H.R. 8480: Visit America Act
Before you vote › Federal bills
H.R. 8480: Visit America Act
116th Congress · introduced 2020-10-01 · Commerce · Latest: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Foreign Affairs, and the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
federal
Follow this bill, step by step
- Where it came from: introduced 2020-10-01 · official record
- Who proposed it: Rep. Case, Ed [D-HI-1] · what a sponsor is
- What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
- Where it stands now: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Foreign Affairs, and the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
- If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.
Official title
Visit America Act
Plain summary
Visit America Act This bill implements measures to support the U.S. travel and tourism industry and to address the declining percentage of international visitors to the United States. Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Commerce to develop a 10-year travel and tourism strategy with the goal of achieving, by 2028, 116 million annual international visitors to the United States and $445 billion in travel exports. The bill also establishes the role of Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Travel and Tourism, whose responsibilities shall include (1) setting an annual goal for the number of international visitors to the United States, (2) providing support for improved visitor visa processing, and (3) promoting travel exports abroad. Further, the assistant secretary must develop and implement a COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic recovery strategy to assist the recovery of the U.S. travel and tourism industry from travel restrictions necessitated by the pandemic. The bill also provides statutory authority for the United States Travel and Tourism Advisory Board, which shall aid the assistant secretary in developing and implementing the COVID-19 pandemic recovery strategy.
Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.
What a vote does
A “Yea” vote
If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.
A “Nay” vote
If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.
PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).
What does this mean? (plain words)
AI explanation – may be wrong, check the official text
No AI explanation yet. It takes up to a minute to write and is then saved for everyone.
Limited to a few requests an hour per person.
The strongest published arguments
Arguments for (supporters)
Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.
Arguments against (opponents)
Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.
Alternatives
Needs sources: no published alternatives yet (for example a different bill, a law instead of an amendment, or keeping current law). We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.
How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes
Officials and money
Sponsor: Rep. Case, Ed [D-HI-1] · 12 cosponsors
Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.
Cosponsors on this site
Gus M. Bilirakis (R-FL), Dina Titus (D-NV), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Scott H. Peters (D-CA), Brian K. Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Ann Wagner (R-MO), Mark Pocan (D-WI)
Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Case, Ed [D-HI-1] reported raising $1.3 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.
No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.
Words on this page, explained (2)
- Bill
- A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
- Statute
- A written law passed by a legislature. A statute can be changed by a later law; changing a constitution needs an amendment.
Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.
Sources
- Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
- Congress.gov
- Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-116hr8480.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/116/hr>
Record fed-us-cong116-hr8480 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong116 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong116