[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 9]
[House]
[Pages 12670-12676]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




      TRAVEL PROMOTION, ENHANCEMENT, AND MODERNIZATION ACT OF 2014

  Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 4450) to extend the Travel Promotion Act of 2009, and for other 
purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4450

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

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Travel Promotion, 
     Enhancement, and Modernization Act of 2014''.

     SEC. 2. BOARD OF DIRECTORS.

       Subsection (b)(2)(A) of the Travel Promotion Act of 2009 
     (22 U.S.C. 2131(b)(2)(A)) is amended--
       (1) in the matter preceding clause (i)--
       (A) in the first sentence, by striking ``promotion and 
     marketing'' and inserting ``promotion or marketing''; and
       (B) by inserting after the first sentence the following: 
     ``At least 5 members of the board shall have experience 
     working in United States multinational entities with 
     marketing budgets. At least 2 members of the board shall be 
     audit committee financial experts (as defined by the 
     Securities and Exchange Commission in accordance with section 
     407 of Public Law 107-204 (15 U.S.C. 7265)). All members of 
     the board shall be a current or former chief executive 
     officer, chief financial officer, or chief marketing officer, 
     or have held an equivalent management position.''; and
       (2) in clause (x), by striking ``intercity passenger 
     railroad business'' and inserting ``land or sea passenger 
     transportation sector''.

     SEC. 3. ANNUAL REPORT TO CONGRESS.

       Subsection (c)(3) of the Travel Promotion Act of 2009 (22 
     U.S.C. 2131(c)(3)) is amended--
       (1) in subparagraph (F), by striking ``and'' at the end;
       (2) by redesignating subparagraph (G) as subparagraph (I); 
     and
       (3) by inserting after subparagraph (F) the following:
       ``(G) a description of, and rationales for, the 
     Corporation's efforts to focus on specific countries and 
     populations;
       ``(H)(i) a description of, and rationales for, the 
     Corporation's combination of media channels employed in 
     meeting the promotional objectives of its marketing campaign;
       ``(ii) the ratio in which such channels are used; and
       ``(iii) a justification for the use and ratio of such 
     channels; and''.

     SEC. 4. BIANNUAL REVIEW OF PROCEDURES TO DETERMINE FAIR 
                   MARKET VALUE OF GOODS AND SERVICES.

       Subsection (d)(3) of the Travel Promotion Act of 2009 (22 
     U.S.C. 2131(d)(3)) is amended--
       (1) in subparagraph (B)(ii), by striking ``80 percent'' and 
     inserting ``70 percent''; and
       (2) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(E) Maintenance of an in-kind contributions policy.--The 
     Corporation shall maintain an in-kind contributions policy.
       ``(F) Formalized procedures for in-kind contributions 
     policy.--Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment 
     of the Travel Promotion, Enhancement, and Modernization Act 
     of 2014, the Secretary of Commerce, in coordination with the 
     Corporation, shall establish formal, publicly available 
     procedures specifying time frames and conditions for--
       ``(i) making and agreeing to revisions of the Corporation's 
     in-kind contributions policy; and
       ``(ii) addressing and resolving disagreements between the 
     Corporation and its partners, including the Secretary of 
     Commerce, regarding the in-kind contributions policy.
       ``(G) Biannual review of procedures to determine fair 
     market value of goods and services.--The Corporation and the 
     Secretary of Commerce (or their designees) shall meet on a 
     biannual basis to review the procedures to determine the fair 
     market value of goods and services received from non-Federal 
     sources by the Corporation under subparagraph (B).''.

     SEC. 5. EXTENSION OF TRAVEL PROMOTION ACT OF 2009.

       (a) In General.--The Travel Promotion Act of 2009 (22 
     U.S.C. 2131) is amended--
       (1) in subsection (b)(5)(A)(iv), by striking ``all States 
     and the District of Columbia'' and inserting ``all States and 
     territories of the United States and the District of 
     Columbia,''; and
       (2) in subsection (d)--
       (A) in paragraph (2)(B), by striking ``2015'' and inserting 
     ``2020''; and
       (B) in paragraph (4)(B), by striking ``fiscal year 2011, 
     2012, 2013, 2014, or 2015'' and inserting ``each of the 
     fiscal years 2011 through 2020''.
       (b) Sunset of Travel Promotion Fund Fee.--Section 
     217(h)(3)(B)(iii) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 
     U.S.C. 1187(h)(3)(B)(iii)) is amended by striking ``September 
     30, 2015'' and inserting ``September 30, 2020''.

     SEC. 6. ACCOUNTABILITY; PROCUREMENT REQUIREMENTS.

       The Travel Promotion Act of 2009 (22 U.S.C. 2131), as 
     amended by this Act, is further amended--

[[Page 12671]]

       (1) by redesignating subsections (e), (f), (g), and (h) as 
     subsections (h), (e), (i), and (j), respectively;
       (2) by moving subsection (e) (as so redesignated) so that 
     it follows subsection (d);
       (3) in paragraph (2) of subsection (c), by striking 
     ``$5,000,000'' and inserting ``$500,000''; and
       (4) by inserting after subsection (e), as redesignated, the 
     following:
       ``(f) Accountability.--
       ``(1) Performance plans and measures.--Not later than 90 
     days after the date of the enactment of the Travel Promotion, 
     Enhancement, and Modernization Act of 2014, the Corporation 
     shall--
       ``(A) establish performance metrics including, time frames, 
     evaluation methodologies, and data sources for measuring--
       ``(i) the effectiveness of marketing efforts by the 
     Corporation, including its progress in achieving the long-
     term goals of increased traveler visits to and spending in 
     the United States;
       ``(ii) whether increases in visitation and spending have 
     occurred in response to external influences, such as economic 
     conditions or exchange rates, rather than in response to the 
     efforts of the Corporation; and
       ``(iii) any cost or benefit to the economy of the United 
     States; and
       ``(B) conduct periodic program evaluations in response to 
     the data resulting from measurements under subparagraph (A).
       ``(2) GAO accountability.--Not later than 60 days after the 
     date on which the Corporation receives a report from the 
     Government Accountability Office with recommendations for the 
     Corporation, the Corporation shall submit a report to 
     Congress that describes the actions taken by the Corporation 
     in response to the recommendations in such report.
       ``(g) Procurement Requirements.--The Corporation shall--
       ``(1) establish a competitive procurement process; and
       ``(2) certify in its annual report to Congress under 
     subsection (c)(3) that any contracts entered into were in 
     compliance with the established competitive procurement 
     process.''.

     SEC. 7. REPEAL OF ASSESSMENT AUTHORITY.

       The Travel Promotion Act of 2009 (22 U.S.C. 2131), as 
     amended by this Act, is further amended by striking 
     subsection (e) (as redesignated by section 6(1) of this Act).

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


                             General Leave

  Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
insert extraneous materials in the Record on this bill, and I would 
like to include an exchange of letters between the Committee on Energy 
and Commerce and the Committee on Homeland Security.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Nebraska?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.
  Today, I rise in support of H.R. 4450, the Travel Promotion, 
Enhancement, and Modernization Act, which was reported out of the 
subcommittee I chair, Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade, on July 9, 
22-0. H.R. 4450 then sailed through the full Committee on Energy and 
Commerce on July 15 by voice vote.
  I thank Congressman Bilirakis for his hard work, not only in crafting 
a very smart bill with the appropriate reforms, but also gaining strong 
bipartisan support along the way. And I also thank his cosponsor, Mr. 
Welch of Vermont, for being the lead Democratic sponsor.

                              {time}  1745

  The Travel Promotion Act matches $100 million in fees from foreign 
travelers with $100 million in voluntary contributions from the 
industry to invest in advertising abroad. In 2013 alone, Brand USA 
generated 1.1 million visitors to the United States, who spent $3.4 
billion and supported 53,181 U.S. jobs.
  Now, we always think of Orlando, California, Miami, Disneyland, 
Hollywood, and Disney World as the tourist spots that are known 
worldwide, but thanks to the TPA and Brand USA, travel agents from 
abroad can educate their clients on popular attractions in America's 
heartland, not just New York City or Los Angeles. Nebraska alone has 
seen $4.4 billion spent and 44,275 jobs supported throughout the life 
of Brand USA.
  With H.R. 4450, we increase accountability, as well as transparency 
requirements and performance metrics to ensure Brand USA is run 
efficiently. I am also pleased that the legislation makes contributions 
to Brand USA voluntary, rather than compulsory.
  Conservative publications, such as RedState and Human Events have 
picked up on these changes and recognize these reforms as critical to 
the success of the Travel Promotion Act.
  I thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) and the gentleman 
from Vermont (Mr. Welch) for their hard work in drafting H.R. 4450 and 
for gathering enough supporters that we can pass this legislation under 
suspension of the rules.
  I was fortunate to be able to report the bill out of my subcommittee, 
so that our committee can continue to benefit from Brand USA, and I 
encourage a ``yea'' vote from all of the Members on both sides of the 
aisle.
  I reserve the balance of my time.

                                         House of Representatives,


                               Committee on Homeland Security,

                                    Washington, DC, July 16, 2014.
     Hon. Fred Upton,
     Chairman, Committee on Energy and Commerce, Rayburn House 
         Office Building, Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Upton: I write to you regarding H.R. 4450, 
     the Travel Promotion, Enhancement, and Modernization Act of 
     2014, which was ordered reported by the Committee on Energy 
     and Commerce on July 15, 2014. I wanted to notify you that 
     the Committee on Homeland Security will forgo action on the 
     bill so that it may proceed expeditiously to the House floor 
     for consideration.
       This is being done with the understanding that the 
     Committee on Homeland Security is not waiving any of its 
     jurisdiction, and the Committee will not be prejudiced with 
     respect to the appointment of conferees or its jurisdictional 
     prerogatives on this or similar legislation.
       I would appreciate your response to this letter, confirming 
     this understanding, and ask that a copy of our exchange of 
     letters on this matter be included in the report accompanying 
     H.R. 4450 and in the Congressional Record during 
     consideration of H.R. 4450 on the House floor.
           Sincerely,
                                                Michael T. McCaul,
     Chairman.
                                  ____

                                         House of Representatives,


                             Committee on Energy and Commerce,

                                    Washington, DC, July 17, 2014.
     Hon. Michael T. McCaul,
     Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security, Ford House Office 
         Building, Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman McCaul, Thank you for your letter regarding 
     H.R. 4450, the ``Travel Promotion, Enhancement, and 
     Modernization Act of 2014.''
       I appreciate your willingness to forgo action on the bill 
     so that it may proceed expeditiously to the House floor for 
     consideration. I agree that your decision is not a waiver of 
     any of the Committee on Homeland Security's jurisdiction, and 
     the Committee will not be prejudiced with respect to the 
     appointment of conferees or its jurisdictional prerogatives 
     on this or similar legislation.
       I will include a copy of our exchange of letters on this 
     matter in the report accompanying H.R. 4450 and in the 
     Congressional Record during consideration of H.R. 4450 on the 
     House floor.
           Sincerely,
                                                       Fred Upton,
                                                         Chairman.

  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  As the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, 
and Trade, I am pleased that this bipartisan bill, H.R. 4450, the 
Travel Promotion, Enhancement, and Modernization Act of 2014, was 
reported out of the full Energy and Commerce Committee last week.
  The bill, which authorizes the Brand USA program through fiscal year 
2020, is an important achievement for our committee. I appreciate the 
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Upton) and the gentleman from Nebraska 
(Mr. Terry), the chairman of our committee and subcommittee, and the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman), the full committee ranking 
member, for helping to bring this legislation to the floor.
  I strongly support Brand USA's mission of promoting international 
travel to the United States, and I have heard from travel and tourism 
professionals across my district about the need to reauthorize this 
program, but it is not just the Chicago area that benefits.

[[Page 12672]]

  Brand USA supports an estimated 53,000 jobs and $3.4 billion in 
visitor spending each year from coast to coast, according to the U.S. 
Travel Association.
  I would like to thank Mr. Bilirakis and Mr. Welch, the sponsors of 
H.R. 4450, for their continued commitment to the promotion of 
international tourism. The sponsors worked with me to make some 
important improvements to this legislation during the committee markup 
process.
  The amendment we made to the bill will make Brand USA even more 
accountable and economically viable, moving forward.
  Due to our efforts, the bill incorporates several recommendations 
that the Government Accountability Office made in a 2013 report. The 
Department of Commerce is now required to establish specific publicly 
available timeframes and conditions for how Brand USA revises and 
resolves disagreements related to its in-kind contribution policy.
  Having a set policy will not only promote greater transparency, but 
it will also, in the words of GAO, ``enable productive interactions and 
facilitate collaboration.''
  GAO has also suggested that Brand USA be directed to develop a plan 
that specifies timeframes, methodologies, and data sources for 
measuring its performance and the campaign's impact.
  By explicitly requiring those criteria, the bill now gives the 
organization more direction on the type of information it should 
collect and establishes metrics that can more effectively determine the 
success of the program.
  I was glad that the bill's sponsors proposed lowering the cap on in-
kind contributions in the underlying bill, and I am thankful that Mr. 
Bilirakis joined me to offer an amendment to lower the cap even further 
during the full committee markup last week.
  Every contribution to Brand USA, whether public or private, cash or 
in-kind, is important to the organization's ongoing success, but I 
believe that the program is in the best possible position to maintain 
and build on its success through robust cash contributions by the 
private sector.
  Brand USA's continued long-term success is essential to communities 
that--like my district--realize the economic and cultural benefits of 
tourism and travel. Brand USA has been successful in its first few 
years, and I firmly believe that this legislation improves the program 
even more.
  Again, I applaud Brand USA for its ongoing efforts to encourage 
people from all over the world to enjoy everything our country has to 
offer, and I assure the chairman of our subcommittee that we will 
benefit not just coast to coast, but also the center of the country as 
well.
  I thank the sponsors for their continued efforts to ensure the 
longevity of this valuable program and strongly encourage my colleagues 
to support this important bill.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I yield such time as he may 
consume to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Upton), the full committee 
chair.
  Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, this bill, the Travel Promotion, Enhancement, 
and Modernization Act of 2014--yes, it is a very important bill that is 
going to increase jobs and boost the economy by promoting the U.S. as a 
world-class travel destination.
  The bill reauthorizes Brand USA and increases program accountability 
and transparency, thanks in large part to the amendments and the 
regular process that we went through in committee.
  In 2013, Brand USA generated an additional 1.1 million visitors to 
the U.S. and, as the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Terry) said, $3.4 
billion in additional spending at U.S. businesses.
  This increase in spending triggered the creation of more than 53,000 
American jobs and $2.2 billion in payroll, so Brand USA delivers all 
those benefits to the U.S. economy at no cost to the American 
taxpayers--no cost.
  Earlier this month in my district, I held a roundtable to discuss the 
benefits of tourism and how this program contributes to southwest 
Michigan's economy.
  We had local legislators. We had chambers of commerce. We had tourism 
organizations. We had State officials. It was noted that in my 
district, in southwest Michigan, we had nearly $1 billion in spending 
in 2012, supporting over 9,300 jobs and $200 million in payroll 
annually just for tourists. There was $1 billion spent in southwest 
Michigan by tourists.
  It was also noted that the reauthorization of this bill was their 
number one priority. It expires next year, and one of the commitments 
that I made was to see if we could move it in an expeditious manner to 
give the Senate a little time, so that it doesn't get caught up later 
on and we can just get it off our plate, knowing in fact that it was 
bipartisan from the get-go.
  I applaud particularly the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis), 
who is going to speak a little bit later, and his colleague from 
Vermont (Mr. Welch), who are both very good members on our committee, 
for their working together and their leadership to spearhead this 
bipartisan bill.
  I was glad to see it pass on a recorded vote that was unanimous in 
subcommittee and in full committee as well, and I appreciate the 
leadership of the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky) and the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman) as we work through this bill and 
to really get it to the floor as quickly as we can.
  These are jobs. This is not a cost to the American taxpayer. It ought 
to be something that we can pass on a pretty good vote this afternoon.
  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman 
from Nevada, Dina Titus, from a place that certainly benefits from 
tourism and is a place where many of us go to have fun.
  Ms. TITUS. I thank my friend from Illinois for yielding and for 
visiting my district whenever she can.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4450, the Travel 
Promotion, Enhancement, and Modernization Act of 2014. I am an original 
cosponsor of this legislation, and I thank my friend from Florida (Mr. 
Bilirakis) for his leadership on this issue.
  During the 111th Congress, I was proud to be an original cosponsor of 
the first Travel Promotion Act, which actually established Brand USA. 
Prior to the passage of that act, the United States was one of the only 
countries in the world that did not promote its unique destination to 
foreign visitors.
  Since its creation, Brand USA has played a critical role in bringing 
foreign visitors to destinations throughout the United States, 
including my district of Las Vegas.
  Through innovative, targeted, and effective marketing campaigns, 
Brand USA has directly connected foreign visitors with world-famous 
destinations in Nevada's First Congressional District, including the 
fabulous strip; the new arts district; and the hip, edgy downtown 
section of Las Vegas.
  Foreign visitors to the United States are critical for the success of 
the travel and tourism industry. Average foreign visitors stay 17 days 
in the United States and spend $4,500 during their visit. This 
certainly creates jobs in Las Vegas and around the country.
  Brand USA has been very effective in bringing more of these visitors 
to the United States. For example, as you have heard, in 2013, Brand 
USA was directly responsible for a million new visits, generating $3.4 
billion in new visitor spending and supporting 53,000 U.S. jobs, and 
this is all without spending a dime of taxpayer dollars.
  Today, we have a chance to reauthorize the work that began with the 
Travel Promotion Act and remains so critical to our economy still 
today.
  I look forward to continuing my work with Brand USA to support the 
travel and tourism industry, to bring more visitors to Las Vegas and to 
other destinations around the country, from the Grand Canyon to Niagara 
Falls, Chicago, and even Nebraska, so I urge my colleagues to support 
H.R. 4450.
  Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Bilirakis), the author and chief negotiator of this bill, 
who worked in a very bipartisan way and allowed the bill to come out of 
our committee unanimously.

[[Page 12673]]


  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for his good work on 
this bill, as well as his leadership on this very important 
subcommittee, and I appreciate it very much.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4450, the Travel Promotion, Enhancement, and 
Modernization Act, which would reauthorize Brand USA for a limited 
time, adds numerous accountability measures and strengthens the 
transparency of the public-private partnership that promotes increased 
tourism to the United States.
  Passage of H.R. 4450 will be good for the economy. It is a jobs bill, 
Mr. Speaker. A recent analysis performed by the independent firm Oxford 
Economics estimated that, in fiscal year 2013, Brand USA generated 1.1 
million additional international visitors who spent an estimated $3.4 
billion, generating economic revenue and supporting job creation in 
communities across America.
  Brand USA does not impose a cost upon the Federal Government. It has 
helped to reduce the deficit during the last 2 fiscal years and is 
expected to continue to do so. In fact, the respected and nonpartisan 
Congressional Budget Office estimates that H.R. 4450 will reduce the 
deficit by $231 million over 10 years. It is a win-win, Mr. Speaker.
  It is important to note that Federal taxpayer dollars are not used to 
fund Brand USA. Brand USA is supported by international visitors and 
voluntary private sector contributors.
  After it receives contribution from the private sector, Brand USA can 
only collect up to $100 million in matching funds from fees paid by 
foreign travelers. Amounts collected in excess of that cap are returned 
to the Treasury for deficit reduction.

                              {time}  1800

  Finally, given the benefits to the economy across State lines, as 
well as the competitive nature of foreign competitors in travel 
promotion, Congress is well within its authority under the Commerce 
Clause to extend the Travel Promotion Act. Small State and local 
tourism offices and local small businesses across America are some of 
the strongest supporters of the Travel Promotion Act and benefit 
greatly from international tourism. Brand USA helps bridge these 
communities and opens up new markets to American competition.
  I appreciate consideration of this legislation, which several 
commentators have noted includes important reforms. This bill improves 
an already existing partnership, Mr. Speaker.
  I thank Chairman Upton for his leadership, again, the subcommittee 
chair, Chairman Terry, doing an outstanding job, all those who have 
contributed to this bill, our lead cosponsor, Mr. Peter Welch, and the 
cochair of the Tourism Caucus, Mr. Farr--who I believe will speak in a 
few minutes--for their work on this legislation, and also the ranking 
member of the subcommittee, Ms. Schakowsky. I urge support of this 
prudent and narrow reauthorization of the Travel Promotion Act.
  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. It is now my pleasure to yield for such time as he 
may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Farr), who is from a 
beautiful area of the country.
  Mr. FARR. Thank you very much for yielding. Thank you for your 
leadership on this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill for many reasons. The 
first reason is that America needs to market itself. You think that, 
oh, everybody loves America, but I found in my travels in talking with 
people that not everybody has the same opinion about America. Right 
now, if you turn on your television, the rest of the world is trying to 
get people who live in this country to go travel to their country--go 
to Spain; go to the Caribbean; go to New Zealand; go everywhere; go to 
Canada. It is all trying to get our people to be tourists in their 
country.
  Well, finally, we did something about it. We have been doing this in 
agriculture for a long time. With the Agricultural Marketing Act, we 
decided, well, let's market America. Let's tell people what this great 
country is, how you can get here, and what you are going to see when 
you get here. It has had a tremendous effect. It really has. It, to me, 
is the biggest jump-starter for jobs that we can do because tourism is 
everywhere. It is all those things. It is little restaurants. It is 
museums. It is essentially Washington, D.C., from parks to rivers to 
everything. That is what America is made of.
  There is also, I think, in this hot world right now, this complicated 
world--the news is full of bad stuff, and, unfortunately, America, 
because of all our movies and television, also has an opinion of people 
this is the most dangerous country in the world to visit. We have got 
to get over that, because everybody who comes here finds that it is not 
true at all. It is very friendly people and wonderful help. So it is 
very important. It is kind of foreign policy to say: Come on, come see 
this great country, this little pillar of the world, and meet the 
people.
  Next year, we are going to have the 100th anniversary of our National 
Park System. We are the only country in the world that has a national 
park system like this one. They are the most beautiful places in 
America.
  I would suggest that, frankly, this is a great, bipartisan product. 
Mr. Bilirakis and I have been cochairs of this Tourism Caucus. We have 
been trying to get every Member to join. It was interesting; we got 
more Democrats to join the caucus than Republicans. And hopefully now 
with this bill and this sort of discussion of how important this is to 
your local districts, and there is isn't a chamber of commerce in the 
United States that isn't watching this vote and hoping that we will 
pass this bill because those tourists, just like politics, all of it is 
local. All tourism is local. They go to some community, and they go to 
the main street and they help the small businesses.
  I represent a pretty remote area of California called Big Sur, a 
beautiful coastline. The foreign tourists are carrying the economy of 
that area by their visits. The Europeans are visiting it in greater 
numbers than ever before. If you talk to any of the merchants, they 
will say, but for that European travel after the recession we have had, 
we wouldn't be recovering like it is.
  So I want every Member of Congress to join our caucus because what do 
we do? Caucuses produce things. We produced this reauthorization, a 
bill, and Mr. Bilirakis as cochair carried it, and he has done a 
tremendous job. It is important that we focus for a moment on the 
importance of tourism as an industry just like steel, electronics, and 
airlines, but it is made up of all these other parts. That industry is 
in every single congressional district. If this is the tide that lifts 
the ships that bring the tourists here, it is also the tide that will 
help leave that tourist tax dollar, that tourist expenditure dollar in 
our local community and hire people to be a service-oriented industry.
  So I applaud our colleagues in Congress for reauthorizing. We have 
done this before without controversy because it is a pay-for. It is 
already paid for. It is not a tax. It is a fee that is levied on 
tourists coming to this country to get a visa, and a portion of that 
fee then goes into paying for this promotion. So it is a win-win. It is 
a job promotion, and it is good for everybody. I hope we get a 
unanimous vote on both sides of the aisle, and I hope those that vote 
for it will also join the Tourism Caucus.
  Mr. TERRY. At this time, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
southern Florida (Mr. Jolly).
  Mr. JOLLY. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4450, legislation to 
reauthorize the public-private program that is often known as Brand 
USA. This is a bill that was passed unanimously by the subcommittee and 
by voice vote through the full committee. I understand questions have 
been raised today, so let's address some very specific, important 
components of this legislation.
  First, in 1981, Ronald Reagan signed the National Tourism Policy Act 
to promote the United States as a destination for international 
tourism, to expand our economy, and to grow jobs here in the United 
States. In 2009, this body passed the Travel Promotion Act.
  Second, this is an activity that extends across State lines bringing 
this

[[Page 12674]]

bill, this legislation, within the article I Commerce Clause authority 
of this body, the constitutional authority of this body.
  Third, no Federal taxpayer dollars are used to fund Brand USA. It is 
funded by industry contributions and by international visitors. The 
United States is the only major destination that does not fund its 
promotion programs through taxpayer dollars. It is through private 
contributions of industry matched by international traveler fees.
  There is a cap on the program, the amount of funds it can expend from 
those fees collected from international visitors; and when the funds 
exceed that cap, that money is returned to the Treasury for deficit 
reduction. In FY13, that was $27 million in deficit reduction to 
benefit the taxpayers. This bill was recently scored, and over the next 
10 years, this would reduce the deficit, contribute to the Treasury 
$231 million not from taxpayers but from international travelers.
  This bill rightly is supported by associations and organizations 
across the country, from hotel and lodging, including those in Florida, 
from business travel to cruise lines to amusement parks, shopping 
malls, restaurants, convention and visitors' bureaus, the U.S. Olympic 
Committee, and in my home State, by the organization Visit Florida. And 
rightly so.
  Let's revisit why. There is no cost to the Federal Government by this 
program. There is no cost to the U.S. taxpayer for this program. This 
program reduces the Federal deficit, and it fosters economic growth in 
communities across the country, in each and every one of our 
congressional districts that we are sent here to represent.
  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the discussion that is being had on this 
bill, but I ask my colleagues, let's not stand in our own way when it 
comes to sensible, good legislation that we can pass to promote the 
economy across the country and in the communities that we represent.
  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, can I ask how many minutes remain on 
either side?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman from Illinois has 10\1/2\ 
minutes remaining. The gentleman from Nebraska has 7\1/2\ minutes 
remaining.
  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. I have no more speakers, but I want to just make a 
couple of comments. I think in addition to this being a really 
important bill and recognized in a bipartisan way, I hope Members on 
both sides of the aisle will realize how good it feels when we work 
together, and maybe this could be the beginning or a model for how we 
can deal with legislation. There were some changes to the bill. We sat 
down. We agreed on them. We worked it out, and we have a product at the 
end of the day. It is called compromise. It is not a dirty word. We 
have achieved, I think, an excellent product.
  The other thing I wanted to mention, we have talked about Big Sur, 
Carmel, Las Vegas, and other places. I just wanted to say that I am 
kind of pushing an idea for an organization called To Chicago, which is 
our tourism bureau to bring people to Chicago, especially for the 
summer. I thought a really good idea would be to promote: Come to 
Chicago, swim in Chicago, no sharks. And so I thought I would use this 
opportunity to push my ``no sharks'' idea for Chicago. You could add 
``no salt'' as well, but I thought particularly ``no sharks.'' We have 
beautiful beaches in Chicago. So I am trying to get To Chicago under 
the banner of brand Chicago to promote my good idea of no sharks.
  But there are so many ideas I think that we have for many small 
communities. I was in the delta of Louisiana at the original blues bars 
and blues restaurants down there, and all of us have something 
wonderful and unique in our communities. That is what Brand USA is 
about, to bring tourists not only to the likely suspects of places but 
to so many of our communities so they get the real flavor of the 
people, the diversity, the color, the smell, the feel, and the sound of 
the United States of America. So this is a great piece of legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I am going to continue to reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Colorado (Mr. Gardner).
  Mr. GARDNER. Mr. Speaker, I will take this time to talk about Brand 
USA. To the chairman of the subcommittee, thank you for your leadership 
on this important, bipartisan issue. I am proud to be a cosponsor of 
this legislation and urge its favorable passage today.
  Just looking at the Colorado Tourism Office, just reading the 
Colorado tourism industry facts, it starts with saying that tourism 
equals jobs and revenue for Colorado. It is a vital piece of our 
economy. Tourism is one of the largest industries in Colorado in terms 
of jobs, employing 144,000 people in the tourism sector. Overall, these 
employees earn $4.1 billion annually, contributing to State revenue 
through income taxes. And, in fact, it is a little known fact that, 
without the taxes that are paid by tourists who visit from out of 
country, out of State to Colorado, the average Colorado family would 
have to pay an additional $407 a year in taxes to make up for the money 
that would be lost if we didn't have those tourism dollars being spent 
in Colorado. It has been a tremendous success.
  When it comes to Brand USA, a quick look at the work that Brand USA 
has done in Colorado, partnering with Colorado to market the State to 
international visitors--marketing activities include both traditional 
media from TV display out of homes, social media, and more--but also 
our work in Colorado when it comes to craft beer being featured as part 
of Brand USA's 2014 Great American Road Trip, talking about the work we 
are doing in Colorado, thousands of people being employed in a new and 
growing industry.
  Colorado was featured in Brand USA's 2014 inspirational visitors' 
guide, over 16 international audiences exposed because of Brand USA's 
international visitors' guide, which will generate over 30 million 
impressions through Brand USA. The list goes on and on, the work that 
we do.
  I think it is also important to highlight the work Colorado has done 
with Brand USA's Discover America Pavilion at international trade shows 
around the world, like the Japanese Association of Travel Agents, work 
that we can do to highlight the opportunities to come to the United 
States, to create opportunities, perhaps a tourist the first time but a 
business partner the next time. I think it is a number of jobs that we 
can create.
  Again, I thank the chairman for his work on this legislation, the 
bipartisan support for the legislation, and urge its passage today with 
the support of the House of Representatives.

                              {time}  1815

  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I will close by just thanking the 
gentleman--all of the gentlemen--and ladies who have participated in 
making this important legislation come to fruition.
  I do hope we are able to move it very quickly and, hopefully, 
unanimously here, move it over to the Senate and get it done right 
away. I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill to extend the 
Brand USA program and ensure it is successful, accountable, and 
transparent going forward.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to 
close.
  I want to thank Jan Schakowsky, the ranking member, for her great 
work on this bill. She and I understand and have worked together in a 
very bipartisan way to try and encourage more foreign investment in the 
United States.
  That builds our economy and helps to create jobs when you bring money 
from outside the United States in. We had a bill that passed earlier, 
overwhelmingly in this House, that is sitting over in the Senate, to do 
a study to figure out what the barriers are to direct foreign 
investment in the United States.
  This is the easy lift here. This is providing visas to people from 
all around the world that want to come spend some time in the United 
States because they want to go to the Windy City on the big Ferris 
wheel on the pier or to one of our great amusement parks or

[[Page 12675]]

to Colorado skiing. We attract people from all over the world. We have 
to encourage them.
  There is a worldwide competition for the tourism dollar, and we need 
to make sure that the United States is competitive, and Brand USA is 
that program that promotes the United States, so that the tourists come 
here, whether it is from Brazil to go shopping in the Miami area--which 
is very popular--or whatever they want to do as their destination.
  When they decide to make that trip, they get a visitor's visa, and 
they pay a fee for that visa. The interesting part is when some of that 
money is then invested in Brand USA through this act, over that period 
of the year, there is actually more dollars that go towards budget or 
deficit reduction than are used for the processing and for Brand USA, 
so it actually reduces our deficit. Who wouldn't want that?
  It is also the point that it creates jobs, and I think of this bill 
more as a jobs bill. 53,000 jobs per year are supported because of 
Brand USA and foreign visitors to the United States--1.1 million 
visitors directly from Brand USA.
  I would like to see us do 2 million next year, but we are only going 
to do that if there is a way to get the word out around the world that 
we want visitors to the United States, so this is a great bill.
  Gus Bilirakis, the gentleman from Florida that worked this bill, 
resolved all of the major issues. He negotiated, and this is now a 
voluntary program on the business side, not compulsory.
  I don't think there are any real issues here, any barriers or bumps 
here, so I think we should have a unanimous vote on this. Therefore, I 
encourage all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote 
``yea'' on this great pro-U.S.A. bill.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, as co-chair of the Congressional Travel and 
Tourism Caucus, I am pleased to see the House of Representatives take 
up the Travel Promotion, Enhancement, and Modernization Act of 2014 
today. I want to thank my caucus co-chair, Rep. Gus Bilirakis, for 
introducing this legislation to reauthorize Brand USA--our nation's 
Destination Marketing Organization or DMO.
  This legislation will allow our country to continue its success in 
the international travel and tourism market, bringing greater numbers 
of international visitors to our shores. These travelers provide a 
substantial boost to our economy and produce many U.S. jobs. Did you 
know that international visitors coming to the United States are 
measured as an export? They are, and travel and tourism is the top 
export industry. Number One! Seventy million international visitors, 
spending over $180 billion, have produced a trade surplus every year 
since 1989--and Brand USA is a crucial part of this. Brand USA's most 
recent annual report showed that FY13 saw an increase of 1.1 million 
visitors. That increase brings an additional $3.4 billion in spending 
to our economy and supports over 50,000 new jobs.
  International visitors are drawn to America's well known destinations 
like New York, Los Angeles, Orlando, and Chicago. And yet, it is our 
``amber waves of grain'' and ``purple mountain majesties'' that attract 
travelers to all corners of our country. Our scenery sells us to the 
world and the upcoming 100th Anniversary of the National Park Service 
will highlight some of our most notable scenery.
  Brand USA's efforts bring substantial benefits to our economy with a 
return on investment of more than 30 to 1. If only my investments did 
this well. This unbeatable value is done at no U.S. taxpayer expense. 
Funding for this program is provided by the international visitors who 
come to the United States.
  Mr. Speaker, I like to point out that travel and tourism is in every 
state, every territory, and congressional district across this country, 
and I encourage all my colleagues to join Rep. Bilirakis and myself in 
supporting America's travel and tourism industry by voting aye for this 
bipartisan legislation.
  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that today the House will 
consider H.R. 4450 and I rise in strong support of this legislation. I 
would like to thank Congressman Bilirakis for his leadership in 
bringing this bill to the House floor, and also the Tourism Caucus and 
co-sponsors for their support.
  One of the most important amendments in H.R. 4450 includes the U.S. 
territories among the states and the District of Columbia whose 
benefits the Board of Directors of the Corporation for Travel Promotion 
plan must ensure. This provision is particularly important to my 
district- the U.S. Virgin Islands--where tourism is the primary 
economic activity. The Virgin Islands normally host approximately 2 
million visitors a year, many of whom visit on cruise ships.
  Tourism is a critical component of economic development in the U.S. 
Virgin Islands; especially with the closure of the oil refinery, 
HOVENSA, on St. Croix. The closure eliminated close to 1,200 refinery 
positions and raised our unemployment rate to the double digits. The 
ripple effect also included school closures, home foreclosures and a 
large number of residents leaving the island. As the Virgin Islands 
struggles to turn around its economy, it is critical that we continue 
to grow and sustain our tourism industry. Including the territories in 
the Corporation's promotion plan will significantly support these 
efforts. The territories are a major destination point for national and 
international travelers alike and should be a focal point for the 
Corporation.
  H.R. 4450 is sponsored by more than a third of the House of 
Representatives, and almost equal numbers of Republicans and Democrats. 
Independent analysis by the Congressional Budget Office and the U.S. 
Travel Association concluded that the bill would reduce the federal 
deficit by $231 million over a year and not cost taxpayers a dime, all 
while creating jobs and economic opportunities in communities across 
America.
  I think it is a Win-Win situation for our nation's economy and I urge 
my colleagues to support H.R. 4450.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 
4450, the ``Travel Promotion, Enhancement, and Modernization Act of 
2014.''
  I am pleased that the Energy and Commerce Committee made important 
enhancements to H.R. 4450 during its recent markup, significantly 
improving the bill before us today.
  Specifically, H.R. 4450 now includes a provision to enhance 
accountability of the program by requiring Brand USA to establish 
performance metrics to assess the effectiveness of its marketing 
efforts; whether increases in visitors are due to Brand USA's efforts 
or outside factors; and any cost or benefit to the U.S. economy.
  It also includes a provision requiring the Secretary of Commerce to 
establish formal procedures for revising the policy governing in-kind 
contributions or resolving disputes about the value of in-kind 
contributions with Brand USA.
  These provisions are responsive to findings in a July 2013 report by 
the Government Accountability Office (GAO) report entitled ``Brand USA 
Needs Plans for Measuring Performance and Updated Policy on Private 
Sector Contributions.''
  Given my strong desire to stimulate new tourism to the United States, 
I requested GAO to examine the effectiveness of Brand USA so that 
Congress could be informed as to whether the corporation was positioned 
to achieve its mission.
  In that report, GAO concluded that Brand USA has taken some steps to 
measure its performance but has not yet developed a plan to monitor and 
evaluate whether its efforts are increasing travel to, and travelers' 
spending in, the U.S.
  GAO also found that there were possible problems with current 
valuation methodologies for in-kind contributions and cited disputes 
between the Commerce Department and Brand USA about whether certain 
types of in-kind contributions are allowed under the law.
  For the Federal government's part, the resources that are provided to 
Brand USA are derived from a fee assessed to foreign travelers that 
Customs and Border Protection collects. Given the well-documented 
resource challenges within CBP, I have no doubt that CBP would welcome 
the opportunity to retain more of these funds for its own traveler 
facilitation programs and operations but, as a policy matter, Congress 
has said it must go to this corporation to advertise and promote travel 
to the U.S.
  For its part, it falls to Brand USA to show us that we made the right 
call by delivering data showing how the ad campaigns and media efforts 
undertaken by this corporation have impacted travel and the overall 
economy.
  The bill being considered today will help ensure Brand USA addresses 
deficiencies found by the GAO and utilizes its funding in the most 
effective and efficient manner possible, as we extend authorization for 
the program through 2020.
  Because of these improvements to the bill, I urge my colleagues to 
support H.R. 4450, the Travel Promotion, Enhancement, and Modernization 
Act of 2014.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Terry) that the House suspend the

[[Page 12676]]

rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4450, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. MASSIE. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

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