Visit USA Act

Summary: TABLE OF CONTENTS: 
     Title I:  International Visitor Initiatives 
     Title II:  International Marketing Program 
Value in Supporting International Tourism in the United States Act of 1998 (or the Visit USA Act) - 
Title I:  International Visitor Initiatives
 - Directs the Secretary of Commerce to establish an Intergovernmental Task Force for International Visitor Assistance. Requires the Task Force to:  (1) examine, and report to the President and the Congress its recommendation on, signage at U.S. facilities (including airports, seaports, land border crossings, highways, and bus, train, and other public transit stations); and (2) identify and suggest solutions to existing inadequacies, such as the adoption of uniform standards on international signage for use throughout the United States in order to facilitate international visitors' travel here. 
Requires the Task Force also to examine and report on:  (1) the availability of multilingual travel and tourism information and means of disseminating such information; and (2) establishment of a toll-free, private-sector operated telephone number, staffed by multilingual operators, to provide assistance to international tourists coping with an emergency. 
Directs the Secretary to complete, as soon as practicable, a satellite system of accounting for the travel and tourism industry. 
Title II:  International Marketing Program
 - Authorizes appropriations for U.S. National Tourism Organization international promotional activities.  Prohibits the use of such funds for any purpose other than marketing, research, outreach, or any other activity designed to promote the United States as the premiere travel and tourism destination in the world.  States that the Organization's general and administrative expenses shall be borne by the private sector.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Value in Supporting International 
Tourism in the United States Act of 1998'' or ``Visit USA Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
            (1) the travel and tourism industry, as one of the Nation's 
        largest employers, has made a substantial contribution to the 
        health of the Nation's economy in that:
                    (A) the industry directly employs 7,000,000 
                Americans, throughout every region of the country, 
                heavily concentrated among small businesses, and 
                indirectly employs an additional 9,200,000 Americans, 
                for a total of 16,200,000 jobs;
                    (B) the industry ranks as the first, second, or 
                third largest employer in 32 States and the District of 
                Columbia, generating a total tourism-related annual 
                payroll of $127,900,000,000;
                    (C) the industry has become the Nation's third 
                largest retail sales industry, generating a total of 
                $489,000,000,000 each year in total expenditures; and
                    (D) in 1977 the industry generated $71,700,000,000 
                in tax revenues for Federal, State, and local 
                governments;
            (2) through an effective public-private partnership, 
        Federal, State, and local governments and the travel and 
        tourism industry can successfully market the United States as 
        the premiere international tourist destination in the world;
            (3) the private sector, States, and cities currently spend 
        more than $1,000,000,000 annually to promote particular 
        destinations within the United States to international 
        visitors;
            (4) the more than $98,000,000,000 spent by more than 
        54,000,000 foreign visitors in the United States in 1997 
        generated a trade surplus in the service sector of more than 
        $26,000,000,000;
            (5) 100 nations around the world spend hundreds of millions 
        of dollars annually to promote the visits of international 
        tourists to their countries, whereas the United States does not 
        expend Federal funds for this purpose;
            (6) the United States will miss a major marketing 
        opportunity if it fails to aggressively compete for an 
        increased share of international tourism expenditures;
            (7) in 1997, 17,900,000 more people visited France than the 
        United States;
            (8) 92 percent of the tourism industry is composed of 
        small- and medium-sized businesses;
            (9) a well-funded, well-coordinated international marketing 
        effort--developed and implemented by a joint public-private 
        sector effort--would help small and large businesses, as well 
        as State and local governments, share in the projected growth 
        of the international travel and tourism market in the 21st 
        century;
            (10) Congress can increase the opportunities for attracting 
        international visitors and enhancing their stay in the United 
        States by--
                    (A) continuing the successful visa waiver pilot 
                program;
                    (B) improving international signage at airports, 
                seaports, land border crossings, highways, and bus, 
                train, and other public transit stations in the United 
                States;
                    (C) increasing the availability of multilingual 
                tourist information; and
                    (D) creating a toll-free, private sector operated, 
                emergency telephone number, staffed by multilingual 
                operators, to provide assistance to international 
                tourists;
            (11) by establishing a satellite system of accounting for 
        travel and tourism, the Secretary of Commerce could provide 
        Congress and the President with objective, thorough data that 
would help policymakers more accurately gauge the size and scope of the 
domestic travel and tourism industry and its significant impact on the 
health of the Nation's economy; and
            (12) having established the United States National Tourism 
        Organization under the United States National Tourism 
        Organization Act of 1996 (22 U.S.C. 2141 et seq.) to increase 
        the United States share of the international tourism market by 
        developing a national travel and tourism strategy, Congress 
        should support a long-term marketing effort and other important 
        regulatory reform initiatives to promote increased 
        international travel to the United States.
    (b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to facilitate 
international visitors' travel in the United States and promote an 
international marketing program to make the United States the premiere 
travel destination in the world.

               TITLE I--INTERNATIONAL VISITOR INITIATIVES

SEC. 101. INTERNATIONAL VISITOR ASSISTANCE TASK FORCE.

    (a) Establishment.--Not later than 9 months after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Commerce shall establish an 
Intergovernmental Task Force for International Visitor Assistance 
(hereafter in this section referred to as the ``Task Force'').
    (b) Duties.--The Task Force shall examine--
            (1) signage at facilities in the United States, including 
        airports, seaports, land border crossings, highways, and bus, 
        train, and other public transit stations, and shall identify 
        existing inadequacies and suggest solutions for such 
        inadequacies, such as the adoption of uniform standards on 
        international signage for use throughout the United States in 
        order to facilitate international visitors' travel in the 
        United States;
            (2) the availability of multilingual travel and tourism 
        information and means of disseminating, at no or minimal cost 
        to the Government, such information; and
            (3) the feasibility of establishing a toll-free, private 
        sector operated telephone number, staffed by multilingual 
        operators, to provide assistance to international tourists 
        coping with an emergency.
    (c) Membership.--The Task Force shall be composed of the following 
members:
            (1) The Secretary of Commerce.
            (2) The Secretary of State.
            (3) The Secretary of Transportation.
            (4) The Chair of the Board of Directors of the United 
        States National Tourism Organization.
            (5) 1 representative from each of 4 organizations serving 
        on the United States National Tourism Organization Board of 
        Directors, chosen by consensus of the Board.
            (6) Such other representatives of other Federal agencies 
        and private sector entities as may be determined to be 
        appropriate to the mission of the Task Force by the Chairman.
    (d) Chairman.--The Secretary of Commerce shall be Chairman of the 
Task Force. The Task Force shall meet at least twice each year. Each 
member of the Task Force shall furnish necessary assistance to the Task 
Force.
    (e) Report.--Not later than 18 months after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Chairman of the Task Force shall submit to 
the President and to Congress a report on the results of the review 
under subsection (b), including proposed amendments to existing laws or 
regulations as may be appropriate to implement such recommendations.

SEC. 102. TRAVEL AND TOURISM INDUSTRY SATELLITE SYSTEM OF ACCOUNTING.

    The Secretary of Commerce shall complete, as soon as may be 
practicable, a satellite system of accounting for the travel and 
tourism industry which will highlight the amounts spent for travel and 
tourism.

               TITLE II--INTERNATIONAL MARKETING PROGRAM

SEC. 201. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) Authorization.--Subject to subsection (b), there are authorized 
to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for the purpose of 
funding international promotional activities by the United States 
National Tourism Organization to help brand, position, and promote the 
United States as the premiere travel and tourism destination in the 
world.
    (b) Restrictions on Use of Funds.--None of the funds appropriated 
under subsection (a) may be--
            (1) disbursed until matching funds are committed by the 
        private sector--for each dollar collected from the private 
        sector, $1 in appropriated funds may be disbursed;
            (2) used for the general and administrative expenses of 
        operating the United States National Tourism Organization;
            (3) used for purposes other than researching and marketing 
        designed to promote the United States as the premiere travel 
        and tourism destination in the world.
The general and administrative expenses of the Organization shall be 
borne by the private sector through such means as the Board of 
Directors of the Organization shall determine.
    (c) Report to Congress.--Not later than March 30 of each year in 
which funds are made available under subsection (a), the Secretary 
shall submit to the Committee on Commerce of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation of the Senate a detailed report setting forth--
            (1) an analysis of the impact of international tourism on 
        the United States economy, including, as specifically as 
        practicable, changes in the United States market share of 
        international tourism in general and as measured against 
        specific countries and regions;
            (2) an analysis of the impact of expenditures made pursuant 
        to this section on international tourism on the United States 
        trade balance;
            (3) an analysis of other relevant economic impacts as a 
        result of expenditures made pursuant to this section; and
            (4) the expenditure of appropriated funds.