S-5278.1  _______________________________________________

                    SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL 8030

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      54th Legislature     1996 Regular Session

By Senators Cantu, Snyder and Kohl

Read first time 02/19/96.  Referred to Committee on Labor, Commerce & Trade.

Requesting the Federal government to appoint members of the Pacific Northwest Economic Region to the National Tourism Board and the National Tourism Organization.

    TO THE HONORABLE WILLIAM J. CLINTON, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED:

    We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:

    WHEREAS, Tourism is of vital economic and cultural importance to the states and provinces of the Pacific Northwest comprised of Washington, Alaska, Alberta, British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, and Oregon; and

    WHEREAS, The State and Provincial governments of the Pacific Northwest are members of the Pacific Northwest Economic Region, a nonprofit public-private partnership established to promote regional economic cooperation; and

    WHEREAS, The States and Provinces of the Pacific Northwest Region expend in excess of $50 million per year to promote the tourism industry and attract millions of tourists from throughout North America and the World; and

    WHEREAS, The tourism industry constitutes billions of dollars in economic activity for the States and Provinces of the Pacific Northwest Region; and

    WHEREAS, The States and Provinces of the Pacific Northwest Economic Region have undertaken numerous collaborative and innovative tourism initiatives that have been successful in promoting tourism in the region and have laid the ground work for ongoing cooperative tourism development efforts; and

    WHEREAS, Current proposals before Congress to establish a National Tourism Board and a National Tourism Organization to develop a national travel and tourism strategy to promote tourism in the United States is of considerable importance to the States of the Pacific Northwest; and

    WHEREAS, Participation on the National Tourism Board and the National Tourism Organization is of vital interest and importance to the States of the Pacific Northwest;

    NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully request that a public and a private sector representative of the Pacific Northwest Economic Region be appointed to the National Tourism Board and the National Tourism Organization respectively.

    BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable William J. Clinton, President of the United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of Congress from the States of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington.

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