[House Hearing, 119 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
DAYLIGHT AND DESTINATIONS: EXAMINING TIME,
TRAVEL, AND TOURISM
=======================================================================
HEARING
BEFORE THE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, MANUFACTURING,
AND TRADE
OF THE
COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND COMMERCE
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED NINETEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
NOVEMBER 20, 2025
__________
Serial No. 119-43
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Published for the use of the Committee on Energy and Commerce
govinfo.gov/committee/house-energy
energycommerce.house.gov
__________
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
62-149 PDF WASHINGTON : 2026
=======================================================================
COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND COMMERCE
BRETT GUTHRIE, Kentucky
Chairman
ROBERT E. LATTA, Ohio FRANK PALLONE, Jr., New Jersey
H. MORGAN GRIFFITH, Virginia Ranking Member
GUS M. BILIRAKIS, Florida DIANA DeGETTE, Colorado
RICHARD HUDSON, North Carolina JAN SCHAKOWSKY, Illinois
EARL L. ``BUDDY'' CARTER, Georgia DORIS O. MATSUI, California
GARY J. PALMER, Alabama KATHY CASTOR, Florida
NEAL P. DUNN, Florida, Vice PAUL TONKO, New York
Chairman YVETTE D. CLARKE, New York
DAN CRENSHAW, Texas RAUL RUIZ, California
JOHN JOYCE, Pennsylvania SCOTT H. PETERS, California
RANDY K. WEBER, Sr., Texas DEBBIE DINGELL, Michigan
RICK W. ALLEN, Georgia MARC A. VEASEY, Texas
TROY BALDERSON, Ohio ROBIN L. KELLY, Illinois
RUSS FULCHER, Idaho NANETTE DIAZ BARRAGAN, California
AUGUST PFLUGER, Texas DARREN SOTO, Florida
DIANA HARSHBARGER, Tennessee KIM SCHRIER, Washington
MARIANNETTE MILLER-MEEKS, Iowa LORI TRAHAN, Massachusetts
KAT CAMMACK, Florida LIZZIE FLETCHER, Texas
JAY OBERNOLTE, California ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ, New York
JOHN JAMES, Michigan JAKE AUCHINCLOSS, Massachusetts
CLIFF BENTZ, Oregon TROY A. CARTER, Louisiana
ERIN HOUCHIN, Indiana ROBERT MENENDEZ, New Jersey
RUSSELL FRY, South Carolina KEVIN MULLIN, California
LAUREL M. LEE, Florida GREG LANDSMAN, Ohio
NICHOLAS A. LANGWORTHY, New York JENNIFER L. McCLELLAN, Virginia
THOMAS H. KEAN, Jr., New Jersey
MICHAEL A. RULLI, Ohio
GABE EVANS, Colorado
CRAIG A. GOLDMAN, Texas
JULIE FEDORCHAK, North Dakota
------
Professional Staff
MEGAN JACKSON, Staff Director
SOPHIE KHANAHMADI, Deputy Staff Director
TIFFANY GUARASCIO, Minority Staff Director
Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade
GUS M. BILIRAKIS, Florida
Chairman
RUSS FULCHER, Idaho, Vice Chairman JAN SCHAKOWSKY, Illinois
NEAL P. DUNN, Florida Ranking Member
KAT CAMMACK, Florida KATHY CASTOR, Florida
JAY OBERNOLTE, California DARREN SOTO, Florida
JOHN JAMES, Michigan LORI TRAHAN, Massachusetts
CLIFF BENTZ, Oregon KEVIN MULLIN, California
ERIN HOUCHIN, Indiana YVETTE D. CLARKE, New York
RUSSELL FRY, South Carolina DEBBIE DINGELL, Michigan
LAUREL M. LEE, Florida MARC A. VEASEY, Texas
THOMAS H. KEAN, Jr., New Jersey ROBIN L. KELLY, Illinois
GABE EVANS, Colorado KIM SCHRIER, Washington
CRAIG A. GOLDMAN, Texas FRANK PALLONE, Jr., New Jersey (ex
BRETT GUTHRIE, Kentucky (ex officio)
officio)
C O N T E N T S
----------
Page
Hon. Gus M. Bilirakis, a Representative in Congress from the
State of Florida, opening statement............................ 2
Prepared statement........................................... 4
Hon. Jan Schakowsky, a Representative in Congress from the State
of Illinois, opening statement................................. 5
Prepared statement........................................... 6
Hon. Kathy Castor, a Representative in Congress from the State of
Florida, prepared statement.................................... 8
Hon. Brett Guthrie, a Representative in Congress from the
Commonwealth of Kentucky, opening statement.................... 9
Prepared statement........................................... 11
Hon. Frank Pallone, Jr., a Representative in Congress from the
State of New Jersey, opening statement......................... 13
Prepared statement........................................... 15
Witnesses
Rosanna Maietta, President and Chief Executive Officer, American
Hotel and Lodging Association.................................. 17
Prepared statement........................................... 19
Tyler J. Kleppe, Ph.D., EY Associate Professor of Accounting,
University of Kentucky......................................... 31
Prepared statement........................................... 33
Lisa Simon, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director,
International Inbound Travel Association....................... 37
Prepared statement........................................... 39
Jay Karen, Chief Executive Officer, National Golf Course Owners
Association of America......................................... 50
Prepared statement........................................... 52
Submitted Material
Inclusion of the following was approved by unanimous consent.
List of documents submitted for the record....................... 101
Report by Rockport Analytics. ``The 2024 Economic & Fiscal Impact
of Tourism in Florida'' \1\
Report, ``Visit Florida's Integrated Marketing Effectiveness
Results Summary for Fiscal Year 2024/25,'' November 2025 \1\
Letter of November 17, 2025, from Jay Pea, President, Save
Standard Time, to Members of Congress.......................... 102
Statement of Dr. David Prerau, November 2025..................... 110
Letter of November 20, 2025, from the Coalition for Permanent
Standard Time, to Mr. Bilirakis and Ms. Schakowsky............. 112
Letter of November 19, 2025, from Nic Anderson, Vice President of
Public Policy, National Religious Broadcasters, to Mr.
Bilirakis, et al............................................... 115
Letter of November 19, from Zane Kerby, President and Chief
Executive Officer, American Society of Travel Advisors, to Mr.
Bilirakis and Ms. Schakowsky................................... 118
----------
\1\ The report has been retained in committee files and is included in
the Documents for the Record at http://docs.house.gov/meetings/IF/IF17/
20251120/118693/HHRG-119-IF17-20251120-SD003.pdf.
Statement of Laura Chadwick, President and Chief Executive
Officer, Travel Technology Association, November 20, 2025...... 123
Letter of November 27, 2025, from Agudath Israel of America to
subcommittee members........................................... 126
Letter of November 20, 2025, from Terry Dale, President and Chief
Executive Officer, United States Tour Operators Association, to
Mr. Bilirakis and Ms. Schakowsky............................... 130
DAYLIGHT AND DESTINATIONS: EXAMINING TIME, TRAVEL, AND TOURISM
----------
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2025
House of Representatives,
Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade,
Committee on Energy and Commerce,
Washington, DC.
The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10:03 a.m., in
the John D. Dingell Room 2123, Rayburn House Office Building,
Hon. Gus Bilirakis (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding.
Members present: Representatives Bilirakis, Dunn, Cammack,
Obernolte, James, Bentz, Houchin, Fry, Lee, Kean, Evans,
Goldman, Guthrie (ex officio), Schakowsky (subcommittee ranking
member), Castor, Soto, Trahan, Clarke, Veasey, and Pallone (ex
officio).
Also present: Representative Carter of Georgia.
Staff present: Ansley Boylan, Director of Operations;
Jessica Donlon, General Counsel; Sydney Greene, Director of
Finance and Logistics; Natalie Hellman, Professional Staff
Member, Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade; Calvin Huggins,
Clerk, Energy; Megan Jackson, Staff Director; AT Johnson,
Special Advisor; Daniel Kelly, Press Secretary; Sophie
Khanahmadi, Deputy Staff Director; Alex Khlopin, Policy
Analyst, Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade; Brayden Lacefield,
Special Assistant; Giulia Leganski, Chief Counsel, Commerce,
Manufacturing, and Trade; Sarah Meier, Counsel and
Parliamentarian; Joel Miller, Chief Counsel; Seth Ricketts,
Special Assistant; Chris Sarley, Member Services/Stakeholder
Director; Matt VanHyfte, Communications Director; Jane Vickers,
Press Assistant; Hannah Anton, Minority Policy Analyst; Keegan
Cardman, Minority Staff Assistant; Kelly Fabian, Minority Chief
Counsel, Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade; Tiffany Guarascio,
Minority Staff Director; Jackson Hall, Minority Intern; Megan
Kanne, Minority Professional Staff Member; Shae Reinberg,
Minority Intern; Andrew Souvall, Minority Director of
Communications, Outreach, and Member Services; and Hannah
Treger, Minority Staff Assistant.
Mr. Bilirakis. The committee will come to order.
The chairman recognizes himself for 5 minutes for an
opening statement.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. GUS M. BILIRAKIS, A REPRESENTATIVE IN
CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF FLORIDA
Good morning, everyone. It is great to be back. Welcome to
today's hearing examining time, travel, and tourism, and how
they can strengthen our economy and our communities.
Thank you to all the witnesses for being here today. We
appreciate you so much.
So, for me, this topic is personal. It hits home. I grew up
in Tarpon Springs, Florida, in a strong Greek community where
the Sponge Docks and our annual Epiphany celebration have
welcomed visitors from around the world for generations.
In Florida's 12th Congressional District of Citrus,
Hernando, and Pasco Counties, tourism supports family-owned
restaurants, hotels, and outfitters, helping to sustain our
Nature Coast way of life.
In Crystal River, you can swim with the manatees. In Weeki
Wachee Springs, you can see the famous live mermaid show. And
in Pasco County, Pasco County is home to a vibrant sports
tourism industry with countless kayaking, waterways, and the
AdventHealth ice rink, which just had the Wounded Warrior
competition for hockey.
I know it is in Florida, but we have great hockey there.
And it attracted over 630 people that participated in that
particular tournament and their families.
So to further highlight the importance of tourism in the
State of Florida, I would like to introduce for the record a
study commissioned by Visit Florida showing tourism's economic
impact in the State as well as Visit Florida's Marketing
Effectiveness Survey revealing tourist preferences and ways to
boost demand.
No objection, so ordered.
[The information appears at the conclusion of the hearing.]
Mr. Bilirakis. Nationwide, travelers spent roughly $1.3
trillion last year, generating nearly $3 trillion in economic
output and supporting over 15 million jobs. International
visitors alone spent over $250 billion.
As we prepare for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Los
Angeles Olympics, we have a once-in-a-generation runway to
welcome the world and spread those benefits to communities
large and small, not to mention that we are celebrating the
250-year anniversary of our great country next year.
The critical tool here is Brand USA, folks--I think you
know that--our public-private partnership that markets American
destinations abroad.
I was proud to author the bipartisan Travel Promotion,
Enhancement, and Modernization Act of 2014 to reauthorize Brand
USA, because it helps attract visitors without relying on
taxpayer dollars for funding.
We should ensure Brand USA remains strong and accountable
as the global competition for travelers intensifies.
To achieve that, I filed legislation yesterday with my
partner in the Tampa Bay area, Ms. Castor, to increase funding
for Brand USA as we gear up for America's 250 celebration. Dina
Titus also is a primary cosponsor from the great State of
Nevada.
Today, we will also examine the tradeoffs to commerce,
health, and safety that come with daylight saving time and any
adjustments to our clock-changing practices. Many argue that
more evening daylight boosts consumer activity and tourism.
Others raise valid concerns about sleep, road safety, and
school routines.
Our job is to take actions that help American workers,
businesses, of course, and visitors alike so we can deliver
wins for communities like mine--and, of course, yours--giving
families and businesses the opportunity and certainty, whether
we lock the clock or maintain the status quo.
So thank you to the witnesses.
I also want to mention that we have spring training in the
State of Florida, and that attracts a lot of economic--a lot of
tourism. And we need one more team in the Tampa Bay area. So if
anybody has any ideas, let us know.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Bilirakis follows:]
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Mr. Bilirakis. The chairman recognizes the ranking member,
Ms. Schakowsky, for her 5 minutes for an opening statement.
I yield back.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. JAN SCHAKOWSKY, A REPRESENTATIVE IN
CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF ILLINOIS
Ms. Schakowsky. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I hate to say this, but I believe that President Trump has
contributed to a decrease right now in the people who want to
come to the United States of America. That is right. We have
seen a decrease in the people who are coming to visit us.
And I want to tell you that even people who are citizens of
the United States of America often are mistaken as people who
are foreign and taken away for a while until it is finally true
that they are actually sometimes citizens and certainly members
in the United States of America.
So we have seen a real decrease in the number of people who
feel safe in coming to the United States, and that is a real--
that is a serious problem.
I know that we are well aware that we want to have people
come here and visit, but we have seen a 25 percent decrease in
the number of people who have come here from Canada, who used
to be our good friends, and they are not interested in seeing
them coming into the United States right now. Of course, they
are certainly not welcomed. And this is a real problem right
now.
And so I just want to say that in Illinois there are people
being grabbed and sent, whether or not they are citizens or
not, depending on how they look. It has been a real trauma in
my State, something that we do not need.
We want people to feel comfortable. We want them to come to
our events that we have here. And I think some people are very
nervous about that.
So I am going to yield now to Senator Castor to talk about
this important issue, because we need to have people come and
be welcomed to the United States.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Schakowsky follows:]
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Ms. Schakowsky. I yield to you.
Ms. Castor. Well, thank you, Ranking Member Schakowsky.
And I want to thank Chair Bilirakis and our witnesses.
All of these topics are very important to the State of
Florida, where we have no shortage of sunshine, and travel and
tourism are the bedrocks of our economy and our small
businesses and our way of life.
Just last year, Florida welcomed over 143 million visitors.
And all across the United States last year, travel and tourism
generated $2.9 trillion in economic output, supported over 15
million jobs, generated large amounts of local and State tax
revenue.
And part of that success is due to Brand USA. Brand USA was
created by the Congress in the Travel Promotion Act of 2009. It
is a public and private partnership that promotes the United
States to international tourists. In the last 12 years, their
efforts have contributed big time to visitors to the United
States.
And next year, the U.S.--in the State of Florida we are
going to welcome a lot of international visitors due to the
World Cup. And then on the horizon, we have the Olympics, the
Paralympics, USA 250, and the Women's World Cup in the outer
years.
Those are huge draws, but local economies also rely on a
consistent return of visitors year after year to the beautiful,
diverse beaches, mountains, and trails that America has to
offer.
I want to mention that the temperature today in Tampa/St.
Pete is going to be about 82 degrees and sunny. And we love our
tourists, because this is a clean industry that really provides
enormous opportunities.
So I see my time is running out. I will have more to say. I
want to thank Chair Bilirakis for leading the charge to
introduce the bipartisan VISIT USA Act. I am proud to be your
partner on that and look forward to our discussion today.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Castor follows:]
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Ms. Castor. Thank you. I yield back.
Mr. Bilirakis. Thank you very much. The gentlelady yields
back.
And now we will recognize the chairman of the full
committee, Mr. Guthrie, for 5 minutes for an opening statement.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. BRETT GUTHRIE, A REPRESENTATIVE IN
CONGRESS FROM THE COMMONWEALTH OF KENTUCKY
Mr. Guthrie. Thank you, Chairman Bilirakis, and thanks for
having this hearing.
And thank you to our witnesses for being here.
When I looked at the title of this hearing, I realized how
important punctuation is--Ms. Tees from English high school--
because if you didn't use the commas, this would be ``time
travel tourism,'' but it is ``time, travel, and tourism.''
So thanks for being here and thanks for having this
hearing.
So in Kentucky, travel and tourism are essential to our
economy. In my district, the city of Bowling Green draws
visitors from around the globe, whether they are touring the
National Corvette Museum or exploring the expansive caves,
caverns, and underground rivers in Mammoth Cave National Park
or Abraham Lincoln's birthplace.
Those experiences don't just showcase Kentucky's beauty and
ingenuity, they fuel local jobs and economic opportunity, just
the vast--tourists that go to the national park, not just the
national park but the surrounding communities who also have
caves--not every cave is in Caves National Park--and have
tourism as well and the things that work for our tourists.
So you can talk about travel and tourism in Kentucky. You
can't talk about it without talking about the Kentucky Derby.
It is one of the largest drivers of tourism across the country.
It is like we have a Super Bowl every year in Louisville.
The 2025 Derby brought an estimated $441 million to our State.
And that impact goes beyond the city limits of Louisville. It
has significant impact on the entire Commonwealth and even the
national economy.
And our Bourbon Trail is a great example of tourism, and it
brings people from around the world.
But one factor that has outsize impact on our robust travel
and tourism industry in the U.S. is the twice-annual clock-
changing practice as a result of daylight savings time.
And my good friend from Florida is going to learn that her
young daughter will not understand when the time changes, so
she is going to be on a body schedule, not on a clock schedule.
So it is always great to have Peanut in the room, so that is
wonderful.
But shifting from 1 hour of sunlight from the beginning to
the end of the day or vice versa can have different impacts on
people's ability to exercise outside, attend live events, or
attract customers to the retail business.
In my district, I live right on the line where it divides.
And so I have communities that are eastern and communities in
my district that are in central time zone. And so it is a
personal decision, and each place needs to look at how they
observe daylight savings time. And time would have real and
varied impacts for families.
If you think about it, Bardstown, Kentucky, has the same
time as Portland, Maine, but the sun comes up about an hour and
a half earlier in Portland, Maine, than it does in Bardstown
and sets an hour and a half earlier than it does in Bardstown.
Bowling Green, where I live, I have the exact same time as
my good friend from Fort Worth, Mr. Goldman, but the sun rises
for us an hour earlier and sets an hour earlier than it does,
maybe a little over an hour.
So these are things we really need to discuss, and I am
glad that we are.
And I have heard a range of arguments for and against
biannual time change, including the impact, more or less, of
sunlight so our children can safely travel to and from school
and back. It impacts energy efficiency as well as concerns from
Kentucky farmers, who say the time change disrupts their
morning harvest.
No matter where we fall on the issue, I know that many of
us have heard directly from our constituents about this topic.
And given our committee's significant responsibility to oversee
issues affecting interstate commerce, it is imperative that we
revisit policies like daylight savings time regularly to ensure
Federal law appropriately reflects the interests of all
Americans.
Thank you again to our witnesses for joining us today, and
I am looking forward to our conversation.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Guthrie follows:]
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Mr. Guthrie. And I will yield back.
Mr. Bilirakis. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate it.
Now I will recognize the ranking member of the full
committee, Mr. Pallone, for 5 minutes.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. FRANK PALLONE, Jr., A REPRESENTATIVE
IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY
Mr. Pallone. Thank you, Chairman Bilirakis.
Today, we are discussing travel, tourism, and time. As
Americans, we are extremely fortunate to have such a large and
diverse ntion to explore, from our beautiful national parks and
historic sites to world-famous theme parks and concert and
sports venues.
The U.S. provides a travel experience with something for
everyone to enjoy. And tourism contributes trillions of dollars
to our economy every year, creating jobs and supporting local
businesses.
Now, in my district, which is along the Jersey Shore,
tourists can enjoy beautiful coastal areas with serene beaches,
embark on fishing ventures along the Atlantic Coast, explore
the music scene at iconic venues like the Stone Pony, and so
much more.
So last year alone, New Jersey welcomed more than 120
million visitors to our State, and they contributed more than
$50 billion to our State's economy.
People around the world also recognize the top-tier travel
experience America has to offer. Over the next decade, the U.S.
will host many major world events. It has been mentioned by my
colleagues, the Olympics and Paralympics, FIFA World Cup. I am
proud to say that New Jersey will host multiple matches of the
World Cup, including the final game, next summer.
And major world events present an opportunity for growth in
the tourism sector that will bolster our economy, create jobs,
and allow us to showcase all that America has to offer. And we
must ensure that cities across the country are able to reap the
full benefits of these major events.
Unfortunately, the tourism industry is suffering. The Trump
administration's hostile trade policies and harsh immigration
actions have caused numerous countries, including Germany,
Canada, and the U.K., to issue travel warnings to their
citizens looking to visit the United States.
High visa fees, stories of legal tourists being wrongfully
detained at the border and treated cruelly by immigration
agents, and strained diplomatic relationships discourage
travelers from visiting our country because they simply do not
feel welcome.
And we are already feeling the economic impacts. The
International Trade Administration reported that travel
spending is down almost 3 percent from this time last year.
If these trends continue, our economy could lose billions
of dollars this year.
And we must ensure that travelers feel safe and welcome in
the United States. We can't afford not to, frankly.
So for American families, rising costs on everyday
essentials are forcing them to rethink travel plans. Republican
policies are driving up prices for Americans on everything from
groceries to healthcare premiums to their monthly power bills.
And as budgets get tighter, many Americans are cutting back
on travel. Studies have shown that more than half of Americans
are traveling less because of economic concerns.
So we know the U.S. has a lot to offer tourists, and our
economy, jobs, and small businesses have much to gain from a
thriving tourism industry, so we have to reverse course to
encourage travel, both domestic and international, and ensure
that international travelers choose the U.S. as a travel
destination and that American families can afford to see this
incredible nation from coast to coast.
Now, I know we are also discussing daylight savings time
today.
Changing our clocks twice a year disturbs our natural sleep
cycles, impacts productivity, and has been shown to be harmful
to our health.
Most people I talk to would like to have a set time that
doesn't change. But, unfortunately, we have not been able to
come up with any consensus on the best solution of how to do
that. Everyone has an opinion, particularly around the days
that we either spring forward or fall back, but finding
consensus has been difficult.
So I know this is an important issue. It also showcases our
jurisdiction. Mr. Dingell, one of our former chairmen who is
probably the most famous chairman of this committee, would
often say that the Energy and Commerce Committee has
jurisdiction over the world.
I don't know that he ever mentioned time, but I think when
I tell people, ``Oh, we have jurisdiction over time,'' they are
very impressed. Maybe they shouldn't be, but they are. So it is
certainly something we should discuss.
But I had a real hard time, Mr. Chairman, getting any kind
of consensus amongst Democrats or Republicans or the Senate or
the House. So I know this is going to be difficult.
But I do think most people think that we shouldn't be going
back and forth, but then they don't agree on where we stay.
So I look forward to hearing from our witnesses today, and
yield back, Mr. Chairman.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Pallone follows:]
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Mr. Bilirakis. Thank you. I appreciate it very much.
The gentleman yields back.
Now our witnesses for today.
Ms. Rosanna Maietta, president and CEO of the American
Hotel and Lodging Association.
Welcome.
Dr. Tyler J. Kleppe, EY Associate Professor of Accounting
at the Von Allmen School of Accountancy at Gatton College of
Business and Economics at the University of Kentucky.
Ms. Lisa Simon, CEO and executive director of the
International Inbound Travel Association.
Welcome.
And Mr. Jay Karen, CEO of the National Golf Course Owners
Association.
Welcome, sir.
So why don't we begin with Ms. Maietta. You are recognized
for your 5 minutes of testimony. Welcome again.
STATEMENTS OF ROSANNA MAIETTA, PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE
OFFICER, AMERICAN HOTEL AND LODGING ASSOCIATION; TYLER J.
KLEPPE, Ph.D., EY ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF ACCOUNTING, UNIVERSITY
OF KENTUCKY; LISA SIMON, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL INBOUND TRAVEL ASSOCIATION; AND JAY
KAREN, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, NATIONAL GOLF COURSE OWNERS
ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA
STATEMENT OF ROSANNA MAIETTA
Ms. Maietta. Good morning, Chairman Bilirakis, Ranking
Member Schakowsky, and distinguished members of the committee.
My name is Rosanna Maietta, and I am the president and CEO of
the American Hotel and Lodging Association, the unified voice
of the Nation's hotels.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.
Travel and tourism are essential to the American economy.
Travel opens doors and builds appreciation for American culture
and values. It is how we connect with each other on a human
level. It is how we build business relationships that make this
country go. It is, of course, how we enjoy well-earned vacation
time.
Hotels are at the heart of travel. They are where we start
and end each day, our homes away from home.
I am proud to note that all of you have hotels in your
district. Most of you have more than a hundred of them. All of
them are economic engines when they are allowed to flourish.
The majority of hotels in this country are small-business
owned. Hotels generate nearly $900 billion in GDP annually,
contribute $83 billion in tax revenue, employ more than 2
million workers. That means our industry supports one in every
25 jobs across this Nation.
I do think it is important for you to be aware that the
past 5 years have been challenging for our industry, which has
yet to fully recover from the pandemic. While there was a surge
in travel immediately after it, hotel occupancy rates have
since softened.
Since 2020, hotel owners and operators have struggled with
rising operating costs due to increasing insurance premiums and
interest rates and higher labor and healthcare costs. These
expenses have increased four times faster than revenue. The
recent shutdown exacerbated these challenges.
We also face significant staffing shortages. Nearly half of
the Nation's hotels remain severely or partially understaffed.
Despite it all, hotels remain open, resilient, and
committed to serving their communities.
And we believe the future is bright. Major happenings, like
the World Cup, America 250, and the Olympics, are right around
the corner. These have the potential to drive surges in both
major and secondary markets and generate tax revenue,
infrastructure investment, and workforce development, and,
importantly, show the rest of the world the best of America.
Crucially, the tax reform bill signed into law this summer
was a particular bright spot. It delivered the clarity and
permanence that hotel owners and small businesses across the
country urgently need to be able to invest in their communities
and expand their operations. And we are proud that more than
800,000 hotel employees will keep more of what they earned
through No Tax on Tips.
Looking to the future, congressional decisions on
Government funding, international travel, and workforce
stability will determine whether hotels can fully welcome
millions of visitors for these events, and our industry
recommends four specific policy solutions.
First, we echo the letters from Congress to the Departments
of Homeland Security and Labor urging that they release the
maximum allowable number of supplemental H-2B visas. These
visas are critical to helping hotels maintain operations,
especially on the eve of the WorldCup.
Second, restore full funding to Brand USA, the Nation's
destination marketing organization, via the VISIT USA Act.
Brand USA consistently delivers one of the highest returns on
investment of any Federal program by promoting the United
States to the rest of the world.
Third, we urge lawmakers to pass a long-term funding bill
before the January deadline. The recent shutdown cost more than
$1.2 billion in lost economic activity just tied to hotel
stays, hurting the communities that we serve.
Lastly, Congress should pass the American Franchise Act,
which provides essential clarity and protection to preserve the
franchise relationship and safeguard brand standards.
Franchised hotels are the backbone of the hotel industry,
accounting for nearly 60 percent of U.S. hotels.
Chairman Bilirakis, Ranking Member Schakowsky, and members
of the committee, thank you for your leadership and for the
opportunity to testify today. I look forward to working with
each member of this committee to ensure that America remains
the most hospitable nation in the world.
Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Maietta follows:]
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Mr. Bilirakis. Thank you so very much. Appreciate it.
Dr. Kleppe, you are recognized for 5 minutes for your
testimony. Welcome, sir.
STATEMENT OF TYLER J. KLEPPE, Ph.D.
Dr. Kleppe. Thank you, Chairman Bilirakis, Chairman
Guthrie, Ranking Members Pallone and Schakowsky, and members of
the subcommittee. Thank you for your invitation to testify at
this hearing.
My name is Tyler Kleppe. I am the EY Associate Professor at
the University of Kentucky.
My research covers several topics related to capital
markets and financial regulation. Of particular interest to
this subcommittee and this hearing, I have recently published
coauthored research that examines the effects of daylight
saving time, or DST, phasing on capital market participants. I
am excited to share the insights of this research with you
today.
Before I discuss this research in detail, I want to make it
clear that my testimony is based on my expertise as a
researcher in capital markets. I am not an expert on the
psychological or psychophysical impacts of DST phasing.
With that said, my interest in studying the effects of DST
phasing on capital markets was motivated by the considerable
evidence, including some that has been mentioned by the Members
already, across other disciplines, indicating that DST
adjustments negatively impact individuals and yield various
negative consequences, including increased traffic and
workplace accidents, atypically punitive judicial sentencing,
and higher frequencies of heart attacks and brain dysfunction.
My research seeks to address whether these negative impacts
spill over to another important but underexplored setting:
public equity markets. Understanding how DST phasing impacts
U.S. financial markets is crucial for understanding the broader
economic implications of DST policy.
My work in this area is titled ``The Effects of Daylight
Saving Time Adjustments on Investor Information Processing.''
It was published in The Accounting Review, one of the leading
accounting research journals.
This work is coauthored with Andrew Pierce at Georgia State
University, Zac Wiebe at the University of Arkansas, and Teri
Yohn at Emory University.
Now, in the study we examine the effects of spring
forward--so in March--the DST advances on U.S. investors'
processing of corporate earnings news. We focused on advances
in March because these time shifts occur during spring earning
season, which, as many of you might be aware of, it is a period
when many public companies disclose earnings news to investors
and other capital market stakeholders.
Now, given our interest in understanding how these
adjustments affect investors' decision making, we view this as
an ideal setting to examine our research question.
Using quarterly earnings announcements made by U.S.
companies during this current DST regime--so we looked
specifically from 2007 through 2018--we examined investors'
price responsiveness to earnings news.
Now, most of the time, a company's earnings map directly
into company value. And consistent with this, decades of
research in accounting and finance have shown that earnings
news impacts stock prices.
This finding is so robust, it is a classical test of market
efficiency in the capital markets literature. In other words,
when stock prices are less responsive to earnings news, this is
evidence that markets are less efficient.
Consistent with DST advances dampening the investor
response to earnings news, we observe significantly lower price
responsiveness for earnings announcements made in the week
following a DST advance relative to other announcements.
Now, this finding is consistent with DST adjustments
inducing cognitive impairment, such that investors are slower
to process information contained in these very important
earnings announcements.
Now, our study adds to our collective understanding of how
DST adjustments impact capital markets and highlights an
important economic cost of DST phasing.
Market efficiency is crucial for a well-functioning
financial system, and thus we view our evidence that DST
advances impair the efficiency of U.S. equity markets, which
are well-known as the most efficient and sophisticated markets
in the world, to be meaningful and relevant to U.S.
policymakers.
In particular, we find that retail investors are
particularly susceptible to the cost of these DST advances,
which we view as relevant, because there could be a
disadvantage to retail investors versus the more sophisticated
investors.
Now, that said, we acknowledge that we are only one of
several economic studies that examine the impacts of DST
phasing. Thus, I believe it is prudent to consider the evidence
as a whole in making any policy decisions as opposed to
focusing on one particular finding in isolation.
Moreover, our evidence cannot speak directly to any
potential changes in processing costs associated with remaining
on daylight saving time or standard time permanently, which is
a common challenge in the academic literature since we--as most
of us as Americans, aside from a few States--have been
experiencing these biannual time shifts for several decades.
As such, the intent of our study and our research is not to
speak to the optimality of different policies but rather to
provide evidence that you can weigh in considering the costs
and benefits of alternative policies.
I appreciate the opportunity to testify to this
subcommittee, and I look forward to your questions.
[The prepared statement of Dr. Kleppe follows:]
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Mr. Bilirakis. Thank you, sir.
The gentleman yields back.
Now we will recognize Ms. Simon for her 5 minutes.
Thank you.
STATEMENT OF LISA SIMON
Ms. Simon. Thank you, and good morning, Ranking Member
Schakowsky, Committee Chair Guthrie, Ranking Member Pallone,
and esteemed members of the subcommittee.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify on the state of
international inbound travel to the United States, an industry
that affects every congressional district, every urban and
rural community, and thousands of small businesses across our
country.
I am Lisa Simon with the International Inbound Travel
Association, and our members are the tour operators,
destination partners, and travel services that welcome millions
of international visitors to the United States each year.
International inbound tourism is a vital American export
that supports millions of jobs, strengthens local economies and
small businesses, and contributes significantly to the U.S.
trade balance.
I would like to first acknowledge that good things have
happened and are happening this year in support of
international tourism, none the least of which is the
recognition and support of the mega events that are coming to
the U.S. in the next several years, starting with the FIFA
World Cup next year and the Olympics and Paralympics in 2028
and 2034.
We commend Congress and the administration for taking
tourism issues seriously. However, we have other big issues
that are negatively impacting this vital economic driver.
Today, I share the sobering reality that Ranking Member
Schakowsky also mentioned: that our international inbound
travel to the U.S. is in decline. Through September,
international arrivals are down 3.5 percent, and we are
expected to end the year with 67 million international
visitors, which is down 6 percent from the 72 million in 2024.
While it varies by market, an example is Canada. Our top
inbound international market is down a whopping 25 percent.
At the beginning of the year, projections indicated we
would reach prepandemic visitor levels by the end of 2026. That
recovery has now been pushed out to 2029.
Since 2019, the U.S. has gone from a $54 billion travel
trade surplus to a projected deficit of nearly $60 billion this
year.
The rest of the world has been growing international
visitation faster than the United States, reducing our market
share of global international travelers. In fact, the United
States is the only major country in the world that is predicted
to decline in international visitor spending in 2025.
While there are many contributors, many of the biggest
deterrents come from recent policy changes, some of which that
have gone into effect, others that have been proposed.
First, steep fee increases for international visitors that
are building on the already high cost of visiting the United
States. We are an expensive destination.
From the One Big Beautiful Bill there is a proposed $250
visa integrity fee on top of the existing $185 visa application
fee which, if implemented, would result in the U.S. having the
second-highest visa cost in the world.
Entry fees for travelers from visa waiver countries and
those entering at land borders have doubled and increased
fivefold, respectively.
And a recent Executive order directs higher entrance fees
for international visitors to national parks, coupled with a
bicameral bill, the PATRIOT Parks Act, that would codify this
international visitor surcharge.
This particular policy we believe would have serious
consequences beyond cost. Imagine the long lines and delayed
entry for visitors, including Americans, as the parks check the
IDs of every visitor.
Second, several issues are causing economic uncertainty and
eroding consumer confidence, like stricter border and
immigration policies, tariffs, and geopolitical relations
overall.
The Government shutdown definitely impacted, and I should
note that this shutdown cost $5.5 billion in travel revenue.
Long visa appointment wait times. I should also mention
that. As an aside, we were very happy to see the President's
action this week to create a World Cup pass to guarantee visa
appointments for ticket holders and an addition of 400 consular
officers. That will definitely ease the pressure.
Finally, the funding cut to Brand USA. Brand USA, as
mentioned, is funded by private-sector contributions and fees
paid by international visitors from visa waiver countries. No
American tax dollars are used to fund Brand USA.
The One Big Beautiful Bill cut Brand USA's funding by 80
percent at a time when we need to be in front of the world with
a unified welcoming message.
We respectfully urge Congress to ensure a welcoming,
seamless, and efficient entry process for international
visitors. Reject policies that single out international
visitors, including the PATRIOT Parks Act and the $250 visa
integrity fee. Streamline visa processing and expand visa
waiver programs. Support Chairman Bilirakis' bill, the VISIT
USA Act announced yesterday--and again thank you, Chairman--to
restore full funding for Brand USA for the next 2 years. And
then reauthorize Brand USA in 2027.
In closing, we cannot afford to lose any more ground in one
of our most important export industries that supports our
communities, American workers, and our national economy.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify, and I am happy to
answer any questions. Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Simon follows:]
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Mr. Bilirakis. We appreciate it very much.
Now we will hear from Mr. Karen.
You are recognized for your 5 minutes of testimony.
Mr. Karen. Good morning.
Mr. Bilirakis. Good morning.
STATEMENT OF JAY KAREN
Mr. Karen. Members of the subcommittee, thank you for this
opportunity. I am Jay Karen, CEO of the National Golf Course
Owners Association, representing 4,000 golf courses nationwide:
public, private, resort, municipal facilities. Basically, if it
has a flag stick, we take a stake in it.
I also serve on the leadership committee of the American
Golf Industry Coalition and on the board of directors at the
U.S. Travel Association.
Many people think of golf as just a game until they really
understand the impact behind it. Golf is a $102 billion
industry employing nearly 2 million Americans and a game played
outdoors by 30 million Americans.
What many don't realize is that 75 percent of courses in
America are public access. We generate $40 billion in tourism
annually and raise $5 billion for charities through golf
outings, more than all sports combined. And I understand golf
outings can be effective fundraisers for political campaigns as
well.
Golf is a public health and environmental asset. It is
outdoor recreation, green space, wildlife habitat, and exercise
all in one.
So about daylight saving time. Let me be direct. The golf
industry strongly opposes making standard time permanent. Our
data shows that permanent standard time would cost the
industry, at a bare minimum, $1.6 billion annually in green
fees alone, not counting cart rentals, food, beverage, or
merchandise. That is approximately $200,000 lost in revenue per
golf course and 37 million lost rounds of golf.
Why is that? Golf depends on what we call recreational
daylight, when the sunlight overlaps with people's availability
to be outdoors. Americans overwhelmingly prefer afternoon and
evening recreation. Our point-of-sale data shows afternoon and
evening hours generate 40 percent more revenue per hour than
the morning play.
Permanent standard time would trade 6 p.m. for 6 a.m.,
eliminating our most valuable inventory while adding demand at
hours nobody wants. And I can tell you from experience, except
for maybe Bethpage Black, where the Ryder Cup was just played,
Americans are not lining up at 5 a.m. for tee times.
Our industry has diverse views on making daylight saving
time permanent, though. Surveys show that about 64 percent of
our members support permanent daylight saving time while 83
percent agree, though, that it would help their businesses; 27
percent prefer changing the clocks twice yearly, the status
quo; and only 7 percent support making permanent standard time.
So permanent standard time would devastate evening leagues,
after-work play, after-school play, charity fundraising events,
and seasonal employment.
Beyond golf's economic interests, extending evening
daylight supports public health, combating obesity, supporting
youth sports, and enhancing public safety through reduced crime
rates. If we eliminate changing the clocks, we urge permanent
daylight saving time.
Now, turning to travel and tourism, America is losing
ground internationally. We have heard that. The U.S. is the
only major country projected to see declining international
visitor spending in 2025. Cost and perception issues are major
barriers, the strong dollar through 2024. Visa wait times can
average 175 days in top markets. And now the visa integrity
fee.
This comes at the worst possible time. In the next 4 years
we will host all of these wonderful events and expect to draw
40 million international visitors, but only if we strengthen
our competitiveness.
Inside of travel, golf represents an underutilized asset.
Our $40 billion in annual golf tourism makes us the second-
largest economic driver in the sport. International golf
travelers are exceptionally high-value visitors, spending
$3,000 per trip versus $1,600 for domestic travelers, staying
six nights versus 3\1/2\ nights, and filling shoulder seasons
when beach and ski destinations struggle.
The U.S. has the best golf tourism product in the world,
and we are dramatically outmarketed by Scotland, Ireland,
Spain, and emerging destinations in the Middle East and Asia.
The urgent priority is to restore Brand USA's full funding.
Congress cut it by 80 percent. Brand USA represents, as we
know, or operates through ESTA fees and private industry
contributions, not taxpayer dollars, and generates a 24-to-1
return on that investment.
At current funding levels, we cannot compete with countries
spending 40 to 50 million dollars annually marketing their
destinations.
So we strongly support bipartisan legislation, led by
Chairman Bilirakis, Representative Castor, along with Senators
Sullivan, Klobuchar, Capito, and Rosen, to restore full funding
in fiscal years 2026 and 2027.
Following funding restoration, Brand USA should be
reauthorized beyond fiscal year 2027, and, of course, with
specific direction to position golf as a signature American
tourism experience.
In conclusion here, daylight and tourism policy may seem
unrelated, but if we get this right, Americans stay active,
communities thrive, and the U.S. remains a premier destination.
Thank you for inviting me to share this perspective.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Karen follows:]
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Mr. Bilirakis. Thank you very much. We appreciate it very
much. And I have several golf courses, as you know, in my area.
That is for sure. I am not going to mention any, because I
don't want to leave anyone out.
But in any case, let's go ahead and start with the
questions. I am going to recognize myself for 5 minutes.
My first question is to Ms. Maietta.
I am a strong supporter, as you know, of Brand USA, the
Nation's tourism marketing arm, which in fiscal year 2024
brought an estimated $25 in visitor spending for every dollar
invested. Again, no taxpayer dollars.
How important is Brand USA to America's competitiveness in
attracting international travelers?
Ms. Maietta. Thank you, Chairman, for having me here and
for introducing VISIT USA along with Representative Castor.
Brand USA is critical to attracting more visitors here at
home. As you have heard from myself and others here, we have
been losing international travelers for a number of years. We
are down 24 percent over the last 5 years. We haven't come back
to prepandemic levels of international visitors here at home.
And the benefit of not only showing this great country of
ours from coast to coast and all of the culture that America
showcases and has to offer the rest of the world, foreign
travelers spend eight times more when they are here in the
States. For every American that travels across the country
spending $100 in hotels, they spend $234 in the community.
International travelers spend eight times that.
And so it is a critical international--it is a critical
export for us. So we would encourage passage of that into law
in the funding of--the restoration of funding for Brand USA. It
is critical to our future.
Mr. Bilirakis. Thank you.
Mr. Karen, sports tourism, including golf, is a major
engine of economic activity, generating $114.4 billion in total
economic impact and supporting 665,000 jobs in 2024, according
to the Sports ETA, in the coming years.
The U.S. is preparing, of course, as you know, in the
coming years to host major international events like the 2026
World Cup and the 2028 Olympics.
How can the U.S. capitalize on these opportunities and
ensure local communities benefit from the spillover economic
effects that these mega events will bring?
Mr. Karen. The wonderful thing about Brand USA is the
cooperative marketing that happens within it, the cooperative
marketing and branding that Brand USA does with hundreds of
destinations around America, State and local.
So I am sure, knowing what is coming over the next 4, 5, 6
years, that Brand USA is ready to pick up the opportunity to
kind of be the concierge for all those coming to America, if
you will, for international visitors looking to enjoy their
stay before, during, and after these amazing events.
The technology that they use on their site allows you kind
of to build itineraries. If I am coming to the U.S. for 5, 6, 7
days, where do I want to go, what do I want to do? And it
includes the surrounding areas, not just the hub cities.
And the marketing campaigns often highlight the local and
unsung assets in those areas as well.
So I think the way for the spillover effect into the local
communities is to let Brand USA do their thing. Empower them to
do this.
Mr. Bilirakis. Very good. Thank you very much.
The great State of Florida was the first State to enact
legislation to adopt a permanent daylight savings time, pending
Federal action, in order to secure more evening daylight, but
we need Federal action if that is going to happen.
Dr. Kleppe and then Mr. Karen, what are the economic pros
and cons of year-round daylight savings time, particularly with
respect to travel and tourism?
We will start with Mr. Kleppe. And I know, Mr. Karen, you
might want to elaborate a little bit. I know it was in your
previous testimony.
But, Mr. Karen, please.
Dr. Kleppe. Thank you, Chairman, for that question.
Now, the answer to that question kind of lies outside of
the direct research I have done.
Mr. Bilirakis. I understand that.
Dr. Kleppe. But I can give you the academic perspective.
So as far as the pros, the economic pros for permanent
daylight saving time I think echoes what Mr. Karen mentioned
about the potential increased revenue in certain industries,
particularly retail, restaurants, hospitality, outdoor
recreation, those particular industries that benefit from more
afternoon or evening sunlight.
I think the major cons come from the--supported by the
evidence in neurology and sleep science--that being on
permanent standard time is better for our cognitive function.
And so being on daylight time permanently could lead to issues
like absenteeism for workers, because they are more likely to
be absent when there is more daylight time in the evenings.
Research has shown that. And so that could have economic
productivity costs if workers are working less.
And the spillover effect could be, if they are working
less, salaries and wages are lower, they have less disposable
income to spend on those retail and hospitality services.
So, again, it is--there is not a ton of research on it,
because we don't have--we haven't lived in an environment where
we have this permanent daylight time, but that is the academic
perspective that I can share.
Mr. Bilirakis. OK. Thank you very much.
Mr. Karen, briefly, because I am over time.
Mr. Karen. So I think Congressman Fry will appreciate this
one about Myrtle Beach, because when you look at a golf
destination like Myrtle Beach, and standard time goes from
November to March, really about 4 months, and if daylight
saving time was made permanent, it opens up afternoon hours to
play more golf in the afternoon.
So the folks coming down from Ohio and Canada that like to
go to Myrtle Beach, they can squeeze two rounds of golf in
instead of one on these trips.
And it just basically unlocks an amazing amount of
inventory for the golf industry. But that translates to good
health for Americans as well. So we have millions, tens of
millions more people playing golf in the afternoons as a
result. So the economic impact of that is enormous.
Mr. Bilirakis. Thank you very much. I appreciate it.
I went over my time. I will give you opportunity, Ms.
Schakowsky, to go over your time if you like.
I want to yield to you 5 minutes for your questioning,
please.
Ms. Schakowsky. Thank you very much.
Ms. Simon, I want to thank you so much for your
participation here. Thank you. And I have just a couple things
that I want to ask you about.
We have a 25 percent decrease from Canada in the amount
that is paid now to the United States of America, and some
other places not doing so well either.
And I wanted to ask you, what are the things that are
standing in the way of increasing the work that other countries
are doing with the United States of America? So if you could
talk about what kind of improvements that we could make.
It is really too bad I think with Canada that we are--they
have been a good friend of ours for a long time and no longer.
But if you could talk about what we need to do to make it
better for foreign travel.
Ms. Simon. Thank you, Congresswoman. That is a wonderful
question, and I appreciate it.
International travelers are confronted with a number of
issues that are prohibiting them or inhibiting them from coming
to the United States, starting with, I think, rising costs.
We are an expensive destination. Hotel costs and
transportation costs haven't really gone down since the
pandemic. So business costs are up. Therefore, traveler
expenses are up.
And then we, by policy, are now adding rising expenses to
just them coming to the United States with the $250 visa
integrity fee that is proposed.
There are also higher entrance fees that have gone into
effect for ESTA fees for travelers from visa waiver countries.
That has gone from $21 to $40. It nearly doubled.
Land border fees, which would affect, obviously, Canada.
The I-94 form entrance fee has gone from $6 to $30.
So there are significant additions to the cost of just
entering the United States.
And now there is a proposal from--an Executive order,
actually--to introduce international fees that are higher than
U.S. fees, residence fees, for entry to national parks.
We believe this: Just the target of these fees on
international visitors sends an unwelcoming message. And you
couple that with the global media attention, basically, that
there has been on tariffs and the border detainments, hardening
of immigration and ICE raids, I think, as you mentioned
earlier, it presents unwelcoming images to foreign visitors.
And it creates a lot of uncertainty, a lot of negative
sentiment, a lot of feeling of unwelcomeness.
And it is coming at a time when there are a lot of other
options. There's very high competition for destinations right
now. Other countries are making it cheaper and easier to visit,
and we are making it harder and more expensive.
Ms. Schakowsky. So what do you recommend are the things
that we could do to improve travel to the United States?
Ms. Simon. I would eliminate those fees. Do not move
forward with the $250 visa integrity fee. Do not implement a
higher fee for international visitors to national parks.
I would reauthorize in 2027--but for now fund through the
new VISIT USA Act--Brand USA, because they really do drive
travelers and demand to the United States.
They also are challenged with making sure that they address
policies and procedures and that international visitors are
well informed.
And as my colleague said, they coordinate destination
marketing across the country and help our destinations and
cities across the country welcome and let international
visitors know they are welcome to the United States to visit.
Ms. Schakowsky. So are you working to help prevent the
things that are keeping them away?
Ms. Simon. Absolutely. Our members are working with the
international travel trade, the tour operators and travel
agents that are actually working with the consumers,
international consumers. And we spend a great deal of time
educating them on current policies and, as they are changing,
making sure they are aware of changes, making sure they
understand facts versus perhaps misperceptions.
Ms. Schakowsky. Thank you so much. I appreciate it.
Ms. Simon. Thank you.
Ms. Bilirakis. The gentlelady yields back.
Now I recognize the chairman of the full committee, Mr.
Guthrie, for his 5 minutes of questioning.
Mr. Guthrie. Thanks.
Thanks, Dr. Kleppe. This is for you.
I mentioned that my district splits. Literally, I live
right almost on the border. And I mentioned in the afternoon
the sun rises and sun sets an hour different in Portland and
Bardstown and my place where I live in Fort Worth.
But if you look at Bardstown and where I live, we have the
same sun but different time. And so I know we all want--we are
interested in the extra hour. I would love to have the extra
hour afternoon time.
But also, if you change it in the morning, then kids from
Bardstown will be--actually, there is a town called
Brandenburg. It is really west of where I live. It is still in
eastern. They would be going to like 8:30, I think, before the
sun would rise.
So would you just talk about the effects of daylight
changing time zones when people live this close together?
Dr. Kleppe. Absolutely, Chairman. Thank you for that
question. I would also like to get in that when you mentioned
the Derby for Kentucky tourism, let's not forget Keeneland and
Lexington as well.
But yeah, to answer your question, Kentucky, your district,
is----
Mr. Guthrie. Well, for 140,000 people to come to Keeneland
too on a certain day, that would be great.
Dr. Kleppe. Yeah. I know your district is uniquely
positioned as it relates to time and sunlight issues.
What I can say from our research is that there is no reason
to expect that these time shifts would differentially affect
your constituents based on time zone.
However, a shift in the policy to permanent--for example,
permanent daylight saving time would be more salient and
potentially more costly, depending on what time zone you are in
and where you are in the time zone.
So just, for example, for the part of your district that is
on the western edge of the eastern time zone, the costs and
risks of reduced sunlight in the mornings are going to be much
more significant than your constituents on the eastern side of
the central time zone.
And so I think you could have a whole 'nother hearing on
time zone issues. We could spend a whole day on that. But I
would just urge you to consider those issues as well if you
consider any policy changes, that the impacts, some of the
costs would certainly differ, based on where you are located
within a time zone.
Mr. Guthrie. So, Mr. Karen, so the opposite of--so the hour
comes up. So it would be like 8:30 before the sun comes up in
the western edge of eastern, but where I live, the sun goes
down about 4:35 like now. December 21st I think the sun goes
down just a little after 4 o'clock in the afternoon, probably
before 5. It is between 4:30 and 5.
And then other States, you have, like, we are across from
Indiana. I think Indiana, they changed the way they observe
time. But it used to be there were the counties around
Louisville was always on eastern. The counties around.
So could you just describe about the difficulty of just a
patchwork of time zone changes?
So let's say we let each State do it. Kentucky doesn't do
it but Indiana does do it. For some reason, Indiana did it a
couple years ago. As a matter of fact, the Governor at the
time--he ended up being president of Purdue--said that that was
probably the most difficult decision he made as Governor--or
the most political, I would say.
Mr. Karen. So I think the legislation that is being
proposed right now in Congress, whether it is to make daylight
saving time permanent but it would allow for States to opt out
into standard time, or there is another law that would allow
States just simply to choose whichever one they want--you know,
we already--I mean, I am no States' rights expert necessarily,
but I can tell you we already have enough issues with figuring
out what time zone some States are in. If we add another
variable, whether what time zone and if they are in DST or
standard time, that will be very interesting.
Dr. Kleppe and I were talking earlier. Just imagine that
Florida is on standard, Georgia is on daylight, South Carolina
is on standard. Just having to figure that out is just mind
blowing.
But it would cause a lot of complexities for sure,
additional complexities, to understand--in my industry golfers
probably, if they cross State lines, they might show up late or
the technology may have to identify which golf course is in
what time zone, in what time observance.
I would urge Congress to pick a uniform time, and, if it is
possible, to get the entire country on it.
Mr. Guthrie. Meade County and Breckinridge County, some
people who live on the very eastern area of Breckinridge just
observe eastern time because most people work at Fort Knox.
They live there and Fort Knox is in eastern time. But the
school system is on the county time. So it is confusing. I have
showed up--the one time I have actually messed up was going to
Irvine, that area, on time.
So, Ms. Maietta, could you elaborate on the economic impact
of the lodging industry, local communities that rely on
tourism. Specifically, why is travel-driven spending such an
important part of the broader U.S. economy?
Ms. Maietta. Thank you for the question, Chairman.
Travel and tourism brings us all together, for one. It
unites us around big events, wonderful moments.
People are traveling more now for experiences, whether that
is coming to the Derby or other sporting events or concerts and
food, Bourbon Trails, and the like.
But more than that, we fuel communities. If you think about
the $83 billion that the industry supports in tax revenue
alone, that goes back into individual communities.
Any time a hotel goes up in Main Street America, commerce
around that community flows, because the coffee shop opens, the
retail store opens, a florist pops up across the street.
And so it just generates both revenue for communities that
go back into emergency services, supporting firefighters--
Mr. Guthrie. I just noticed my clock has expired.
Ms. Maietta. Thank you.
Mr. Guthrie. We are all looking forward to hearing more.
I will yield back.
Mr. Bilirakis. I appreciate it very much, Mr. Chairman.
I now will recognize the ranking member for his 5 minutes
of questioning.
Mr. Pallone. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I am probably not going to ask questions about the time
because, to be honest, I really think the key is if we can get
a consensus on agreeing on one time. Very few people I talk to
want to go back and forth, but then they don't agree on what we
should stay with. So that is the problem.
But I want to talk about some travel issues. As we know,
the COVID-19 pandemic grounded travel to a halt, decimating the
tourism industry, which is still recovering, frankly.
So, Ms. Simon, in your testimony you state the U.S. is not
expected to reach prepandemic levels of international travel
until 2029, even with major sporting events like the 2026 FIFA
World Cup and the 2028 Olympic and Paralympics Games taking
place in the U.S. even before that.
So let me just ask you, how will challenges to visiting the
U.S., such as increased visa fees and other cost increases,
long visa wait times, hidden fees, immigration concerns, and
unpredictable market conditions, impact America's ability to
reap the full benefits of hosting next year's World Cup and
other international sporting events, if you will?
Ms. Simon. Thank you, Ranking Member, and I appreciate the
question.
There are a number of issues that you have mentioned that
are impacting visitation to the United States. And the mega
events that we have coming in the next few years are definitely
going to help our international numbers stay somewhat stable.
But the impacts that we are seeing are not just for
visitors coming in for those mega events. It is the traditional
visitors and tourists that are coming in for other activities,
just to see the national parks, to see the destinations, to
experience the American culture.
Issues like rising costs at the border, tariffs and rising
costs, concerns on different travel supplies, like hotels,
again, transportation costs, and so on, for their whole trip,
and then again the negative sentiment that some of these rising
costs and tariffs and images that are being presented about the
United States are impacting travelers' decisions on whether or
not to come to the United States.
I think we have a golden opportunity with the mega events,
starting with the World Cup next year, to really spotlight the
United States and all the different, unique things we have to
do, see, and experience here in our country.
And that should have a lasting effect on growing travel in
future years, because people will see all the things that they
can do. And those who are coming for the Games will be
experiencing multiple destinations while they are here. So that
is going to drive, again, business across the country.
Mr. Pallone. And let me ask you this. You know, the Jersey
Shore, it is mostly people, you know, from Americans, you know,
New York, Pennsylvania, come, right. But we do get a signif--or
we used to get a significant number of Canadians, and that
clearly has dropped significantly.
So, you know, I mean, I don't understand, the Trump
administration just keeps targeting Canada in this kind of
overreaching tariff wars and attacks on Canada. He wants it to
be another State, whatever.
But both Mr. Karen, and you, Ms. Simon, your testimony
cited a significant drop of close to 25 percent of inbound
travel from Canada. Mr. Karen said this has led to a $4 billion
loss in spending from Canadian tourists.
So, Ms. Simon, how does this attitude towards one of our
closest allies impact inbound tourism and the greater national
Canada? I am talking about Canada, now, not just to New Jersey,
but elsewhere.
Ms. Simon. As you indicated, Canada is down, through
September, 25 percent. That varies by land entry and air. Air
is about 23 percent, lLand entry is about 31 percent of
Canadian decline. It is primarily due, as you said, to the
tariffs and the political relations, if you will, with Canada.
Our Canadian friends are longing to come back, and our
destinations across the country are really trying to help them
see that they are welcome in the country. But we really have to
do a very significant job, I think, of communicating that from
the U.S. Government, not just individual destinations, the U.S.
Government has to say, ``You are welcome, we want you here.''
Mr. Pallone. Well, I also think Trump has got to stop
saying he is going to make it a State, you know. I mean, I
can't think of anything that is more insulting to Canadians
than saying ``You are going to be our 51st State'' over and
over again, you know. Anyway, thank you so much.
Ms. Simon. Yes.
Mr. Bilirakis. The gentleman yields back.
I now recognize Dr. Dunn, and he represents part of the
Panhandle. Isn't that right?
Mr. Dunn. It is.
Mr. Bilirakis. In Florida, so I know that is a split time
zone, so----
Mr. Dunn. And I am assured I am allowed to----
Mr. Bilirakis. You are recognized.
Mr. Dunn [continuing]. Boast about the free State of
Florida today, so if I may, I would like to do a little of
that.
My district includes Panama City Beach, Apalachicola, St.
George Island, 30A, Rosemary Beach, Mexico Beach, and our
treasured State capital city, Tallahassee. They are all
welcomed tourist destinations domestically and internationally.
I think it has been known that our Panhandle area has been
known as the Emerald Coast, the Miracle Strip, and sometimes
called the Forgotten Coast. It is frequently ranked as home to
the world's best beaches. I happen to think that is correct.
And as my colleagues noted, the travel to America has been
susceptible to a changing global economy, especially after the
restrictions placed upon the country during the pandemic.
I support the hard work of our hospitality and service
industry in Florida. They work around the clock to make our
State a top travel destination. We number over 100 million
tourist visits a year.
In addition to the many programs we support in Congress,
like the public-private partnership Brand USA, and the billions
of dollars generated at our national parks every year, I mean,
there's a lot of good things to say and talk about.
I look forward to discussing that today. And, of course, we
are preparing for the 2028 Summer Olympics and 2026 FIFA World
Cup as well, so--not to mention our birthday celebration, the
250th.
Ms. Maietta, the American Hotel and Lodging Association
State of Industry shows that the occupancy rates in 2024 are
still below the prepandemic 2019 level. What are the biggest
barriers preventing us from recovering from COVID, perhaps, I
guess, and expanding our domestic and international travel
markets, and how have traveler behaviors changed since the
pandemic? Thank you.
Ms. Maietta. Thank you for the question. So I think there
are a couple of--there are many factors that have kept us from
reaching prepandemic levels. But make no mistake: Americans are
traveling. Their travel habits have changed. They are looking
for experiences. They are looking for budget experiences. There
is a hotel that meets every pocketbook, so I am very proud
about that.
I think it is really important for us as we think about our
industry that is still facing a significant staffing shortage
and that prevents other services--perhaps a restaurant stays
closed, or we are not offering room service because we don't
have the staff to support that. So releasing the supplemental
H-2B visas, it is a legal guest worker program that helps
supplement our staff, particularly in places like Florida,
resort destinations, far-flung places that are hard to get to
for staff. And so the visa--the H-2B visa program is of
particular importance.
And, again, passage of the VISIT USA Act, supporting Brand
USA, so that we can continue to showcase the best of America
with a welcome message, ease of travel, and making it
affordable for international guests to come here and spend
their money here will be important.
Mr. Dunn. Well, I urge you to continue pressing on the
guest worker programs. I mean, we tried to fix that years ago.
I mean, this is something we need across a number of
industries, so please keep working on that.
Mr. Karen, something you said earlier actually piqued my
interest. Did I understand you to advocate for a single time
zone for all of the United States?
Mr. Karen. No. No, sir. A single time observance, not a
single time zone. So daylight savings--that standard.
Mr. Dunn. Oh, OK. Better. I was struggling with that
concept. You know, there is a reason why we have time zones. I
was going to say, why don't we all just go on Zulu time or
whatever the heck, you know.
You know, so I was working in Australia a number of years
ago, the Army sent me there, and they actually define local
time--they define time zones quite locally, and they break them
down into 15-minute intervals. I mean, that gets, you know,
kind of confusing with the train schedules and whatnot, but--
so, I was, you know, just--I am glad you clarified that point
for me. I was a little stunned.
Mr. Chairman, I will yield back.
Mr. Bilirakis. Thank you very much. Appreciate it.
Now we will recognize Ms. Castor from the great State of
Florida, from the Tampa Bay area, and she has a lot of hidden
treasures in her district as well.
Ms. Castor. Yes, we do.
Mr. Bilirakis. You are recognized.
Ms. Castor. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Ms. Simon, international travelers have a lot of options.
These are their hard-earned dollars, discretionary dollars, and
they can travel just about anywhere they want all across the
world. I think that highlights the importance of a consistent
public-private partnership to promote American destinations.
We took an unfortunate U-turn under the Big Ugly Bill in
slashing support for Brand USA, and that is why I am so
grateful to Chair Bilirakis for getting us back on track under
the Vital Investment in Sustaining International Tourism Act to
the USA, the VISIT USA Act. I am proud to be the colead on
that.
But can you talk about why it is important to have
consistent messaging, advertising, promotion outside the United
States to encourage international travelers to come to the
U.S.?
Ms. Simon. Thank you for the question. And Brand USA does
do a tremendous job at that consistent messaging and making
sure that they are touting the best of America for
international visitors to come to our country. That is critical
because there is so much competition. We are--as I indicated
earlier, we are the only country that is going to see an
international spending--visitor spending decline in 2025. The
rest of the world, global international travel is growing. And
it is critical that we really focus on this as an industry and
as an economic driver of our country.
Brand USA is so important because for every dollar they
spend in industry promotions, the return is $21. So it is a
logical investment.
Ms. Castor. And that is not just in the State of Florida.
That is all across the country. There are plenty of places,
like I know Rep Soto is going to talk about everything
happening in the Orlando area, you have heard our--but
international travelers come all over to--and that supports
jobs and local economies all across the country, is that right?
Ms. Simon. Absolutely. And Brand USA is, by law, to promote
smaller destinations, rural destinations, small businesses, as
well as the main, of course, gateways and attractions to the
country. So they are bringing that economic benefit across the
country to all businesses and business owners.
Ms. Castor. And I hear from my Tampa Bay area of small
business owners, they need all the help they can get right now.
And I know many, many travelers are alarmed by the policies
of the Trump administration. And I have heard directly from
some of our best friends from Canada that they miss visiting
the Sunshine State that they love. Even--an aside--my mother,
who is 84 years old, used to play golf with three Canadian
women, and when the President started to insult Canada they
said, ``Betty, we are packing up and we are not coming back,''
and they have not returned.
And then, clearly, there are larger policy issues at play,
an affordability squeeze, over half of Americans are cutting
back on travel. Part of it is because of some of the deceptive
information out there when it comes to lodging.
I want to thank everyone on this committee for passing my
bipartisan Hotel Fees Transparency Act. It has passed the House
now. We are waiting for the Senate.
Ms. Maietta, thank you for being outspoken in support of
this. Why is it important that domestic travelers, or travelers
from anywhere, understand the price that is real to them,
especially when they are so concerned about the affordability
squeeze right now?
Ms. Maietta. Congresswoman Castor, thank you for your
leadership on that important bill.
Transparency is so important to all our guests, and I am so
proud of our industry for leading on displaying the price--the
total, all-in price--at the time of booking.
If you think about the habits of people booking hotels
today, they are coming from many different sites. Not everyone
is booking direct, even though we encourage that as the best
pathway. And so making sure that the rest of the travel
ecosystem is up to the same standards of displaying an all-in
price, incomprehensive of resort fees. It should be noted that
resort fees are only charged in 6 percent of all hotels. And we
know that guests are fine paying those charges if they are
getting a benefit or an amenity for it, but it is not
widespread. Not every hotel is charging resort fees.
Ms. Castor. But it will be a little bit of help for
travelers if the Senate can get that across the finish line,
don't you agree?
Ms. Maietta. Exactly. Thank you for sponsoring that bill,
and we hope to see that crossthe finish line.
Ms. Castor. Thank you. I yield back.
Ms. Lee [presiding]. Thank you. I now recognize myself for
5 minutes.
I appreciate all of our witnesses for being here today and
sharing your insight.
Tourism is critical for Florida's economic growth and
success. This fiscal year, the Tampa Bay area, which I am also
proud to represent, surpassed a record $1.2 billion in hotel
revenue. In Florida's 15th District, we regularly welcome
visitors from across the State, country, and world to our many
attractions, from amusement parks like Busch Gardens to beloved
annual celebrations, including the Florida Strawberry Festival,
which is a personal favorite of mine.
I look forward to hearing more from each of you about how
we can best support these industries and keep our great State
home.
So, Mr. Karen, I would like to return to your testimony. As
you know, Florida has a booming golf industry, we have already
touched on that here today, which generates over $11 billion
each year, according to the Florida Sports Foundation.
In your written testimony, you suggest creating golf
tourism as a distinct marketing category to better position the
United States as an international leader in this industry. How
can the U.S. better distinguish its golf offerings against
international competitors like Europe and the Middle East?
Mr. Karen. What a great question. You know, golf is super-
hot right now. For the last 5 years, we have had year-over-year
growth, and it is because of the popularity. We have young
people, people of color, women, and more flocking to this game,
and the vibe is just different. So it is time to kind of
leverage this interest into stronger marketing.
And I think restoring Brand USA's full funding--and maybe
having a conversation between myself and Fred Dixon, who is the
CEO--would go a long way in putting the American golf courses
at center stage because, you know, Ireland and Scotland, and
the Middle East now especially, are spending enormous money to
get world travelers to come play golf in their locations.
Right now, golf is not very conspicuous in some of that
marketing. There are some exceptions. I am sure Florida puts it
front and center. South Carolina Parks and Recreation Tourism,
they put golf center of their marketing when they go overseas
and market to England and so forth to come to the States.
But it is about time to kind of recognize the economic--we
talked about the economic impact of golf in the communities and
the great resorts around America.We have got the best product
in the world, but we are just not selling it very well. So it
is time to kind of lift it and up and double down.
Ms. Lee. And you just touched on something about State
marketing and State work in this arena. Is there a role that
States and localities can also play in amplifying the marketing
for golf tourism?
Mr. Karen. Absolutely. And we find--I found, since I have
been on the board at the U.S. Travel Association over the
years, there are States that will slash funding, or cut it
completely in some cases, for all marketing. When they are
looking at economic development and spending in their States,
they slash tourism marketing.
And I think that is a self-inflicted wound. We have got the
greatest assets, people--we just talked about the economic
impact of people spending money. Why would we not double down
on that?
Every State has golf courses in America, right. Every State
has marquee ones as well.So, I mean, I am biased a little bit,
but I think they should put that front and center. The imagery
that you can put on the websites and the videos you could have
on the golf assets are incredible. So I appreciate your support
on that.
Ms. Lee. You also mentioned the importance of improving our
transportation infrastructure in promoting golf tourism. I
strongly agree that we need to make air travel, in particular,
more reliable. I recently introduced the FLIGHT Act, which
would notify passengers whenever a flight is delayed by more
than 15 minutes.
Are there any existing Federal transportation programs that
we should consider examining or strengthening, in your view, to
help promote easier access to golf destinations?
Mr. Karen. I don't focus on the air travel with golf so
much as I do the resorts themselves, and they are all doing
quite well in the United States. But I would--I mean, I would
say keep modernizing the infrastructure, keep modernizing what
airports are willing to do.
Luggage transfer--I mean, we have millions of people
bringing golf clubs to the United States, you know, so getting
those clubs transferred quickly and safely is important to
those folks.
So it is not my area of expertise, but certainly we would
be supportive of any modernization and progressive practices
with air transport.
Ms. Lee. We have got some really innovative luggage and
baggage transportation options in effect in Florida, so I
agree.
Ms. Maietta, you mentioned in your written testimony that
the recent Federal Government shutdown had a devastating impact
on hospitality. Would you briefly tell us what that effect was
and what you hope to see going forward?
Ms. Maietta. Thank you for the question, Congresswoman. The
shutdown impacted travel immediately. Overnight, things
changed, people canceled bookings. I have heard even from
Members this week that those who were planning to travel over
Thanksgiving, there was just a wave of cancellations.
So the immediacy of that led to 13--or $1.3 billion in lost
revenue from hotels alone, all of that revenue that goes back
into the community when people are traveling. We would urge a
long-term solution to the January deadline, avoiding shutdowns,
and ensuring that travel is not caught in the crosshairs.
Ms. Lee. Thank you. We are out of time. Thank you for that.
All right. Mr. Soto, you are recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. Soto. Thank you, Madam Chairwoman.
I am proud to represent the theme park capital of the world
in central Florida, areas like Orlando, Kissimmee, and St.
Cloud, and we are honored to have Disney, Universal, Sea World,
Gatorland, one of our local favorites too. We also have sport
fishing in the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes in Northern Everglades,
space tourism in the district right next to mine, with Cape
Canaveral being the busiest space port in the world. We are
about to hit 100-plus launches this year. And beaches like
Cocoa and Melbourne--although I will say Chairman Bilirakis and
Representatives Castor and Dunn have some pretty fine beaches
too.
We have spring tourism and agtourism, much like Reps
Cammack and Lee as well. And we see some strengths right now.
Thankfully because of investment with Epic Universe, that
really powered us for the summer when we saw tourism down in
other places across the country, and Disney's commitment to $8
billion over 10 years has been also helpful.
But demand is steady but flat, right. We see 7.3 million
passengers at Orlando International Airport, the busiest
airport in the State, that is about a 2.1 percent decrease, so
we are hanging tough, but, you know, we have got to continue it
through.
I think we are going to be strong through the holidays, but
I worry about January or February after that all goes because
we face some challenges. Trump's mass deportations hurt the
workforce. A million immigrants have lost their legal status in
Florida between Cubans, Venezuelans, and Haitians who work in
this industry.
And then obstinate trade and foreign policies hurt foreign
tourists, especially Canada. Why are we messing with Canada?
For the record, Orlando loves Canada. OK.
Europe too, as well, and Brazil. Fifty percent tariffs on
Brazil. They are pound-for-pound some of the most lucrative
tourists. And so--and then add on this the Kavanaugh stops,
where if you look Hispanic and you have a Spanish accent and
you are a blue-collar worker, you could be detained right now.
We have seen American citizens and legal tourists detained.
In Orlando, I want to make it very clear, we welcome
everyone. Division and discrimination are bad for business. We
welcome folks from across the world.
And then add in the tariffs, rising healthcare, groceries,
energy and housing costs. And I am worried about the domestic
demand as well. So this is why supporting the bipartisan VISIT
USA Act is so important.
And, Ms. Maietta, you talked about workforce shortages. How
has that affected guest experiences across the Nation right
now?
Ms. Maietta. Thank you, Congressman, for that question.
They are seeing services cut back or hours cut back. It is so
important that we release the supplemental H-2B visas. That is
66,000 annually, and it is simply not enough to support all the
resorts in Florida alone, let alone the rest of the country. It
is a proven guest work--legal guest worker program that has
decades of experience.
When we can hire American, we do, and--but we rely on that
program to supplement around the country, especially as we are
looking at the big events and ensuring that we are well
staffed.
Mr. Soto. And that is a--forgive me, because my time is
limited--that is a perfect transition. Ms. Simon, how could not
only workforce shortages but tariff insanity and mass
deportations and Kavanaugh stops and all this stuff affect the
World Cup or the Olympics?
Ms. Simon. Thank you for the question. I think what you
have described is what a lot of international--potential
international visitors are seeing, and it does creat a lot of
uncertainty, a lot of fear and anxiety about traveling to the
U.S. We need to make sure that there is a welcome--consistent
welcome, unified message saying that international visitors to
the United States is not the same as immigration. Visitation is
not immigration, and we need to make that very clear.
Obviously, supporting the VISIT USA Act is going to be
critical so that Brand USA can get out there and get that
message to the international travelers.
Mr. Soto. Thank you.
And, Dr. Kleppe, it is interesting to hear your analysis. I
wrote that bill back in 2013--you may or may not know that--
although the Rs never let me pass it in 4 years, and the
Florida Legislature then promptly passed it right afterwards,
so I feel some justice being here today to discuss it.
Before that, everybody was trying to keep on standard time,
and of course keeping on daylight savings time would be a
better impact. Have you estimated the total revenue from this
change to extending daylight savings time to tourism
nationally?
Dr. Kleppe. So thanks for the question, Congressman. I have
not. That is not something that I have done in my research that
I have seen----
Mr. Soto. It would be positive, though, based upon your
experience, right?
Dr. Kleppe. It is hard to estimate. One of the reasons it
is hard to estimate is that we can have--I mean, you can see it
in Mr. Karen's testimony. We can get at estimates, I think,
reasonably about what the added revenues would be in certain
industries with an extra hour of evening daylight. I think the
issue is the cost of that, the cost coming from disruption to
our circadian rhythms, which is well established in neurology,
sleep science, and kind of the medicinal community that
believes that permanent standard time is a better alignment
with our brains and our function cognitively. We don't know how
that would affect economic decisions broadly. And so it is
really hard to come up with an estimate of that side of it. And
that would affect all aspects of the economy, not just
industries like tourism and outdoor recreation.
Mr. Soto. Thanks for your opinion. My time has expired.
Ms. Lee. Mr.Obernolte, you are recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. Obernolte. Well, thank you very much. And let me say
how delighted I am to be having this hearing. This is an issue
that I have been deeply engaged on for the last 10 years.
When I was serving in the California State Legislature, I
helped lead an effort to enable the State of California to go
on full-time daylight savings time should Congress act to amend
the Universal Time Act to give States that option. And then
later, California passed Prop 7 in 2018, which empowers the
legislature to make that change.
Unfortunately, Congress has not enabled that choice for
States, and the bill that we are hearing today would allow
States that option. And I think that it is very telling that
when the most populous State in the Nation is voting to enable
a switch onto full-time daylight savings time, that Congress
should take note of that. And there are many States that would
follow that example.
The evidence is overwhelming and compelling that it is not
good for us to be changing back and forth twice a year. I mean,
it is not good for our health. It is not good for our sleep
cycles. It is not good for our productivity. It is not good for
traffic accidents. I mean, I think everyone should be able to
acknowledge that this is a practice that needs to stop.
And, I mean, if you want evidence for why we got into this
situation in the first place, look at the origins of daylight
savings time, which was born out of a necessity to conserve
energy when lighting was the predominant consumer of energy.
And now we are in an era with LED lighting where lighting is no
longer the predominant consumer. I mean, I think this is an
idea whose time has come. We need to stop switching back and
forth.
So the compelling question that confronts us today is which
to choose. Do we choose permanent daylight savings time or do
we choose permanent standard time? And there are proponents on
both sides of that issue. This is the one thing that has
prevented us from doing what everybody wants to do, which is to
stop switching. So to me this is the crux of the argument.
So, Mr. Karen, I found your testimony very compelling. One
would think, looking at a golf course operator, for example,
that you would be agnostic as to whether or not you had time in
the morning or time in the evening. I mean, the problem that we
have is, as the days grow shorter, we don't have the option of
having sunlight in both the morning and the evening. We have to
pick one or the other. You would think that a golfer could
choose to golf early or choose to golf late and it wouldn't
matter, and yet your testimony is that, overwhelmingly,
economic activity is enhanced by adopting full-time daylight
savings time, which puts the daylight in the afternoon. Can
you, like, opine as to why that might be?
Mr. Karen. I really think except for Saturday and Sunday
mornings, where people love to grab the first tee times of the
day, you look at the rest of the week and the availability of
Americans to play, especially working Americans, they just
simply prefer the afternoon. There is a 40 percent premium that
is--or 40 percent more revenue that is drawn off the afternoon
hours simply because that is where the demand is. So if that is
where the demand is and we can open up a little bit more
inventory when they are available to play, it is an exponential
effect.
So, yeah, I think--again, what I said, it is trading 6 p.m.
for 6 a.m., and Americans that work are not going to make 6
a.m. tee times Monday through Friday, but they will make 3 p.m.
Tee times to play nine holes if they can get it in, right.
So the economic opportunity is tens of millions of dollars.
And we only measured public golf courses and their green fees.
We didn't even touch private clubs and the economic impact
there. Cart fee, merchandise, food and beverage--it is into the
tens of millions of dollars in opportunity, and that is great
for the economy, but it also gets people outside recreating
together. The social and mental health benefits of golf are
well documented. I think there is nothing better to build
relationships when you are on a golf course with someone for 2,
3, 4 hours.
So there are health benefits and economic benefits, and
what I haven't heard is the economic benefits of standard time.
There may be some health arguments, but I haven't heard any
economic arguments. I think more sunlight in the afternoon has
health and economic.
Mr. Obernolte. Right. Well, I mean, I think that we should
give States the option. You know, we right now give States the
option to either switch back and forth or to adopt permanent
standard time, and very few States have chosen not to switch
back and forth, despite the overwhelming evidence. And, you
know, this bill would just enable States to make that choice to
adopt full-time, permanent daylight savings time, and I think
that you will see the wholesale adoption of that if we give
States that option.
So I would urge this committee to move this bill forward,
to have a markup on it, and let's have this conversation. I
yield back.
Ms. Lee. The Chair now recognizes Ms. Trahan for 5 minutes.
Ms. Trahan. Thank you, Madam Chair. And thank you to our
witnesses today for being here and for certainly your
expertise.
So I feel that there is a strong case to be made for
permanent daylight savings time. My argument is twofold. First,
disrupting Americans' circadian rhythms is bad policy, and
Congress should settle on a single standard.
Second, daylight savings time is preferable to standard
time. When our circadian rhythms are disrupted, brain
functioning worsens. And Dr. Kleppe seems to uncover precisely
this phenomenon in his study on investor responsiveness after
the March time shift.
Dr. Kleppe, can you summarize briefly the impacts of DST
adjustments on investor performance that you found in your
research?
Dr. Kleppe. Yes, I would be happy to. Thank you,
Congresswoman.
So, yes, our research does focus specifically on the
potential cost of switching from--to and from permanent time--
permanent standard time to permanent daylight saving time. And
what we find is that investors are slower to incorporate
earnings news into their evaluations of companies through stock
prices in that window right after the time change.
And we think that has a couple of big implications. So, you
know, when prices don't reflect underlying value because of
this market inefficiency, it is basically bad for everyone
because it potentially creates higher risk and uncertainty
because we don't know what the true value is, and it can create
disparities across investors.
So in particular what we find in our research is that, you
know, retail investors are likely at a disadvantage than more
sophisticated investors, and so there is a chance for this--
worse trading outcomes for retail investors because they are
less able to overcome some of these cognitive impairment issues
that come from changing time.
So that is really what our research can speak to. The issue
of what do we do if we choose to not switch becomes a lot more
complicated.
Ms. Trahan. I will get there. You know, in a nutshell, Dr.
Kleppe found that investors weren't as sharp after the clock
shift. Analogize this effect to kids in a classroom or drivers
on the road. Put simply, the aggregate impacts of lowered
cognition across society appear profound. So I do believe the
evidence is clear, it is time for us to decide on one standard
and to just stick with it.
But what should that standard be: standard time, as it is
so called, or DST? And I would argue DST. During this
committee's last hearing on DST, we heard testimony about the
mental health benefits associated with having an extra hour of
sunlight in the evening.
So let's also explore the small business impacts. Mr.
Karen, in your testimony you emphasize the significant economic
impacts associated with additional evening sunlight. Can you
elaborate on why DST is preferable to standard time for golf
course owners, in particular, and small business owners more
generally?
Mr. Karen. With pleasure. So the golf industry is made up
of 15,000 small business operators, and their businesses track
to what we call recreational daylight, when Americans are
available to play golf, and if the sunlight tracks better with
when Americans are available to play golf is only better for
the economy and for their health. It is as simple as that.
And, you know, the interesting thing to this discussion--we
are talking about standard versus daylight saving time, and
daylight saving time is already 8 months of the year. In an
ironic way it is our standard time. It is not the exception.
And over time, Congress has closed that window of standard time
to make it smaller and smaller over time. So I think we have
already been moving in that direction for decades. It is a
matter of now just kind of having the fortitude to choose one,
and obviously our industry is mixed, but we strongly favor
daylight saving time.
Ms. Trahan. Thank you. That is a great point. I mean,
ultimately, the evidence shows that switching our clocks twice
a year harms cognition, disrupts daily life, affects mental
health, decreases opportunities for families and businesses
alike. But by adopting permanent daylight savings time we can
establish a single, consistent standard that confers real
benefits on all Americans, especially our children. So thank
you.
I yield back.
Mr. Bilirakis [presiding]. All right. Thank you. The
gentlelady yields back.
We will recognize Mr. Kean from the great State of New
Jersey. You are recognized for 5 minutes for your questioning,
sir.
Mr. Kean. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And thank you to our
distinguish witnesses for being here today.
New Jersey is the proud home to many important travel and
tourism destinations. From our historic Revolutionary War
battlefields, to our New Jersey Shore, the Appalachian Trail,
rivers, lakes, small towns, golf courses, to our stadiums, New
Jersey boasts some of the greatest sites in the United States,
and I look forward to hearing from our witnesses on the impact
of their industries in bringing tourism and travel to New
Jersey and to the United States.
Ms. Maietta, the State of New Jersey is pleased to host
eight matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The hospitality
industry is critical to hosting these important matches. Could
you please share how the hospitality industry is preparing for
these highly anticipated events?
Ms. Maietta. Congressman, thank you for the question.
We are accustomed to holding and hosting big events all the
time, but of course bringing in so many people at the same time
simultaneously does present some unique challenges, but also
opportunities. Right now, our industry is working very closely
with law enforcement and city officials and all stakeholders
involved to ensure that we are prepared. I would encourage
that--those lines of communication to stay open.
Thank you for serving on the caucus. We commend the
administration for setting up task forces around these big
events to ensure that they go off without a hitch and are as
smooth as possible.
I would also say that it is important that we are well
staffed for those. So, again, H-2B visas, releasing those
supplemental visas in a timely way so that staff can be there
in time for the games will be critical.
Thank you.
Mr. Kean. Thank you. And following up on this, the
northeastern and mid-Atlantic United States are home to many
important Revolutionary War battlefields. While battles in
neighboring States are often highlighted, I would like to note,
for the record, that some of the most decisive American
victories of the Revolutionary War took place in my home State
of New Jersey. These include battles such as the Battle of
Trenton and the Battle of Springfield.
As we approach the 250th anniversary of American
independence, can you share the important role the hospitality
industry plays in supporting travel and tourism to these
important American battlefields in New Jersey?
Ms. Maietta. Thank you for that question. I think we have a
tremendous opportunity around the celebrations tied to our
250th anniversary--birthday, I should say. That presents a
really unique opportunity to encourage people to go out and see
the best that America has to offer, driving more, travel,
incentivizing people to travel, making it easier to travel.
Next year really presents a unique opportunity, and our
industry is working really hard to highlight historic hotels
that are iconic and that play and have played an important role
in the history of this country.
Mr. Kean. Thank you.
Mr. Karen, New Jersey is home to countless athletes. My
district alone had four New Jerseyans compete in the Summer
2024 Olympics. How do the athletics industry and athletics
across New Jersey bring increased travel and tourism to our
State?
Mr. Karen. Great question. First of all, it is amazing to
have four Olympians. As someone who lived in Haddon Heights for
several years, I absolutely love the Garden State.
And travel athletics is enormous in America, right. So you
are asking about how to capitalize on that. I would say to make
sure that your State tourism and local market--destination
marketing organizations are fully funded and fully staffed so
that they can build the partnerships with these athletic-based
organizations. Let them do the work they are good at and build
those relationships, recruit them into your State to have those
fantastic tournaments, events, and so forth.
Mr. Kean. Thank you. So what--you know, there are many
recreational facilities across New Jersey that contribute to
the economic benefits, whether they be stadiums, whether they
be golf courses, many other small businesses in between. What
are some of the things specific to each of these industries
that you would recommend for a State like New Jersey and the
Nation?
Mr. Karen. Sure. So, you know, just spitballing here a
little bit, but recreational facilities certainly help ensure
the people of New Jersey are healthy. They are spending their
time and money outside of hospitals and doctors' offices and
into the economy, right. And that means that more people in New
Jersey are enjoying their life and spending their money
wherever they are. So there is a direct benefit there between
recreating and enjoying your life--a longer, healthier life--
and being able to add to the economy.
But I also don't want to forget, especially New Jersey, the
environmental benefit, not just the economic benefit, of
several hundred golf courses around New Jersey, some of the
best in the world.
Mr. Kean. I would agree with that too.
Mr. Karen. You know, they offer much-needed green space in
a pretty densely populated State. Even places like Bayonne Golf
Club, which was turned from an environmentally disastrous piece
of land into a very healthy living green space. That happened
at Liberty National as well. So New Jersey has been a leading
example of the environmental positivity of recreational places.
Mr. Kean. Great outdoors, great shore. Many people--more
people need to come to New Jersey for our wonderful tourism
industry. Thank you, and I yield back.
Mr. Bilirakis. The gentleman yields back.
Now we will recognize Ms. Clarke for her 5 minutes of
questioning.
Ms. Clarke. Good morning. And thank you, Mr. Chairman and
Ranking Member Schakowsky, for holding this hearing. And thank
you to our witnesses for joining us today.
I am proud to say that my hometown, Brooklyn, New York
City, is an iconic travel destination that imagery is evoked in
music, culture, art, and whose landmarks are internationally
recognized. And as the Notorious B.I.G. would say, ``If you
don't know, now you know.''
New York City is the number one international travel
destination in the United States, welcoming millions every
year, not to mention New York State, and of course Niagara
Falls, Canada, and our border. Our average international
travelers make up 20 percent of my city's visitors and 50
percent of tourism spending. International tourists typically
spend twice as much as domestic travelers, stay longer, and may
go on to visit other cities within the United States.
It is undeniable that welcoming tourism benefits New York
and the United States. However, the cruel, inhumane immigration
policies of this administration have carried into the tourism
industry, and for the first time since COVID, international and
domestic travel is decreasing.
For reference, New York City is expected to welcome over 3
million fewer international travelers in 2025 than in 2024. The
harsh rhetoric and detainment of legal tourists by this
administration have cultivated a climate of fear and hostility
that deters international travelers so much so that the United
States is the only country to see a decline in spending from
international visitors in 2025.
Tourism is an essential column of the economy, and not just
in New York. In 2024 alone, travel to the United States
produced $2.9 trillion in economic output, supported 15 million
jobs, and generated $89 billion in State and local tax revenue.
Not only are we suffering from Trump's delusional economic
policies, but now also having potential tourists avoiding our
Nation due to his inhumane, barbaric, and fear-mongering
immigration policies and further contributing to our
deteriorating economic health.
Ms. Simon, aside from harmful rhetoric, what immigration
policies have you found to be particularly detrimental to the
inbound tourism industry, and what ways can Congress help
address these concerns?
Ms. Simon. Thank you, Congresswoman. And you are absolutely
right about New York City, it is one of the biggest--well, it
is the biggest draw for international visitors and a major
gateway, obviously, for them to enter the country.
Thank you for the question. You know, the policies that we
have seen that have really impacted visita--the image of U.S.
for visitation include really the hardened enforcement of
immigration policies and the global attention that it is
getting on those expansive policies. It is creating concern and
fear and a sentiment that they are just not welcome here in the
United States.
We need to be very clear, the Government needs to be very
clear, that visitation is not immigration and that we welcome
international visitors. We want them here. We want them to
come, contribute to our economy, and experience all that the
U.S. has to offer.
We really need to eliminate the proposed $250 visa
integrity fee. That is going to make it so expensive just to
enter the country, on top of the application fee that is
already $185. And then higher fees targeting international
visitors in general, both for entry as well as entering the
national parks. They feel like they are targeted, and they
really need to understand that we want them here.
Ms. Clarke. Absolutely. They feel they are being targeted.
Let's call it what it is, and so it is unfortunate. But let me
thank you for your response.
The administration's treatment towards international
tourists is especially concerning to me as, next year, the New
York region will be hosting multiple games and the final game
of the FIFA World Cup, one of the most internationally attended
sporting events. The World Cup attracts fans not only to games
but to hosting cities to celebrate their team in dedicated fan
zones. With 16 host cities spanning all over North American, we
are expecting millions of visitors.
Next year, New York and the other cities will be on the
world stage, but how can we possibly expect to keep all these
fans and tourists safe when we have an administration that is
hell-bent on demonizing anyone who is not born here?
I encourage my colleagues to get serious about the
implications of this administration's policies and have had--
that they have had and how they have metastasized in so many
critical industries.
With that, Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
Mr. Bilirakis. I thank the gentlelady.
Now we will recognize Mrs. Cammack and her beautiful
daughter, Augie, for 5 minutes of questioning.
Mrs. Cammack. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And I appreciate
everyone's patience.
As a working mom, and certainly a mom in the newborn
trenches, this issue of daylight savings time actually really
does impact all parents who are right now in the trenches with
us. So I want to thank Chairman Bilirakis for his opening
statement, particularly his remarks about the Sunshine State.
Tourism is not just a sector in our economy. It is the
backbone of our State. It is the number one economic driver of
Florida, as well as agriculture a quick number two right behind
it. So whether we are dealing with packed stadiums during our
University of Florida Gator games or families are traveling to
fish or golf, the Sunshine State is a year-round mecca of
activity.
And as we have heard today, the tourism and hospitality
industries are facing significant pressures, whether it is
hotels struggling with workforce shortages or rising operation
costs, outdoor recreation industries, such as golf and fishing,
are very sensitive, as I said, to daylight hours.
So as we talk about Florida's economy, but, of course,
nationally, some of the challenges as we are going through this
issue, I want to start out with Rosanna--is it ``My-etta''? Did
I say that right?
Ms. Maietta. Yes.
Mrs. Cammack. All right. Good. Good deal.
So many rural areas like mine in north central Florida, we
depend heavily on seasonal tourism driven by activities such as
fishing in the Gulf of America or small-town festivals. We have
everything from a watermelon festival--which I am the seed-
spitting champion in Newberry, by the way, I should point out--
to zucchini festivals, you name it. This is a huge economic
driver for our region.
So your testimony highlighted significant workforce
shortages and the operational costs that continue to go up and
the lingering impacts of the shutdown. So for rural communities
that rely on just a few peak tourism windows to sustain them
year-round, what Federal actions specifically or policy
changes--and I want you to be very specific--would most help
seasonal hotels, small lodging operators, and tourism-dependent
businesses that remain fully staffed, financially stable, and
able to meet the demand through those critical periods?
Ms. Maietta. Well, thank you so much for the question.
You know, I have spoken already about the need for the H-2B
visas. I do think that that is a program that needs some
specific reforms. It hasn't really been reformed since 1990
when it first started. Sixty-six thousand H-2B visas are simply
not enough for the demand.
We know that our hotel owners are creating housing to
ensure that they can support people onsite during those peak
periods so they don't have to travel back and forth, because so
many, as you noted, are in rural areas.
The second program I would say that we have invested and
been proud to be a part of is the Department of Labor's
apprenticeship program. That is a longer-term solution. We have
been working to increase the number of apprentices throughout
our industry over the past 7 years, and we have seen increased
retention at the end of it with a job promotion and a salary
increase for those who go through that program. That is another
critical program that we rely on.
Mrs. Cammack. Thank you. I appreciate that.
And, Dr. Kleppe, wanted to talk to you specifically about
agriculture. So there is this urban legend that this all
started at the behest of some farmers and ranchers, and I have
to say for the record, that is not true. But this is a huge
issue in our agricultural communities.
So while your research focuses primarily on the economic
and behavioral effects of daylight savings time, transitions on
markets, and et cetera, I want you to talk a little bit about
the impact to agriculture as it relates to daylight saving time
and what we could see should we decide that we make a jump away
from the biannual time change.
Dr. Kleppe. Thank you, Congresswoman. And as a parent of a
young child as well, I know very--very saliently right now that
kids do not care about us changing the clocks on their sleep
patterns.
So thank you so much for your question. And you bring up a
very important issue, and it kind of relates to kind of
something I mentioned earlier about, you know, there are
obviously different economic arguments for permanent standard
time versus permanent daylight saving time. We heard some of
the arguments from the other witnesses about the benefits of
permanent daylight saving time.
The agricultural industry--again, outside of my specific
research--but the academic literature on that suggests that
permanent standard time would be more beneficial to the
agriculture industry than permanent daylight saving time. That
is my understanding of that tangential research.
And so it highlights that it is--it is not, again, clear
economically what is beneficial--choosing to stay permanently
on standard time versus daylight saving time--and so there is
going to be regional and industry-specific preferences that you
as Congress Members will have to sort out if you decide to kind
of end the biannual shifts. But I think the research is clear
that biannual shifts are harming us all across the entire
economy.
Mrs. Cammack. I appreciate that. Thank you.
And my time has expired. I yield.
Mr. Bilirakis. Very good. Thank you. Thank you so much.
Now we have Representative Veasey. You are recognized for 5
minutes for your questioning.
Mr. Veasey. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I think this is a fascinating conversation, particularly
around the daylight savings time piece. As someone that has
gotten up very early in the morning to go sit in a duck blind
to go hunting and wading through water, I would love to have a
couple extra hours of sleep so I could go to the blind a little
bit later, and so I totally get that.
But I do want to remind everybody--and I am sure it has
been touched, I believe, during the opening--your opening
statements, so I am sure it has been touched upon, but I do
want to remind everybody about some of the history around this.
On January 7, 1974, in Washington, DC., the sun rose at
8:27 a.m. back then and it was jet black outside, and kids
literally went to school with flashlights. Moms gave kids
flashlights to go to school. And, of course, when things like
that happen, more accidents happen. And, of course, after just
a short time period, mamas all around the country started to
clickety-click and said, ``No mas, we don't want to do this
anymore,'' and the Nixon administration promptly changed that.
And it is really fascinating to go back and look at some of
the history, because there was even one Representative before
that time that talked about putting the United States on just
one time zone--it was a Representative of Hawaii--just having
everybody have the same time. And so as we go back and forth
and look at this, I think that it is absolutely incredible.
But I do want to take the time to ask you--and I hope that
we can come back and visit this issue on daylight savings time.
But with us having FIFA coming to DFW, I wanted to specifically
talk to you about that. And I wanted to ask Ms. Simon about the
long-term impact that an event like FIFA can have to boost
tourism for SMBs and for the World Cup. How can areas like DFW
transfer that into long-term economic growth for the region?
Because I know that there is a housing issue that I know that
we are worried about in DFW because people are going to have to
drive in from long distances to come to FIFA.
So how can regions like ours translate this into long-term
opportunity?
Ms. Simon. Thank you, Congressman, that is a great
question.
It happens that, currently, there's good signs that there's
already long-term demand for the United States, which is
fantastic, even though we are seeing a decline this year and we
won't be seeing numbers that reach prepandemic levels until
2029. But what we--what we can do to really focus on World Cup
and taking advantage of that is, as we get this influx of
visitors into the country, we can showcase what we have to
offer. They are going to be seeing not only the host cities and
the surrounding areas, but they are going to be traveling from
host city to host city and destination to destination and
experiencing, again, all the different things that they can do
and see here, including national parks, small and rural
communities, authentic experiences. They will take those
messages home and share what a wonderful destination the United
States is, and that is going to help feed our long-term growth.
Congress can help, obviously, with, again, Brand USA,
getting Brand USA fully funded for the next couple of years,
making sure it is reauthorized in 2027 so that they are in
market driving that demand with potential international
travelers, again, recognizing and promoting the small
businesses, the rural areas, and the opportunities that
travel--international travelers have in the United States.
Mr. Veasey. And speaking of international travelers, one of
the big advantages that we have in the Dallas-Fort Worth area
is DFW Airport, where you can get to just about anywhere in the
world coming out of our regional airport there.
And as travel and tourism are key economic drivers, what
can Congress do to help streamline travel processes, such as
visa processing, airport capacity, security procedures, to
ensure that international visitors can easily access the
Dallas-Fort Worth region for events like FIFA?
Ms. Simon. Yes. Again, thank you for the question. Very
good question.
We need modernized technology in our airports. We really
need to advance our airport and transportation systems and
infrastructures to make sure that the ease of traveling and
safety for international travelers, as well as Americans, is
looked after. We also need to eliminate the proposed $250 visa
integrity fee and other fees that are targeted to international
travelers.
Mr. Veasey. Taxes.
Ms. Simon. Exactly.
Mr. Veasey. That is right.
Ms. Simon. And there is a new fee that is proposing higher
entrance fees for international visitors to national parks. So
we just think those types of things are prohibitive on making
it feel--making international visitors feel like they are not
welcome here.
Mr. Veasey. Yes. Thank you very much.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back.
Mr. Bilirakis. Thank you. Appreciate it very much.
Now we will recognize Mr. Fry from the great State of South
Carolina. Thanks for your patience.
Mr. Fry. Thank you, Chairman, for having this hearing
today.
I have the privilege of representing South Carolina's
Seventh Congressional District, which is known predominantly as
Myrtle Beach, at least on the coast. We have got some great
agricultural sectors in the western part of the district, but
the Grand Strand is considered 60 miles of beach. It is 60
miles of beach.
And we have roughly 790,000 people, obviously, that live in
the district, but every year the Myrtle Beach area sees 18
million people come to our area, which is, if you take it
proportionally, there are 20 visitors for every one resident.
It is kind of astounding when you think about it.
Tourism in the Grand Strand generates tens of billions of
dollars in economic impact, supports tens of thousands of jobs.
In the district we talk about tourism, but we are really
talking about the livelihoods of the folks that I represent,
not only the small business owners themselves but the waitress
at the beachside cafe, the person who is a bartender down in
Murrells Inlet, the individual who is a golf pro or works at
one of our close to 90 golf courses in the Grand Strand area.
Tourism is our lifeblood on the coast.
We talk about Florida, obviously we are in much the same
boat. So this is very important. Tourism matters to the people
that I represent. Sports tourism is huge. That matters.
Recreation matters. You have not only got the beaches but you
have got this recreational tourism that exists in the
ecosystem, where people can kayak on the Black River or visit
some of our incredible botanical gardens. There are just so
many things to do. So it is very important. I think this topic
is very critical as well.
Mr. Karen, you estimate that permanent standard time would
eliminate roughly 37 million rounds of golf and $1.6 billion in
green fee revenue nationwide, while a permanent daylight
savings time would add 23 million rounds of golf and about $1
billion. Can you translate what that might mean to a region
like Myrtle Beach or some of the courses that you might see in
Florida or elsewhere?
Mr. Karen. Sure. So Myrtle Beach is one of the most mature
and actually progressive golf markets in America. It was really
the first true destination market for golf. If standard time
was made permanent, it would cripple the spring, summer, and
fall seasons in that market. So all those travelers that enjoy
visiting Myrtle Beach either would not come because they
couldn't get the 36 holes in a day that they used to, and it
would have certainly a rippling effect in the economy there
locally. It could be very damaging to a destination like Myrtle
Beach if that was to be the case.
Mr. Fry. Thank you for that.
Ms. Maietta, how are we ensuring that we have a workforce
scaled to meet heightened demand during major sporting events
in the coming years?
Ms. Maietta. Thank you for that question, Congressman. I
know you are a champion of H-2B visas, so I am going to talk
about that some more.
I think that is critical, especially in places like Myrtle
Beach and other places in South Carolina where it may be hard
to get to and find that staffing that you need. Ensuring that
we can rely on that program is essential to supporting a lot of
our resort communities, far-flung destination communities.
Mr. Fry. Thank you for that. And, similarly, in your
testimony, you note that for every hundred dollars that is
spent at a hotel, $234 gets spent in the surrounding community.
Can you walk us through what that might look like in a place
like Myrtle Beach----
Ms. Maietta. Sure.
Mr. Fry [continuing]. Or Darlington for their Darlington
500 that they do? Who exactly is getting that, those dollars?
Is it the waitress? Is it the golf caddy? Is it the boardwalk
shops? I mean, how does that translate through a local economy?
Ms. Maietta. That is exactly right, and those are perfect
examples. Yes, those extra dollars are going into the
community. People will come and go to a resort, but they will
visit the bar across the way or the restaurant. They will stop
in and buy some, you know, clothes. They will go to the mall.
So coming to one hotel destination means that the rest of
the community is benefiting. And that is why you see, when
hotels go up, they are supporting other small businesses. And
so it is really the central fabric of a community.
Mr. Fry. Thank you for that.
Dr. Kleppe, your testimony notes studies linking daylight
savings time shifts to more traffic accidents, workplace
injuries, harsher sentencing, and even heart attacks and brain
issues. If that is what is happening around the clock change,
what is your best sense of how that might play out in a tourism
town where people are driving long distances, working often odd
or long hours, and relying on service workers?
Dr. Kleppe. Yes, thank you, Congressman, for the question.
I mean, I think the evidence, you know, that you cited that
we cite in our work and that we build off of is there is a
pretty good consensus that any economic activity, including
tourism, you know, including transportation, you know, driving,
all the things you mentioned--those activities are likely to be
harmed by these time shifts because of the cognitive impairment
that we all experience and that we cannot counteract.
And so I think whenever you have, with tourism
specifically, people traveling, working odd hours, certainly
those could have economic impacts and safety consequences.
Mr. Fry. Thank you for that.
I see my time is expired, and I yield back.
Mr. Bilirakis. The gentleman yields back.
Now we will recognize Mr. Evans from the great State of
Colorado. Thanks for your patience, sir. You are a great
Member. Thank you.
Mr. Evans. Thanks, Chairman, Ranking Member. And, of
course, thank you so much to our witnesses for coming.
And as the chairman said, I am from Colorado, born and
raised. Big tourism State: Rocky Mountains, hunting, fishing,
skiing, snowboarding, all of the different things that you can
do in Colorado. Over $28 billion annually in our tourism
industry.
We are typically a top-10 tourist destination of the 50
States, and so making sure that we have a good tourism
industry, hotels, lodging--we have some fantastic golf
courses--one of my first jobs was working at a golf course
cleaning the golf carts--is critically important to me. But,
unfortunately, we also know how fast, how quickly a good news
story can go to being a bad news story.
Colorado is, unfortunately, the sixth most heavily
regulated State in the country right now, and it is crushing
our economy. Between February of last year and February of this
year, Colorado's private sector lost 14,700 jobs. This is the
second-largest decrease in the country.
During that same time period, employment in the State's
public sector, so government jobs, grew by 15,200 jobs. That is
the second-highest growth rate in the Nation. So our public
sector is struggling in Colorado.
We are seeing the same thing, unfortunately, in crime
statistics. I was a police officer in the Denver metro area for
over 10 years. In 2011, when I started, Colorado was better
than the national average for our crime rate. This year, we are
the second most dangerous State in the country.
Denver--6 years ago, Denver didn't even make the top 50
most dangerous cities in the country list. And now we have seen
Denver has had double the homicide rate per capita of San
Francisco and is ranked the tenth most dangerous city in the
country.
And so my question to Ms. Maietta is, can you comment on
the impact that crime statistics like these have when people
are traveling in from out of State, they are looking for a
hotel, they are looking for someplace to stay? What is the
impact that elevated crime rates like this have on your
industry and the broader economy of the region?
Ms. Maietta. Thank you, Congressman, for that question.
Look, safety and security is our top priority for our
guests and our employees. So ensuring that people feel safe
when they are going to a hotel and visiting a city is
important. And that is why we work really hard to create
partnerships with local law enforcement, with city officials,
with local government, to ensure that we are dealing with those
issues around safety and security together and that business is
part of the solution.
You have seen success stories like San Francisco, where
they have tackled the issues of crime and safety and
homelessness together with industry. Now, San Francisco, which
was at the bottom of occupancy, is now rising up to becoming a
top destination.
So there are pathways to making sure that people know
what--you know, that markets are safe and that cities are safe
to visit.
Mr. Evans. Does your industry have any sort of statistics
around correlation or causation? You see a dip in guests and in
visitors when crime gets worse, the inverse happen when crime
gets better. Do you have anything like that?
Ms. Maietta. I don't have that data top of mind, but I am
sure we can look and share that with your staff.
Mr. Evans. Fantastic. Moving a little bit more local in
this line of questioning, what happens--you know, we have
talked nationally. What happens at the local level when a hotel
or some other sort of a lodging venue closes? Can you speak on
the impact that that has on a local economy?
Ms. Maietta. Sure, absolutely. And, unfortunately, we have
seen that all too well this year. You know, operating costs
have risen 4 times faster than revenue in the last 5 years. And
so what we are seeing is small businesses, which our industry
is primarily made up of small businesses, simply can't afford
to stay open. And so we have seen closures. That impacts jobs
and that impacts the local community that relies on a hotel to
create more economic flow.
Mr. Evans. So that sixth most heavily regulated economy
effect in the Nation and that bleeding of private-sector jobs,
14,700 private sector jobs lost--that is going to have a
negative impact on your industry, correct?
Ms. Maietta. That is exactly right. And I think, you know,
things like the American Franchising Act--60 percent of our
industry is franchised. And so passage of that law, which would
bring some certainty to the industry, would be most helpful.
Mr. Evans. I totally hear you there. I see my time is
running short, so just appreciated your comments and the
written testimony about the 199 passthrough deduction for small
business and how important that is to keeping your business and
our tourism economy strong.
I yield back.
Mr. Bilirakis. Thank you. The gentleman yields back.
Now we will recognize Mrs. Houchin for her 5 minutes of
questioning.
Mrs. Houchin. Thank you, Chairman Bilirakis and Ranking
Member Schakowsky, for holding this hearing. Thank you to our
witnesses for being here and for offering your testimony.
I am happy to be here, Mr. Chairman, although I must admit
I was a bit disappointed when I learned that this hearing
wasn't about time travel tourism and that commas matter. I
guess we will have to wait until technology catches up to our
imaginations.
But in the meantime, we are focused today on something that
is very real for my constituents: ending the twice-yearly
ritual of changing clocks and making better use of the daylight
we have.
I come from an area of Indiana where we used to refer to
fast time and slow time, and I am a proud cosponsor of H.R.
139, the Sunshine Protection Act of 2025.
The bill is simple and true to its name. It would make
daylight savings time the new standard time nationwide, putting
that extra hour of light where families can actually use it, in
the evening. We know that there are health implications and
commerce implications, as well as safety implications, with the
constant changing of our clocks. It is not an abstract issue
for my constituents.
In a recent survey by text message, more than 90 percent of
respondents said they want to stop changing the clocks and
stick with one consistent schedule. They are tired of dark late
afternoons in the winter, tired of disrupted sleep schedules
for their kids, tired of the productivity hit and the confusion
that comes with springing forward and falling back. In fact, we
used to tell my kids, when it was still light outside and it
was bedtime, that outside was closed, so we could get them to
go to bed.
So with that in mind, I do want to turn to our witnesses.
Mr. Karen, I am interested in learning more about your
perspective on the effects of the time changes themselves. I
have mentioned some of those. What are some of the real-world
downsides of our current spring-forward-and-fall-back system?
Mr. Karen. So I only know the cursory research of the
downside of the actual changing. We have heard it. It is
economic. It is crime. Judges give harsher punishments the
morning after clocks change than they do every other time of
the year.
Mrs. Houchin. Oh, my husband is a judge, so I wonder if
that probably is. I will have to ask.
Mr. Karen. Well, what we are learning is people are cranky
and they are not sharp the day after the clocks change, and so
that is--I don't study that, but I certainly have perspective
on which to choose.
And so we are in favor of locking the clock and choosing a
side, and in our case, you said it perfectly, to make better
use of the sun.
Mrs. Houchin. Yes.
Mr. Karen. And Americans, they would rather recreate in the
afternoons and the evenings than at 4, 5, 6 o'clock in the
morning.
Mrs. Houchin. I certainly am in that camp. But I also think
that, from a safety perspective, this is an issue, and it is
relevant to the commerce question that we have and how we are
operating over time, and exactly health concerns for longevity
if we are constantly switching our sleep schedules. Those are
all factors that are important to consider.
Mr. Karen, if Congress were to adopt permanent daylight
savings time, what benefits would you expect to see in
communities where your members operate?
Mr. Karen. Simply more Americans being outside walking
around, playing sports, whether it is golf, tennis, pickleball,
you name it, out there investing in their own health. And that
is going to allow people to live longer, and that will have an
economic impact on society as well. So----
Mrs. Houchin. This is one of the issues, truly, we hear a
lot about twice a year, and it is something that I hope we will
be able to do.
My constituents certainly have made it clear that they do
want one consistent system, more daylight in the evenings and
an end to dark afternoons that cut into family time and hurt
our local businesses.
The Sunshine Protection Act is practical. It is a
bipartisan answer. It supports families, workers, and
communities while putting an end to the disruptive clock
changes.
I want to thank the committee again and to the witnesses
for sharing your insights. I look forward to working together
to hopefully make this happen. Thank you so much.
I yield back.
Mr. Bilirakis. Thank you. The gentlelady yields back.
Now we will recognize Mr. James from the great State of
Michigan. You are recognized for your 5 minutes of questioning,
sir.
Mr. James. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I appreciate all the panelists being here today and I am
looking forward to hearing from you about your perspective.
These issues are not only important to the Nation but also our
constituents.
Chairman Guthrie and Chairman Bilirakis, I couldn't agree
with you more: Travel and tourism are key drivers to both our
local and national economies. It is essential that we explore
the best ways to strengthen and capitalize on these
opportunities for our country.
But also, as we deal with other crises--mental health
crises, seasonal depression, for northern States like mine,
Michigan, places that are on the western side of the eastern
time zone and farther north--we can address mental health
issues by extending the time and the clock, potentially also
saving lives.
I will get directly to my question. Mr. Kleppe, what other
related research is relevant to the issue of financial and
economic implications of daylight savings time policy that
maybe you have not discussed as of yet?
Dr. Kleppe. Yes. Thank you, Congressman, for that question.
I do have a brief summary prepared of some of the other
relevant research, and so, you know, specifically to kind of
economic and financial market effects of these biannual time
shifts.
So beyond the evidence that we provided in our study of
investors being impaired in their decision making and the
effects that has on market efficiency, there is also recent
research that finds that other economic and capital markets
participants are negatively affected, including individuals
that forecast earnings, which provides a very important
information dissemination role to the capital markets. There is
evidence that investors' reactions to merger announcements are
worse after DST adjustments.
And one study that is not yet peer reviewed but is in the
process that kind of gets at more of the maybe the personal
household finance issue is that there is evidence now in this
study that for loans that are applied for, including mortgage
loans, after DST advances, that the default rates are higher,
suggesting that contracting on loans is worse, which has not
only, you know, corporate economic implications but also kind
of personal household finance complications as well. So we----
Mr. James. So you are saying that by addressing this issue
we might also put a dent in the affordability issue around the
country?
Dr. Kleppe. Again, I can't speak directly to--this is not
my research, but what I can say is that the impairment from
these time shifts has the potential to, again, lead to worse
contracting when it comes to loans and could hurt households in
loan contracting.
Mr. James. So let's step out into going from a little bit
more micro to a little bit more macro.
Could you share the implications of reduced market
efficiency caused by DST adjustments?
Dr. Kleppe. Yes, that is a great question. So, first of
all, I will say the U.S. is kind of the hallmark of--our
capital markets are the hallmark of efficiency and
sophistication, which sets us apart from the rest of the world.
And so when markets become less efficient, there are
implications for both investors and the companies seeking
capital in those markets.
So on the investor side, less efficient markets means that
determinations of value are harder. And individuals that have
information advantages, usually more sophisticated or insider
investors, can trade more profitably relative to retail
investors, which creates disparities that are not good for
markets.
And then on the company side, when there is, you know, more
inefficiency, the cost of capital and raising capital and
accessing those investors becomes more costly. And so that
increased cost of capital impairs their, you know, companies'
ability to invest and grow, and so for--obviously, which has
broader economic concerns as well.
So for both investors and companies, and markets in
general, inefficiency in markets is just bad. And there is a
long--decades of research in accounting, finance, and economics
that support that.
Mr. James. Thank you.
Mr. Chairman, I yield to Mr. Carter the balance of my time.
Mr. Bilirakis. The gentleman is recognized.
Mr. Carter of Georgia. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Thank you all for being here.
Folks, I have the honor and privilege of representing the
First Congressional District of Georgia, which encompasses the
entire coast of Georgia, over 110 miles of pristine coastline.
Obviously, tourism is a big part of our economy. In fact, it is
the number two--second-largest economic contributor to the
State of Georgia.
In 2024, Georgia saw a record 174.2 million domestic and
international visitors in total. And in 2024, visitors spent
$45.2 billion--that is with a B--on Georgia's hotels,
restaurants, transportation, and other local businesses. That
saved each Georgia taxpayer--each Georgia household, I should
say--over $1,200 in taxes, and that is significant.
And guess what? Next year, FIFA, the FIFA World Cup coming
to Atlanta, the biggest sports event on the planet coming to
Atlanta, Georgia. Goalllll! We are excited. We are very
excited.
Ms. Maietta, what are your expectations for the 2026 FIFA
World Cup, and how would they drive occupancy and revenue?
Ms. Maietta. Congressman, thank you for the question. You
represent a stunning district and you have been a longtime
industry champion. We are grateful for your support.
We are excited too about the World Cup. It will represent
about $500 million in economic revenue for Georgia, and we are
taking steps to ensure that we are collaborating with law
enforcement and all stakeholders involved, local government
officials, to make sure that we can have a seamless experience
for all the guests who are coming and who can get to the games
and enjoy the rest of Atlanta and that the State has to offer.
Mr. Carter of Georgia. Absolutely. In your opening
testimony, you mentioned franchising several times. What can
Congress do to support small business hotel owners and
operators?
Ms. Maietta. Thank you for that question. I know you are a
sponsor of the American Franchise Act. That bipartisan bill
will be essential to bringing some certainty around joint
employer standards.
Franchising accounts for--60 percent of our industry is
made up of franchised hotel owners. It allows for the path to
entrepreneurship in the American Dream for so many in our
industry, and passage of that will alleviate some of that
uncertainty related to who can make decisions around, you know,
employees.
Mr. Carter of Georgia. Great.
Mr. Karen, I want to ask you, as we all know, Georgia is
home to some world-famous golf courses, including the Master's
in Augusta. And today, as a matter of fact, the RSM Classic
starts where I live, on St. Simons Island, at the Seaside
Course. So we are very excited about that. In 2024, golf's
impact on the State of Georgia delivered over $5.3 billion
worth of economic impact.
There is a lot of interest in year-round daylight savings
time. In fact, the Georgia State Legislature passed a bill that
would call for a permanent daylight savings time if Congress
were to lift its prohibition on such a thing. It is called the
Sunshine Protection Act.
How big of a difference would it make to the golf industry
if Congress enacted permanent daylight savings time compared to
our current twice-a-year clock changes?
Mr. Karen. Well, first, I must mention I played in the RSM
Classic pro-am three times.
Mr. Carter of Georgia. Is that right?
Mr. Karen. And I enjoyed visiting your district to go do
that. It is a great week. I wish I was there now.
Mr. Carter of Georgia. I hope you spend a lot of money.
Mr. Karen. It is hard not to, ``The Closer.''
Mr. Carter of Georgia. Yes.
Mr. Karen. You know, our research indicates that if we had
permanent daylight saving time, we would have at least a 1
percent uptick in economic activity in the golf industry. I
mean, that is bare minimum. And I would--because that is not
even counting private clubs. It is just public golf courses,
and it is only green fees.
So if you add all of the other components, I would estimate
that that change alone would give a 2 to 5 percent increase in
the economy overnight because of the expansion of the inventory
and the availability of people to play golf. Tee sheets are
full right now. So if you added inventory, they would fill up.
So it would be enormous to the State of Georgia.
Mr. Carter of Georgia. So tell me the downside. Why would
people say it would have a negative effect?
Mr. Karen. We have some in the industry who prefer the
status quo and the changing of the clocks, because it slows
down in the wintertime for them. Rounds are, you know, start
going down. And they like giving their staff a break. It is a
little bit of a reprieve to be able to go home at 4 o'clock.
Mr. Carter of Georgia. Can I interject?
Mr. Karen. Yes.
Mr. Carter of Georgia. My middle son is a golf pro, and he
is happy to see----
Mr. Karen. There you go.
Mr. Carter of Georgia [continuing]. Be able to get home a
little earlier.
Mr. Karen. Golf pros and superintendents don't--they are
not as exuberant about this. I mean, they still favor it, but
they are not as exuberant as the owners of the facilities that
are looking to, obviously, maximize their business.
Be no different than if a restaurant said, ``We are going
to close now at 11 o'clock p.m. instead of 10 p.m.'' The staff
would say, ``Oh, you know, does that mean I have got to work
longer hours or different shifts and so forth''? So I
understand that tension.
And then there are very few golf courses that want
permanent standard time. It is a single-digit percentage. And
some of those are resorts, because they like the early play so
that the golfers get into the dining room and eat dinner and
spend their money on liquor and food.
Mr. Carter of Georgia. They don't do that.
Mr. Karen. Yes, they do, sir. And also, there are a lot of
clubs that favor retirees that love to play early in the
morning. So they don't want to mess with the clock.
Mr. Carter of Georgia. Well, thank all of you. This is
extremely important. And remember: Goalllll!
Mr. Bilirakis. What happened to--I noticed you didn't
mention the Georgia Bulldogs. I am OK with that, but I will
give you some extra time if you want.
I appreciate it. Thank you very much.
So I think we are finished. No one on your side, no one on
our side.
So I am going to ask unanimous consent to the documents on
the staff--that the documents on the staff document list be
submitted for the record. Without objection, so ordered.
And I remind Members that they have 10 business days to
submit questions for the record, and I ask the witnesses to
respond to the questions promptly. Members should submit their
questions by the close of business day on December 5.
So I just want to thank all the witnesses. This was a
fascinating hearing. It really was. And we learned a lot.
So, without objection, the subcommittee is adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 12:24 p.m., the subcommittee was adjourned.]
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