S. 3375 would establish a new office of the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Travel and Tourism within the Department of Commerce (DOC) to recommend ways to enhance and develop support for domestic tourism and to report annually on the forecast for the travel and tourism industry. The bill also would require DOC to collect and report additional data on travel in the United States, develop a 10-year travel and tourism strategy, establish a board to advise it on matters related to the travel industry, and study the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the travel and tourism industry.
S. 3375 also would affect several transportation programs. Specifically, the bill would:
Require the Departments of Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, and Transportation to establish a joint task force to study air travel during and after the COVID-19 pandemic and report any recommendations to the Congress;
Require the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to study the feasibility of using canines at airport security checkpoints to screen passengers, crew members, and other people for coronavirus infections; and
Authorize a pilot program to allow passengers and baggage arriving from up to six foreign airports to bypass security screening before boarding a subsequent transfer flight, under conditions specified in the bill.
