Jul 26 2018
WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Tom Rice (R-SC) and Congressman Mike Quigley (D-IL), introduced the Jobs Originating through Launching Travel (JOLT) Act, a bipartisan effort to increase national security, reform outdated visa laws, spur tourism and create jobs.
The JOLT Act of 2018 importantly renames the Visa Waiver Program to the Secure Travel Partnership Program, which better reflects the mutual benefits shared by the U.S. and partner countries. Additionally, the bill allows for an expansion of the program by incentivizing intelligence sharing and the modernization of travel infrastructure, both of which are critical to U.S. national security.
“The JOLT Act will enhance our economic competitiveness and strengthen national security by modernizing the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), which facilitates streamlined travel into the United States for pre-approved travelers from member countries,” said Rep. Rice. “Expanding the VWP will support the U.S. travel industry, create American jobs, and bring more tourism dollars to South Carolina- all while bolstering our homeland security and counterterrorism efforts.”
In 2016, 22 million people traveled to the U.S. from Visa Waiver Program countries, accounting for 59% of overseas arrivals to the U.S. Travelers from these countries generated more than $90 billion for the U.S. economy, accounting for 44% of travel exports to all overseas countries.
In order to protect the homeland and ensure VWP countries adhere to U.S. security standards, the JOLT Act requires the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to enforce security requirements that were previously considered discretionary. Among the requirements for program countries are:
- maintaining high level airport security standards,
- assisting in the operation of an effective air marshal program,
- maintaining the highest level of security standards when issuing of passports and travel documents,
- cooperating with the United States’ initiatives toward combating terrorism, and
- cooperating with the United States intelligence community in sharing information regarding terrorist threats.
America’s hotel owners welcome the JOLT Act which would modernize the Visa Waiver Program and bring more travellers to the United States
AAHOA President and CEO Chip Rogers issued the following statement in response to the introduction of the Jobs Originated Through Launching Travel (JOLT) Act which promotes international travel to the United States by expanding the Visa Waiver Program:
“International visitors are a key contributor to the American economy who, on average, spend $4.500 per person during their visits. Unfortunately, the process to obtain a visa is outdated and needlessly complicated. The JOLT Act would bring U.S. visa regulations into the 21st century and make it easier for international visitors to travel in and out of the count), while maintaining necessary security protocols. Currently, the citizens of 38 comities can travel to the U.S. for up to 90 days without having to go through the process of obtaining a visa, but this program can and should be extended to other select countries. By streamlining the visa waiver program. the JOLT Act would bring more travelers to the U.S. and create more business for hoteliers and all facets of the travel and tourism industry. This opens the door for greater job creation, increased worker wages, and overall business expansion. America’s hotel owners support this bipartisan legislation and call Congress to pass the JOLT Act.”
AAHOA is the largest hotel owners association in the world. The nearly 18,000 AAHOA members own almost one in every two hotels in the United States.
Read more: rice.house.gov
