Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Dear Travel Colleague:

We are pleased to announce that this evening, the U.S. House of Representatives resoundingly voted to reauthorize Brand USA by passing H.R. 4450, the Travel Promotion, Enhancement, and Modernization Act of 2014. Clearing the House is a major step toward achieving renewal of this vital travel promotion program.

Milestone in the House
This victory would not have been possible without the tireless efforts of our travel community who engaged in a wide range of activities-hosting roundtable meetings and tours in local markets, lobbying on Capitol Hill, sending emails and letters, recording video testimonials, tweeting-to urge elected federal representatives to support reauthorization of Brand USA.

We also could not have won today's House vote without the leadership of Representatives Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Peter Welch (D-VT), who introduced the Brand USA reauthorization measure in April and shepherded the bill through the chamber's process.

Next Steps: On to the Senate
Now, we must continue our efforts in the U.S. Senate, where we expect to see a markup of the companion bill (S. 2250), introduced by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Roy Blunt (R-MO), this week. We will continue to promote the proven benefits of Brand USA-outlined most recently in our report, "Brand USA: Working for All of US."

We encourage you to keep making the case by telling your Senators how the program is working for your destination or business.

• Action Alert: Extend Brand USA
• Share the message on your social channels. Here are sample tweets:
• H.R. 4450 to extend @BrandUSA passed the House! Thank you, House of Representatives, for overwhelming bipartisan support!
• @BrandUSA is working for America & our economy. The House voted to extend this vital program. Now on to the Senate!  http://tiny.cc/HR4450PASSED
• @BrandUSA creates jobs + reduces the deficit. House voted to extend this vital program! Urge Senate to do same:  http://ow.ly/zt5OB

So, with one victory under our belt, we charge forward in the Senate and look forward to working with you to secure Brand USA reauthorization this year.

Sincerely,

Roger J. Dow
President and CEO

 

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Dear Travel Advocate -
 
I am pleased to let you know that yesterday the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed H.R. 4450, the bill to reauthorize Brand USA, with a 347 to 57 vote. Thank you to the hundreds of you who reached out in support of the legislation.
 
Although there is still work to be done in the Senate, this is a significant victory for our industry that could not have been accomplished without your outreach. View a full report of how each Member of Congress voted on H.R. 4450. Then, login to our online platform to send a follow up note to your Representative that will be customized depending on how they voted on the bill on Tuesday.

Now it is time to turn our attention to passing S. 2250, the companion Brand USA reauthorization bill in the Senate. Please take a moment to also email your Senators urging them co-sponsor S. 2250. You can view a list of current Senate co-sponsors on our website.
 
Thank you for your hard work, and we look forward to further working with you to get Brand USA reauthorization across the finish line in Congress this year.

Sincerely,

Michael Jacobson
Director, Grassroots and PAC
U.S. Travel Association