Military Construction, VA Bill Advances; Monterey County to Benefit

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The House of Representatives on Thursday evening unanimously passed the Travel Promotion Act (H.R. 3232), a bill that will create jobs and promote international travel to the United States at no cost to taxpayers.

Reps. Sam Farr (D-Calif.) and Jon Porter (R-Nev.) --co-chairs of the Congressional Travel and Tourism Caucus -- are original co-sponsors of the bill. The legislation would address America’s overseas travel crisis by establishing a travel promotion campaign funded by a fee on overseas travelers and contributions from the U.S. travel industry.

“Since September 11, we’ve seen a sharp decline in travelers visiting from abroad, and we’ve lost more than $100 billion in revenue and 200,000 jobs due to that drop,” Rep. Farr said. “This bill will provide a huge return on investment for the nation, both in tax revenues and jobs created. It’s a no-brainer.”

The legislation would create the Corporation for Travel Promotion within the U.S. Department of Commerce Department. This entity would be charged with promoting international travel to the United States, as well as publishing travel requirements for business, tourist and academic travelers.

“America has so much to offer, and I am confident this bill will create the public-private partnership needed to encourage overseas travelers to come experience the beauty and hospitality of our nation,” Rep. Porter said. “We need to remind international travelers that the United States is still the greatest place in the world to visit.”

The bill allows the government to charge foreign travelers from visa-waiver countries a small fee which, combined with matching funds from the private sector, would support the nonprofit corporation. The corporation could receive up to $100 million annually. The legislation has the support of 245 Representatives and 51 Senators.

“Another benefit of this bill is the increased person-to-person contact that we will experience,” Rep. Farr said. “At a time when our image abroad is tarnished, this is an opportunity to use our communities to serve as diplomats to the world. There’s no better ambassadors than the American public.”

Washington, D.C. – A government funding bill passed by the House of Representatives on Wednesday provides $775 million to the U.S. Forest Service for the wildfires that devastated California this summer.

“This emergency spending will help compensate the Forest Service for funds it gave California for firefighting activities,” said Congressman Sam Farr (D-Carmel). “More importantly for our near-future, it also provides vital money to help prevent landslides in affected areas.”

Of the total appropriated amount, $500 million will go to fire suppression, compensating the Forest Service for funds spent fighting the summer’s blazes. The remaining money includes $175 million for hazardous fuel reduction, $75 million for rehabilitating burned areas and $25 million for preparedness activities.

The bill also funds several disaster relief projects within the U.S. Department of Agriculture that will help with landslide mitigation. The Farm Service Agency's Emergency Conservation Program received $115 million, the Natural Resources Conservation Service's Emergency Watershed Protection Program received $100 million and the Forest Service’s capital improvement, maintenance and construction projects received $105 million. Emergency funds appropriated over the summer will also be available.

“These funds will make sure the Forest Service not only maintains its level of firefighting capabilities in the future, it will also help them tackle the more immediate need to prevent mudslides from further devastating our region,” said Monterey County Supervisor Dave Potter. “Thanks to Congressman Farr for his help over the past few months.”

“We know all too well that the fires aren’t the end of the story,” Rep. Farr said. “Mudslides caused by scorched, barren land often cause even more damage than the original fires. We must focus our attention on this new threat, which will only increase as the rainy season advances.”

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Sam Farr (D-Carmel) today voted with an overwhelming majority of his colleagues to continue funding the federal government into March. In addition to funding general government programs, the bill includes $60.54 million for many Central Coast projects.

“We’ve had a lot of trouble this year agreeing on funding bills, primarily because offshore drilling became such a big sticking point,” said Congressman Sam Farr (D-Carmel). “This legislation not only keeps the federal government open until we can reach an agreement with the new president next year, it also makes some important investments in defense, veterans affairs and Homeland Security.”

The bill includes $37.2 million for projects located at the Naval Postgraduate School:

o $18 million in continuing grants to fund the NPS homeland security Master’s degree program, the only such program in the United States.
o $9.99 million to build a Graduate School of Business and Public Policy at NPS. These funds would help accommodate an increase in students that has strained current facilities.
o $5.6 million to continue funding NPS’s Center for Defense Technology and Education for the Military Services, or CDTEMS. These funds will to toward education and research programs at the school including the Center for Stabilization and Reconstruction Studies and the Total Force Education Initiative.
o $2 million to continue fund the California Homeland Security Consortium, a project spearheaded by NPS and made up of more than 20 academic and government organizations and private sector firms on the Central Coast.
o $1.6 million to fund an NPS program allowing enrollment of Special Operations officers returned from deployments to use their experience toward research, development and field experiments.

“NPS has established itself as a world-class educational institution, bringing together officers from the United States and many of our allies around the world,” Rep. Farr said. “These funds will help keep the school’s programs on the cutting edge and further modernize our nation’s military.”

The bill, which included new funding levels for the Departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security, provides money for three additional local initiatives:

o $15 million for a new classroom at the Defense Language Institute.
o $3.95 million to build the Modified Record Fire Range at Fort Hunter Liggett. This range is one of Ft. Hunter-Liggett’s most critical training facility requirements.
o $1.6 million for the Translation and Interpretation Skills program at the Monterey Institute for International Studies. MIIS offers the only Master’s degree program in translation and interpretation in the United States. Funds will continue to develop and implement a program to provide training and certificate programs in translation and interpretation in coordination with national security objectives.
o $1.2 million for the Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute for International Studies.
o $800,000 to fund an enhancement program for the Tactical RPG Airbag Protection System, known as TRAPS. The system uses commercial airbag and low-cost radar technology to defeat RPG warhead attacks. These funds will allow development of variants for light, medium and heavy vehicles.
o $800,000 for the Defense Manpower Data Center.

“This legislation funds DOD, DHS and VA through fiscal year 2009, but Congress wil have to complete debate next year on funding for the rest of the government,” Rep. Farr said. “We will have more opportunities to invest in vital programs for the region in a variety of social service areas.”

The House passed the bill, known as a continuing resolution, by a vote of 370-58 with one voting present. The bill is expected to be taken up by the Senate very soon and the president is expected to sign this bill.