{"format":1,"id":"117-hr-6965","congress":117,"number":"H.R. 6965","kind":"bill","group":"bills","title":"Visit America Act","title_source":"Short Title(s) as Passed House","official_title":"To promote travel and tourism in the United States, and for other purposes.","titles":[{"type":"Official Title as Introduced","title":"To promote travel and tourism in the United States, and for other purposes."},{"type":"Display Title","title":"Visit America Act"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Passed House","title":"Visit America Act"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Reported to House","title":"Visit America Act"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Introduced","title":"Visit America Act"}],"outcome":"passed_house","law_number":null,"introduced":"2022-03-07","chambers":{"house":{"status":"roll_call","date":"2022-09-29","vote":{"id":"117-2022-h466","question":"On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended","title":"Visit America Act","result":"Passed","yea":325,"nay":93,"present":0,"not_voting":14,"source":"https://clerk.house.gov/evs/2022/roll466.xml"}},"senate":{"status":"na","date":null,"vote":null}},"president":{"status":"na","date":null},"vice_president_tie_breaker":null,"latest_action":{"text":"Received in the Senate.","date":"2022-10-11"},"nominees":null,"amendments":[],"other_votes":[],"crs_summary":{"date":"2022-09-29","stage":"Passed House","blocks":[{"k":"h","t":"Visit America Act"},{"k":"p","t":"This bill implements measures to support the U.S. travel and tourism industry and to address the declining percentage of international visitors to the United States."},{"k":"p","t":"Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Commerce to develop a 10-year travel and tourism strategy with annual goals for the number of international visitors to the United States and for tourism commerce."},{"k":"p","t":"The bill also establishes the role of Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Travel and Tourism, whose responsibilities shall include setting an annual goal for the number of international visitors to the United States and facilitating international business travel to the United States."},{"k":"p","t":"Further, the assistant secretary must develop and implement a COVID-19 pandemic recovery strategy to assist the recovery of the U.S. travel and tourism industry."},{"k":"p","t":"The bill also provides statutory authority for the United States Travel and Tourism Advisory Board, which shall aid the assistant secretary in developing and implementing the COVID-19 pandemic recovery strategy."}],"words":157},"summary":{"main_subject":{"text":"Creates an Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Travel and Tourism, sets duties for that office and for the Secretary of Commerce on travel and tourism goals, strategy, recovery planning and data, and establishes the United States Travel and Tourism Advisory Board in law.","cites":[{"label":"Sec. 2","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/6965/text/eh#H844938D8982B4B538B8C74E2ECF0B108"},{"label":"Sec. 3","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/6965/text/eh#H939868A58E504E3796CEC775D9823FC1"},{"label":"Sec. 4","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/6965/text/eh#H8975C43AEF744BBF9CD6F5E49A4CB1A9"},{"label":"Sec. 5","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/6965/text/eh#H3C41EC55783643168EFE49BEBD054430"}]},"core_areas":["Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Travel and Tourism","International visitation goals and 10-year travel and tourism strategy","Travel and tourism recovery strategies","United States Travel and Tourism Advisory Board","Travel and tourism data and reporting"],"what_it_does":[{"text":"Adds a third additional Assistant Secretary position in the Department of Commerce, the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Travel and Tourism, who is appointed by the President with Senate advice and consent and reports directly to the Under Secretary for International Trade.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 2","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/6965/text/eh#H844938D8982B4B538B8C74E2ECF0B108"}},{"text":"Requires the Assistant Secretary to establish an annual visitation goal for the number of international visitors to the United States and for the value of travel and tourism commerce, and to develop recommendations for achieving those goals.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 3","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/6965/text/eh#H939868A58E504E3796CEC775D9823FC1"}},{"text":"Requires the Assistant Secretary to develop and implement a COVID–19 public health emergency recovery strategy within 1 year after amounts are appropriated, and later to develop additional recovery strategies for other catastrophic events.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 3","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/6965/text/eh#H939868A58E504E3796CEC775D9823FC1"}},{"text":"Requires the Secretary of Commerce, at least once every 10 years, to develop and submit to Congress a 10-year travel and tourism strategy that includes visitor and commerce goals, the resources needed, and recommended statutory or regulatory changes.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 4","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/6965/text/eh#H8975C43AEF744BBF9CD6F5E49A4CB1A9"}},{"text":"Amends the Act of July 19, 1940 to establish the United States Travel and Tourism Advisory Board, with members appointed by the Secretary of Commerce for 2-year terms, to advise the Secretary and to assist with the COVID–19 recovery strategy.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 5","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/6965/text/eh#H3C41EC55783643168EFE49BEBD054430"}},{"text":"Requires the Secretary of Commerce, subject to the availability of appropriations, to collect and make public aggregate data on domestic travel and tourism trends.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 6","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/6965/text/eh#HAE94C34FDAE449EEB6C64D9C959FB1C8"}}],"unexpected":[{"category":"selective_carve_out","items":[{"cite":{"label":"Sec. 7","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/6965/text/eh#HEF1BE8E78E6044F5ADDFCF70CB89CFD0"},"heading":"Completion of proceeding","effect":"Says the Secretary of Commerce does not have to revisit actions already taken before enactment that implement the Act, to the extent those actions are consistent with it.","amount":null,"quote":"If the Secretary of Commerce has, before the date of the enactment of this Act, taken action that in whole or in part implements this Act"}]}],"version":{"type":"Engrossed in House","date":"2022-09-29","rule":"passed","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/6965/text/eh"},"current":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","approved":"2026-10-15","approved_by":"checks"},"sources":{"congress_gov":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/6965","text":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/6965/text"},"card":{"image":"card/item/117-hr-6965.png","v":"e2931be3fd56","alt":"Votes on Record. H.R. 6965, 117th Congress: Visit America Act. House: 325 Yea, 93 Nay. Outcome: Passed House, 29 Sep 2022."}}