信标:在关键的一年中,立法日超出了预期
经过美国旅行顾问协会(ASTA)倡导执行副总裁Eben Peck(ASTA)/
Last month, more than 200 travel agency executives and supplier partners from 43 states came together in Washington, D.C. under the banner of the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) for our annual congressional “fly-in,”ASTA立法日。
Legislative Day - or “Leg Day” with a soft “g” - is a member-only event that brings travel advisors to D.C. to meet in person with Members of Congress and staff to educate policymakers about our part of the industry and advocate for policies that benefit our businesses and clients. Before attending congressional meetings pre-scheduled by ASTA, we train attendees on how congressional offices are structured, Hill meeting best practices, and dive deep into the policy issues to be discussed. This training – close to six hours’ worth, online and in-person, this year – ensures that attendees feel confident advocating for our industry and themselves.
腿日是我们年度倡导工作的核心,即ASTA倡导团队的超级碗。从活动开始前的12天开始,我们今年的帆中有一些额外的风拜登政府突然放弃了可怕的“入站测试规则”that ASTA and others had been fighting for the better part of 2022. On the whole, Leg Day did not disappoint this year. By the numbers:
- 来自43个州的216名参与者,这两个记录;
- 196次国会会议,其中45次与国会议员本人,这两项记录;
- Three ASTA Global Travel Advocate Awards were presented to industry champions - Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO), and Rep. Carol Miller (R-WV);
- 19迄今为止,两党的同伴迄今为止为我们的优先账单,《雇员保留税收抵免恢复法》(R. 6161/S. 3625)和《访问美国法》(美国法案H.R. 6965/S. 3375);和
- Vanessa McGovern和Gifted Travel Network的Vanessa McGovern和Shannon Cunningham筹集了50,000美元(您可以观看他们6月22日的直播流ASTA’s Facebook page)。
我可以肯定地说,完成了这项工作已有二十多年了 - 没有什么比来到DC与立法者面对面会面的选民更具影响力的了。国会议员每天都会在每个可能的政策问题上被电话,电子邮件和其他请求淹没。
没有什么能像选民那样花时间和费用来交给DC并亲自倡导的思想。那些参加立法日的人对于帮助我们将球推向倡导目标至关重要。倡导是全年的活动,但腿日对于我们在华盛顿所做的工作至关重要。
It’s about more than just advancing a policy agenda, though. It's about educating Members of Congress and their staff about how the travel agency industry works, what we do for their constituents, and the fact that advisors are a central part of the travel experience. Perhaps most importantly, it’s a way for our members to participate in their democracy. The U.S. Constitution guarantees every American the right to “petition the government for a redress of grievances.” Though our grievances may be less intense than they were at the height of COVID, plenty remains and bringing them forward is what Leg Day is all about.
Don’t just take my word for it. One attendee noted in her post-event survey, “Legislative Day is the most powerful and most unique event in the travel advisor/supplier industry. To discuss travel-related issues with our legislators, in person, makes more of an impression than anything we can do to get our message out!”
在她第二次立法日之后,另一个人说:“我强烈鼓励每个人参与其中。这与“政治”无关,而是关于为您的行业倡导的。去年,我的经验使我受到了启发,以至于我以我的乡镇董事会成员的身份参与了当地社区。”第三名与会者是第一个计时器,观察到腿日“是一项激烈但迅速的教育,供旅行顾问从计算机和电话后面走出来,以帮助自己与幕后的旅行问题进行日常斗争,从而影响他们的日常业务。透明
保存明年的日期 - 2023年6月20日至21日。我们希望您能加入我们!