NBTA in Washington to Meet with Members of Congress

2008 NBTA Legislative Summit Attendees Discuss Current Legislative Issues Facing the Corporate Trave

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. October 14, 2008

WASHINGTON, DC, June 12, 2008. The NBTA Legislative Summit, an event organized by the National Business Travel Association (NBTA) this week in Washington, D.C., brought together more than 50 corporate travel professionals from across the United States to learn about current legislative issues facing the corporate travel industry and visit their Congressional offices to encourage support for bills that would advance the business travel agenda.

NBTA President & CEO Kevin Maguire, CCTE, said: "As dedicated business travel professionals, we are faced every day with challenges we must conquer to continue effectively managing travel, some of which include government policy issues. We are here at the NBTA Legislative Summit to address current government challenges with our peers, as well as our U.S. Representatives and Senators, and to let them know how they can help their constituents, regional businesses, and the industry as a whole."

On Tuesday participants were provided with a detailed overview of how the U.S. political process operates, including an explanation of the progression of legislation from inception to implementation. Attendees also learned effective communications techniques to use with Congressional offices.

Yesterday attendees met with their Congressional offices to discuss and

encourage support for two key legislations affecting the corporate travel industry:

• the Fair, Accurate, Secure and Timely or FAST Redress Act of 2007, H.R. 4179, which would take significant steps toward alleviating the burden of those passengers who are wrongly placed on terrorist watch lists;

• and the End Discriminatory State Taxes on Automobile Renters Act of 2007, H.R. 2453, which would stop governments seeking to fund local projects from targeting people who rent cars.

"These bills, which NBTA has supported from day one, would help to alleviate extra costs and burdens that business travelers and companies are faced with on a daily basis," said Maguire. "We've got to keep them moving through Congress, and I know that everyone here today will do their best to see that happen."

Featured speakers at the 2008 NBTA Legislative Summit included the Honorable Robert Sturgell, FAA Acting Administrator, Representative Artur Davis (D-AL 7th), and Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke (D-NY 11th), who authored the FAST Redress Act of 2007.

About NBTA

The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) is the world's premier

business travel organization. U.S.-based NBTA and its regional subsidiaries - NBTA Asia Pacific, NBTA Canada and NBTA Mexico - serve more than 3,200 members in 30 nations around the globe. NBTA has 41 U.S. Chapters with more than 5,000 members. NBTA members are corporate and government travel and meetings managers, as well as travel service providers, who collectively manage and direct more than US$170 billion of global business travel expenditures annually. The association provides industry-leading networking, education & professional development, research, news & information, and advocacy. For more information, visit www.nbta.org.