H.R. 4450 — what changed

Subsection (d)(3) of the Travel Promotion Act of 2009 (22 U.S.C. 2131(d)(3)) is amended—

changed “(E) Biannual review of procedures to determine fair market value Maintenance of goods and services—The an in-kind contributions policy—The Corporation and the Secretary of Commerce (or their designees) shall meet on a biannual basis to review the procedures to determine the fair market value of goods and services received from non-Federal sources by the Corporation under subparagraph (B).”maintain an in-kind contributions policy.

added “(F) Formalized procedures for in-kind contributions policy—Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of the Travel Promotion, Enhancement, and Modernization Act of 2014, the Secretary of Commerce, in coordination with the Corporation, shall establish formal, publicly available procedures specifying time frames and conditions for—

added “(i) making and agreeing to revisions of the Corporation’s in-kind contributions policy; and

added “(ii) addressing and resolving disagreements between the Corporation and its partners, including the Secretary of Commerce, regarding the in-kind contributions policy.

added “(G) Biannual review of procedures to determine fair market value of goods and services—The Corporation and the Secretary of Commerce (or their designees) shall meet on a biannual basis to review the procedures to determine the fair market value of goods and services received from non-Federal sources by the Corporation under subparagraph (B).”

The Travel Promotion Act of 2009 (22 U.S.C. 2131), as amended by this Act, is further amended—

“(f) Accountability

added “(1) Performance plans and measures—Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of the Travel Promotion, Enhancement, and Modernization Act of 2014, the Corporation shall—

added “(A) establish performance metrics including, time frames, evaluation methodologies, and data sources for measuring—

added “(i) the effectiveness of marketing efforts by the Corporation, including its progress in achieving the long-term goals of increased traveler visits to and spending in the United States;

added “(ii) whether increases in visitation and spending have occurred in response to external influences, such as economic conditions or exchange rates, rather than in response to the efforts of the Corporation; and

added “(iii) any cost or benefit to the economy of the United States; and

added “(B) conduct periodic program evaluations in response to the data resulting from measurements under subparagraph (A).

removed “(1) Performance plans and measures—Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of the Travel Promotion, Enhancement, and Modernization Act of 2014, the Corporation shall establish performance metrics—

removed “(A) to measure the impact of marketing efforts by the Corporation; and

removed “(B) to demonstrate any cost or benefit to the economy of the United States.

“(2) GAO accountability—Not later than 60 days after the date on which the Corporation receives a report from the Government Accountability Office with recommendations for the Corporation, the Corporation shall submit a report to Congress that describes the actions taken by the Corporation in response to the recommendations in such report.

“(g) Procurement requirements—The Corporation shall—

“(1) establish a competitive procurement process; and

“(2) certify in its annual report to Congress under subsection (c)(3) that any contracts entered into were in compliance with the established competitive procurement process.”