Congressional Lame Duck Session Just That!
Recently the Congress held a lame duck session that we hoped would address several key initiatives including the Travel Promotion Act. According to Aubrey King, one of our public affairs consultants, members of that lame duck session "virtually limped out of town after accomplishing virtually nothing." Aubrey continued: Neither the Public Lands Omnibus Bill nor the Economic Stimulus Bill were voted on in either the Senate or the House. When the White House continued to oppose the major proposals being considered by Congress, the majority Democrats simply decided to "wait until next year," when they will be even more in the saddle.
This means, of course, that neither the National Parks Centennial Initiative nor the Travel Promotion Act received serious consideration. Also falling short was any possibility of a short term infusion into the economy of Federal infrastructure spending on transportation, public lands or anything else.
Congress may return briefly in December but the only item on the agenda then will probably be assistance for the auto industry.
Everything else will now have to await the 111th Congress, which convenes in January, when everything will have to be reintroduced and reconsidered. Even if Congressional leadership "fast tracks" key legislation, it will almost certainly take months at least before legislation like the Centennial Initiative and the Travel Promotion Act can be enacted.
Aubrey believes that 2009 will be one of the most historically significant years for new Federal policy initiatives in more than seven decades as the new Obama Administration and the new Congress will have to grapple with truly formidable domestic and international challenges. But from such challenges arise great opportunities. That includes great opportunities (and challenges) for tourism and recreation.
Over the next few months, our team of Government Affairs advisors, Aubrey King and David Gorin, we be reporting on several industry initiatives that will attempt to take advantage of these opportunities.