will be on to talk about the may job support is on employment falls. and political white house reporter meredith of grout previewed former president trump speech tomorrow at a north carolina republican state convention. national review contributor discusses his peace on religious conviction and the united states. watches c-span's washington journal live at seven eastern saturday morning and be sure to join the discussion facebook comments text and tweets. ♪ ♪ >> next week secretary of state entity blinken comes to the health test from foreign-policy operations the president's 2022 budget. 10-amp eastern hibiscus for the house foreign affairs committee and then on monday at 2:30 eastern he testifies at the house appropriations subcommittee on state and foreign operations. on tuesday at 2:15 p.m. hill

answer questions from a senate foreign relations committee. watch live coverage of all these hearings on c-span, online@c-span.org or listed on the free c-span radio app. >>mi now a senate congress subcommittee will excel tourism and hospitality industry has been impacted by the covid-19 pandemic per professionals from the industry answer questions on several topics including the need for further investment into the industry. workforce shortages, the impact of business travel, and the importance of consistent messaging from government agencies regarding covid-19 protocols. [background noises] [background noises] good afternoon. a welcome to today's hearing.

investing andis america's tourism and hospitality workforce and small businesses. today we will examine the state of the tourism and hospitality workforce in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic as well as the experiences and challengesch of tourism and hospitality related small businesses and those businesses outside the industry who nonetheless depend on travel and tourism to bring in customers. we'll also revieww regional impacts of the pandemic of communities that rely on tourism and hospitality workforce and receive insight how congress is the tourism industry recovers. u.s. hospitality industry continues to experience pandemic related impacts and consequently so do the workers in that industry. for nevada this is almost 25% of our workforce. prior to the pandemic in 2019

nevada's job market exhibited signs of strength with the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of around 3%, just over 1% on employment rate among workers covered by unemployment insurance. however by mid-march of 2020 is aor world begins in the impacts of the public health crisis, situation started to change dramatically. seasonally adjusted unemployment rate grows to over 6% followed by a steep and unprecedented increase to 30% in april of 2020. the highest unemployment rate in the nation i might add trade for two weeks in march initial unemployment claims increased just over 6002 over 92000 claims. the significant rise in unemployment and nevada in part reflects our states reliance on leisure and hospitality employment in the state economy. tourismm drives most of the demand and hospitality

industry and covid-19 estimated tourism. at the onset of the crisis nevada's leisure and hospitality sector was the largest contributor to wage and salary employment. in fibroid of 2020 the leisure and hospitality sector employed over 356,000 workers in a state with an overall population of just a little over 3 million. taken together this data suggests workers and leisure and hospitality probably or in the brunt of unemployment and nevada. according to the bureau of labor statistics nationwide leisure and hospitality last 2.8 million jobs during the pandemic that has yet to return. this represents more than 25% of all unemployed persons in the united states. 99% of businesses in nevada that are small businesses have also struggled particular minority owned a small businesses that are far too

often disproportionately impacted economic slowdowns and left behind economic recoveries. i have made support for workers and small businesses one of my top priorities during m the pandemic on the call of my colleagues here today to not lose sight of the fact this has been an uneven recovery. one which small businesses and workers in the hardest hit state will continue to need our help until we are fully passed the pandemic. we will build back better but it is going to take time and it is going to take investment. while many industries in nevada are starting to come back statewide leisure and hospitality industries only 70% of preemployment peak levels that is down more than 106,000 jobs. the strong and robust presence of organized labor and nevada directly aids the recovery for workers compared to other states in the mountain west nevada has maintained relatively higher rate of unionization ingh the years but

according to the bureau of labor statistics 2019 more than 14% of employed workers in nevada on two unions which is an increase of 2.5 percentage points over levels. it's much higher on the nationwide figure of just over 10%. unions and the vet helped improve quality of unemployment relationships and working conditions. as a college student coming home for the summer i was a member of the culinary union two to six on a weighted table at caesar salad and i'm brave for that job help me pay for my college tuition. i need another culinary workers unit is the largest private-sector unit and about a part of represents nearly 60000 workers and organizes the main casino and hotel properties of the las vegas trip in downtown represents housekeepers, bartenders, bellmen and manyou others. the cold night workers duty has been the lifeline for the hospitality workforce and

nevada and affect the very last in-person meeting i took from capitol hill before i close my offices and marches with mr. detailer president of unite here. the union was nevada's two to six was affiliated. and proud to have them here today testifying as an expert witness. mr. taylor and unite here got above and beyond during the pandemic to support the workers they represent. even running their own food bank and the local economy was in the most dire situation. in the early months of the pandemic 98% of the more than 300,000 workers were out of work mr. taylor and the union stood by their members. i look forward to his testimony here today about how we get tourism and hospitality moving again. also testifying virtually today is her expertise insight recommendations we have nevada zones sean dealt newsom chair of the las vegas urban chamber

of commerce that works to provide access to local national and global markets for small and diverse businesses in southern nevada. in addition we are please have representatives with us from the following organizations of course virtually the florida attractions association the attraction industry and a travel holdings leisure company. it is my hope that today's hearing will help us better understand the challenges of small businesses in the hospitality workforce, the challenge they face asfa a result of travel caused by the pandemic in today's hearing will cause a form for engaging discussion on how the support workers, small businesses they recover. look forward to hearing each ofar you share your experiences and expertise. i know when to turn over to ranking member scott for his opening statement and that we

will introduce our witnesses. senator scott. >> i want to thank chair rosen for hosting this meeting today pretty much think all the witnesses were being with us and sharing your perspectives. there is a lot especially las vegas hasas in common with the state of florida. we very much depend on our tourism industry and i know we have wonderful witnesses today that will talk with the impact it's small businesses pretty want to thank sharing their insights from florida small businesses and their employees buried florida, like las vegas is a global travel destination. people from all of the world come to enjoy our beaches are attractions all estate has to offer. when is government worked hard to grow tourism industry were actually able left to wonder 26 tours a record each of thoseco years. that pandemic is impacted each of us differently and all of our small businesses differently.y. we had to adapt to make sure

families, businesses and employees stay safe. it severely hurt florida's tourism industry that comes with a chain of economic impacts on our restaurants, small businesses and families. i know chair rosen has seen the same thing and the las vegas and nevada. i'm glad to see florida's open for business again. but in order for state and nation to fully reopening our economy back on track to have to continue to work together. i've been hearing for many of our smallee businesses in florida that are struggling to find workers to fill their open jobs because they're competing with enhanced federal and employment benefits and supported targeted aid for struggling families andie businesses. but i have been clear that the federal government should not be paying americans to stay home rather than go back to work i'm glad to see governments across the nation taking action to get their systems back toac work. i also with several of my colleagues to face out this work. it's always worked to support our small businesses, get markets back to work at our

economy fully reopening. we also have to make sure we help those that still need our help. also very focused on getting the resumption of our cruise line operation. something hopefully people from las vegas enjoy we do not see many cruises from las vegas birds unable businesses and workers are behind the crews industry have been over a year now waiting for the cdc guidance will so many industries to reopen you go to a restaurant, in which amusement parks, you can go stay in a hotel the cdc is made very difficult for the crews industry to get started again. i'm by the cdc is after my call it an of my college to get things moving in the right directions of the crews can get back to work. but this cdc enforced lease treated the crews industry terribly over the past year. i'm going to continue my fight with the cdc to make sure we reach a quick and equitable solution that keeps peopleey

safe. they want occurs at employees safe but that protects the jobs in florida print another's jobs and las vegas and across the nation. as a works to recover from the coronavirus clerk on track and remain committed to doing everything i can disbar the the travel industry in florida and across united states. look forward to hearing from her witnesses on to thank chair rosen for organizing this committee and the witnesses she has invited buried and all of us want to understand how the covid-19 has impacted our industries and how we can help them succeed but thank you, thanks again chair rosen. statement thank you, and you can cruise on lake tahoe and lake meadors not the same as the caribbean cruise but if they have a nice dinner cruise on both of those. so thank you, senator scott burnett liked enters our witnesses testifying with us remotelyss today. detailer international president of unite here with over 40 years in the labor experience in the labor

movement mr. taylor has successfully organized labor negotiations throughout the country's out build a : a unit to its current membership level of approximately 60000 members nationally represents over 300,000 active union members who worked various rolls in the hospitality industry. hotels, food service, laundry and casinos right mr. taylor you are now recognized for your opening remarks. >> first i want to thank you senator rosen, senator scott for its real honor and privilege to actuallyn speak in front of you all. hopefully this'll be the last remote hearing i have to be involved with. i'm sure like everybody else will be areel really tired of zoom. so we represent over 3000 members throughout the united states and canada. a

at the beginning of the pandemic 98% of all the workers were laid off. andda even today 50 to 60% are still not working. first in the gaming industry employment has increased more than gaming industry. but still it's further behind than it was before the pandemic. in atlantic city about 75% of our membersrs back. iowa about 75. detroit about 65, mississippi about 65. las vegas a little over 50% and new orleans 32%. some reasons why our workers are not back is because our casinos have moved to eliminate a fair amount of food and beverage jobs. and also changes in housekeeping. and foodd service. the employment there for example airline it catering

move about 70% of the workers back. that is would been paid to the cares act funding. in traditional cafeterias only about 55%. in airport concessions only about 45%. stadiums and arenas less 4 than 40%. big convention centers 5% or less. there is real concern there about when those jobs will come back. that involves both large and small employers. and there's really -- some of those leisure markets like florida, arizona and hawaii were starting to return to pre-covid levels. but not where it was. those markers have been heavily reliant on business, group and international travel, those numbers are so far below what it was before the pandemic it's affected its

ability for people to come back to work. now we have a concern the last two down towards after 911 and the great recession some of this temporary job reductions became permanence. in 2001 and 2019. hotel industry employment by room count decreased by 20%. we have issues we found to be perplexing. and many cases we have heard about the inability to get people to come back to work. at the same time i think some of that has been caused by the inability of companies to set you have the right to be recalled. and as we all know older workers that are terminated one in ten will earn much less than they earn previously. so on one hand we have a cry for workers and on the other

hand just the basic idea of someone who's been with their company 20 or 30 years has to start off as a new hire somewhere, you can understand that quandary. in fact here in las vegas we had that problem were station casinos fired 7000 workers. so they have to start all over again even if they been with the company 20 or 30 years but subcontracting united airlines got an enormous amount of money from the federal support for graham from the government and now they're looking to subcontract out all of the kitchens with no guarantee of worker benefits. and service cuts the park hotel's biggest private sector owners they have a permanent reduction of hotel level staffing.

i want to point out one from florida and one from nevada. in florida disney for examples undetermined this work. they extended healthcare benefits for all their employees throughout this pandemic. loaded up all of the unemployed people into the florida system. which everyone knows has some serious issues. in nevada the wynn resorts stepped up completely on continuing to pay people and also extended benefits. so we are worried about the future and at the same time we think there's a lot that needs to be done to get back on our feet spread both with companies and workers. thank you so much senator rosen and scott. >> thank you mr. taylor for your insights into the hospitality workforce and into our states and important cities. so now i like to turn it over to senator scott to introduce

our next a witness, senator scott? >> the florida attractions represents over 120 theme parks. had the pleasure to work with bill when i was governor. he and a lot of others bring a lot of visitors to our states. so welcome bill i look forward to hearing from you. >> thank you, senator. good afternoon chairwoman rosen and ranking member scott and members of the subcommittee. i want to thank you for your leadership in addressing the pandemic to assess the economic damages specifically to the hardest hit sector, travel tourism. i'm honored to participate in this investigating hospitality workforce and small-business bread founded in 19 for the florida attractions association or the other faa thoughts trade association representing the tourist attraction industry.

heritage is a vacation then evolved to the decades states natural wonders continue to attract visitors from around the world is man-made have roadside attractions to doubt the most popular theme park destinations buried today the faa is comprised of over 250 member businesses. however most of our members are small business. only 10% of our members are publicly traded companies. many of our members represent third generation owner operators of their family attraction. in 40% of our members have annual paid attendance of under 100,000 guests. florida's nonessential businesses including our attractions closed around march 15 of last year. during this time the actions of congress to provide support and relief to small business was a great help. the cares act the paycheck protection program economic injury disaster loans where

the bridge needed to maintain employee base and cover ongoing expenses through the closure. governor desantis begin the process of ripping florida's businesses in a pathway to reopen florida's economy including attractions by executive order on may 18, 2020. the attractions association work with our members and the county governments to find the best practices in the tourism environment to provide protection for gas and employees from viral transmission for the objective was clear on the goal unmistakable. reopening safe, smart and step-by-step. as industry began to reopen theirs initially and intrepid response by travis to make sure their safety was paramount to our industry. the summer of 2020 progress they vacation season as florence traveled to other florida destinations often within a day's drive of their homes. other facilities were particularly popular national parks, state parks, attraction such as zoos and gardens to

provide argus fresh air and sunshine. of the lesser the general pattern has developed from the trust and travel return confidence and safety protocols proven in the desired to get out and go inspire americans to travel once again. it's been increasingly of the domestic travel are not at pre-covid levels but it is encouraging to see attractions, hotels, camp grounds and restaurants be into expense recovery. this is tourism marketing office reclined 14% decline of travel in florida the first quarter 21 compared to 2020. but we need clear policy coordination between the agency such as a cdc, department of transportation ocean other agencies with guidance from the pandemic. recent changes in the cdc's guidance will welcome development members. however the swiftness of the changes left many businesses graham and interpret the new guidance and assess the impact on the business for even today

the guidance of cdc can be viewed as conflicting. number two, florida much of the nation's expensing a labor shortage. that out many of our members are experiencing both in part governor desantis is directed the state to discontinue waving the work search requirement at the end of this month in florida will step out of the florida federal pandemic on employment compensation program at the end of next month. entry level labor shortages are not new. by 2029 only 20% of teens will participate in this labor force. stand 43% from 1978. the shortages driving up wages, supply and demand, business must demand for talent. even wages are not the answer burden they offer one 100% increase from $10 to $20 per

hour and still having to reduce operating hours due to labor shortages. another is discussing her last hearing the crews industry and industry i have no direct professional role and is still waiting for claire got into the cdc. the crews industry and attractions industry are fierce competitors. we have each other to achieve our individual and business objectives. adjusting these issues bunk their support of helpless muller tourism economy forward prepare for post pandemic success, thank you for your leadership in supporting america's hospitality workers and small business. i look forward to working with you in answering your questions, thank you. >> thank you. testifying next is sean, chairman of the las vegas urban chamber of commerce. mr. newsom is a ten year veteran of the u.s. air force and a small business owner for the past 15 years.

his personal work in the urban chamber of commerce mr. newsom connect small business owners with the resources and access they need to both regional and global markets. mr. newsom you are recognize her opening remarks. >> thank you madam chair and members of the senate subcommittee. good afternoon i'm with nevada small business and founder of a firm in partnership with my wife arlene and my daughter tierra. 2015 we are recognize sba nevada business of the airport currently i chair the las vegas urban chamber of commerce cochair small business for america's future, serve as a trustee for the las vegas chamber of commerce and cochair for the henderson chambers issues committee. i'm extremely engaged and involved in my small and minority business community. today i'm here to speak directly to investing and america's tourism and hospitality workforce board

and a small business for anyone to think senator rosen true small business champion for this opportunity to address the part after serving a decade in the military work for gaming and hospitality family-owned small business casinos in nevada as a marketing director. this is where i connected the dots between workforce in small businesses. not only did we hire thousands of employees with growth for a local small businesses also benefited from our needs to procure products and services. we purchase balloons, tasers, signage and many products and services from local small business vendors. the las vegas strip casinos produce many jobs and procurement opportunities for small businesses. but, i know many of you outside of nevada they not realize there are small casino operators like henderson, rainbow on emerald island with my friend tim brooks as the owner.

an poker palace owned by mickey and laura coleman and north las vegas. they've serve the community since even before i arrived in 1987 to nellis air force base. yes, i know the small business owners personally. despite being the entertainment capitol of the world and a global destination, las vegas and in particular southern nevada is a small tight community. when one businesses in we all feel a burden. the impact of a decrease in business and leisure travel is felt from our major corporations to the smallest main street companies. contracts for my company and many others were either delayed or canceled immediately causing instant closures and much uncertainty. small business owners how to reach into her bag of innovative tricks to survive. school and daycare closures put our employees in a bad position. once we are cleared to open

again with social distancing, our firm decided to create office space for children true attend school remotely giving the parents comfort and peace of mind. the new normal meant we had to be flexible with team members working remotely with alternating days in the office to keep everyone safe. we filed the signs and survived with no major concerns but investing and america's tourism and hospitality workforce and small business is a safe bet unintended for this country. i implore this committee to double down on the recent successful american rescue plan by investing in america's tourism and hospitality workforce and small business to rebuild our economy. in addition we should all push all of our chips to the middle of the table on the american jobs plan. to rebuild our infrastructure

and create necessary jobs for individuals and contracts for small businesses. the american -- thank you very much for realizing the importance of the tourism travel and hospitality industry and small business. we are all winners and we invest wisely this way, thank you very much. >> thank you mr. newsom for your remarks on tourism and small business, the nexus between the two. tedder scott i'm going to turn over to you ginger is our fourth and final witness please respect thank you chair rosen. drew daly is here today to represent world travel holdings. he began working for the company as a travel agent. now he runs their dream vacation cruise line division. he also serves on the star broaches a steering committee for the crews line international association,

welcome drew. >> thank you, senator scott. chairman rosen thank you member scott members of the subcommittee thank you for your efforts to bring attention to the devastating impacts of the cat was travel and tourism industry worker was small businesses across the u.s. due to the pandemic bridge that your honor to represent world travel holdings, dream vacations travel advisors in the broader travel advisor community across united states. travel advisors play a critical role in working with clients to plan travel for business and leisure purposes. today the entire travel industry comprises tens of thousands of travel advisors running their own businesses for the majority that work from home and are literally building their business in their neighborhood, backyard and in their community. at dream vacations we have thousands of small business owners around the country took a chance and had a dream to

start a business and create something that was their own. some have been doing it for more than 30 years. and believe it or not quite a few started their business in the midst of the pandemic. alt travel advisors earn a living based on what they sell their customers and they get paid when their customers actually travel. one tourism sector is especially important is the crews industry. 70% off cruise vacations are booked by a travel advisor in the industry and account for large portion of their business. more than 70% of the bookings made today are set to depart in 2022 or later which means these businesses will not get paid largely for another year. despite industry protocols and proven failings in other regions of the world. ultimately impacting tens of thousands of small business owners during that time dealing tourism sector thank

you for the tours and restoration act will forward to signing of the bill by president biden britt alaska is a critical cruise market right not in terms of bookings with the job supported by the crews passengers to visit the state. the reduction travel caused by covid-19 result in a 500 billion loss and travel spending across united states in 2020. with 5.6 million travel logs jobs which i lost including all jobs lost in the country. the crews industry represents 39 billion until economic loss including the loss of 30,000 jobs along with 16.5 billion in wages. fifty number of our travel advisors shift gears into the best to make a living during this downturn. specifically 41 are top

franchisees has been in business had to go back and become a school nurse. another got a job in a local grocery store. nevada would resorted to becoming an uber driver and deliver uber east just about food on the table. washington state with several franchises partner with local businesses and their community to do virtual winetasting events just of they can maintain relevance the customers mindset will they could not travel. congress can help the travel and tourism sector recovered by an acting policy spur travel demand and support workers are not yet fully participating in our country's economic recovery. we are so thankful for the strong economic support provided by the cares act and subsequent packages approved by congress. release packages like the paycheck protection program provided much-needed lifelines to many small businesses and workers in the travel and tourism sector. every week might team i have individual businesses in the

stories we hear are truly heartbreaking as their families are on the live. we anticipate that many travel advisors could suffer financial hardship for the next year as they continue to book in the future. with the paycheck protection program such expired matt ask you consider for sectors will take longer to recover. finally, the return of cruising out of the u.s. is a vital step. the biggest hurdle now for the continued success of our travel advisors is for cruising and all forms of travel to come back full throttle. thank you again for the opportunity to testify today on behalf of the entire travel by the community. your efforts to support the rebuild and recovery of tourism and the many small businesses that are critical to the sector are greatly appreciated. i promise travel advisors are going to play key role in helping americans travel again and boosting economic recovery across the entire country. ready to ensure these

businesses and their workers can survive the remaining challenges presented by the pandemic overall. thank you and i look forward to hearing your questions. >> thank you mr. daley. again i want to thank all of our witnesses for joining today for their thoughtful and statements rank when you start out with a question to doctor newson about small businesses and move onto to mr. taylor to talk a little bit about hospitality workforce. over the past year nevada small businesses particularly the businesses who depend on her tourism and hospitality industry for their customers, which we know they struggle to keep the doors open due to covid-19. in response congress passed numerous small business support programs. paycheck protection program, restaurant revitalization fund, help small businesses stay afloat keep their workers on the payroll. unfortunate ppp ran out of funds on may 4 and just yesterday the restaurant

revitalization fund stopped taking new applications. with hospitality tours and being slower to recover than other industries additional limited targeted relief may be needed until leisure travelers to mr. newsom as a tourism and hospitality industry slowly recovers from the economic impacts of this public health crisis what additional support do think congress will provide tour small businesses and what investments do you think we might make more broadly going forward. you have a want a healthy economy and a robust summary want to support everything you're working on portsmouth thank you very much. continue to provide access to capitol to small and minority businesses. we know systemically that is been the challenge much around the minority owned firms were refound that even prior to the

pandemic it was very, very difficult to get access to capitol. opening up cdf eyes and opening up all kinds of lending resources the other thing is broadband. should know in nevada zoom calls and different opportunities to do business online. i think that is extremely important. the other thing i mentioned was childcare. i know a lot of my employees and members of the chamber they were not only challenges going back to work, a lot of the employees are not just challenge with any funding from a package or from unemployment hurt a lot are struggling with childcare what they do with their children to keep them safe. i would say those are one of

the crucial in particular for small business continue to from the small business development centers ready to help small business owners to become better operators of their business. they're fortunate and blessed to work in gaming and hospitality print i learned a lot from those industries. not everybody has that opportunity. i think that is a great opportunity there. and the last thing i see is real important is the healthcare cost rate is really importantly help small businesses have an opportunity to provide affordable healthcare as well as try to defray the cost to make sure we are not re- providing most of the money to our employees. in helping to provide better

services through our clients and our customers. i think what's important is don't forget small businesses. we get people back to work faster we do a lot to appreciate what happened pre-but there's a lot more to be done, thank you. >> that is a good segue. thank you to mr. taylor. earlier this year the american rescue plan covered senator cortez mast owen i were diligent to be sure one 100% of cobra insurance was covered during the pandemic. people lost their jobs through no fault of their own. we really secured that. we know how important was were culinary workers union preach to all of the union members and just workers across the country. just a few seconds i have left will go into a second round. fully subsidized cobra health benefits had on your members on the hospitality and tourism

industry? >> yes, senator rosenberg i think that is where the keystones to what is help people survive. it's going to allow members to get back on health insurance. in our industry a lot in the hospitality industry only 23% of employers continue to provide healthcare benefits. so in the middle of a healthcare pandemic we had people losing healthcare. this is been a huge plus under the american rescue plan. bluntly if i was looking ahead about what congress can do. [inaudible] often have to recall healthcare. [inaudible]

[inaudible] [inaudible] i will shut down right in the middle of the pandemic we had people losing healthcare. [inaudible] i cannot think of anything more impactful that came under the plan. >> thank you, senator cortez masto owen i were glad to work on that. senator scott your recognize. >> can you talk about from mr. taylor and mr. newsom some of the challenges they have had with labor shortages. can you talk about some of the issues your industries had with labor issues? >> labor shortages in florida for the tourism industry has

grown tremendously as a population has grown. a lot of the population you see in florida are retirees. i think it is interesting senator when you were governor you increase tourism promotion funding by 15%. certainly the economics of continuing to drive visitors to the sunshine state has put even more strain on the global market. it also has affected wages. it's not something that's even talked about any more. they are paid more than minimum wage. one of the things is particularly interesting teens are less and less inclined to participate in summer jobs.

traditionally in america summertime was a time you get the job and earn a few bucks and learn some skills and accept some responsibility. there are some interesting statistics of the less teens are participating in the thing that's affecting us right now is the inability to provide visas for the summer workforce program. and typically there's about 100,000 international students that come into the united states to participate learning more about america, the economy intercultural working during summertime. this year it's only about 5%. there's a lot of thing contributing to that person not necessarily a new issue. it's not necessarily an issue with the covid pandemic.

an american population types of futures people are looking for. the tourism and travel industry needs to do a better job demonstrating and telling our story on why particularly entry-level jobs are so important. in fact statistics from u.s. travel association demonstrate people whose job will by age 50 and myrna earning more per year than those who started their careers in healthcare or manufacturing or other industries. it's a very entry-level opportunity. i think the best opportunity we have is to get more young people excited and interested in the future of the hospitality industry. >> thank you, mr. daley can't talk about how many job rely on the cute cruising industry directly or indirectly in the

united states in florida? in your estimated timeline for all those jobs to return? do you believe they will return? >> thank you for the question, great question. i do think as we are seeing, we have signs coming up right now to rebuild recovery of course i mention with the announcements toward alaska. during thousand jobs are impacted in 2020 from the industry due to the pandemic. i do believe based on what we are seeing office of the goal is a return to normal and what that looks like i can say in 2022 and in the future the demand for cursing and the response to it from consumers and the local advisors in their community it's never been greater. it's going to be a thunderous return. that will ultimately come back to jobs at impact more than the jobs within the crews industry per se. is the antler industries as well.

it's the hospitality and local areas and cities workers itself from around the united states. and it's into other markets too. steering thank you mr. daily. do you believe both customers, passengers and workers can come back to the crews industry and operate safety? >> without a doubt. health and safety protocols have never been more important to the crews industry. they always have been. i think the enhancements they parrot the past 16 months understand the science but we've been seeing in our own backyards people used to show pictures when someone's traveling and eating a meal part now the showing pictures of someone cleaning a seat at an airport or a hotel part ultimately i think what we've seen are what we will see is a safety protocols they partnered with the crews line international association to ensure they're working with the experts, working with science, finding the right

solution so they can safely return to service with social distancing protocols with the recent vaccinations successfully around the united states. that is going to be a significant factor in the returns are cruising. >> thank you mr. day's daily thank you mr. rosen. >> thank you mr. daily. senator klobuchar sera going to give her a moment to get into her seats. and then she will ask the next question. she's been kind enough to join us here in person even though some much of our hearings have been remote because of covid. we are happy to see her here, senator klobuchar. thank you very much chairwoman. the great work in nevada and across the country when it comes to tourism thank you so much senator scott's. i know it last week you had a hearing on international tourism. really, really important topics that are blunt and i

need the brand usa reauthorization. i guess i would start with that in your testimony emphasize the importance of that when it comes to international travel and one recent report found international travel does not begin to reopen soon the u.s. is projected to lose water to 75 billion in spending by the end of 2021. can you talk about the importance of the role of brand usa? in the past and what we need to do going forward. >> thank you, senator klobuchar. : : :

>> the state office can work with the national office, to take those dollars collectively and to spread the good news. so that the estimation the america has to offer. the united states is an incredible country, our history and our culture and natural resources are not like anything else in the world, even though we are a relatively small country. i am amazed at the international travelers, what interests them, what excites them that others can take for granted. show them an alligator in their day is made. show them another alligator. [inaudible]

>> it's an incredible opportunity for all members of the united states and the travel community to participate in sharing the story of america with people around the world. >> yes, thank you. you may not have alligators but we have walleyes. with that i am turning it over to my good friend mr. taylor. >> i am well, thank you. the hotel industry is expected to be down 500,000 jobs by the end of 2021, partly due to predict did permit changes in business travel, so even as we get out of this pandemic there will be a longer transition when it comes to business travel. could you talk about that problem? one report found that half of

u.s. hotel rooms are projected to remain empty and 2021, that is about 180,000 jobs, what more should we do when it comes to business travel and resolving this problem. >> i appreciate the question. i think tax incentives for business travel should be looked at because in the kind of big hotels in the city, they rely heavily on business travel. so without that, i think that those job protections are actually very oblique. the second is we all worry about a jobless recovery, in certain cases, because they have made it clear when the earnings talk about it come about not doing certain things that we always assume.

that includes doing things that are enjoyable, actually charging for that. so that is an issue. and the final thing is without any question, if you look at it for the first, second and third largest industry, they've view of those jobs is how important they are, just as important as retail jobs, no one really often talks about these jobs. even in minneapolis or st. paul, tourism is a huge part of that down to the area, why people come to this. so either have to change our dialogue or do promotions like that and incentives like that like we do in other industries. >> that's very good. would you like to add anything to that?

>> thank you, senator. you know, things that are right on point when it comes to how we view things. one of the things that i think is really important is the unprecedented partnerships that we have created during these tough times. you know, they say adversity creates strange bedfellows, but that means that it has all of the organizations come together and work together, trying to help with tourism, helping with thinking through things and hold it that way. i think that that is the beauty of entrepreneurship and small businesses, is that we think outside of the box and in cases we don't have a box because we are focused upon trying to solve a problem. so i think that that is right on point with this common. >> very good and we thank you very much, we appreciate it. >> thank you, senator.

senator blackburn is now joining us. >> thank you so much, madam chairman, thank you for continuing to work on this and when you talk about tourism and of course, east tennessee it is the most visited park in the federal tax system, we have been really hit by this and as i talk to leaders in the industry, whether it is the motorcoach industry or some of the small businesses and the support crews for a concert and what i am hearing is labor shortage and i am hearing the increase in federal unemployment benefits as

well that is having a significant adverse impact on our labor pool and that is why the governor is ending the end of next month in unemployment and so sir, am i saying your name right? >> yes, you are. >> okay, talk to me a little bit. i know that miami and orlando they are very similar in that make up to the way in nashville is. and how are these cities that are event centric, they are like orlando and nashville, how are they going to be able to handle these pressures and i appreciate that you mentioned the summer

worker programs and the department of state and the what they have had, that has impacted us also. so if you could give me just a moment on that issue. >> sure, thank you very much, that is a good question, yes, the event industry, the meetings and it's probably one of the two weakest links are recovery in florida, and the second would be the international travel, the fact that they only have 14% over the last year indicates that we really have is wrong to mess up recovery already. then the federal program in florida has also been part of this to the end of next month, but the labor shortage predates the pandemic, and i think one of the messages is there's great career opportunities and we need to do a better job and it is a

great industry and an entrepreneur at industry and that includes that we want to be a part of the industry. >> i mentioned the cdc and the dot need to come together to open up international travel and i know that the gentleman would like to see that happen. and i appreciate it as well and talk about why it is imperative for them to get on the same page, so that we can get this travel open up. you know, we have cma week

,-com,-com ma it takes place the first week of june, and it is a big international destination. >> thank you, senator, yes, the specific things that i'm speaking to where we are dealing with a virus, the cdc comes up periodically to update this chart and that's really what the news media uses to communicate where we are as well as levels of safety and the inconsistency between the messaging of the cdc and the department of transportation and what they say and finally how osha apparently is chasing with the cdc is doing, trying to keep up, but they are unable to, basically they are taught here, but look over there, these federal agencies need to be a part of this. if we are going to communicate, let's all be on the same page. >> i could not agree more.

so your testimony about small businesses, and nashville we have a lot of people that provide swagger for concert and so when that shuts down, they lost most of their revenues. is that what you are seeing in nevada? >> yes, senator, that's absolutely right. one of the things is that we get about the people who are the wardrobe specialist, some of the small businesses that provide microphones, different things like that, everybody is impacted from top to bottom and industry shuts down i'm happy to say that we are talking about entertainment coming back in a

discreet so many opportunities in so many jobs. >> i think that they're holding that equipment, there is an ecosystem and they do the t-shirts and a hat, they do this and they do that and i am with you. let's get this money back to the small businesses, let's help them get back on their feet. we appreciate it, thank you, madam chairman. >> thank you, senator. i would like to open it up to another round of questioning from senator scott. >> thank you chair. so please talk about how you -- for the individuals who have been able to go back, how have you been able to help people

create a safe work environment, it's all interesting, how have you been able to do that in. >> thank you, senator scott. >> the nuance of health and safety, there was not one that had huge protocol, helping people go back to work, obviously i think that it varies and i think that certain companies who could quite seriously and i said it and i'm sure you understand it, the quickest way to get people back into our industry to come back mr. fields dave and so what we have found, for example, know the work that we did in las vegas is we had to explain to everybody that you can't just be

saved in one casino in one hotel, you have to also look at the customer. obviously the same message went through. i think the best way to get people back at this level is with companies focusing on health and safety and there are good ways to do that, to incentivize folks to get vaccinated and those that don't want to get vaccinated to have a covid-19 test, because anybody wants to build dave and i think that that is just a fundamental thing. as i said earlier i think that it was exemplary and there have been some exemplary companies about this. unfortunately there have been some who have not and unfortunately those that are not, and they have jeopardized everybody else. so it is more and more the that we can have a level playing

field of health and safety in the better off we will be because at the end of the hospitality relies upon two things i'm also having the security and the feeling of safety and then finally it's not just workers but to view them as a service product that brings back loyalty and etc. and sometimes we have companies that understand that. >> thank you mr. taylor, thank you for what you do. do you believe over the next 12 months, do you believe that we will have all the jobs back to we lost during the pandemic?

>> i wish that we could get all the workers back, but here is the good news for the folks in florida, spring break easter season was extraordinary and it exceeded expectations, we really caught that anticipating of what is going to happen and also privately owned mom-and-pop attractions that have these attendance records and what we are seeing in the summer is a tremendous demand on florida coast-to-coast with pre-bookings women really the only thing holding us back is going to be labor and they've covid-19

continues and if there is not any additional big outbreaks and if the world comes back, florida and the united states is going to be in a great place. >> thank you chairman. >> thank you senator scott. i have a couple more questions i would like to view and there's been a lot of discussion today about the economy being in full recovery. i would like to talk about some of the hardest hit state and where we stand, i am really pleased to hear that florida is coming back and i am sure that that will continue and i hope for that as well. but overall at this time, the recovery has been uneven, there are labor statistics with april unemployment numbers so according to this they have unemployment 6% or higher including nevada, which are

still at 80% or higher. it depends on travel and tourism, it's actually the highest at a .5%. the other end of the spectrum we have a dozen states of employment states under 4%. that's where we were when the crisis had been we are not bacteria. so given how the recovery has been in different parts of the country, it makes sense that it looks different the various senators depending on where states are at various governments as well. my stabilize on tourism and small businesses that support it, we still do need that help. last week we talked about how each of our states have no much that is unique and it's beautiful, likewise public health and economic impact for covid-19, so it's important to

remember the pandemic related benefits it may not be needed in some parts of the country could still be needed in others as we begin to all recovered together because we have to get everybody on the other side of the crisis, so mr. taylor, with that in mind , number one, what workers are excited to get back to progress and also the hospitality workers, i think you stated that he% back in las vegas. >> yes, i am somewhat at a loss when i hear that people don't want to work. others i hear there's nothing more they want to do than go back to work.

this is a profession and they have a lot of pride in it. it is also what they call the american dream. so it is as important, federal unemployment has been a large -- and it's been a lifesaver. >> i think it has been a huge prevention of homelessness even though we know it has helped in many ways. and that includes what they did with the cares act, and what

they did within the country. i had never dreamed that we would see the kind of food banks that we would see. but i know that in nevada they have been having a food bank four days a week since march of last year. and frankly that keeps on going. when i hear unemployment at a percent, i have no idea where they would get that number, because as you know in the hospitality industry whether it is restaurants, hotels, concert venues and etc., those are not necessarily given within the optimistic sense, so the unemployment and also the money for food and the eviction moratorium has been key, so i can't thank you enough. but nobody wants any of that stuff. people have pride and they want to work with their hands and they want to meet their customers and they want more

people to come back. at the same time you could open up every place in the world, and i agree on the international travel, we have to try to get international travel moving again. in america is an unbelievable country, you can see the greatest things in the world here, we want people to come here, but obviously part of that has to do with safety and security, and i appreciate all the hard work you've done on that topic as well. >> it is mr. newsom. you know, it the pandemic really had an impact on workers of color, the small business owners, it's disproportionately impacting certain racial and ethnic groups, concentrated in hospitality and leisure. it began in 282,008.

and two sectors that experienced downturns. 32% of latinos, 34% of asians, others employed in hospitality, but these two groups especially are high risk for economic downturns because of what happened and many have also had to been impacted, so as you or care of the urban chamber, who is working to ensure that workers of colors in the hospitality and tourism industry and we have talked about it a little bit.

so how do we in sure terms make sure that these people are helped? >> thank you for thehe question, senator and one of the things that is real important is that we have to keep investing, keep investing in the workforce, really invest in theth jobs act and that's what really helped nevada to be a turn for the better when it came to small minority firms and when it came to rebuilding the economy. >> and those things brought back jobs and not only that in their

wisdom and in nevada, they put into the law that 50% of contracts go to small businesses, which is huge. and also bringing them back from where they are. and that includes a small amount of support they receive, they really want to work hard and has you know, senator, the urban chamber and the latin chamber in the asian chamber, these guys all work together. what i love is that the fact that everybody comes close, like i said, we are a very close knit community, north and south, most peoplen try to divide us, as a nevada community we are all in the same vote and we typically come together to make sure that is the least of us suffers, we

make sure that we all chip in, so minorityy communities can rebound with the support of these investments and some of the innovation that we are talking about plus it also helps to build our infrastructure and us to build our community and then everybody, everybody working together is really what the goal is, to get everybody back to recovered together. and i call it more than recovery, colin rebound. which means that you are bouncing back. recovery is where you go better and harder and stronger than where you were before. >> i like that, we are going to rebound. senator scott him if you have anything else at this time? otherwise i'm going to close out the hearing. soer i want to thank everyone he for your work, passion, care for your state and communities in everything you do, it is so important and then also we will rebound together.

we really appreciate you all. so this hearing record will remain open for two weeks until tuesday, june 8, 2021. any senators that would like to submit questions should do so by june 8 by 2021, for those of you that testified today, we ask that your responses be returned to the committee as quickly as possible and no later than two weeks later than receipt,, that includes conclusion of today's hearing. and i thank w you.

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