The U.S. Senate has set a vote on the Travel Promotion Act (S. 1023) as the first order of business on Sept 8 when the Senate reconvenes after the August recess.

United States Capitol

After petty objections and amendments resulted in a failed vote in June, this time around – hopefully – they’ll make sure that there is enough bipartisan support to invoke cloture on debate and get the bill passed.

On paper, the bill now has 52 co-sponsors, plus the main sponsor - Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND).

Of course, 1 month is a long time in politics, and no one knows what the atmosphere will be like when the Senators come back from a month of getting a earful from their constituents and special interests on the healthcare bill.

In a press statement, Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, said that ”This legislation could not come at a more critical time for millions of workers across the U.S. dependent on a strong travel economy for their livelihoods. We encourage the House of Representatives to follow the Senate with prompt passage of the Travel Promotion Act.”

Once implemented, the legislation will add $4 billion in additional spending annually to the economy by attracting millions of additional international visitors to the United States. The Travel Promotion Act creates a non-profit corporation to better communicate America’s travel policies and promote the United States as a premier travel destination.

No U.S. taxpayer dollars are used to fund the program. The program will be jointly funded by the private sector and a $10 fee paid by foreign travelers from Visa Waiver countries and collected via the Department of Homeland Security’s Electronic Travel Authorization system (ESTA).

We’ve seen the Travel Promotion Acts of 2007 & 2008 get chucked into the trash-bin. The Travel Promotion Act of 2009 has already failed once. The upcoming vote on Sept 8, 2009 will be the last chance this year. Here’s hoping we won’t need to see the Travel Promotion Act of 2010.

Photo credit – cliff1066