Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2013 -- Motion to Proceed -- Continued

Floor Speech

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Mr. REID. Mr. President, just moments ago we passed a resolution appointing Drew Willison as the Sergeant at Arms of the Senate. The importance of this appointment cannot be overstated. While Senators and their staffs come and go, the office of the Sergeant at Arms provides much needed stability to support this great institution.

To put things in perspective, Drew Willison is only the 39th Sergeant at Arms in the entire history of the Senate. That is 230 plus years. By contrast, there have been 1,950 Senators who have served in this body since its inception.

As the Senate Sergeant at Arms, Drew's duties include the security and safety of the 6,500 Senate employees, as well as the millions of visitors who come to the Capitol each year. Drew's predecessor, Terry Gainer, did a phenomenal job as Sergeant at Arms, and Drew is left with his big shoes to fill. Terry Gainer was not a partisan, nor is Drew Willison. That is how this office should function. I know he is up to the task.

As Booker T. Washington said, ``Nothing ever comes to one, that is worth having, except as a result of hard work.''

Even though Drew did not seek this position, it has come to him because of his hard work. He will thrive in the Sergeant at Arms office because of his work ethic. I know because I have witnessed his work over the years. He first came to my office a long time ago, in 1997. He was a fellow for the Environmental Protection Agency. His talents were seen very quickly by me and my staff. So then, rather than going back to the EPA, he became a member of my personal staff. Again, his talents were recognized immediately. I decided it would be important that he move to the Appropriations Committee. He became the chief clerk on our Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development and did a remarkably good job.

I mention his nonpartisan approach to what he did. During those years of his working for me--I can't speak for when he was there after I became inactive on that Appropriations Committee--but while I was there those many years--I was either the chairman or the ranking member of that committee for years. The person opposite me was Pete Domenici from New Mexico. It didn't matter who the chairman was, quite frankly. We worked so well together in those days when we worked together. We would finish the energy and water bill on the floor in one day. We would bring it out of committee and finish it in one day. We worked together. Drew Willison was the chief clerk, and when he wasn't the chief clerk, he was the second in command--whatever that is. We just breezed through that subcommittee--billions and billions of dollars, the safety and security of the nuclear arsenal we have, and so many different issues in that subcommittee that were important to the country, as they are today. But now we can't even--we have such difficulty at getting a bill passed. We did it then in one day--in just a few hours many times.

So Drew is really a talented man. He is a very quick learner. Everyone who has worked with him over the years came to the realization very quickly: Tell him what you want him to do; he did it with a smile, he did it well, and he did it right.

During my tenure with this good man, now the Sergeant at Arms, his talents were invaluable to the success of my office. For 5 years he has been the Deputy Sergeant at Arms. He has been Chief Gainer's right-hand man, and that is an understatement. He has done such a remarkably good job because of his hard work and his diligence. In the process, he has helped make this Capitol a better and safer place to work and to visit.

Now, as the mantel of leading the Sergeant at Arms office falls to him, I have no doubt that he will, once again, prove himself.

The Senate and the many people who visit and work in the Capitol are in good hands with Drew Willison at the helm. I wish him the very best. All I say to Drew Willison is to continue to be the person he has been and he will be a success as the Sergeant at Arms.

NATIONAL TRAVEL AND TOURISM WEEK

Mr. President, this week is National Travel and Tourism Week. As a Senator from Nevada, I know how important the travel and tourism industry is to this Nation. Las Vegas alone attracts more than 40 million visitors each year, and 8 million come from across the globe. All told, travel and tourism generates $45 billion in revenue for the Las Vegas economy while employing 400,000 Nevadans.

This industry's impact is not unique in Nevada. People go to the Presiding Officer's State of Maine year-round. It slows down a little in the wintertime, but people go there year-round because of the beauty of the State of Maine. I have only been to Maine on one occasion, but I went as a tourist. I wanted to see that beautiful State, and I was able to do that. It is the same in virtually every State in America. Tourism is the No. 1, No. 2 or No. 3 driving economic influence of every State.

So recognizing Travel and Tourism Week is more than just simple talk; it is important to do that. Annually, travel and tourism contribute more than $2 trillion to the national economy. It supplies 15 million jobs to Americans, and these are jobs that don't ship overseas. In fact, tourism is the Nation's No. 1 export.

While it is important to recognize National Travel and Tourism Week, just mentioning the industry's strength is not enough. As with any profitable business, investment helps. It will do the same in tourism, and we have proven that over the last few years.

A small investment in travel and business does great things for America. As I recall, there were about five filibusters we had to overcome on this legislation, but we did overcome them, and we finally passed it in 2010. President Obama signed this into law. It is called the Travel Promotion Act.

After we passed the law, this entity was led by a man named Stephen Cloobeck. Stephen Cloobeck is a businessman, and he has been a successful businessman. He is now extremely successful in the time-sharing business and in other areas. But he was really a good leader of that entity when it was first created, and that wasn't easy. There were a lot of bumps in the road. But being the exceptionally good businessman that he was and is, it worked out well. His leadership was phenomenal.

In countries all over the world, Brand USA--that is what it is called, Brand USA--advertisements come at no cost to the American taxpayers, and these entice foreign travelers to visit America.

By any measure, the Travel Promotion Act has been an incredible success. But don't take my word for it. An independent analysis found that Brand USA helped to generate more than 1 million new visitors to the United States, and it is only going to get better. Those international visitors spent $3.4 billion last year. Increasing international tourism and visitation to the United States creates jobs. On average, our international visitors stay longer in our Nation's hotels and they spend more money in our stores and restaurants than domestic travelers. One out of every four visitors who come to Las Vegas comes from outside the United States. Nearly 20 percent of all visitors, which is obvious from those numbers I just gave, come to Las Vegas from abroad.

So it is clear that Brand USA is helping our Nation's tourism industry, and it is helping our Nation capitalize on this growing market of tourism. That is why the Senate passed an immigration bill that is currently stuck in the House of Representatives. This legislation includes a permanent reauthorization for the Travel Promotion Act and Brand USA.

Unfortunately, the House of Representatives has so far refused to take up an immigration reform bill. We did our work, and it was led by four Democrats and four Republicans. The four Democrats: Senators SCHUMER, DURBIN, MENENDEZ, and BENNET; the four Republicans: Senators RUBIO, FLAKE, MCCAIN, and GRAHAM. They did good work. It could not have been done without them.

Our Nation's travel industry, though, needs us to do more. Recognizing the importance of tourism, it is so important we proceed and help the tourism industry by passing the immigration reform bill.

I mentioned the good work done by these eight Senators. The current president of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and former chairman of the U.S. Association--his name is Rossi Ralenkotter--has stressed the need for investment in our Nation's infrastructure.

As we invest in airports, rail, and roads--we certainly do not do enough, but when we do, we are effectively opening this Nation's doors to our visitors. By providing safe, efficient travel for tourists, we can also ensure that the American travel industry has a reliable flow of business.

Our commitment to bolstering tourism must amount to more than just concrete and metal. We must ensure that not only do we invite people here--and they come from across the world--but that we are also facilitating their arrival and their departure.

In the Senate immigration bill we make it easier for tourists to come to America by increasing the number of Customs and Border Patrol agents who process international visitors. We hope as tourists from foreign nations become more comfortable with traveling to the United States they will do so more frequently.

We are fast approaching the anniversary of the immigration bill's passage in the Senate. Yet this bipartisan bill sits idling in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, and the Republicans seem to be content to continue to ``idle,'' a code word for doing nothing.

There are many urgent reasons we must pass the immigration bill and travel promotion is one of them. We cannot be content to do nothing in promoting the United States to the world because ultimately travel promotion is job promotion. It is about creating jobs. It is about growing our economy. It is about keeping the United States competitive in the world travel business.

So this week as we consider the incredible impact of travel and tourism on our Nation's economy, I invite my colleagues in Congress to continue to invest in this vital industry. If we are successful, we will make sure America remains the ultimate tourist destination for decades to come.

I see on the floor the distinguished senior Senator from Minnesota. Her work on getting this Travel Promotion Act passed was superb. Her efforts continue to make sure it is working well in the immigration bill. No one has helped more than the senior Senator from Minnesota. She is a good legislator, and she has proven that to me many times. Her work on this legislation reminds me how tenacious she is.

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