Speech #1050171271

Mr. President. I am introducing an amendment to the Commerce/Justice/State Appropriations bill regarding the Consular Service and the issuing of tourist visas. I strongly endorse tight immigration controls and strict visa policies to ensure that illegal aliens and criminal activity do not cross our nations borders. At the same time. we must recognize the economic importance of tourism in this country and ensure that legitimate foreign travelers are not penalized by an overwhelmed consular service. To that end. I am asking the State Department to report to Congress on a regular basis the status of visa backlogs at our embassies worldwide and to conduct a study on whether the appropriate resources are being dedicated to the consular service. Tourism is a $473 billion dollar business in the United States and our countrys second largest employer. behind the health care industry. We bring in more tourists to the U.S. than we send overseas. creating a $26 billion dollar trade surplus. equal in size to the car and auto parts trade deficit with Japan. By the year 2007. less than ten years away. the World Tourism Organization predicts the U.S. tourism market will double to nearly $885 billion dollars. We must make certain our consular services and visa procedures are streamlined. improved. and protective of national security interests in order to capitalize on the growing international tourism market. I hope you can support me in requiring the State Department to study consular resources and report back on what improvements or resources are needed to make it the best in the world. a secure system that can help promote U.S. as an international destination.