Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., smiles during an editorial board meeting at the Las Vegas Sun offices in Henderson Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019.
Friday, Dec. 17, 2021 | 4:03 p.m.
Nevada Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen and Mississippi Republican Sen. Roger Wicker announced this week that their Omnibus Travel and Tourism Act of 2021 advanced through the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and will go before the full Senate floor.
“Over the past two years, our state’s traveling tourism industry has faced major disruptions because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and we know just how important travel and tourism are to Nevada’s economy,” said Rosen, who is chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Tourism, Trade, and Export Promotion, during a press call about the bill.
The bill will create a new assistant secretary position within the Department of Commerce that focuses exclusively on bolstering America’s travel and tourism industry and coordinating a strategy across multiple federal agencies, Rosen said.
The Department of Commerce will be able to study the effects of COVID-19 on traveling and tourism, and it will make policy recommendations that will aim to revive the tourism industry and bring back jobs, Rosen said. It will also establish a joint task force between the Department of Transportation, Homeland Security and Health and Human Services to address the impact of COVID-19 on air travel both during and after the pandemic, she said.
The Fly Safe Canine COVID Detection Act, which is part of the bill, directs the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to conduct a feasibility study on canines to screen airport travelers for COVID-19. It will also establish a pilot program to make TSA baggage screening more efficient for passengers, she said.
“More than perhaps any other state, travel and tourism are essential to Nevada’s economy, and this legislative package is going to support and ramp up our state’s recovery,” Rosen said.
In the Las Vegas area, visitor volume is down 7.6% and hotel room occupancy is down 8.4% compared with pre-pandemic levels, according to Rosen’s office. Every state since the pandemic started has seen a heightened interest in outdoor recreation, Rosen said, whether it is hiking, fishing, skiing or boating.
“We need to have a coordinated strategy, particularly now after we come out of COVID to be sure we’re doing good things to keep our economy, our lives safe, our livelihoods safe,” Rosen said.
Wicker and Rosen introduced the legislation with a large group of bipartisan co-sponsors, including Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto D-Nev.; Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.; Angus King, I-Maine; Roy Blunt, R-Mo.; Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska; and Rick Scott, R-Fla., according to Rosen’s office.
“The COVID-19 pandemic devastated the travel and tourism industry and, consequently, led to severe impacts on our economy,” Wicker said in a statement.
Wicker said there was nearly $500 billion in lost travel spending, resulting in $64 billion in missed federal, state and local tax revenue since the beginning of March.
“It may take years to restore travel and tourism to its pre-pandemic levels,” he said. “However, this legislation would help protect the travel and tourism industries from the ongoing impacts of the pandemic. I thank my colleagues in joining me to help this sector heal and prosper once again.”
