Travel Promotion Act of 2009

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this resolution, which includes the United States Capitol Police Technical Corrections Act. I am pleased to rise in support of the bill which will enable the Chief of the Capitol Police to exercise the necessary authority to improve operations of the Capitol Police. The bill is an effort to resolve conflicting provisions in existing law and eliminate unnecessary regulations.

This bill is the result of the cooperative effort between the chairman of the full committee as well as the Subcommittee on Capitol Security to facilitate the most efficient framework in which the Capitol Police may operate. I am confident this collaborative approach will continue, resulting in a safer and more effectively managed Capitol complex, and I urge the support of my colleagues.

As was mentioned, this is combined with a bill on travel. And some might say, What do these two separate bills have to do with one another? Absolutely nothing.

Yet what is allowed on this floor, because we adopted yesterday a rule, is martial law. What's martial law? It means that the majority at any time may bring up any subject whatever, and we suspend all rules. ``Suspending all rules'' means that you can change every word in a bill and can present that on the floor, and we vote on that.

The only reason I bring this to the attention of my colleagues is that some colleagues may not be aware that, sometimes when we bring a bill to the floor which has the same name of a bill they passed in subcommittee and committee, it may be an entirely different bill. We normally have around here a rule of germaneness, but we have a suspension of the rules so we can put completely separate, nongermane bills together, and that's what we have. It's an interesting comment on how we do things here.

With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Blunt).

I yield the gentleman 1 additional minute.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, my friend, the gentleman from Massachusetts, said that this is a propitious time for the Travel Promotion bill to be considered on the floor because of the discouraging news we received today about unemployment--10.2 percent. That is the highest unemployment rate experienced in this country in 26 years--10.2 percent.

In my home State of California, we haven't received the most up-to- date figures, but the figures as of last month were 12.2 percent--over 10 percent for the Nation, over 12 percent for my State. My district is even higher than that, I believe. A propitious time to consider this bill since we have lost, by some estimates, as much as 200,000 jobs in the travel industry.

But is this a propitious time for us to be considering a health care bill which, by objective analysis by a number of different observers, will cause us to lose millions of jobs?

I've been home to my district. I realize that, by the Gregorian calendar, we have 12 months out of the year, but by the Pelosian calendar, we only have 11 months out of the year because we have been told to ignore August--it didn't exist--just as we are to ignore those thousands of everyday Americans who showed up yesterday, just as, presumably, the leaders in the AMA are ignoring their rank-and-file doctors who are today bringing forward a vote of ``no confidence'' against their board of directors for supporting the health care bill that is going to be presented to us sometime this week.

That's the bill that we were going to vote on in June, July, August, September, October, November, yesterday, today, tomorrow, maybe the next day. The President of the United States was going to come up here and, we understand, speak to our colleagues on the majority side yesterday, then today. We understand now it's going to be tomorrow.

The reason I bring this up is that, when I speak to my folks back home--and I was on a tele-town hall meeting last night and spoke with thousands of them--the first thing on their minds are jobs. The first thing on their minds is the economy. The first thing on their minds is whether or not they can take care of their families. At this time, at this propitious time, at this time when we have received with a thud the report that the unemployment rate is 10.2 percent, we have decided that we must consider a bill with very few, if any, amendments allowed, creating a new government takeover of health care that's going to cost trillions of dollars.

Someone on my tele-town hall last night said, Congressman, can you explain to me why in the bill that you're going to vote on this week the so-called benefits in it are not going to take place for several years?

I had to explain it's because you want to bring the costs down when you explain it to the public, so you're going to start the taxes in year one, but you're not going to start the benefits from the program until year four or five, so at the end of 10 years, the net costs will be less than they would be if it were fully implemented.

Now, maybe I take this a little personally because part of what they have in here is a 2.5 percent tax on medical instruments, on medical equipment, including, by the way, new hips. So now, in this country, if you have a new hip, as I did a year ago, you will be taxed for the privilege of having that operation done in the United States, 2.5 percent. I thought we were concerned about bringing costs down. For a wheelchair, you're going to have an extra tax on that. I don't understand why we are doing this. Oh, yes. We're going to have taxes of huge amounts on business. Small businesses and medium-sized businesses are going to have taxes imposed on them in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

So, as the gentleman from Massachusetts said, this is a propitious moment. We are being confronted with the magnitude of the economic downturn that affects each and every one of our constituents. So what are we giving them in return?

We have a bill that is going to create 111 new programs, boards, bureaucracies, and commissions. I have had town hall after town hall, tele-town hall after tele-town hall. Not a single member of my constituency, not a single, average, everyday American has said, Please create 111 new programs. Please create 111 new boards, bureaucracies, and commissions. Please put another $1 trillion or $2 trillion on our backs. Please add new taxes. By the way, that doesn't include the $200 billion doc fix that's going to be put in another bill so that we pretend it is not there.

A 2.5 percent tax on individuals who fail to purchase health insurance. A 2.5 percent excise tax on medical devices. A 5.4 percent surtax on ``high-income'' filers, over 50 percent of which are small businesses and which file as individuals. An 8 percent tax on employers who cannot afford to purchase government-approved health care benefits.

A propitious time, yes.

Now, I happen to represent a district in which we have 42,000 seniors--people over 65--who have made the voluntary decision to sign up for Medicare Advantage. There are 42,000 seniors in my district alone, and there are millions around the country. This bill cuts over $150 billion from that program; $150 billion from that program. When I speak to people in my district, they tell me it will gut that program.

So, as we consider a bill here dealing with travel at the propitious time of confronting the unemployment rate, one has to ask oneself: Why would we be forced to vote on a bill that will have an immediate short- term and long-term impact of killing jobs in this country? It does not make sense.

I also wonder whether any bill has had more uses of the word ``shall'' than the bill we are going to consider this week. By my count, there are 3,425 uses of the word ``shall'' in the bill that we are to be presented. Now, for those who don't fully appreciate statutory construction, the word ``shall'' means ``mandate.'' It means ``you must.'' There is no discretion.

Then 3,425 times, this bill, if it becomes law, will command people, including average everyday American citizens to do something. They will have no discretion about it. They will be required to do that; 3,425 instances of that.

And so, Mr. Speaker, as we all, I hope, support the bill that is before us at this time, providing direction for the Capitol Police in a more efficient operation of their force, and as we have combined it with the travel promotion authority, which many people believe will help us deal with the loss of jobs in the travel industry, I still have to ask, Why would we be running pell-mell towards voting for a bill that will take over one-sixth of the economy of the United States and, by outside objective analysis, will result in the loss of millions of jobs in this country, primarily in the small business community? It defies logic. And while the majority is allowed to bring up anything on the floor under the prevailing rule for these several days called martial law, it doesn't have to be germane with anything else, you would hope that there would at least be the concept of consistency if we are truly concerned about the unemployed in America; if we know that 10.2 percent is much more than a number, that it reflects real live human beings who have lost their jobs. Remember, this doesn't count the hundreds of thousands of discouraged workers, those who are so discouraged by the current economic situation they are no longer looking for jobs and, therefore, they are not counted in this number. We know we have lost hundreds of thousands of those people as well. They are people with children, people with wives, people with husbands, people with grandparents and parents, people who have bills to pay, these are the people who are hurting. And for us to do something in this House which is going to even cause them more difficulty is beyond me.

So I would just ask this: If this is a propitious time for us to consider a travel promotion bill because of the unemployment that's faced by that particular segment of our society, is it not a propitious time for us to acknowledge that maybe we ought to withdraw, go back to the drawing board and come up with a bill that deals with the concerns, the legitimate concerns about the shortcomings of our health care system but that does not at the same time destroy jobs? That may be a rhetorical question, but the answer to that question is very real to the people back home.

Once again, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleagues on the majority side for having worked so closely with us on this bill that's before us now.

I would urge support for this bill.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Udall Scholarship in Excellence in NEPA Act by Congressman Grijalva. As part of the act, the House will consider Senate bill 1023, the Travel Promotion Act, which is similar to H.R. 2935 by Representative Delahunt of Massachusetts, a bill of which I'm pleased to be an original cosponsor.

The Travel Promotion Act is a jobs bill. It's a vital economic development initiative to combat the economic downturn that we've been battling since the spring of 2008. The Travel Promotion Act establishes a nonprofit corporation for travel promotion to promote tourism in the United States and provide travel information to people around the world.

Tourism is particularly important to my home State of Florida. Florida is a top travel destination from across the globe. The millions and millions of tourists who travel to Florida support a $57 billion tourism industry and our economy. People come from every nation to visit our beautiful beaches, Busch Gardens, Disneyworld and Universal Studios, the Everglades and more, and the Florida economy thrives and families have good jobs in a clean industry because of tourism.

Having the beaches and attractions is not enough, however. Florida also communicates to the world about Florida vacations through the Visit Florida tourism Web site and outreach and advertising campaigns. But, you know, there is no similar initiative for the United States as a whole internationally. So the USA needs to get creative and create new jobs through growing tourism nationwide.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of misconceptions out there that the United States is not a friendly place for international tourists. Other nations actively promote international tourism through advertising campaigns and outreach, but some say that we've allowed our image to become an unwelcoming one. Nations that project a welcoming image are reaping economic benefits, while we run the risk of being left behind. Overseas travel in the United States has declined by 10 percent in the first quarter of 2009.

Our travel bill would let world travelers know that we want them to visit America's great cities and natural wonders. We want the world to come and share our culture and experience the richness that is the United States of America. Therefore, I urge adoption of the Travel Promotion Act to get our economy moving and create jobs.

Mr. Speaker, I now recognize Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez of the Committee on Homeland Security.

I thank the gentlelady from California for raising this important issue. Yes, it is extremely important that the U.S. has a unified voice abroad, and that all information about Federal travel requirements is properly vetted. I look forward to working with you and the committee to address this issue.

I share your concern about the fee structure, and I will be happy to work with you and the committee to ensure that these matters are addressed.

I would also like to submit for the Record an exchange of letters between the leadership of the Energy and Commerce Committee and the Senate Commerce Committee that reflects a shared commitment to work on these very issues as well as other important issues raises by other Members.

House of Representatives,

Committee on Energy and Commerce,

Washington, DC, October 7, 2009.

Hon. John D. Rockefeller IV,

Chairman, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and

Transportation.

Hon. Amy Klobuchar,

Chairman, Subcommittee on Competitiveness, Innovation, and

Export Promotion.

Hon. Byron L. Dorgan,

U.S. Senator.

Dear Senators Rockefeller, Klobuchar, and Dorgan: As the

House may consider S. 1023, the Travel Promotion Act of 2009,

shortly, we write to clarify your intent with regard to

several provisions in the bill.

I. Creation of the Corporation

It is our understanding that the intent of the legislation

is for the Department of Commerce to administer grants to the

newly created nonprofit, ``Corporation for Travel

Promotion.'' It will be left to the judgment of the Secretary

of Commerce to transfer sums necessary for the operations of

the nonprofit and the administration of the grants. We

understand further that the Department of Treasury will hold

the separate ``Travel Promotion Fund,'' but will have no

substantive role with regard to the Corporation. By having

the Department of Commerce issue grants to the Corporation,

we can assure the application of Circular A-110, Uniform

Administrative Requirements for Grants and Agreements with

Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals, and Other Non-

Profit Organizations. A-110 imposes a number of requirements

on non-profit entities spending federal dollars, including

the requirement that contracts target small businesses owned

by women and minorities.

In addition, we appreciate that you share our commitment to

diversity on the Corporation Board of Directors. We want to

stress that the Secretary of Commerce should make every

effort to ensure that the homeland security and small

business communities are adequately represented on the

Corporation's Board, and that the Board has a balance of

gender, ethnicity, and economic status, as well as

representatives from both urban and rural areas.

Also, we understand the importance of a functioning

Corporation and the decision to allow expenditures to be made

when six Board members are present. We would suggest that for

expenditures over $25 million, the Board strive to have more

than four members support approval of such an expenditure.

Moreover, we would expect the Corporation's campaigns to

target travelers from a diverse set of regions of the world

and to advertise a wide range of destinations across the

United States and its territories.

II. Coordination with the Federal Government

Although the legislation creates a requirement that the

Corporation consult with the Department of Commerce, we

believe that the Corporation should consult regularly with

the Departments of State and Homeland Security which also

have key responsibilities relating to travel and tourism. For

example, it is imperative that the Corporation coordinate on

any information it may disseminate regarding entry

requirements, required documentation, fees, processes, and

information concerning declared public health emergencies and

requirements for entering the United States. This

coordination is necessary in order to avoid the risk that

prospective travelers to the United States could receive

conflicting or confusing information regarding entry

requirements and processes.

III. Travel Promotion Fund Fees

Under the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11

Commission Act of 2007 (P.L. 100-53), the Secretary of

Homeland Security already has authority to charge a fee to

cover the cost of administering the Electronic System for

Travel Authorization (ESTA), but also has discretion to pay

for ESTA with other funds. Similarly, the legislation before

us should maintain the Secretary's discretion to determine

the most appropriate manner to fund ESTA administration.

The legislation does not specify how funds collected in

excess of $100 million or greater than the needs of the

Corporation for Travel Promotion should be used. We believe

that these funds should be transferred to the Department of

Homeland Security to: (1) reinvest in ESTA to support changes

necessary to collect the new fee, and (2) enhance critical

border security programs such as US-VISIT and Global Entry.

Under the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission

Act of 2007, full implementation of the US-VISIT air exit

capability is required for increased flexibility to expand

the Visa Waiver Program, which would help increase tourism to

the United States.

IV. Limitations and Accountability

Furthermore, we believe it is essential to ensure that the

Corporation's funds are invested only in low risk vehicles

and that none of the funds provided to the Corporation be

used to directly promote or advertise a specific corporation.

Finally, we understand that under this bill, Congress has

full and complete access to the books and records of the

Corporation. We would suggest that the Corporation

proactively send its marketing plan to Congress.

V. Summary

While there is strong support in the House for passage of

S. 1023, the Travel Promotion Act of 2009, we remain

concerned about some aspects of the bill. We look forward to

working with you to conduct vigorous oversight of the Travel

Promotion Act once it is law and to make any changes to the

legislation that may become necessary. Thank you in advance

for clarifying your thoughts on the matters discussed in this

letter.

Sincerely,

Henry A. Waxman,

Chairman.

John D. Dingell,

Chairman Emeritus.

Mr. Speaker, I'd also like to add for the Record that we intend to work with Congressman Doyle of Pennsylvania regarding nonprofit cultural destinations as part of the bill.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to yield 1 minute to my colleague from the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Mrs. Christensen from the Virgin Islands.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the original sponsor of the Travel Promotion Act, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Delahunt).

I'll yield the gentleman an additional 1\1/2\ minutes.

Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time is left on both sides.

At this time I am pleased to yield 1 minute to my good friend, the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Titus).

At this time I'm very pleased to yield 1 minute to my good friend, the gentleman from the great State of Florida (Mr. Klein).

At this time I'm very pleased to yield 1 minute to my good friend, the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Berkley).

Mr. Speaker, I am the last speaker on my side, so I will reserve my time. I have the right to close.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from Missouri for his support in all of his endeavors to promote travel and tourism in the United States of America.

My hat is also off to Congressman Delahunt from Massachusetts who certainly understands the importance of reviving our economy and bringing good, clean industry jobs in the tourism and travel sector to our great Nation.

We need the Travel Promotion Act now more than ever during this economic downturn. The Travel Promotion Act is a jobs bill. It is a vital economic development initiative to help us combat this horrendous economic downturn.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

I thank my good friend, the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Davis), for yielding me time.

I rise in support of the United States Capitol Police Administrative Technical Corrections Act of 2009. As part of the act, Mr. Speaker, the House will consider Senate bill 1023, the Travel Promotion Act, which is similar to H.R. 2935 by Representative Delahunt of Massachusetts, a bill of which I am pleased to be a cosponsor. I would like to thank Congressman Delahunt, who is on the floor here this morning, for fighting for jobs for Americans because the Travel Promotion Act is a jobs bill. It's a vital economic development initiative to combat the economic downturn that we've been battling since the spring of 2008.

The Travel Promotion Act establishes a nonprofit corporation for travel promotion to promote tourism in the United States and to provide travel information to people around the world. It is very similar to an initiative in my home State of Florida, and we all know that tourism is especially important to the State of Florida.

Florida is a top travel destination from across the globe. The millions and millions of tourists who travel to warm and sunny Florida support a $57 billion tourism industry and our economy. People come from every nation to visit our beautiful beaches, Bush Gardens, Disney World, Universal Studios, the Everglades, and more. The Florida economy thrives, just like many other States across the Nation, and families have good jobs and a clean industry because of tourism.

Having beaches and attractions often is not enough, however. Florida also communicates to the world about Florida vacations through the Visit Florida tourism advertising campaign. We have a Web site and many outreach efforts, but there is no similar initiative for the United States as a whole internationally. So the intent of the Travel Promotion Act is to create new jobs through growing tourism nationwide.

Unfortunately, there are many misconceptions that the United States is not a friendly place for international tourists. Other nations actively promote international tourism through advertising campaigns and outreach, but some say that we have allowed our image to become an unwelcome one. Nations that project a welcoming image are reaping economic benefits while we run the risk of being left behind.

Overseas travel in the United States has declined by 10 percent in the first quarter of 2009. But we are going to turn that around through this Travel Promotion Act. Our travel bill would let world travelers know that we want them to visit America's great cities and natural wonders. We want the

world to come and share our culture and experience the richness that is the United States of America. Therefore, I urge adoption of the Travel Promotion Act to get our economy moving and create jobs.

Hats off again to Congressman Delahunt and the other sponsors of this legislation in the Energy and Commerce Committee. This is an important bipartisan effort.

I thank my colleague from California for yielding time.

Mr. Speaker, at this time, I would like to reference the Congressional Record of October 7, 2009. On that date, I entered into a colloquy with Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez of the Homeland Security Committee during the House's earlier consideration of S. 1023 as attached to House Resolution 806. That colloquy and its commitments are still valid today as we work again to pass the Tourism Promotion Act.

I would like to enter into the Record the letters that were cross- referenced in that colloquy. I would also like to add for the Record that we intend to work with Congressman Doyle of Pennsylvania regarding nonprofit cultural destinations as part of the bill.

House of Representatives,

Committee on Energy and Commerce,

Washington, DC, October 7, 2009.

Hon. John D. Rockefeller IV,

Chairman, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and

Transportation.

Hon. Amy Klobuchar,

Chairman, Subcommittee on Competitiveness, Innovation, and

Export Promotion.

Hon. Byron L. Dorgan,

U.S. Senator.

Dear Senators Rockefeller, Klobuchar, and Dorgan: As the

House may consider S. 1023, the Travel Promotion Act of 2009,

shortly, we write to clarify your intent with regard to

several provisions in the bill.

creation of the corporation

It is our understanding that the intent of the legislation

is for the Department of Commerce to administer grants to the

newly created nonprofit, ``Corporation for Travel

Promotion.'' It will be left to the judgment of the Secretary

of Commerce to transfer sums necessary for the operations of

the nonprofit and the administration of the grants. We

understand further that the Department of Treasury will hold

the separate ``Travel Promotion Fund,'' but will have no

substantive role with regard to the Corporation. By having

the Department of Commerce issue grants to the Corporation,

we can assure the application of Circular A-110, Uniform

Administrative Requirements for Grants and Agreements with

Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals, and Other Non-

Profit Organizations. A-110 imposes a number of requirements

on non-profit entities spending federal dollars, including

the requirement that contracts target small businesses owned

by women and minorities.

In addition, we appreciate that you share our commitment to

diversity on the Corporation Board of Directors. We want to

stress that the Secretary of Commerce should make every

effort to ensure that the homeland security and small

business communities are adequately represented on the

Corporation's Board, and that the Board has a balance of

gender, ethnicity, and economic status, as well as

representatives from both urban and rural areas.

Also, we understand the importance of a functioning

Corporation and the decision to allow expenditures to be made

when six Board members are present. We would suggest that for

expenditures over $25 million, the Board strive to have more

than four members support approval of such an expenditure.

Moreover, we would expect the Corporation's campaigns to

target travelers from a diverse set of regions of the world

and to advertise a wide range of destinations across the

United States and its territories.

ii. coordination with the federal government

Although the legislation creates a requirement that the

Corporation consult with the Department of Commerce, we

believe that the Corporation should consult regularly with

the Departments of State and Homeland Security which also

have key responsibilities relating to travel and tourism. For

example, it is imperative that the Corporation coordinate on

any information it may disseminate regarding entry

requirements, required documentation, fees, processes, and

information concerning declared public health emergencies and

requirements for entering the United States. This

coordination is necessary in order to avoid the risk that

prospective travelers to the United States could receive

conflicting or confusing information regarding entry

requirements and processes.

iii. travel promotion fund fees

Under the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11

Commission Act of 2007 (P.L. 100-53), the Secretary of

Homeland Security already has authority to charge a fee to

cover the cost of administering the Electronic System for

Travel Authorization (ESTA), but also has discretion to pay

for ESTA with other funds. Similarly, the legislation before

us should maintain the Secretary's discretion to determine

the most appropriate manner to fund ESTA administration.

The legislation does not specify how funds collected in

excess of $100 million or greater than the needs of the

Corporation for Travel Promotion should be used. We believe

that these funds should be transferred to the Department of

Homeland Security to: 1) reinvest in ESTA to support changes

necessary to collect the new fee, and 2) enhance critical

border security programs such as US-VISIT and Global Entry.

Under the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission

Act of 2007, full implementation of the US-VISIT air exit

capability is required for increased flexibility to expand

the Visa Waiver Program, which would help increase tourism to

the United States.

iv. limitations and accountability

Furthermore, we believe it is essential to ensure that the

Corporation's funds are invested only in low risk vehicles

and that none of the funds provided to the Corporation be

used to directly promote or advertise a specific corporation.

Finally, we understand that under this bill, Congress has

full and complete access to the books and records of the

Corporation. We would suggest that the Corporation

proactively send its marketing plan to Congress.

v. summary

While there is strong support in the House for passage of

S. 1023, the Travel Promotion Act of 2009, we remain

concerned about some aspects of the bill. We look forward to

working with you to conduct vigorous oversight of the Travel

Promotion Act once it is law and to make any changes to the

legislation that may become necessary. Thank you in advance

for clarifying your thoughts on the matters discussed in this

letter.

Sincerely,

Henry Waxman,

Chairman.

John D. Dingell,

Chairman Emeritus.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to join Mr. Roe in supporting the Morris K. Udall Act, and that now includes the Travel Promotion Act, an act that passed this body in the last Congress with 244 cosponsors and by voice vote, a very similar piece of legislation we sent to the Senate and to the other body in the last Congress. I'd also like to thank my good friend, Mr. Delahunt from Massachusetts, for his sponsorship of the House version of this legislation, and my co-Chair of the House Travel and Tourism Caucus, Mr. Farr from California, for his support and advocacy of this bill. Also, Mr. Barton from Texas, Mr. Radanovich from California, Mr. King from New York and Mr. Smith from Texas have been helpful in moving this bill through the process.

I believe that the House bill was superior in some ways to the Senate bill, but the goal of both of these bills is a worthy goal. It's a goal that this Congress should move forward with. Every State and every congressional district is a tourism destination. In Missouri, whether it's the St. Louis Arch, the world's largest sporting goods store in Springfield, Missouri, the Bass Pro Shop, or for the 8.4 million tourists that visited Branson, Missouri, last year, all benefit from tourism, and our country benefits from international visitors and international tourism.

This bill does create a fee paid by visitors to the United States that, in fact, based on information I have, is lower than the entry and exit fees in the countries that are generally discussed. The Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the U.K. all have entry fees for Americans that would exceed this entry fee that would allow us to have a matching fund to encourage international tourism.

After barely recovering to its pre-9/11 numbers in 2007, international tourism took a 17 percent decline. The bill we're considering today will remind people overseas of what the United States has to offer. The corporation created by this bill will be composed of individuals with expertise across the spectrum that will show the value and the logistics of international travel. Foreign travelers to the United States spend more time in the country than the average domestic traveler. They spend more money, and frankly, in virtually every case, they like Americans and America better after they've visited here than they did when they first came. I'm hopeful the House will pass this legislation today, and I'm looking forward to seeing it signed into law.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I am wondering if I can enter into a colloquy with the gentleman from Massachusetts, the principal sponsor of this bill, Mr. Delahunt.

Mr. Delahunt, as this legislation advances, it's important that tour operators, most of which are small businesses involved in inbound U.S. travel, are not adversely affected and that any marketing Web site the corporation will create is protected from being misused in a way that would favor particular companies or segments of the industry over any other and would provide equal access and choice. There are three issues I need to have further clarification on as we move forward.

First, the board of directors of the Corporation for Travel Promotion created by this legislation will include representatives from many sectors of the travel industry. I'm hopeful that at least one member of this board will be a representative from the receptive/inbound tour operator sector. In addition, given their current efforts to market the United States as part of their business model, tour operators should be excluded from any assessment the corporation may impose.

Second, any marketing Web site the corporation might create may include destination information for all 50 States, the U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia; but it should not include an internal consumer booking engine or reservation system that would infringe on the services provided by existing travel operators.

A Web site should include no link to sites promoting non-U.S. destinations except those I mentioned, and any external Web links on the site, including those connected to paid advertisements, should be prohibited from the homepage.

Third, any advertising space on a Web site the corporation might create should be equally available to any sector or company promoting travel to the United States and should not be focused on any one sector. To ensure this availability, I'd encourage the corporation to ensure that no single entity be allowed to purchase more than 5 percent of the total advertising space available on the marketing Web site, and at least 10 percent of the space offered should be reserved for small businesses. No industry segment should receive any favored pricing or access.

I respectfully ask my friend from Massachusetts that he work with me to ensure that all sectors of our travel industry be protected and any Web site created by the corporation be used effectively and without abuse.

I yield to the gentleman.

I reserve the balance of my time, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I second the views expressed by my friend from Massachusetts. The territories should, without question, be made part of the corporation's and the Commerce Department's effort to promote international travel.

Having traveled to the territories, I recognize the value of their visitor industries to their economic development and reiterate our expectation that this legislation, when implemented, will take into account travel promotion for the territories.

Mr. Speaker, I'd like to yield 2 minutes to my friend from California (Mr. Farr). He and I are co-Chair of the Travel and Tourism Caucus. Again, every State and probably every congressional district feels that it has a tourism destination. And over 100 Members of the Congress are members of the Travel and Tourism Caucus to promote that important part of our economy, and nobody more actively does that than Mr. Farr.

I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I would say that I'm as hopeful as all the speakers have been that this bill passes, that this effort encourages foreign travel and that this effort encourages that important segment of our economy. This is an area where the United States has a lot to gain by encouraging foreign travelers who, as we've said before, come, stay longer, they spend more and they like us better. It's an important part of our diplomacy. It's an important part of our economy.

I urge the passage of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 806) providing for the concurrence by the House in the Senate amendment to H.R. 1035, with an amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent for 5 legislative days during which Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on H. Res. 806 into the Record.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise in support of this bill that enhances the Morris K. Udall Foundation and honors the life of Stewart Udall.

The Morris K. Udall Foundation is an independent Federal agency based in Tucson, Arizona, which operates exceptional educational programs focused on developing leadership on environmental issues and Native American issues. It also includes the U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution, the only program within the Federal Government focused entirely on preventing, managing, and resolving Federal environmental conflicts.

The legislation today will enhance the foundation's programs and operations, and at the same time honor one of the greatest public servants and conservationists in history, Stewart L. Udall, by adding his name to the foundation of his late brother, Morris K. Udall.

The Udall Foundation was established by Congress in 1992. Initially, the foundation's mission was to provide educational opportunities for studies related to the environment and Native American tribal policy and health care.

In 1998, Congress amended the Udall Foundation's enabling legislation to add a new mission: resolving conflicts related to the environment, natural resources, and public lands through services including mediation, facilitation, and training. The work of the Udall Foundation has become even more important today as the Nation seeks long-term responses to climate change, sustainable energy supplies, and a sustainable economy for all Americans.

Through its education programs, the Udall Foundation identifies and educates tomorrow's leaders in fields that are critical to the energy, climate change, and economic issues that face our Nation. These programs include:

The premier college scholarship and doctoral fellowship for studies related to the environment and a scholarship for Native Americans studying tribal policy or health care.

The Native American Congressional Internship Program that has provided to many of our offices over 150 young Native American leaders that have been part of that internship program.

The Native Nations Institute for Leadership, Management, and Policy that provides both governance and economic development resources for tribal nations as they develop their own self-determination and fully develop the sovereignty that they have.

The Parks in Focus Program which connects underserved youth to nature through the art of photography and instilling them with a long-last understanding and appreciation for our national parks and other public lands.

I think it is very appropriate for Congress to provide solid support for the Udall Foundation and very important programs through this legislation, while at the same time recognizing the unsurpassed contributions of Stewart Udall by adding his name to the foundation's title. Stewart Udall served in the House of Representatives with distinction from 1955, representing an area that included what is now my district, until he was appointed Secretary of the Interior in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy.

As Secretary of the Interior, Stewart Udall had an unmatched record of environmental leadership, overseeing the creation of 4 national parks, 6 national monuments, 8 national sea shore and lake shores, 9 recreation areas, 20 historic sites, and 56 wildlife refuges. He continued to make substantial contributions to environmental and Native American policy as a lawyer and author following his tenure at the Interior.

For these reasons, I believe that the legislation deserves the support of the House.

At this point, Mr. Speaker, I yield the remainder of my time to the gentlelady from Florida (Ms. Castor) and ask unanimous consent that she manage the remainder of the bill.