[Pages H8155-H8157]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

VISIT AMERICA ACT

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 6965) to promote travel and tourism in the United States,
and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:

H.R. 6965

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Visit America Act''.

SEC. 2. ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR TRAVEL AND TOURISM.

Section 2(d) of the Reorganization Plan Numbered 3 of 1979
(93 Stat. 1382; 5 U.S.C. App.) is amended--
(1) by striking ``There shall be in the Department two
additional Assistant Secretaries'' and inserting ``(1) There
shall be in the Department 3 additional Assistant
Secretaries, including the Assistant Secretary of Commerce
for Travel and Tourism,''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(2) The Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Travel and
Tourism shall--
``(A) be appointed by the President, subject to the advice
and consent of the Senate; and
``(B) report directly to the Under Secretary for
International Trade.''.

SEC. 3. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF
COMMERCE FOR TRAVEL AND TOURISM.

(a) Visitation Goals.--The Assistant Secretary of Commerce
for Travel and Tourism (referred to in this section as the
``Assistant Secretary''), appointed pursuant to section 2(d)
of the Reorganization Plan Numbered 3 of 1979, as amended by
section 2, shall--
(1) in consultation with relevant Federal agencies,
establish an annual visitation goal, consistent with the
goals of the travel and tourism strategy developed pursuant
to section 4(1), for--
(A) the number of international visitors to the United
States; and
(B) the value of travel and tourism commerce;
(2) develop recommendations for achieving the annual goals
established pursuant to paragraph (1);
(3) ensure that travel and tourism policy is developed in
consultation with--
(A) the Tourism Policy Council;
(B) the Secretary of State;
(C) the Secretary of Homeland Security;
(D) the National Travel and Tourism Office;
(E) Brand USA;
(F) the United States Travel and Tourism Advisory Board;
and
(G) travel industry partners, including public and private
destination marketing organizations, travel and tourism
suppliers, and labor representatives from these industries;
(4) establish short-, medium-, and long-term timelines for
implementing the recommendations developed pursuant to
paragraph (2);
(5) conduct Federal agency needs assessments, in
consultation with the Office of Management and Budget and
other relevant Federal agencies, to identify the resources,
statutory or regulatory changes, and private sector
engagement needed to achieve the annual visitation goals; and
(6) provide assessments and recommendations to--
(A) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
of the Senate;
(B) the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of
Representatives; and
(C) the public through a publicly accessible website.
(b) Domestic Travel and Tourism.--The Assistant Secretary,
to the extent feasible, shall--
(1) evaluate, on an ongoing basis, domestic policy options
for supporting competitiveness with respect to the strengths,
weaknesses, and growth of the domestic travel industry;
(2) develop recommendations and goals to support and
enhance domestic tourism, separated by business and leisure;
and
(3) engage public and private stakeholders to support
domestic tourism.
(c) Workforce.--The Assistant Secretary shall--
(1) consult with the Secretary of Labor to develop
strategies and best practices for improving the timeliness
and reliability of travel and tourism workforce data;
(2) work with the Secretary of Labor and the Bureau of
Economic Analysis to improve travel and tourism industry
data; and
(3) provide recommendations for policy enhancements and
efficiencies.
(d) International Business Travel Facilitation.--The
Assistant Secretary, in coordination with relevant Federal
agencies, shall work to increase and facilitate international
business travel to the United States and ensure
competitiveness by engaging in, at a minimum--
(1) facilitating large meetings, incentives, conferences,
and exhibitions to be hosted in the United States;
(2) emphasizing rural and other destinations rich in
cultural heritage or ecological tourism, among other uniquely
American destinations, as locations for hosting international
meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions in the
United States; and
(3) facilitating sports and recreation events and
activities, which shall be hosted in the United States.
(e) Recovery Strategy.--
(1) Initial recovery strategy.--Not later than 1 year after
amounts are appropriated to accomplish the purposes of this
section, the Assistant Secretary, in consultation with public
and private stakeholders identified in subsection (a)(3) and
public health officials, shall develop and implement a COVID-
19 public health emergency recovery strategy to assist the
United States travel and tourism industry to quickly recover
from the pandemic.
(2) Future recovery strategies.--After assisting in the
implementation of the strategy developed pursuant to
paragraph (1), the Assistant Secretary, in consultation with
appropriate public and private stakeholders, shall develop
additional recovery strategies for the travel and tourism
industry in anticipation of other unforeseen catastrophic
events that would significantly affect the travel and tourism
industry, such as hurricanes, floods, tsunamis, tornadoes,
terrorist attacks, and pandemics.
(3) Cost-benefit analysis.--In developing the COVID-19
public health emergency recovery strategy under paragraph (1)
and additional recovery strategies for the travel and tourism
industry under paragraph (2), the Assistant Secretary shall
conduct cost-benefit analyses that take into account the
health and economic effects of public health mitigation
measures on the travel and tourism industry.
(f) Reporting Requirements.--
(1) Assistant secretary.--The Assistant Secretary shall
produce an annual forecasting report on the travel and
tourism industry, to the extent feasible, which shall include
current and anticipated--
(A) domestic employment needs;
(B) international inbound volume and spending, taking into
account the lasting effects of the COVID-19 public health
emergency and the impact of the recovery strategy implemented
pursuant to subsection (e)(1); and
(C) domestic volume and spending, including Federal and
State public land travel and tourism data.
(2) Bureau of economic analysis.--The Director of the
Bureau of Economic Analysis should annually update, to the
extent feasible, the Travel and Tourism Satellite Accounts,
including--
(A) State level travel and tourism spending data;
(B) travel and tourism workforce data for full-time and
part-time employment; and
(C) Federal and State public lands outdoor recreational
activity and tourism spending data.
(3) National travel and tourism office.--The Director of
the National Travel and Tourism Office--
(A) in partnership with the Bureau of Economic Analysis and
other relevant Federal agencies, shall report international
arrival and spending data on a regular monthly schedule,
which shall be made available to the Travel and Tourism
Advisory Board and to the public through a publicly available
website; and
(B) shall include questions in the Survey of International
Air Travelers regarding wait-times, visits to public lands,
and State data, to the extent applicable.

SEC. 4. TRAVEL AND TOURISM STRATEGY.

Not less frequently than once every 10 years, the Secretary
of Commerce, in consultation with the United States Travel
and Tourism Advisory Board, the Tourism Policy Council, the
Secretary of State, and the Secretary of Homeland Security,
shall develop and submit to Congress a 10-year travel and
tourism strategy, which shall include--
(1) the establishment of goals with respect to the number
of annual international visitors to the United States and the
annual value of travel and tourism commerce in the United
States during such 10-year period;
(2) the resources needed to achieve the goals established
pursuant to paragraph (1); and
(3) recommendations for statutory or regulatory changes
that would be necessary to achieve such goals.

SEC. 5. UNITED STATES TRAVEL AND TOURISM ADVISORY BOARD.

Section 3 of the Act of July 19, 1940, entitled ``An Act to
encourage travel in the United States, and for other
purposes'' (15 U.S.C. 1546) is amended--
(1) by striking ``sec. 3'' and all that follows through
``The Secretary of the Interior is authorized'' and inserting
the following:

``SEC. 3. UNITED STATES TRAVEL AND TOURISM ADVISORY BOARD;
ADVISORY COMMITTEE.

``(a) United States Travel and Tourism Advisory Board.--
``(1) In general.--There is established the United States
Travel and Tourism Advisory Board (referred to in this
subsection as the `Board'), the members of which shall be
appointed by the Secretary of Commerce for 2-year terms from
among companies and organizations in the travel and tourism
industry.
``(2) Executive director.--The Assistant Secretary for
Travel and Tourism shall serve as the Executive Director of
the Board.
``(3) Executive secretariat.--The Director of the National
Travel and Tourism Office of the International Trade
Administration shall serve as the Executive Secretariat for
the Board.
``(4) Functions.--The Board's Charter shall specify that
the Board will--
``(A) serve as the advisory body to the Secretary of
Commerce on matters relating to

[[Page H8156]]

the travel and tourism industry in the United States;
``(B) advise the Secretary of Commerce on Government
policies and programs that affect the United States travel
and tourism industry;
``(C) offer counsel on current and emerging issues;
``(D) provide a forum for discussing and proposing
solutions to problems related to the travel and tourism
industry; and
``(E) provide advice regarding the domestic travel and
tourism industry as an economic engine.
``(5) Recovery strategy.--The Board shall assist the
Assistant Secretary in the development and implementation of
the COVID-19 public health emergency recovery strategy
required under section 3(e)(1) of the Visit America Act.
``(b) Advisory Committee for Promotion of Tourist Travel.--
The Secretary of Commerce is authorized''; and
(2) by striking ``the Secretary of the Interior to serve''
and inserting ``the Secretary of Commerce to serve''.

SEC. 6. DATA ON DOMESTIC TRAVEL AND TOURISM.

The Secretary of Commerce, subject to the availability of
appropriations, shall collect and make public aggregate data
on domestic travel and tourism trends.

SEC. 7. COMPLETION OF PROCEEDING.

If the Secretary of Commerce has, before the date of the
enactment of this Act, taken action that in whole or in part
implements this Act or the amendments made by this Act, the
Secretary is not required to revisit such action, but only to
the extent such action is consistent with this Act and the
amendments made by this Act.

SEC. 8. DEFINED TERM.

In this Act, the term ``COVID-19 public health
emergency''--
(1) means the public health emergency first declared on
January 31, 2020, by the Secretary of Health and Human
Services under section 319 of the Public Health Service Act
(42 U.S.C. 247d) with respect to COVID-19; and
(2) includes any renewal of such declaration pursuant to
such section 319.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky) and the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Illinois.

General Leave

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material on H.R. 6965.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from Illinois?
There was no objection.
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 6965, the Visit America
Act.
Since the beginning of the COVID pandemic, America's travel and
tourism industry has been seriously upended. The pandemic caused a 48
percent reduction for the industry in 2020. The bipartisan Visit
America Act is the latest bill that the House has brought to the floor
to help turn the tide for a sector that has not rebounded as quickly as
some others.
From the Committee on Energy and Commerce, we are so happy that we
are able to bring this to the floor.
While travel has certainly increased over the last year, it is still
significantly lower than previously before the pandemic. As an example,
business travel spending is on the rise, but it is still expected to be
50 percent below 2019 levels. In the meantime, the number of travelers
visiting the United States from overseas fell by 79 percent in
September 2021 as compared to that same month in 2019.
These are significant reductions that are impacting not only
companies directly involved in the tourism and travel industry but
small businesses all across the Nation that rely on travelers to keep
them in business.
Today, the United States is the only G20 country not to have a high-
ranking official focusing on the travel and tourism industry. This has
prevented the industry from producing a coordinated approach to
recovery of the industry and to make us more competitive with the rest
of the world.
H.R. 6965 addresses this deficiency and provides the industry with a
path forward for continuing recovery and growth in the future. This
bill establishes the role of the assistant secretary of commerce for
travel and tourism at the Department of Commerce. It also requires the
assistant secretary to develop and implement a COVID-19 pandemic
recovery strategy, as well as strategic plans for future disruptions
that hopefully we aren't going to see.
The bill also requires the Department of Commerce to develop a 10-
year travel and tourism strategy, as well as provides statutory
authority for the United States Travel and Tourism Advisory Board,
which will aid the assistant secretary in developing and implementing
these important strategies.
H.R. 6965 passed out of the Committee on Energy and Commerce last
week unanimously, 56-0. I commend the tireless and passionate efforts
put forth by Representative Titus, the author of this legislation.
Without her and the good work done by Representatives Soto, Case,
Kuster, and the late Don Young--God bless his heart--we would not have
gotten this agenda done. I also thank Chairmen Nadler and Meeks for
working with us to get this to the House floor today.
I know the Senate has also been working on travel and tourism
legislation and is moving forward with a package of bills that includes
the Visit America Act. Although there are some technical differences
between the two bills, my hope is that we can get together and work
together as quickly as possible and get this legislation passed.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation,
and I reserve the balance of my time.

House of Representatives,
Committee on the Judiciary,
Washington, DC, September 23, 2022.
Hon. Frank Pallone, Jr.
Chairman, Committee on Energy and Commerce,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Pallone: This letter is to advise you that
the Committee on the Judiciary has now had an opportunity to
review the provisions in H.R. 6965, the ``Visit America
Act,'' that fall within our Rule X jurisdiction. I appreciate
your consulting with us on those provisions. The Judiciary
Committee is willing to forgo action on H.R. 6965, with the
understanding that we do not thereby waive any future
jurisdictional claim over those provisions or their subject
matters.
In the event a House-Senate conference on this or similar
legislation is convened, the Judiciary Committee reserves the
right to request an appropriate number of conferees to
address any concerns with these or similar provisions that
may arise in conference.
Please place this letter into the Congressional Record
during consideration of the measure on the House floor. Thank
you for the cooperative spirit in which you have worked
regarding this matter and others between our committees.
Sincerely,
Jerrold Nadler,
Chairman.
____

House of Representatives,

Committee on Energy and Commerce,

Washington, DC, September 23, 2022.
Hon. Jerrold Nadler,
Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary,
Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Nadler: Thank you for consulting with the
Committee on Energy and Commerce and agreeing to be
discharged from further consideration of H.R. 6965, the
``Visit America Act,'' so that the bill may proceed
expeditiously to the House floor.
I agree that your forgoing further action on this measure
does not in any way diminish or alter the jurisdiction of
your Committee or prejudice its jurisdictional prerogatives
on this measure or similar legislation in the future. I would
support your effort to seek appointment of an appropriate
number of conferees from your committee to any House-Senate
conference on this legislation.
I will place our letters into the Congressional Record
during consideration of the measure on the House floor. I
appreciate your cooperation regarding this legislation and
look forward to continuing to work together as this measure
moves through the legislative process.
Sincerely,
Frank Pallone, Jr.,
Chairman.
____

House of Representatives,

Committee on Foreign Affairs,

Washington, DC, September 26, 2022.
Hon. Frank Pallone, Jr.,
Chair, Committee on Energy and Commerce,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Chair Pallone: In recognition of the desire to
expedite consideration of H.R. 6965, the ``Visit America
Act,'' the Committee on Foreign Affairs agrees to waive
formal consideration of the bill as to provisions that fall
within the rule X jurisdiction of the Committee on Foreign
Affairs.
The Committee on Foreign Affairs takes this action with the
mutual understanding that we do not waive any jurisdiction
over the subject matter contained in this or similar
legislation, and the Committee will be appropriately
consulted and involved as the bill or similar legislation
moves forward so that we may address any issues within our

[[Page H8157]]

jurisdiction. I ask you to support the appointment of
Committee on Foreign Affairs conferees during any House-
Senate conference convened on this legislation.
Finally, thank you for agreeing to include a copy of our
exchange of letters in the Congressional Record during floor
consideration of H.R. 6965.
Sincerely,
Gregory W. Meeks,
Chairman.
House of Representatives,

Committee on Energy and Commerce,

Washington, DC, September 27, 2022.
Hon. Gregory W. Meeks,
Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs,
Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Meeks: Thank you for consulting with the
Committee on Energy and Commerce and agreeing to be
discharged from further consideration of H.R. 6965, the
``Visit America Act,'' so that the bill may proceed
expeditiously to the House floor.
I agree that your forgoing further action on this measure
does not in any way diminish or alter the jurisdiction of
your Committee or prejudice its jurisdictional prerogatives
on this measure or similar legislation in the future. I would
support your effort to seek appointment of an appropriate
number of conferees from your committee to any House-Senate
conference on this legislation.
I will place our letters into the Congressional Record
during consideration of the measure on the House floor. I
appreciate your cooperation regarding this legislation and
look forward to continuing to work together as this measure
moves through the legislative process.
Sincerely,
Frank Pallone, Jr.,
Chairman.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6965, the Visit America Act.
The bill along with H.R. 7820, the Travel and Tourism Act, from
Representative Dunn, and H.R. 4594, the Restoring Brand USA Act, from
Representative Bilirakis, have represented bipartisan efforts to assist
our tourism sector with economic recovery post-COVID-19.
Representative Bilirakis is not here speaking about this bill. He is
home in Tampa, Florida, and represents the Tampa Bay area, as all of us
know. Mr. Speaker, our thoughts and prayers are with his community in
Florida and the other States that have to deal with the remnants of the
rain. Our thoughts and prayers are with them.
Back to the bill, while I am pleased that Representative Bilirakis'
Brand USA legislation was signed into law this year, more work and
bipartisan efforts are needed to build upon Representative Bilirakis'
efforts to increase tourism.
Without question, the COVID-19 pandemic was difficult for all
industries, but the travel and tourism industry was hit especially
hard.
According to testimony by the U.S. Travel Association before the
Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce, at the end of 2021,
international travel spending was 78 percent below prepandemic levels.
This bipartisan legislation can support the U.S. travel and tourism
industry and address the declining percentage of international visitors
to the United States. The Visit America Act will help by directing the
Department of Commerce to develop a 10-year travel and tourism strategy
with annual goals for the number of international visitors to the
United States.
Again, I thank the sponsors and cosponsors of all of these bills that
we have considered at the Committee on Energy and Commerce. I would
like to give special recognition to our colleague, Representative
Bilirakis, the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Consumer
Protection and co-chair of the Congressional Travel and Tourism Caucus,
who, as I noted, is back home, duly focusing on the hurricane response
and serving his constituents.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve
the balance of my time.
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Hawaii (Mr. Case).
Mr. CASE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 6965,
the Visit America Act.
U.S. travel and tourism is one of our country's core industries. Pre-
COVID, it generated some $2.6 trillion in annual economic output, was
one of our largest export and service industries, and supported fully 1
in 10 U.S. jobs. In many States, my own Hawaii being a prime example,
it is our leading industry.

{time} 1630

But COVID taught us in spades how fragile this economic and jobs
generator can be. Very frankly, it has never earned full respect in
terms of Federal Government attention, focus, and support, given its
prominence.
U.S. travel and tourism needs and deserves far more. This bill, in
which I am joined by the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Titus), the
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis), our House Travel and Tourism
Caucus, and other colleagues, in addition to all aspects of the
industry, is a necessary start on a new chapter through a coordinated,
high-level Federal effort, including a 10-year travel and tourism
strategy and finally, finally, like other countries, an Assistant
Secretary of Commerce for Travel and Tourism.
Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge its passage.
Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to
close.
Mr. Speaker, we have the greatest country in the world. I love when
people want to come see the beauty of our great land and meet our great
people. We have a wonderful opportunity for people to come see our
country. The tourism industry is a great industry, as are the people
who serve in it.
Mr. Speaker, I urge the passage of this bill, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I urge everyone to support this
legislation because it is so important, and I yield back the balance of
my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 6965, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. TIFFANY. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

____________________