I 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4676 

To direct the Secretary of Commerce to establish a competitive grant program 

to promote domestic regional tourism. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 24, 2010 

Mr. FARR introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Energy and Commerce 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of Commerce to establish a competitive grant program to promote domestic regional tourism. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Travel Regional Invest5 ment Partnership Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) The importance of travel and tourism can9 not be overstated: travel and tourism employs Amer10 ica. 


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1 (2) Approximately 8,300,000 domestic jobs de2 pend on the travel and tourism industry. 

3 (3) The United States travel and tourism in4 dustry is worth more than $691,000,000,000 annu5 ally in direct spending, of which more than 85 per6 cent is the result of domestic travel. Including indi7 rect spending, such industry tops 

8 $1,200,000,000,000 in spending. 

9 (4) The travel and tourism industry accounts 

10 for 2.6 percent of GDP, nearly four times that of 

11 the automotive industry. 

12 (5) Domestic employment related to the travel 

13 and tourism industry cannot be outsourced to other 

14 countries. 

15 (6) The current economic downturn has created 

16 the most difficult economic environment for the do17 mestic travel and tourism industry since the period 

18 following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 

19 2001. 

20 (7) The travel and tourism industry has con21 tracted by nearly $130,000,000,000 in 2009 alone. 

22 The domestic tourism economy has fallen by nearly 

23 4.5 percent during 2009, twice the rate of the over24 all economy of the United States. 


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1 (8) Domestic spending on travel and tourism 

2 has been in decline since the fourth quarter of fiscal 

3 year 2008, while employment in the travel and tour4 ism industry has been falling since the second quar5 ter of such year. 

6 (9) Public-private partnerships have been un7 derutilized in the promotion of travel and tourism 

8 and are a dynamic tool in creating new domestic 

9 tourism markets and promoting domestic regional 

10 tourism growth. 

11 SEC. 3. DOMESTIC REGIONAL TOURISM GRANT PROGRAM. 

12 (a) ESTABLISHMENT BY SECRETARY OF COM13 MERCE.—The Secretary of Commerce shall establish a 

14 competitive grant program, administered by the Office of 

15 Travel and Tourism Industries, to promote domestic re16 gional tourism growth and new domestic tourism market 

17 creation. 

18 (b) RANGE OF GRANT MONETARY AMOUNTS.—No 

19 grant shall be less than $100,000 or more than 

20 $1,000,000. 

21 (c) GRANTEE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS.— 

22 (1) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—The following entities 

23 are eligible for a grant under this section for the 

24 purposes of promoting domestic regional tourism 

25 growth and new domestic tourism market creation: 


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1 (A) A Convention and Visitors Bureau. 

2 (B) A partnership between a State or local 

3 government and a local tourism entities. 

4 (2) APPLICATION PROCESS.— 

5 (A) SUBMISSION.—An eligible entity seek6 ing a grant under this section shall submit to 

7 the Secretary an application at such time, in 

8 such form, and with such information and as9 surances as the Secretary may require. 

10 (B) CONTENTS.—Such application shall in11 clude— 

12 (i) a description of the tourist pro13 motion activities that the grant will fund; 

14 and 

15 (ii) in the case of a partnership be16 tween a State or local government and 

17 local tourism entities— 

18 (I) the specific tourist entities 

19 that such government has partnered 

20 with in order promote tourism within 

21 the relevant domestic region; and 

22 (II) the details of the partnership 

23 and specific information as to how 

24 such partnership will increase regional 

25 tourism. 


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1 (d) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.— 

2 (1) NON-FEDERAL FUNDS.—As a condition of 

3 receipt of a grant under this section, the grant re4 cipient shall provide, either directly or through dona5 tions from public or private entities, non-Federal 

6 matching funds, in cash or in-kind, in an amount 

7 equal to the amount of the grant. 

8 (2) SPECIAL RULE FOR IN-KIND DONATIONS.— 

9 Of the amount of non-Federal matching funds re10 quired under paragraph (1), not more than 25 per11 cent shall be provided through in-kind contributions. 

12 (e) REPORTS.—Not later than 6 months after the end 

13 of each fiscal year in which grants were awarded by the 

14 Secretary under this section, the Secretary shall submit 

15 a report to Congress on— 

16 (1) travel-generated expenditures; 

17 (2) travel-generated tax receipts; and 

18 (3) travel-generated employment. 

19 (f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

20 (1) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

21 the Secretary of Commerce. 

22 (2) LOCAL TOURIST ENTITY.—The term ‘‘local 

23 tourist entity’’ means any public or private sector 

24 business engaged in tourism-related activities. 


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1 (g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

2 authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 for each of the 

3 first 5 fiscal years that begin after the date of enactment 

4 of this section for grants under this section, and such 

5 amounts appropriated shall remain available until ex6 pended. 

Æ 


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