[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 733 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 733
To improve the cooperation between the United States and the
authorities of Taiwan with respect to travel and tourism.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 25, 2025
Mrs. Blackburn (for herself and Mr. Schatz) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign
Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To improve the cooperation between the United States and the
authorities of Taiwan with respect to travel and tourism.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Taiwan Travel and Tourism
Coordination Act''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this section:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(A) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate;
(B) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the
Senate;
(C) the Committee on Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs of the Senate;
(D) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House
of Representatives;
(E) the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the
House of Representatives; and
(F) the Committee on Homeland Security of the House
of Representatives.
(2) Assistant secretary.--The term ``Assistant Secretary''
means the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Travel and
Tourism.
SEC. 3. TOURISM COOPERATION WITH TAIWAN.
(a) In General.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Assistant Secretary, in coordination with
the Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of State, shall seek to
engage the authorities of Taiwan with respect to expanding cooperation
between the United States and such authorities on travel and tourism.
(b) Cooperation Efforts.--
(1) In general.--In seeking to expand cooperation under
subsection (a), the Assistant Secretary, consistent with the
Taiwan Relations Act (22 U.S.C. 3301 et seq.) and applicable
export regulations, shall carry out efforts to identify and
pursue opportunities for--
(A) enhancing travel between the United States and
Taiwan; and
(B) strengthening the tourism industries of both
the United States and Taiwan in areas of mutual benefit
to the United States and the authorities of Taiwan,
including by--
(i) facilitating events and coordination
between travel and tourism industry partners,
the United States, and the authorities of
Taiwan, including hotel accommodations,
restaurant or foodservice, the small business
or retail sector, travel distribution services,
the attractions and recreation sector
(including outdoor recreation) city convention
and visitors' bureaus, State tourism offices,
the commercial and private passenger air travel
sector, and the land and sea passenger
transportation sector, and other industry
partners, as determined by the Assistant
Secretary;
(ii) advising on the preservation and
incentivization of travel to interact with
cultural heritage, artifacts, and landmarks;
(iii) coordinating on the safety and
security of international visitors; and
(iv) conducting activities of mutual
benefit relating to travel and tourism.
(2) Protection of sensitive and proprietary information and
economic interests of the united states.--In carrying out the
efforts and activities described in paragraph (1), the
Assistant Secretary, the Secretary of Commerce, and Secretary
of State shall take all appropriate measures to protect
sensitive information, intellectual property, trade secrets,
and the economic interests of the United States.
(c) Report.--
(1) Requirement.--Not later than 270 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for the
subsequent five years, the Assistant Secretary, the Secretary
of Commerce, and the Secretary of State shall jointly submit a
report to the appropriate congressional committees that
describes the implementation of this section.
(2) Elements.--Each report required under paragraph (1)
shall include--
(A) a description of the cooperation efforts and
activities carried out pursuant to subsection (b)(1);
(B) the identification of any challenge or resource
gap that needs to be addressed to expand cooperation
between the United States and the authorities of Taiwan
with respect to travel and tourism; and
(C) any other matter the Assistant Secretary, the
Secretary of Commerce, or the Secretary of State
considers relevant.
SEC. 4. REPORT ON PRECLEARANCE FACILITIES IN TAIWAN.
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this
Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the
Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of State, shall submit a report
to the appropriate congressional committees that--
(1) analyzes the feasibility of, and the advisability for,
the establishment of a preclearance facility in Taiwan;
(2) describes the plan for the establishment of a
preclearance facility in Taiwan or in other locations in the
Indo-Pacific region;
(3) assesses the impacts that preclearance operations in
Taiwan will have on--
(A) trade between the United States and Taiwan,
including the impact on established supply chains;
(B) the tourism industry in the United States,
including the potential impact on revenue and tourist-
related commerce;
(C) United States and foreign passengers traveling
to the United States for business-related activities;
(D) cost savings and potential market access from
expanding operations into the Indo-Pacific region;
(E) opportunities for government-to-government
collaboration available in Taiwan after preclearance
operations are established;
(F) U.S. Customs and Border Patrol international
and domestic port of entry staffing; and
(G) the foreign policy objectives of the United
States in preserving and promoting extensive, close,
and friendly commercial, cultural, and other relations
between the people of the United States and the people
on Taiwan; and
(4) includes specific information on the anticipated
homeland security benefits and the security vulnerabilities
associated with conducting preclearance operations in Taiwan.
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