A $1.1 trillion spending bill funding the government and now pending a vote in the House won approval from the U.S. Travel Association for including a five-year reauthorization of Brand USA. The reauthorization of Brand USA is included in the fiscal package that will come before Congress for a vote.
Efforts to secure renewal for Brand USA have been U.S. Travel's top legislative priority, the association notes.
Full passage of the bill could happen this week and could benefit the travel industry, U.S. Travel says.
The Associated Press said the 1,603-page measure was unveiled late Tuesday and will be scrutinized in advance of a House vote Thursday. Support from leaders in both the House and the Senate appears to cement its passage and prevent a government shutdown Thursday midnight. If passed and signed into law the legislation would fund the federal government and avoid a shutdown.
The compromise spending bill will permit virtually the entire government to operate normally through the Sept. 30, 2015, end of the fiscal year, with the exception of the Homeland Security Department, the AP reports.
U.S. Travel has noted that Brand USA has been an outstanding success, generating more than 1.1 million additional visitors to the United States in 2013, and these visitors spent $3.4 billion while traveling in the U.S., directly supporting nearly 28,000 direct jobs as a result.
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