[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 50 (Tuesday, March 24, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H3805-H3812]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                THE IMPORTANCE OF TRAVEL IN OUR COUNTRY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. Fudge). Under the Speaker's announced 
policy of January 6, 2009, the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Berkley) is 
recognized for 60 minutes.


                             General Leave

  Ms. BERKLEY. I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 
legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on the Special Order of business travel.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Nevada?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. BERKLEY. A few weeks ago, Madam Speaker, I came to the floor of 
the House and gave a very spirited defense of my congressional district 
which encompasses my hometown of Las Vegas. I did that because my 
community was under horrific attack by Members of this body, and it did 
us tremendous financial damage.
  I wanted to speak more than 5 minutes to talk about the importance of 
travel in this country, the importance to our economy, and why we 
should be encouraging people to travel, and why we should be 
encouraging businesses to continue to conduct their meetings in 
destination areas like Las Vegas, but there are so many others. And I 
would like to talk to you a little bit about my community. But before I 
do that, I think I would like to yield to my very good friend, Ron 
Klein from the great State of Florida, who also depends on tourism as 
its lifeblood in its economy.
  Mr. KLEIN of Florida. I would like to thank the gentlewoman from 
Nevada for calling us together tonight because I think, as we realize, 
all over the United States, tourism, the flow of people, the flow of 
goods that go with the people, the fact that people come from all over 
the world to our great, wonderful attractions, whether they be in Las 
Vegas, or whether they be in Florida, where I am from. I am from the 
southeast coast of Florida, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, all 
over Florida and I know that all over the United States there are some 
just unbelievable places to go. And the good news is there are actually 
some good buys right now.
  But besides that, the more important part though is that tourism is a 
very, very important part of our economy. It is important on so many 
levels. Economically, let's just start with the jobs. I know that you 
feel so strongly about, Congresswoman Berkley, the jobs that are 
created in the hospitality industry, the construction jobs that go 
along with it, all the ancillary services and support and the food and 
the, all the entertainment and equipment and things like that. They are 
very much a part of our economy all over the United States.
  Certainly it is not just where the people actually travel to. It is 
the fact that the things that supply the equipment, the buildings, all 
the support services come from 50 States. Every State is impacted by a 
strong tourism trade. And it is just very exciting to be part and to 
live in a community where we have tourism as such an active part.
  Being from South Florida, we not only draw people from all over the 
United States to Florida, but we get people from all over the world, as 
you do as well. And I know just from the Latin American community, the 
European community, Asian community, they come to our beaches, they 
come to our attractions, our wonderful hotels, the great quality of 
life, the diversity of our culture, the diversity of the people in 
Florida, incredible restaurants to choose from. But, you know, 
obviously, in struggling times we know it affects everybody. It affects 
the discretionary dollar.
  But I think one thing we do want to encourage, and certainly with the 
economic stimulus package that has now been presented, we are now 
beginning to work through some of these difficult issues with the banks 
and the credit which have a lot to do with supporting our economy 
throughout the United States. This is going to take a little bit of 
time.

                              {time}  1830

  But I think everyone should have that confidence level to know that, 
as Americans, we are going to get through this. The goal is to contract 
what is going on right now.
  The reality is, at the same time, people still need to get out; they 
still need to do business, and certainly, as we know, even as 
unemployment has moved up a little bit, we still have over 90 percent 
of Americans who are gainfully employed. There are wonderful 
opportunities to travel to our great places all over the United States, 
to spend a few dollars, to stay in a wonderful place, to have family 
time, business time, to eat a good meal, and it is just all very 
exciting because we do have this great infrastructure and this great 
entertainment system in place, but it is the lifeblood, in many ways, 
of our country's economy.
  I just want to thank you for not only being a leader in understanding 
tourism, but also, in the recovery and reinvestment bill that we did, 
there is so much in there which is going to help support getting our 
economy moving again and in building that confidence to know that 
people should travel and should enjoy the tourism industry--our hotels, 
our properties and just get a great benefit out of it. So I would like 
to thank you for calling us together. I am glad to support this great 
initiative that you have put out there.
  Ms. BERKLEY. Well, I really appreciate your being here. I knew, as 
the Representative from south Florida, that your economy has probably 
been hit the same way that Las Vegas has. Could I ask you a question?
  Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Absolutely.

[[Page H3806]]

  Ms. BERKLEY. What we have found is that we know leisure travel is 
down because of the recession and that it's a little bit more 
challenging for families to go on vacation now, and I can understand 
that, but where Las Vegas has been particularly hit is in the business 
travel. Since the first of the year, we have lost 341 conventions. The 
impact on Las Vegas has been devastating. I'm wondering if you're 
seeing an impact on business travel as well.
  Mr. KLEIN of Florida. If the gentlelady would yield, I would be more 
than happy to respond. Thank you for yielding to me.
  The answer is, yes, there has been an impact. We have a lot of hotels 
that do a lot of business travel. We have convention centers in Miami, 
in Fort Lauderdale and in West Palm Beach, of course, and in the rest 
of Florida, also in Orlando, which is a huge destination.
  Ms. BERKLEY. Yes, they're the second best in the United States.
  Mr. KLEIN of Florida. I don't know if it's the second best. It may be 
the best. Maybe we have the second largest number of hotel rooms, but 
again, great choices all the way around.
  Yes, Florida has been hit hard. A lot of people travel to Florida and 
plan business conventions 1 year, 2 years or 3 years in advance. There 
have been some cancellations.
  Ms. BERKLEY. What does that do to the job market in south Florida?
  Mr. KLEIN of Florida. What it does, of course, anywhere is if, in 
fact, a hotel has a certain less number of room nights--of which we 
know ``room nights'' are the number of rooms times the number of nights 
for a particular convention--and if a convention has 100 rooms and 
there are 5 nights, which is 500 room nights, that's a big impact. It's 
not just the hotel. It's the food that goes with it. It's all of the 
hospitality.
  Ms. BERKLEY. Taxicab drivers.
  Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Absolutely.
  Ms. BERKLEY. Dry cleaning.
  Mr. KLEIN of Florida. That's right, and there is some great shopping 
in local communities, of course, that goes with it.
  Ms. BERKLEY. I love shopping.
  Mr. KLEIN of Florida. You know, it has had an impact. Again, I think 
that our businesses are doing what a lot of businesses are doing right 
now. They're clamping down. They're making sure that their systems are 
running as efficiently as possible, but they are great optimists, and 
the properties are just wonderful. We have a new one--I won't give a 
particular plug--but it's down in Miami. It's the Fontainebleau----
  Ms. BERKLEY. Oh, yes.
  Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Which is a world famous hotel.
  Ms. BERKLEY. And they're also building in Las Vegas.
  Mr. KLEIN of Florida. That's right. They are. They're the same 
owners. They just put $1 billion into a property down there, but it's 
not just that hotel. There are so many wonderful hotels. We have large 
hotels, boutique hotels. Again, people love to come to the beaches and 
relax.
  Ms. BERKLEY. And you can get a good deal right now.
  Mr. KLEIN of Florida. And you can get a very good deal, so keep that 
in mind if you're looking to travel.
  But it is true. This economic downturn has made a lot more rooms 
available, and that does have a broad impact, which is why I am so 
supportive of these initiatives that we are taking right now to rebuild 
confidence in the economy.
  The President's Reinvestment and Recovery Act is very much a part of 
recognizing, yes, we have to fix the banks and that, yes, we have to 
fix the mortgages. We are beginning to really move in some positive 
directions there. Yes, we had to do a stimulus plan, and the stimulus 
plan may not be perfect, but it is designed to be monitored very 
carefully so that, as we look every 30 days, we ask: Is it creating 
jobs? As for all of these outcome measurements that we're expecting, 
the key to all of this is that, if it's not working in creating jobs, 
it gets cancelled, and we move on to something else, but it's all 
about, in our local communities, doing things that will get the economy 
up and running, making people feel better about themselves so they can 
buy and sell businesses and houses.
  Mr. FARR. If the gentleman will yield----
  Ms. BERKLEY. We have been joined by Congressman Sam Farr from 
California, who happens to chair the tourism caucus in Congress. 
Welcome, and thanks for being part of this.
  Mr. FARR. Thank you very much for inviting me. I enjoy being part of 
this tag team that is really trying to give a different message than 
has been given.
  I think the press has really done a disservice in sort of criticizing 
business travel, because everybody knows we're in tough times, and so 
they feel like, well, people shouldn't be out recreating with a 
corporate budget. On the other hand, when you stop and cancel those 
conventions that have been in your city, in the backlash, we've lost 20 
percent of the hotel market. Twenty percent of the hotel market has 
reported that, just in that 20 percent, cancellations have exceeded 
$220 million for January and February. Now, when you have a domestic 
travel industry that employs 7.5 million people, when that industry 
falls off----
  Ms. BERKLEY. Did you say 7.5 million people?
  Mr. FARR. Just in the domestic travel. Just domestic travel.
  Ms. BERKLEY. Interesting.
  Mr. FARR. If you break it down to business travel that we're talking 
about tonight, it's 2.4 million American jobs. That's $240 billion in 
spending and $39 billion in tax revenue, which is the TOT--the Transit 
Occupancy Tax--and sales tax that those folks in their business travel 
spend at places like we all represent. I don't represent a big 
convention area. I represent the very small Monterey peninsula, but our 
little county does $2 billion in travel and tourism, second only to 
agriculture. It is very important.
  Ms. BERKLEY. My husband and I went to a Reno physicians' association 
meeting in Monterey, and it was an absolutely delightful place to have 
a convention.
  Mr. FARR. Those associations, the small ones like your husband is 
involved in, have been canceling. So what has also affected the big 
conventions in your communities that can handle some of the largest 
conventions in the world trickle down to the smaller communities that 
handle the smaller ones. This impact, this negative message that got 
out about domestic travel, is just contrary to what you have just 
talked about.
  This stimulus package was about stimulating jobs, not about losing 
jobs. It was about keeping and creating more jobs. If there is any 
industry that can pick up a lot of labor quickly when things are going 
good, it's the travel and tourism. It's the restaurant workers. It's 
adding additional workers--dishwashers and people who wait on tables, 
to pick up the hotel services, to pick up the delivery services, the 
flowers, all of this. Somehow this is kind of looked at as, well, if 
you can have that kind of luxury, then you must not be sympathetic to 
the losses that are going on. We see those losses because those people 
are unemployed.
  Ms. BERKLEY. Exactly. Well, I think, if I'm hearing you correctly, 
you're saying that business travel is very much a part of the economy 
of the United States of America, and without it, we are going to have 
thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of people unemployed. Those 
are our fellow citizens.
  Mr. FARR. Travel and tourism is the largest business in the world, 
and it is expanding faster than any other business. Every country is 
trying to do more of it. You see the advertising on our television sets 
about islands in the Caribbean, about going to Spain or about going to 
Australia and New Zealand, all of those travel promotion ads. We don't 
do that. The United States, unfortunately, isn't running any ads in 
other countries, saying, ``Visit the United States.''
  I and the other co-Chair, Roy Blunt, of the Travel and Tourism Caucus 
have a bill. It is a bill to essentially provide grants to States and 
local communities to do that kind of destination marketing. We know 
that a lot of Canadians----
  Ms. BERKLEY. Put me on.
  Mr. FARR. What I just wanted to mention for both of you--because I am 
very, very sympathetic to the problems of Las Vegas. Las Vegas is the 
biggest convention city in the United States, and because of the bad 
press, all of these businesses have canceled. You've pointed out what 
is happening to the

[[Page H3807]]

unemployment. It has also had huge foreclosures in Las Vegas. It is a 
town that is probably, as a city, more affected by this economic 
downturn than any other city.
  Ms. BERKLEY. And I'm sure Florida is right behind us.
  Mr. FARR. I was home last weekend. It was interesting that people 
were telling me, if you want to travel now and go by air anywhere in 
the United States--say I want to go from the West Coast to the East 
Coast--they said book your travel through Las Vegas. The prices for air 
travel going through Las Vegas are the cheapest in the United States.
  Ms. BERKLEY. Yes. Yes. We're practically giving away rooms in order 
to attract people to our community. I don't think the three of us, any 
of us, are suggesting that companies should be using taxpayers' dollars 
in order to fund business travel.

  Mr. FARR. No, absolutely not.
  Mr. KLEIN of Florida. No. I would just support what you're saying.
  First of all, I think your idea of branding of the United States as a 
place for travel and tourism is a wonderful idea. You see the 
Philippines. You see, you know, countries do this. In Florida, we have 
something called Visit Florida, which is a public-private partnership, 
set up a number of years ago, which brands Florida and promotes it in 
different places.
  I support the idea of branding the United States as a place and then, 
obviously, letting local communities co-op together, putting leverage 
those dollars and doing it. I think you're all right.
  One other point: We're talking about big. Let's also talk small. In 
your community, I'll bet there are lots of small businesses--bed and 
breakfasts and lots of other things--that are just wonderful places. 
These are people who are very dependent and who are also in cooperation 
with our large properties.
  Mr. FARR. What is very interesting about this is that travel is 
really educational. I mean this city, I think, is a must for any child 
in school who is learning about American history. In making it 
interesting, it comes alive. I mean the city of Washington may be the 
best family tourism city in the world because most of the things here 
are free--going to the museums, visiting all the monuments--and you 
can't help but recognize the Capitol when you see it. You've seen it in 
books. You've seen the Washington Monument and the Lincoln monument. 
This city makes it exciting. So you think about how many different ways 
one gets educated by visiting someplace else, knowing more about 
themselves.
  I was a Peace Corps volunteer, and I was living in another culture 
and was experiencing all that newness in food, in dance, in music, in 
language that made me realize the strengths of my culture in America 
but also some of the weaknesses--the family values issues where people 
really stick together in families. I find that travel and tourism is an 
eye opener, and I represent Carmel where I live, which is a small, 
little town of 4,000 people. Everybody has heard of Carmel. It's just a 
charming, little town.
  The mayor of Carmel, not Clint Eastwood but one of the other mayors, 
was telling me that, and asked me the question: What do you think is 
the number 1 question asked for things that people want from the city 
government? I always say: Well, where is Clint Eastwood's restaurant? 
He said: No, that wasn't the question. That wasn't it. The number 1 ask 
from the government of Carmel was for a copy of their zoning ordinance. 
That just shows that the tourists come and shop, not with just their 
pocketbooks, but they shop with their eyes and their minds. They looked 
at why they wanted a zoning ordinance, and so many Japanese asked for 
it that we had to have it translated into Japanese. The people said: If 
this city can look so cute, why can't our city incorporate some of 
these ideas?
  So that's what, I think, of travel and tourism. Obviously, businesses 
use these opportunities to take their associations--the dental 
association or the plumbers' association--and go have a conference.
  Ms. BERKLEY. Las Vegas can accommodate everyone from the Baptists--
because there are Baptist conventions in Las Vegas. I know that sounds 
unusual, but there are--to medical conventions, to dental conventions, 
as you said. We also are the site of some of the biggest conventions in 
the world--CES, the homebuilders, the shopping center convention every 
May. I mean these are huge conventions. Why do they come to Las Vegas? 
Why do they come to south Florida? Because we can accommodate this. We 
have got the best hotels. We have got the best transportation. We have 
got the best restaurants, the best shopping and the best facilities for 
conventions, large and small.
  For the American business community to be turning their backs on us, 
not only is it bad for our business; it is bad for theirs because, 
contrary to what a lot of people think, a lot of business gets done in 
those meetings.
  I know that the Congressman has got beautiful beaches, but that is an 
amenity that people take advantage of after they've done their 
business. Las Vegas has world-class entertainment and some other 
amenities as well. People don't concentrate on that. They're there to 
do business, and we make it possible for them in these business 
meetings to conduct serious business, and I am sure it's the same with 
your district as well.
  Mr. FARR. Well, I think that we're all in the media. We have to get 
elected in the media, and we have to go out and take risks. It seems to 
me that what we need to do is realize, as a country, that we should not 
be condemning businesses that are doing things to help people have 
jobs.

                              {time}  1845

  The service industry is not always the best paying industry, and 
these are great jobs for students, great jobs for people coming up with 
limited skills at the entry level. The wonderful thing about it is that 
there is no sort of degree requirements so you don't have to have a 
college degree or Ph.D. to manage a big resort. If you have skills and 
you are able to deal with people and some business management skills, 
you can achieve that.
  I think that what we're doing by watching people condemn business 
travel right now is we're just shooting ourselves in the foot.
  Mr. KLEIN of Florida. If I can add to that, I think let's talk the 
positives. We've been talking about a little bit of the risk side. But 
I think what we're all saying is the same thing. And that is the 
business side that gets done at conventions or travel to any one of our 
communities or any one of the 50 States, the notion of either playing 
golf in Florida or going to any one of the entertainment venues that 
any of us have or the ecotourism or the beautiful sceneries that 
attracts us, this is where business gets done. This is where families 
spend vacations.
  And this is a time and place where people need to recognize, even 
though times are a little tough, business is going on, the economy is 
still going on, people are living their lives. You make maybe a 
different choice than maybe you did before, but there are great 
opportunities. But like everything else, supply and demand. Right now, 
you might even get a better buy than if you had planned a year ahead of 
time. And that's okay. That's just part of the deal, but that still 
makes the flow. That still makes the hotel full, it still makes the 
restaurants full, the suppliers and all of those things go.
  I think it is a very exciting opportunity. And again, I just see this 
as an opportunity as we talk about these things back home what we're 
doing here in Washington on fixing the credit on the reinvestment act 
and the recovery act, this is all about putting all of the pieces in 
place so that everything will turn. And it will turn. It's just a 
matter of whether it is this amount of time or this amount of time. But 
we're going to get through this. And if it's a matter of going forward 
and planning the next trip, the next business meeting or whatever, that 
needs to go forward because every business needs to be in the best 
possible place when things start clicking again on all eight cylinders.
  Mr. FARR. In January and February, the travel and tourism, the 
business travel was so far down that we lost $1 billion. Now, $1 
billion is a lot of jobs of people that were laid off. And I think, 
unfortunately, we didn't have anything in this stimulus package 
precisely for travel and tourism. But if

[[Page H3808]]

you want to jump start a lot of jobs in America, this is the industry 
that has the most jobs when you think of all of the venues that you 
talk about.
  Ms. BERKLEY. I would love to make two points, and it dovetails 
beautifully with what both of you are saying. I know you just mentioned 
that legislation that you're either introducing or thinking of 
introducing that would put some dollars into advertising the United 
States of America abroad so people will come and travel in the United 
States, which I think is a wonderful idea. And you're right, we're 
light years behind other countries in promoting our own.
  But there are smaller ones that I was wondering what you thought of.
  I tried to get in the stimulus package--and wasn't able to do so--but 
a $500 tax credit for business travel. If you're a business traveler 
and you want to bring your spouse, I think we should be--I think there 
should be a tax credit that will encourage men or women to take their 
spouses. It doubles the number of people that are coming to any one of 
our communities, and it also will help stimulate the economy and also 
keep families together. So I think that's wonderful.
  The other thing--and we call it the three Martini lunch--but the 
reality is it is so much more important and significant than that. I 
would love to see a 100 percent deductibility of meals tax. I am sure 
the same is happening in your towns as mine, the restaurant business is 
kaput. People aren't coming to the towns so obviously restaurant 
business is down. Wouldn't it be a good idea for a business to help 
stimulate business? Most small businesses don't have boardrooms. What 
they have is the back booth of the local deli. And if they could get a 
100 percent deduction on their meals, I would think that would not only 
help them to do their business, but it would also help the restaurant 
business as well.
  Mr. FARR. We have a bill that's annually introduced by Neil 
Abercrombie, the Representative from Hawaii, and it is obviously in 
Hawaii's best interest to have a lot of tourists. That's what supports 
their infrastructure. And he's introduced the business travel deduction 
for spousal travel and also increasing the meal deduction. We have just 
been unable to get it out of the Ways and Means Committee. Maybe now as 
part of the stimulus we could encourage things like that.
  Ms. BERKLEY. Heaven knows I have tried. I am a member of the Ways and 
Means Committee, but I am going to keep pushing this because I can't 
think of anything more stimulative to the tourism business and the 
restaurant business. And I know Neil has been remarkable and, of 
course, Neil Abercrombie represents Hawaii. It has also been very hard 
hit, and he's down here every day fighting for the interests of his 
community, and, of course, Hawaii depends on tourists and business 
travelers.
  Mr. FARR. What I like what both of you really understand--and I think 
this is the difficulty that the industry has--is that it is the biggest 
industry there is in the world, and yet it is not looked at as an 
industry because it is made up of parts. What are the parts? We can 
name them all night. But you just think about it. It is the rental car 
business, they have their own association; it is the hotel business, 
they have their own association; it is the airline business, they have 
their own association; it is the amusement parks, they have their own 
association; the restaurants, they have their own association; it is 
the Federal Government because we have national parks which are 
destination areas and tourism is essential for us to sustain those 
parks on the fees collected at the gates and the rates paid for the 
services.
  So we're all in it, but what is more important it is really about 
America.
  What I love about travel and tourism is that it is the spirit of our 
country. And as I say, I think that we travel within America to look 
and see what regions look like. We don't just go to see--we don't go to 
California to see what Californians look like or Florida to see what 
Floridians look like. It's really not just the people--people are the 
character. But it is also--and the arts, obviously, the creative arts. 
But it is these physical attractions: the beaches of Florida, the 
incredible expansion of ideas.
  I think that one of the greatest shows that I've ever seen in my 
life--I have been raving about it. I saw it last summer. I was driving 
through Las Vegas on the way to our Denver convention. I stopped in Las 
Vegas and had never been there. And I went to Cirque du Soleil. That is 
a show that I think is--it is the epitome of creation, of musical 
talent and acrobatic talent; and it is something that every child would 
just love to see. I was just so disappointed--I went late at night--
that I didn't have my grandchildren with me.

  Ms. BERKLEY. Every time I go--I've seen all of the Cirque du Soleils 
a number of times. Whenever we get company in town, we take them to the 
Cirque du Soleil. Although we have got so many--we have Cher, we have 
Bette Midler. You name it, we have got it in Vegas. But every time I 
go, I see something new. There is so much on that stage going on. Going 
once simply isn't enough.
  So I should invite you as my guest to come with your grandchildren. 
And I would be glad to host you.
  Mr. FARR. If I had enough money, I would rent the whole theater and 
invite the whole world because I think it is something that everybody 
should see. It is a tribute to mankind's creativity.
  See, I think that's what this is all about. You're not going to get a 
Cirque du Soleil in every city. You're going to have to travel 
somewhere. We always say in California that a tourist is anybody who is 
more than 60 miles away from home. So it makes most commuters in 
California tourists for a moment, because they are actually spending 
their money in another city when they go out for lunch, and they might 
go shopping there on their way home.
  Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Every time I see Congresswoman Berkley, there 
is not enough infectious energy there of her passion for what she does. 
You are probably the greatest representative that Las Vegas has ever 
had because of your beliefs in the industry.
  Ms. BERKLEY. I am wearing roulette earrings right now. So I take this 
very seriously.
  Mr. KLEIN of Florida. The issue with tourism, though, as you just 
said, it's ecotourism. It is environmental. It is the culture. It is 
the arts.
  I see on the other side of the Chamber is the congressman from Ohio. 
I'm from Ohio originally. They have the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 
Cleveland, Ohio.
  But everywhere you go in the United States, there is the opportunity 
for tourism. And the most important recognition of this is it is about 
who we are as Americans, it's about the rest of the world getting a 
piece of our culture. We export a lot of great things in our 
entertainment industry. But bringing people to the United States, 
getting a feeling for what we're all about, our democracy, our values 
that express themselves in the way we maintain our national parks, the 
way we--the Everglades, which is one of the great creations. The Grand 
Canyon. These are all things that when people leave the country----
  Mr. FARR. The Big Sur coast.
  Mr. KLEIN of Florida. I think we could all go on for a while.
  Ms. BERKLEY. Congressmen, I would go so far as to say it is patriotic 
to be traveling.
  Mr. KLEIN of Florida. I would agree. It is patriotic for Americans to 
see America. And it is also a wonderful way of showing what America is 
like to people around the world because when they go home and they can 
share their experiences of what they have seen and what they have felt 
and what Americans are like and what this particular destination, this 
ocean, this Grand Canyon, Lake Erie, any combination of things that are 
part of who we are as a country, I think it adds so much to us as 
America. It promotes our interests worldwide as well.
  Ms. BERKLEY. I believe that the Congressman from Ohio, who is here 
for another Special Order, has moved to join us in conversation.
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. I absolutely am moved by the conversation. And one of 
the things that puzzles me as we go through this financial mess is that 
people have decided to target trips and conventions and destinations 
and tourism, and that's exactly the wrong message.
  I don't know how it is in your part of the world. In Cleveland, where 
we have the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and we

[[Page H3809]]

have great hotels, There are people who have to work in the hotels, 
there are people who cook the food, people who serve the food. And when 
you choke down and just make fun of people that go and have conventions 
or go traveling, you really are cutting off your nose to spite your 
face because you are drying up those jobs and you really are having a 
huge impact on the local economy. And I don't know any local economy 
that doesn't have as a component a healthy dose of dollars from 
tourism.
  And so as people sort of say this is bad, that's bad, don't do this, 
one thing that they shouldn't target is, in fact, people need to 
travel, people need to have meetings, and people need to rent rooms and 
eat meals.
  I thank the gentlelady for yielding.
  Ms. BERKLEY. We've been joined by one of our newest and finest 
Congressmen from the State of Florida (Mr. Grayson) who also represents 
a tourist-based economy in his district.
  Mr. GRAYSON. I rise today to bring attention to the fact that there 
is increasing evidence to support the idea that taking vacations is 
necessary for your health.
  Ms. BERKLEY. Your health?
  Mr. GRAYSON. Your health. In times of economic uncertainty, it may 
seem hard to justify taking a vacation, but more than ever it is 
important to do so for your health.
  The United States is a Nation of hard workers, but research shows 
that about a third of us in this country don't take all of the vacation 
days that we're entitled to. But according to Take Back Your Time, 
which is a nonprofit organization that studies issues related to 
overwork, there are 137 different countries that mandate paid vacation 
time, and the reason, typically, is health. The United States is not 
one of them.
  With the number of Americans who said they would take a vacation is 
at a 30-year low, we need to take a look at the benefits of making that 
vacation that people have dreamed of a reality.
  It is abundantly clear that individuals who take vacations are at a 
significantly lower risk for illness and disease. Likewise, those who 
do not take vacations are at a heightened risk of illness and disease. 
Even individuals without health problems can benefit from taking a 
vacation because it helps them to sleep better and it helps them to 
relax.
  Ms. BERKLEY. When people come to Las Vegas, we don't want them 
sleeping.
  Mr. GRAYSON. So it is sleeping afterward to make up for that.
  A 2006 study was conducted to measure the benefits of taking 
vacations, and after a few days of vacation, the study found each 
participant was averaging more sleep and better quality sleep every 
night. There was also an 80 percent improvement in reaction times. And 
these benefits continued after they returned home. There is evidence 
that individuals who take vacations perform better at their jobs and 
they have higher job satisfaction.
  The research has made such an impression that there is legislation 
being proposed here that would require a paid vacation time in the 
United States. It is currently called the Minimum Leave Protection 
Family Bonding and Personal Well-Being Act, and it would mandate 3 
weeks of vacation every year.
  I think that Americans need to relax. They need to consider this 
evidence about what is good for their health and their well-being, and 
they need to take time off. And as the Congressman from Orlando, I 
recommend they take a few days off at Disney World.
  Ms. BERKLEY. I have also been in your fair city, and when my kids 
were little, younger, we had wonderful family vacations in Orlando. It 
was quite a treat for us. So you do have a beautiful community and 
people should be flocking there.

                              {time}  1900

  So we're discovering today that not only is this good for the 
economy, not only is tourism and business travel almost patriotic, but 
now it's also good for your health.
  So I thank you very much for adding that component to our discussion.
  Mr. GRAYSON. Thank you, too. I was in Las Vegas last year. I had a 
great time.
  Ms. BERKLEY. Good. I hope you left a little money on the table.
  Mr. FARR. I think it's important to realize that when we wanted to in 
Congress--we're essentially the one spouse, the father or the mother is 
serving in Congress, and taking away from the normal--we're not living 
with our family during the week. We're here in Washington. We go home 
on weekends.
  But in order to get us to bond together with your new freshman class 
and all the rest of us, we took a retreat. Essentially, that was 
business travel. We went to Williamsburg. We did that as Democrats, and 
the Republicans the following week did the same thing.
  And so why did we do that? We didn't think of ourselves going on a 
vacation or going on a boondoggle. It was really about how to do our 
professional lives better and incorporate our families so that we can 
incorporate them in our business. And I think that that's real 
important.
  And what's happened in this economic crisis is the press has made 
that kind of experience for businesses and even for government, that 
you shouldn't be doing that; you should feel very guilty.
  Ms. BERKLEY. Congressman, I think we've had----
  Mr. FARR. I feel guilty about the people that are getting unemployed 
because nobody's going out to a restaurant or to----
  Ms. BERKLEY. I feel exactly the way you do, but I think it's more 
than just the media. I think that Members of Congress and the 
administration have also contributed to this feeling that maybe there's 
something wrong about traveling.
  But I think we've turned the corner, and it's becoming very obvious 
to me, especially in President Obama's latest comments about the 
importance of traveling and how much he appreciates the travel industry 
and how important business travel is. Members of Congress also 
appreciated it as well, and I'm really glad that you brought that up.
  Mr. FARR. I think this last statement about how it's good for our 
mental health is absolutely true.
  Ms. BERKLEY. We could use some good mental health in Congress, that's 
for sure.
  Mr. FARR. And for the Nation. I think we need to be proud of who we 
are, and you know, going to a ball game is a tourist experience.
  Ms. BERKLEY. It's a wonderful experience.
  Mr. FARR. And if you went to that ball game out of town, you really 
would be a tourist. If you go in your hometown, it's something you do 
because it's a local activity, but it really is an experience. You 
being in that ballpark, you spent money to get there. You're spending 
money on food. You're spending money on programs, on the paraphernalia. 
That's all part of the tourist experience.
  Ms. BERKLEY. It's as American as apple pie. Ball games, sharing them 
with your kids, with your spouse, I mean, what could be better? And if 
you could bring your whole business team with you, too, that's a 
wonderful way to bond and be more effective as a team.
  There was something you said earlier, but I wanted to share something 
very personal. You know, even though we're friends, and you know, we 
know each other here in Congress, sometimes we don't know about each 
other's personal background. But something that you said touched a 
chord with me because it seemed like you were talking about my own 
family.
  My parents were driving across country. Everything we owned was in a 
U-Haul hooked up to the back bumper of our car. And my father was a 
waiter when I was growing up. We lived in upstate New York. We drove 
across country because my dad had a letter of introduction to get a job 
in a restaurant in southern California.
  We stopped in Las Vegas for the night, and obviously we never left. 
And on a waiter's salary, my dad was a waiter at the old Sands Hotel 
which was very famous for the Rat Pack and just a very exciting time in 
Las Vegas' history. But on a waiter's salary, he was able to put a roof 
over our head, food on the table, clothes on our back, and two 
daughters through college and law school. That's not so bad on a 
waiter's salary. As a matter of fact, he's 84 years old now, still 
working, and very proud of his accomplishments.
  That's what the tourism industry and that's what business travel 
means to

[[Page H3810]]

me. It uplifts families. It gives people jobs. They don't have to be 
lavish jobs. We're not talking about people that make millions of 
dollars. We're talking about people, middle-income families, that make 
enough money because they are part of the tourism industry, because 
they are part of the business travel industry, that they can support 
their families.
  And then, I'm a first generation college-goer. No one in my family 
ever went to college until I did, and it changes lives. And making sure 
you've got that job, that good job security, you have a healthy 
economy, that's what we're talking about. And business travel is so 
much a part of this country and so much a part of our economy.
  Mr. FARR. That's a very moving story, and just God bless your dad. 
What a wonderful person he must be.
  My daughter said something to me that really touched me just a couple 
of weeks ago. She said, Dad, I'm so thankful that I have a job. And she 
used to be a waitress. And she said, I just know so many people that 
have been laid off, even some of her friends who have been waitresses, 
college graduates who are coming home but in between finding a job are 
doing--she said, you know what you and Mom could do, she said next time 
you go out, tip a little bit higher.
  Ms. BERKLEY. You know, I worked my way----
  Mr. FARR. This is my daughter saying this, give more to the people. I 
mean, when you think about that service and that tipping and that 
concept of giving, I think it's so fundamental to our American culture 
that, as we said, travel and tourism isn't a luxury. It's a part of the 
American culture, the dream, to enjoy oneself.
  Ms. BERKLEY. We are joined by the other Congresswoman from Las Vegas.
  Mr. FARR. We've got the dynamic duo here. This is incredible.
  Ms. BERKLEY. Congresswoman Dina Titus has joined us.
  Mr. FARR. Well, welcome. You're a new freshwoman, fresh Congresswoman 
to this, and it's exciting to see you so interested in travel and 
tourism, obviously representing Las Vegas, and I'll let you talk.
  But I also have to say that from what I've heard, the best deal in 
America is to take your family to Las Vegas right now. And as you said, 
they're almost giving away hotel rooms, and air travel, if you go by 
air, is just dirt cheap. And the experience that one can have, it's 
probably in some cases cheaper than staying at home.
  Ms. BERKLEY. It's the best bang for your buck, there's no doubt about 
it. And as we keep saying, not only can you have some fun, you can 
actually get some business done. So we want to encourage all of those 
conventions that had second thoughts, that decided to cancel their 
trips to Vegas, their conventions, their conferences, think again. Come 
back. You can have a wonderful conference and enjoy yourselves as well 
and save your company some money by doing it.
  Mr. FARR. Smaller businesses, you can come to Monterey peninsula, 
Monterey----
  Ms. BERKLEY. The aquarium----
  Mr. FARR. We have got a lot of great places to visit.
  Ms. BERKLEY. As you know, my in-laws live in your district. So we go 
up and we visit them often. It's a wonderful place to be.
  Mr. FARR. Welcome to this discussion.
  Ms. TITUS. Well, thank you so much for letting me join you and thank 
you, Congresswoman Berkley, for organizing this and giving me an 
opportunity. I know you've been talking about some of the issues 
already, and nobody is a stronger advocate for tourism and activities 
in Las Vegas than my colleague Shelley Berkley.
  So I just want to add the fact that, yes, Las Vegas is a wonderful 
bargain and a wonderful place to come. You know, it just kind of added 
insult to injury when people canceled the convention, paid a 
cancellation fee, and then went to another city and paid a higher rate. 
That makes no sense whatsoever.

  In Las Vegas, we have fabulous convention facilities. Nobody can feed 
a room of 5,000 eight courses and serve the line on time like you can 
in Las Vegas. So we do want you to come back.
  And I was touched by the story of your daughter because that is so 
true. We shouldn't be thinking of this just in terms of statistics, and 
the statistics are staggering, but we need to think of it in terms of 
people.
  Many of the people who live in District 3 work in the tourism 
industry. It's not just along the famous Las Vegas Strip, but we have 
the Red Rock Casino. We've got the Green Valley Ranch. We've got the 
new Inn that's opened, a lot of areas outside of the strip that are in 
District 3. So those are jobs.
  Las Vegas, Nevada, has the highest unemployment rate it's had in 25 
years. You know, we used to think we were recession-proof, and if you 
had two nickels to rub together you'd come out there to try to change 
your luck. That's not been the case recently. As people lose disposable 
income, they're not coming. Those tourism dollars aren't there, and 
people are losing jobs. If you lose a job or you lose hours on your 
job, or those tips aren't there, if you have one member of the family 
who is a tip earner then that leads to another problem which is the 
housing foreclosure.
  So when you're talking about where to have your convention and what 
the pluses are to having it in Las Vegas, remember, those are very real 
people who are making those beds, serving that food, dealing those 
cards, dancing in that chorus line. Those are real folks that live in 
the district, go to school there, obey the laws, and just try to do the 
right thing.
  So I'm very glad to be here tonight to add my voice to the notion 
that we've got to do more business travel and to put Las Vegas back on 
the list of preferred destinations.
  Ms. BERKLEY. Well, you know, you and I have lived in Las Vegas for an 
awfully long time and have been very active in the community. I know 
that Las Vegas has this reputation and the people think of it as a 
gaming community, and indeed, we do have the best gaming on the planet. 
The most fabulous hotels, restaurants, you name it, we've got it, great 
entertainment, but there's much more to our community than that.
  And I was just heartsick when Las Vegas was attacked so savagely over 
the last few weeks here in Congress and frightening businesses. They 
didn't want to come to us for fear there would be some kind of taint.
  Now, you and I know you raise families in Las Vegas. There's Saturday 
soccer. We have per capita the most churches and synagogues and mosques 
of any other city in the United States. It's a wonderful place to raise 
a family, but we can't raise our families unless people come and spend 
their tourist and their business dollars in our town.
  Ms. TITUS. Well, you're so right, and if you look at our population, 
you know, we're very American. The rest of the country is becoming more 
like us. We have the fastest growing senior population, fastest growing 
Hispanic and Asian population, fastest growing school age population. 
We really are a southwestern city, and so to try to paint us with just 
those kinds of, oh, descriptions or adjectives or hyperbole is just not 
fair. We are a good community, a place to live, and we are a family and 
go to work, go to church, go to school. So I want people to see the 
other side of Las Vegas, the real people side of it.
  You know, I hope to do something along those lines to change the 
conversation a little in my role on the Homeland Security Committee. 
You know, there's no place that has more high-tech security personnel 
and equipment than Las Vegas. Everybody's heard of the ``eye in the 
sky'' and everywhere could learn something from us in how those giant 
hotels deal with emergency situations and what we would do in the case 
of an emergency on New Year's Eve when we have all those people on the 
Las Vegas Strip watching fireworks.
  So I'm trying to get some more cooperation between government and the 
private sector to come and look back of the house to see what all those 
things are that we have to offer just to change the conversation, so 
you can see another side of Las Vegas.
  Ms. BERKLEY. Well, I think that's a great idea, and you know, we are 
a southwest town with a bit of a kick, and we love our kick. I mean, 
it's just a wonderful community. You didn't grow up there. I grew up 
there. A great town, great facilities, great convention town, get a lot 
of business done, almost patriotic to do this.

[[Page H3811]]

  When we heard from Congressman Grayson, he was talking about your 
health depends on coming to Las Vegas and Monterey and South Florida.

                              {time}  1915

  There are so many communities in this country that have really been 
hard hit because businesses aren't holding conferences. You can go to 
Miami, Atlanta, Atlantic City, New York, Hawaii, Las Vegas, Monterey. 
You name it.
  We've got to get people traveling again and we've got to get our 
business community to come back and start conducting their business as 
they've become accustomed to. And, again, the caveat is we are not 
suggesting that these companies use taxpayer dollars in order to do 
their travel. But that is just a little itty bitty speck on business 
travel.
  Mr. FARR. You can use your tax refund to do travel, if you get one.
  Ms. BERKLEY. Absolutely. Ninety-five percent of the American people 
will be getting a tax cut.
  Mr. FARR. I want to build on your comment about homeland security 
because as co-Chair of the Travel and Tourism Caucus, we've been 
looking at Las Vegas, too. One, you have the largest hotel capacity in 
the United States. I believe that the goal is to have 100,000 rooms.
  Ms. BERKLEY. No, we're at 140,000 now.
  Mr. FARR. Well, you think about that. That means, theoretically, 
140,000 people could check in and check out in the same day. And so 
your airport is one of the most sophisticated airports in the United 
States. And you're starting to--which I think is a marvelous concept--
look at wouldn't it be a lot faster to move people if, when they check 
in their baggage to go to Las Vegas, that that baggage then is in their 
room when they check in. When they leave their room, they leave the 
baggage there and it's at the like baggage pickup when they go home. 
The idea is that, one, for security purposes. You do this perimeter 
screening and you don't have to do it in the airport.
  Secondly, they find what slows people down is sort of schlepping the 
bags. You've got to go pick them up and then you've got to lift them 
and you've got to get into a vehicle. That just slows things down. If 
people didn't have to carry all that luggage, they could move a lot of 
people a lot faster.
  So there's a lot of lessons to learn here on just how--and, frankly, 
we've also taken from the hotel industry the way TSA--the agents who 
are at the gates--could learn much more hospitality treatment of not 
being rude to passengers. Just have a little bit more of a professional 
flare while they also do their security business.
  So there's a lot we're learning from your city that has applications 
throughout this United States. I hope that we can model it. I wish that 
the United States would talk more and the President would talk more--
whomever the President is--but President Obama would really talk about 
the fulfillment of the American Dream and the realization of the 
greatness of our country by encouraging people to really see more of it 
and experience it. His city of Chicago is a big tourist draw and 
convention draw. He understands that.
  Every community has a soul. Every community has something that can 
build upon that is really great. I think we are still in the 
developmental stages of trying to pull out the essence of that soul--
what the natives in that community do, the historic aspects of the 
community. People settled there and built a town, and there's something 
in that that will attract people to come and see it.
  There's so much opportunity to expand in travel and tourism--we just 
have to take it away from something of being a luxury item. It's not 
that anymore.
  Ms. BERKLEY. Well, I think Dina knows that President Obama has 
announced that he's coming to Las Vegas in the spring. I believe that 
he's going to be using that opportunity to say exactly what you're 
saying, Congressman, that it's part of the American Dream, this travel, 
and encourage people not only to do leisure travel, which Las Vegas is 
famous for, but business travel as well. And we're famous for that as 
well.
  Ms. TITUS. I think travel is so educational. I certainly agree with 
what you're saying about how it enriches a person's life.
  When I was growing up, my father would put my sister and me in the 
car--the station wagon--and we would drive across country, hitting all 
the National Parks. So that is something that I don't guess we do too 
much anymore.
  If you want to look for the heart and soul of a small community, take 
that trip. Because there are places around the country that have the 
biggest rubber band ball or the biggest stack of pancakes or the 
biggest ear of corn, country fairs and home cooking and boiled peanuts. 
That's the way you really learn about this country and learn who your 
neighbors and fellow countrymen are.
  Education is a great result of that kind of travel. That also builds 
tolerance and understanding when you can see and know people who aren't 
necessarily just like yourself. That comes from travel.

  Mr. FARR. What I've also noticed is that people are very interested 
in what we call ``watchable wildlife.'' The history is you go to zoos 
to see animals. But they really want to see them in the out-of-doors in 
their natural state.
  Ms. BERKLEY. We have some wildlife in Las Vegas, you know.
  Mr. FARR. The national parks and the national forest. But I was in 
Big Sur last weekend and I was talking to one of the hotels there. They 
were telling me that people--and they charge a lot for their rooms. But 
people call up and say, If I book a room in this hotel in Big Sur, can 
I see a condor? Because there are very few condors and we're monitoring 
them and we have a radio device on them, we know where they are. So the 
answer is ``yes'' because we know where they are. We can guarantee that 
you will see a condor. Other people will want to know about seeing sea 
otters.
  So, living on the coast, what you realize is that natural flora and 
fauna--redwood trees that are native--that people want to come and see 
the out-of-doors. What I find is that you can't make people an 
environmentalist, so to speak, in appreciation for a living environment 
until you have been there and then also had it explained to you. Once 
you do, you get it.
  So this whole issue of why do we need to fight global warming and 
what is it doing to our natural systems, you can understand that once 
you get that experience in the national parks or get that experience 
being out-of-doors.
  So it's really all our culture. It's sort of the creativity of what 
you have done in Las Vegas, plus areas that just have the natural 
environment preserved in its natural state. Both add to this mosaic of 
travel and tourism.
  Ms. BERKLEY. I think that is so eloquently put. I also want to remind 
people, especially the business traveler, that it's a good break from 
your business meeting if you come to Las Vegas. We have Red Rock 
Canyon, which is spectacular; we have the Grand Canyon, that is even 
more spectacular; and, of course, the Hoover Dam.
  So you can do your business, you can do your gambling, you can eat 
the finest food, and then you can go outside of the city and enjoy the 
natural wonders of this beautiful, beautiful country of ours.
  Ms. TITUS. I would mention along these same lines that Las Vegas 
plays a big part in other things that you don't think about. Right now 
there's a big emphasis on renewable energy. Certainly, we are the 
sunniest State in the country in Nevada. Everybody goes to Las Vegas 
for the wonderful weather. They're calling me every day to tell me how 
warm it is there compared to how cool it is here.
  But the architecture that relates to that renewable energy is very 
interesting. A very famous book was written about the architecture of 
Las Vegas a number of years ago. They can go back and write another one 
now because there was a time not too long ago that of the top 10 LEED-
certified green buildings in the country. Seven of those projects were 
along the Las Vegas Strip.
  So it's quite interesting to look at it just from an architectural 
environmental standpoint, as well as just from the beauty of the decor. 
So that is something also we have to offer.
  Ms. BERKLEY. Well, I think we have spoken for about an hour. We have 
had a very spirited discussion and I think a

[[Page H3812]]

very enlightening and educated one. I hope that the people that are 
watching come to appreciate the value of travel on vacation, family 
travel, just a getaway for the two of you, or, more significantly, for 
the discussion tonight, business travel, which is so important to the 
economies of every State in the Union.
  I don't know whether you knew this--I'm sure you do as chairman of 
the Tourism Caucus--but in 30 States tourism is the first, second, or 
third most important industry. For a city like ours and a State like 
ours, obviously it's number one. But for 30 other States we're talking 
first, second, or third. That is huge.
  We want to invite everybody back. Do those business meetings. Stop 
canceling. Stop being foolish. Enjoy and do your business in Las Vegas, 
in Monterey, in Florida, Atlantic City, New York, Miami. We need you.
  Mr. FARR. Be healthy. Explore more.
  Ms. BERKLEY. That's perfect. And thank you all for sharing this hour 
with me. I've learned things from everybody that has participated. I 
appreciate everything that you have said. Thank you so much.
  Mr. LoBIONDO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join with my colleague 
from Nevada, Ms. Berkley, and to thank her for holding this special 
order tonight. I agree that corporations who accept taxpayer funded 
bailouts should curb lavish expenses that do little to improve their 
profitability. However, legitimate business functions held at casino-
hotels in Atlantic City, Las Vegas, and elsewhere should not be the 
subject of criticism by the media and government officials.
  In my district, Atlantic City casinos are our region's single largest 
employer. Unfortunately, like most businesses, they are suffering in 
the current economic climate. Gaming revenue is down to its lowest 
point in more than a decade, thousands of employees have been laid off 
and construction projects have ground to a halt.
  Corporate gatherings, conventions and other functions bring thousands 
of business travelers to Atlantic City, filling our retail outlets, 
restaurants and hotel rooms. The continuance of these legitimate 
business functions is critical if our region is going to pull out of 
this recession, put people back to work and expand our economy.
  That is why I am outraged by the administration's latest salvo 
against our casino-hotels and the thousands of workers they employ. 
Forcing non profits and local governments who receive stimulus funds to 
abstain from holding legitimate events at casino-hotels is appalling. 
In my district, several nonprofits and government agencies hold 
important community outreach events at gaming properties in Atlantic 
City because these convenient venues are often the only ones able to 
accommodate large numbers of people. For instance, our local Workforce 
Investment Board regularly holds job fairs and workforce development 
seminars at casino-hotels in Atlantic City. Under the administration's 
new rules, these services would likely have to be curtailed at a time 
when they are critically needed and the economic recovery of our 
region's largest employer would be further delayed.
  I call on the administration to back down from this flawed, unjust, 
and unwarranted policy and instead partner with us to get our travel 
based economy in Southern New Jersey, Las Vegas and other destinations 
back on track. I also urge the media to immediately cease their 
hyperbolic attacks on legitimate corporate travel in this country. I 
thank the gentle lady from Nevada who Co-Chairs the Congressional 
Gaming Caucus with me for her leadership and I look forward to working 
with her and all of our colleagues to get our economy moving again.

                          ____________________