Inside the Beltway

It’s been a busy and productive week for GBTA inside the Beltway as we work to continue to advance the interests of business travel.

I met with Governor of Virginia candidate Terry McAuliffe (D). His support of a long-range transportation infrastructure investment strategy has been widely praised by Republican and Democratic leaders alike. This issue, along with investment in education, have been the two primary planks in his election platform. This could be a model for other states and is good for business travel and business travelers alike.

I also had the honor of meeting again with Secretary Hillary Clinton as a follow up to her time together with us in San Diego. In addition to talking about the serious issues that we face here in Washington, I thanked her again for her outstanding presentation in San Diego. Her approval ratings in the post-Convention survey were off the charts! Although President Bill Clinton has been a GBTA favorite and is the only repeat general session keynote speaker in our history, I let her know she has bragging rights about her ratings around the house.

Just yesterday, I met with Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC), Chair of the House Subcommittee on Transportation Security. Chairman Hudson has co-sponsored a bill (H.R. 1204) that is in full Committee now that would require TSA leadership to formally consult with the Aviation Security Advisory Committee (ASAC) on all aviation security related matters. As you may remember, for the past two years I have chaired the Risk-Based Security Subcommittee of ASAC. This bill would expand the role of ASAC and insure that the business travel industry will continue to have a strong voice in these matters in the future.

Advocating on behalf of our members is an important part of what we do at GBTA, and I will continue to keep you posted about our various interactions and meetings on the Hill.