Public law 111-145 | Titles amended 8, 22 | |
 | ||
Enacted by the 111th United States Congress U.S.C. sections created 22 U.S.C. § 2123, § 2123a, § 2131 U.S.C. sections amended 8 U.S.C. § 1187(h)(3)(B) | ||
The Travel Promotion Act of 2009 (Pub.L. 111–145, Sec. 9) is a law creating the Corporation for Travel Promotion, a public-private partnership tasked with promoting tourism in the United States. To fund the Corporation's activities, the Act provides for a fee of $10 for use of the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). Additionally, the Act authorizes a further charge to recover the costs of providing and administrating the ESTA.
Contents
The House passed the bill by a vote of 358–66 in October 2009, and the Senate followed on February 25, 2010 with a vote of 78–18. President Barack Obama signed the bill into law on March 4, 2010.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has announced they will level an additional $4 fee (bringing the total to $14) for visitors to the United States for the cost of administering the ESTA.
The reactions of the European Union have been critical and suggestions of a similar fee have been raised on grounds of reciprocity.
Brand USA
Brand USA (formerly Corporation for Travel Promotion) gets matching funds from the federal government equivalent to what it raises from the private sector, not to exceed a maximum of $100 million.
Related legislation
On July 22, 2014, the House voted to pass the Travel Promotion, Enhancement, and Modernization Act of 2014 Act (H.R. 4450; 113th Congress), a bill that would extend the provisions of the Travel Promotion Act of 2009, which established the Corporation for Travel Promotion, through September 30, 2020, and impose new performance and procurement requirements on the corporation.