Government Affairs Update:
Thanks to all of you who contacted your congressional leaders regarding the Travel Promotion Act (TPA – S. 1023). It continues to work its way through the U.S. Senate. The legislation now has 47 cosponsors plus Senator Bryon Dorgan from North Dakota. Thank you for your grassroots outreach to help secure these supporters. We have a small window of opportunity to push TPA past the finish line in the coming days. The legislation is caught in the middle of some arcane Senate procedure and politics, but with your support we can get this much-needed legislation done. A list of potential Republican cosponsors has been identified by US Travel, who with more support from the industry and their home states, could become cosponsors. If you are in one of these states, please reach out to these offices as soon as possible: Bennett (UT), Chambliss (GA), Crapo (ID), Johanns (NE), Lugar (IN), Risch (ID), Roberts (KS), Shelby (AL), Voinovich (OH). Thanks for your help.
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed legislation that will help the United States welcome more international visitors with an improved visa program, the U.S. Travel Association reported this week. The legislation, H.R. 2410—the "Foreign Relations Authorization Act"—includes a provision that will allow the secretary of state to conduct a two-year pilot program that uses secure, remote videoconferencing technology to conduct tourist visa interviews. The result, proponents argue, will be a visa process that's more convenient for foreign travelers, who will therefore travel to the United States in greater numbers because it will be easier to do so. HR 2410 now passes to the Senate for consideration.