Association, said Larsen’s “work will help level the playing field by ensuring citizens’ safe cross-border passage, access to essential life services, whether food, fuel, sanitation or medical, and through the removal of circumstantial barriers to trade and livelihoods.”
Wayne Lyle, president of the Point Roberts Chamber of Commerce, said, “Not only does this bill recognize our potential challenges, both historical and in the future, but it provides a mechanism and concise timeline for us to be heard.”
Rep. Larsen’s letter ended by stating, “I am proud to lead this bipartisan legislation, and I will work to move this bill forward to help ensure that people in Point Roberts are heard when federal agencies make decisions that impact their everyday life.”
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