Supporting the Goals and Ideals of National Passport Month

SUPPORTING THE GOALS AND IDEALS OF NATIONAL PASSPORT MONTH -- (House of Representatives - June 06, 2006)

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Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I will include for the record a statement from Representative Barbara Lee, who is the sponsor of this resolution. Congresswoman Barbara Lee could not be with us here today, though she sincerely wanted to be. In her absence, she asked me to give a few remarks on her behalf.

Congresswoman Lee would like to thank ranking member Waxman and the chairman of the Government Reform Committee, Tom Davis, along with the leadership on both sides of the aisle, for bringing this bill to the floor today. Representative Lee expresses her appreciation to the over 55 cosponsors of this bipartisan resolution for their support and she wants in particular to thank her Republican leader on the resolution, Congressman Chris Smith from New Jersey, for his support.

This resolution is extremely straightforward and noncontroversial. It details and recognizes the value of international travel and requests the President to issue a proclamation calling on the Federal Government, State localities, schools, nonprofit organizations, businesses and other entities and the people of the United States to observe National Passport Month with appropriate ceremonies, programs and activities.

As the senior Democratic woman on the House International Relations Committee and a traveler herself, Congresswoman Lee truly understands and appreciates the value and importance of international travel. As Congresswoman Lee notes in her statement for the record, there is no substitute for the experience that you get from visiting other countries. Travel changes the way we see the world. It broadens our horizons and deepens our appreciation for different countries and cultures. It also helps us to be more understanding, tolerant and to have respect for other cultures.

Not only does travel provide enriching opportunities for the individual, it can also have profound benefits to our Nation as a whole by allowing Americans to spread the message of freedom and democracy around the world. In addition, having a passport and traveling abroad enables Americans to see the American influence on the world firsthand, including the tremendous amount of humanitarian aid given by Americans throughout both the public and private sectors.

I agree with the Congresswoman, who states that Americans of all ages are our best ambassadors and we should promote policies that encourage them to travel, to forge connections with people from other countries, to foster mutual understanding and tolerance and to help open new doors to peace.

The timing of this resolution could not be more critical, because America needs a boost in foreign public opinion. When Lonely Planet, which is located in Representative Lee's district in Oakland, California, raised the idea of a National Passport Month, she immediately embraced it. In Representative Lee's statement for the record she notes how proud she was to introduce H. Res. 327 and to be part of the campaign to recognize the importance of international travel and how overwhelmed she was by the support she has received for the effort.

In April of this year, Lonely Planet presented her with over 5,000 petition signatures from people all over the country who support these efforts. This resolution has the support of a broad coalition of over 70 supporting travel organizations and associations. This includes corporations such as American Express and Yahoo and the State Department. In fact, Congresswoman Lee is submitting the letter of support from the State Department along with her statement today.

Representative Lee would like to thank all the supporters of the resolution, and notes that she looks forward to working with them to ensure that the White House issues the proclamation in ample time for the inaugural National Passport Month celebrations this September.

I, too, Mr. Speaker, would urge support for this resolution. And since we have had so many items on the agenda this evening coming out of Government Reform, I also want to simply state that it has indeed been a pleasure to work with the gentleman from California. I am not looking forward to another long session like this coming from Government Reform, but if it has to be, then I look forward to working with him.

I urge passage of this resolution.

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